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Thank god we paid the mortgage off
My previous diary was pulling my frugal pants on. I decided to start a new diary because, well because our new start that we had planned isn’t going to happen. So dad’s house sale finally went through and we’d decided that we would use my inheritance to offset OH dropping a day at work. Money would be tight but doable.…
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Mobility Scooter - Not Mobile - Repair Store Gone No Contact
»»» I have ADHD and Aspergers, and can't summerise without help - so here's the Summary AND the original version, for more context if needed. ««« ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SUMMARY: A Mobility Scooter was bought on 22nd Jan 2025, but developed a fault in late October 2025. Returned to Seller (reputible shop), at 9am on 13th December…
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Reduction in property value - mining report
I would like advice re selling a property which has 2 mine entrances 11m and 7m in the road outside the next doors’s house. Buyer has pulled out as they can’t get a 60% mortgage of the property value of 160k. I have been told I should reduce by at least 25% for 1 mine entrance and more for 2nd and readvertise for cash…
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+++ Divide By Cucumber Error. Please Reinstall Universe And Reboot +++
My third diary. <<<out of cheese error>> documented our debt free journey and then paying off the mortgage +++ Whoops! Here comes the cheese! +++ focussed on early retirement plans, and then my first year as a widow. This time I will be focussing on a positive new start in my brave new world. Final stages of renovating a…
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SIM only broadband?
Apologies to all of you techies, as I am not very knowledgeable in this area. The issue: I am moving into a home that has pathetic broadband connections (sub 37 Mbps) on copper (no current plans by fibre people to upgrade). plus they want to charge ridiculous prices - because they can. So…Why can't you get as good speeds…
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Can I be forced to have a smart meter?
Hi, I'm new here so please forgive any faux pas... but here goes. We have solar panels on the roof, which don't make us a huge amount of money; but they make us more than they would otherwise because we have an old analog meter which actually rolls backwards while the panels are generating juice. Obviously we'd like to…
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EDF Sunday Saver
"Shift your electricity usage from Monday to Friday away from peak times (4pm-7pm) – to get free electricity the following Sunday." Average peak electricity usage at end of week Free hours of electricity earned Free electricity times the following Sunday 19.3% (no change) 0 N/A 17.4% 4 8am - midday 15.5% 8 8am - 4pm 13.5%…
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Query re probate application
I’m about to apply for probate as my mum just passed away. The house / title is in my late father’s name. He left house to mum. She then left house to me and my sisters. But title/house still in dad’s name. Am I about to encounter a problem before I start. ?
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Electrician doesn't want to come back and complete notifiable works - help!
Hi, I was hoping for some advice please! We started a large project a few months ago and our electrician who is NAPIT has been difficult since day one. I think he is now making every excuse possible not to come back and complete the works. Due to some horrid footage I have on a camera I don't really want him back in the…
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Next steps; grip-relaxing bimbling, and avoiding the temptations
Time, I think, to start a new diary. My first was about removing our debts, paying off our mortgage and working towards, and through, the first few years of not working. I don't call it retirement at that point, because a wealth of volunteer activities were taken on or continued, and a number of hobbies aspired to or taken…
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Old Style Weight Loss Challenge - 1st Quarter 2026
Hi All Welcome to the first Old Style Weight Loss thread for 2026. Please feel free to start posting your weight loss goals for the next challenge which will run from the 1st January until the 31st March. You do not have to submit a loss or gain for the first week as it's our starting week, you can post your first loss or…
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Arena Park Coventry PCN
I have just received a debt collection demand from Arena Park for £170 demanding immediate payment or they will go to court. i received no prior notification from Premier Park Ltd or any proof of infringement. The demand came through in a plain envelope so it appeared to be junk mail. This appears to be a deliberate…
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Knocking years off the mortgage…that’s the goal!
Good morning! So thought it was time I started a diary so I can keep track of progress we have made. Bought our home in 2019 with a £240000 mortgage. Consistently overpaid £100 a month for the last 4 years and now starting to tackle the mortgage seriously, we are able to overpay around £600 a month so we are clearing 2…
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Trying to dismantle/remove old Dyson wall mount
I have an old wall mount from a Dyson handheld which I want to remove, but I can't work out how to dismantle it to get at the screws. It is mounted perpendicular to the wall, with "hidden" screws. Any ideas?
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Nationwide - pay out to two accounts?
apologies if this the wrong place, but I wasn’t sure where else to post this. we’re trying to deal with my dads estate, and nationwide are saying the can only pay out to one account and not split them between two accounts. For a bit of rough context, my dad had 8 accounts, 4 ISAs, and 4 other accounts. We want the money in…
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The Case of the Overwhelming Mortgage
I’ve lurked for a long time. I have no-one in real life I can discuss these issues with and thought it might be helpful to get it out of my head and on to paper. I am mid 40s, married, with two pre-teen children. We moved in 2017, with a 20 year mortgage of £140,000 and interest of £10 per day. We now have a mortgage of…
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Not dropping Santa down the chimney!: 2025 Santa, Shoebox & Life Chit,Chat,Chunter! ALL welcome....
Welcome to the shiny new thread which has a slightly different title and I have just updated the date! Now 2025 Santa's Challenge was set up by Mum2one some years ago but sadly she hasn't posted on this forum for a couple of years, so now we are on our own. We remember her, her Mum and daughter with fondness and hope that…
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Daily Mail rewards club thread 4
Welcome to the Daily Mail Rewards Club thread. If you wish to join the scheme you can here https://mailrewardsclub.mailonline.co.uk/WeekendClub/register If you are already a member you can log in here https://mailrewardsclub.mailonline.co.uk/WeekendClub/login The rewards catalogue can be found here…
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Employer contribution when on Small salary, already maxed pension contributions
I earn a small salary approximately £13000 and already contributed £10000 (net) into my SIPP, maxed out for the last year of working as I'm thinking of retiring. My employer wants to contribute £4000 (net) into my SIPP and I've completed the forms for this to happen. However although I'm not expecting to receive tax relief…
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£2 Savers Club 2026
Welcome everyone to the £2 savers club for 2026. As always, the aim is to collect every £2 coin you can lay your hands on! It is entirely up to you whether you want to: A) Save for a particular reason e.g. to pay the car insurance, to pay for a family holiday or to buy birthday presents throughout the year, B)Save until…
