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Cash out? Enough is enough
Hi all , musing and would appreciate thoughts im 46 and have ‘enough’ saved in my dc pension ; as of today £1.02mil, I’ve saved well and growth has been excellent my partner 41 has 200k in her dc pension and she’s now got a few years local government pension and will likely stay in it additionally we have 80k between us in…
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Vegan Storecupboard Challenge Winter 25 - Winter 26
It's back for a new year!! I celebrate my New Years day on the midpoint between Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice and that's today so it's time to get the new Vegan Storecupboard challenge off the ground! The aim of this challenge is to minimise grocery shopping and food waste by using up as much as possible of what you…
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The Save £12k in 2025 challenge
I give details below of the savings challenge I have been running this year and will continue to run next year with the help of @Suffolk_lass This is the new Challenge thread for savers in 2025. The aim is to get more people saving throughout the year and this thread gives a space for people to record their progress. The…
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Cash ISAs: The Best Currently Available List
Cash ISAs: The Best Currently Available List **Please note: The list of ISAs I have compiled below is continually updated. New ISAs are added as they launch and withdrawn ISAs will be removed from the list. ** The current Cash ISA limit is £20,000 for the 2025/26 tax year. **As with any financial product, before opening an…
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Overwhelmed by debt - Progressing down Default and DMP route - Advice and help needed
Hi, I've not had a good relationship with credit and debt throughout my adult life, initially starting around 15 years or so ago when I got into a catalogue and payday loan cycle following me and my now wife renting our own house and having children quite young and not knowing any better. We got out of this with the help…
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State pension calculation and HMRC calculator
Hi, This is mostly idle curiosity, but I'm hoping someone here can help me understand the basis for the UK state pension calculation. When I go to the HMRC state pension calculator it tells me "Forecast if you contribute another 2 years before 5 April 2042 £230.25 a week". I'd qualify in 2042 based on current law (I'm 50).…
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Will / trust
My dad has recently passed away and I am confused about the will. Mum and dad had mirror wills. They were tenants in common. Mum died in 2018 and left her share of the home in trust for 3 daughters (all over 18 / left home) with dad having a life interest to remain living in the property. Her residuary estate passed to…
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Tomato Energy (Electric Only Supplier) - Too Good To Be True ?
Looking at Tomato Energy for our electric only property. They are offering 12M FIXED Tariffs which are based on your chosen lifestyle - with Daily Standing Charge as low as 40.82p The tariff Im looking at gives me a Unit Rate of; 00:00 to 06:00 = 5.00p 06:00 to 09:30 = 23.16p 09:30 to 11:30 = 13.37p 11:30 to 22:00 = 23.16p…
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Old Style Daily Saturday 08 November 2025
Morning all.
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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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In 26k debt, is a career change right now worth happiness over being miserable? 35M
As the title suggests, I am currently in 26k debt, it was just shy of 40k post divorce 3 years ago but have managed to reduce it back to the current amount within just under 2 years. My situation isn't the best in terms of where I want to be. I'm a military veteran and have struggled with my mental health since leaving 6…
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Weekly Flylady Thread 3 November 2025
Welcome to the weekly Flylady Thread. What is FLYLADY? Well, it's our version of the US flylady idea - but we work on the principle that housework is not fun, it's boring, can be time-consuming, is often thankless but, unfortunately, necessary. It's here on Old Style to provide the support we all need and to make the whole…
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Received someone else’s DSAR, would you tell them?
Hi I made a DSAR to my bank and it arrived as a hard copy within the permitted time frame, however it also included another customers DSAR, this was quite a few pages long including their personal contact into, full details of the 2 accounts they hold with the bank, details of their complaint, internal emails between…
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2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering
To use Guineapigsqueaks/Sa1sysoo words “A new thread for declutterbugs in (2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024) 2025 !" My 2024 was another washout on the decluttering & decorating fronts. That is what happens when I don’t plan ahead 😔 Neither DH nor I have managed to summon up any enthusiasm for anything…
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Tiling
Do you tile a bathroom before you fit the bath or after?
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Am I too cautious?
I staircased to 100%, I now have: primary mortgage £29,000 at 1.4% until April 2026 Secondary mortgage £125,000 at 3.97% until November 2027. (both 11years term)Per month that amounts to about £1500. My bills come to £500/month. I have £5000 on a 0%interest card which I am paying off £200/month. I have £15,000 in savings…
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Solar, is it worth having a battery in my case scenario?
Hi, I have room for about 13 x 460w Aiko panels with a 10 Kwh inverter (and that's the plan), I've been allowed 3.9 Kwh export by my DNO and I use 3200 Kwh average electricity a year. I currently don't have a heat pump or EV. Is it worth my while having a battery at this stage based on my usage please (I've been quoted…
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Buying a house and the kitchen extension done without proper Restrictive Covenant consent
Hi Hoping to get some advise here. I am close to completing on a purchase and the enquires have come back to say that the kitchen extension done to the front of the building in 2019 does not have restrictive Covenant Consent. (Slightly annoyed that the enquires came back so late. Not sure if this is the norm.) The seller…
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NS&I boosts savings bond rates – here's how they stack up
NS&I has increased the interest rates you can get on all of its fixed-term 'British Savings Bonds'. Its new deals are strong across the board, especially if you're looking to save with a well-known name – though you can earn a bit more from the top-paying accounts elsewhere... Read the full story: 'NS&I boosts savings bond…
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Applying to Barclays for bank switch - need an in branch appointment?
Ive downloaded the Barclays app to apply for an account and the switch. But when I got to the ID page it said that the ID would be needed before I go to the appointment with them. Ive never had to do that before - switched with TSB, co op, nationwide and first direct..no appointments needed. Is this a regular thing with…
