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Playing the ball as it lies
Hi, Have been thinking about things post budget and think we've managed to dodge most bullets, however, with us now being perilously close to certain allowances etc I'd welcome any thoughts or comments. Figures rounded but you'll get the gist Me 57, OH 55, House paid Full SP for both Me £8K db scheme payable 65 OH £8K db…
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Rolling Down the Green Hill Towards REtirement 😊🌄💚💜
Happy New Year!!! As our MFW journey finished back in July 2015(wow!) on our family home and Apr 202 on our BTL (because we sold it! :D ) I thought it was time for a new diary (seeing as some others are doing it, I thought I'd also jump on the bandwagon 😉 🚙) and the new year seems a good time to start. Back when I started…
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When could we apply, and with who?
We are looking to move next year, and when we start the process might depend on two things. When we could get a MIP (is that what they're called? - we last applied for a mortgage over 20 years ago!) and whether we decide to wait for a new build coming on to the market later next year. In early January 2026 my full state…
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New account on Experian
Hi there Yesterday I received an email from Experian, stating that a new account has been added to my file. Upon logging in to Experian, I've noticed that my usually perfect credit score has dipped, and there is a note that I have borrowed £20. I have no need to borrow any money (apart from my mortgage), so this has me…
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Watty's Awakening
Time for a new diary I think. It is 2024, my last diary began over 10 years ago and so much has changed. My introduction in case we have not “met” My first diary told the story of, what I thought was a long and
happy relationship, paying off a mortgage aiming to get my financial freedom
from the world of work by paying off…
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CrazyBee wants to be Mortgage Free!
This diary is going to be my typed up journey to mortgage
freedom. I begin a new job in the New Year and the mortgage roughly equates to
46K. I have projects that need doing around the flat such as flooring and
kitchen, I will be earning £1950 after tax per month roughly speaking and I
also will need a car fund soon.…
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Green, ethical, energy issues in the news
MSE Insert: We've seen some debate on this thread about the relevance of some posts to the topic. To ensure the thread remains on topic for forumites wanting to discuss the latest news we're asking that all posts contain a link to the news you're discussing. For the purposes of this thread the "news" needs to be within the…
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Voluntary contribution for this year from abroad plus the new ten year rule
I have two questions. I'm British and married to an EU citizen. We lived in the UK for just over a decade before moving to her home country together. We did the voluntary catchup payments to fill in all the missing years whilst they were open and so currently I have 29 years of contributions paid and she has 21 years. I…
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Which banks have these features?
I've become increasingly annoyed with HSBC recently as a current account provider. In particular the end of Secure Messages - these useless new chat systems where the customer ends up wasting hours waiting for a response from a series of staff members who don't know what you're talking about are infuriating. Added to the…
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Ive given permission for the council to review my Drs records, in order to get housing, bad idea?
Or good idea? So the council wanted permission to see my Drs record and she said it would assist get me getting housing. The problem is I rarely contact my Drs so my record is very sparse, I only tend to go if I need meds which I avoid like the plague or if there's a physical problem I try to fix alot the psychological…
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Universal credit and earned income - pension contribution deduction from UC
Good evening all, I'm trying to find out what counts as earned income for the purposes of Universal Credit. For example, is my pension contribution income or ignored? The whole thing or only part? What if I receive a tax refund? Is that deducted from my UC at the same rate as my wages are? The wage amount shown on my UC…
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Compers Challenge 2025!!!
2025 league June winners 🥇1st. Chocoholic123 £1455 🥇 🥈2nd. Englishwelshie £859 🥈 🥉3rd. Haribobo19 £370 🥉 Booby prize ( lowest {higher than £0} value prize) for June 💩. Ally86 £6 💩 Collective annual total so far: £10,833.48 back again for 2025.... we welcome those who are re-joining us and any newcomers too! don't worry if…
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Selfridges refusing to give me a refund or replacement
Hi there, I ordered a large candle from Selfridges last week, which was dispatched promptly. However, when the parcel arrived, the box was sealed with no damage from the courier but was completely empty—no candle, no invoice, just Selfridges tissue. I raised this with the customer service team, but they insist the candle…
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Now Broadband + Talk contract renewal - Openreach provider is a must
Hi. Apologies if this has already been covered but I've had a quick look through the recent threads and I can't find anything that matches my circumstances. I've got just under a month remaining on my first 12 month contract on Now Full Fibre 100 Broadband + Talk (it's FTTP, and I've no interest in TV packages). Current…
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How on earth do you keep up with advents and then those on normal board too
Any tips, it's just sooooooooooo busy
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EE mobile - time for a change..
After trying and failing to get EE to reduce their £12 a month charge decided time to leave after 10 years - I think its 16gb data , unlimited text and calls rolling contract ... I need a reliable network connection as as I need to check prices and emails while on the move ... I have been looking at the EE "piggyback"…
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Faulty vehicle - bought as new but 2.5 years old
Hi - I'm after any advice, comments, hints or anything else. June 2023 - I purchased a brand new vehicle, a VW ID.4 from official VW dealership A. All repairs and work since then have happened at VW dealership B March 2024 - I had a fault where the doors would open themselves. Took a few visits but was fixed. Feb 2025 - I…
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Junior stocks and shares ISAs
I’m trying to decided between Fidelity or HL for JISAs. Can you tell me why you chose either and/or if there are any others I should consider? Thanks.
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Thoughts on Humax Aura PVR?
We have an older Humax Freeview recorder that is starting to be unreliable. The Humax Aura is a possible replacement, but I see several user reviews on both John Lewis and Amazon that say it is best avoided. As usual there are the "best thing since sliced bread" vs "don't touch one with a barge pole" reviews, anyone got…
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Landlord wants to raise rent despite damage to bedroom wall
I rent a room in a shared flat. The agency managing the rental contacted me last week saying they want to raise the rent by £60 from January. Previously it’s been a £20 increase twice per year. They said this is non-negotiable. I don’t think this is fair as one of the walls was badly damaged by flooding in late October and…
