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Plug in solar
https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/07/23/solar-balconies-are-booming-in-germany-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-popular-home- There was an item on radio four about a booming trend of pug in solar, in Germany. I got the impression that you just plug it into your 13amp socket and it gets used by your appliances. Have…
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Smart Parking NTK appeal rejected – no POFA keeper liability, should I fight it?
Hi everyone, I’m hoping to get some advice from people who have dealt with private parking charges before or who know a bit about the legal side of this. I'm based in England where it all happened. I received a Notice to Keeper from Smart Parking Ltd after an alleged overstay in a retail car park. According to them, the…
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Santander Fixed ISA
Hi, I wasn't planning to go with a fixed but I have emergency funds and worst case, I withdraw it and lose £300 in fees. Interest rate is 4.5% and a £50 Amazon voucher. I have some questions though - Is it completely online? As in I can set it up online and fund it from another bank account online? Although the interest is…
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The Cutting Down Alcohol Challenge for April & 2026 :)
Welcome to the Cutting Down Alcohol challenge for the month of March and for 2026! This challenge is all about helping people cut down or even give up on their alcohol consumption, mainly for health reasons, but it can also save a lot of money, because the cost of buying alcohol really mounts up over time and sometimes you…
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5 OS pleasures in your day today - part 3
Ok I'm diving in as I've noticed several of us have lost posts we thought had posted, and there now seems to be a serious risk of losing the whole thread. So thanks for the heads up Karcher. (and i sympathise Frith - i too like to nip back) I've revisited the first thread of our part 2, posted 28th October 2009. It said:…
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HSBC / William Hill Fraud
I really need a bit of help and advice. When it was the Grand National a few weeks ago I put a bet on via William Hill Online. The last time I used William Hill online was the previous Grand National . I deposited £5 using my HSBC Debit card which is stored by William Hill, and won a total of 70p !. Then on Sunday night…
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MBNA Switch from Mastercard to Visa
I have an email from Lloyds telling me my MBNA card will be switched from Mastercard to Visa in the coming months. One of my reasons for having the MBNA card was the fact it is Mastercard, where all my other cards are visa. Having all eggs in one basket can be a risk, even if small. Also this used to be an affinity card,…
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Do I have to declare my Private Medical on my Self Assessment?
My employer gives me private medical to the sum of around £730, making my tax code S1184L instead of the usual S1257L (I am from Scotland) Do I need to declare this on my self assessment? I asked HMRC this last year when I did my self assessment and they told me I don't, but I got concerned this time around and called…
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Lloyds switch for up to £500, 24 February to 30 April 2026
Switch to a new Club Lloyds for £200, or Lloyds Premier for £500. Open a Current Account Online | UK Bank Accounts | Lloyds https://share.google/6K20M5Iy0knuEbtVi https://www.lloydsbank.com/current-accounts.html £200 Club Lloyds switch offer Terms & Conditions. To qualify for the £200 switching offer (“the offer”) you must…
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Steadily climbing the mountain, enjoying the view along the way
I have been pondering for a while stating a new thread, as at 700+ pages my old one is getting very long and doesn’t feel so aligned with where I am now. 2026 is going to be about getting myself to as healthy and happy a place as I can. Life is short and my inherent perfectionism means that I tend to want to achieve,…
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Self DMP - first steps
I’m going to do a self DMP. I have been deliberating this for months but think it is finally time after having to continuously borrow to keep up with debts. I am currently not behind with any payments at present. I’m currently at about £36,000 in debt across numerous loans (1 x Plata, 4 x Zopa, 1 x Lendable), 3 credit…
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Stamp duty when staircasing to 100%
Hi. I have what is probably a simple question but whenever I search the government website or elsewhere, I find conflicting or needlessly over complicated info. I simply cannot figure this out based on the information and examples that the government provide. I own 50% of a one bed flat that I bought as a first time buyer.…
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Progress not Perfection
Happy New Year! I thought it was about time I started a new diary. I've been on these diaries since 2008. My last diary is here Things
can only get better My first diary is here Champagne Lifestyle Lemonade Budget and the one after that here Looking for the Silver Lining. That's a hell of a lot of waffle over the years 😆…
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State and private pensions have gone up, but I'm worse off
This discussion was created from comments split from: State Pension and Private Pension.
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An in-between phase
I am largely starting this thread so as to not rudely put a long whinge on the lovely @foxgloves and @EssexHebridean threads! I will talk a little more about my slightly unsettled life situation in due course, but for now, just whinging 😂 Today I have been trying to switch to a more money saving phone contract. It has been…
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Lose weight in '26 with Slimming World & SWIP's.
Time for a new Slimming World thread as we go into 2026. Feel free to join in. We are all at different stages of our journey & some are awesome target members. We are a lovely supportive wee group. Some go to group & some go it alone. As we move into new year feel free to pop in to our lovely thread. All welcome. SW have…
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Dilemma, Dilemma, Dilemma
Hello, I've been on MSE for many moons, gone through debt repayment and many challenges but this one feels the absolute worst. I'm kind pre 'mortgage free wannabe' but also needing the comfort blanket of a good ole MSE diary. So current situation, co-parenting with Ex H. We both have partners and everything is friendly. We…
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There and back again...reducing the mortgage to manifest our forever home
Have been a long time lurker on MSE, and DP and I bought our first house together in March 2025 with a mortgage of £190,000. Had many plans for overpaying, what we wanted to get done however life has had other ideas so starting a diary for the first time to try and help me keep on track. We did manage to OP £3500 in 2025,…
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Any benefits to contributing to workplace pension past former LTA value?
Hi Everyone, As per the title, is it worth continuing to pay into a workplace pension, via salary sacrifice, if the value of one's pensions has reached the former LTA? I am currently a higher rate tax payer and expect this to continue in retirement. This means that while I would get 40% tax relief on the way in for future…
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Escape to the country & living off savings
Copied over from my old diary Hello again from Yorkshire 😁 The move from the south coast went well but it has been hectic since I got here. Spending has been budgeted for van hire £250 diesel £90 train fare for DS to get home £30 new boiler £3600 living room light £32 kettle & toaster £40 New bath towels (sale) £6 Living…
