February faffing, wig mischieving, pancake stuffing, bargain gymnastics and looking forward to Spring Shenanigans ❤️

[DirtyGertiefromno30]

Welcome to our new thread everyone 🤗. All are welcome to our supportive, kind , frugal thread .

@Frugal25 thank you. I'd managed to run up to £7k debt early last year. I shifted some to 0% interest and have been gradually getting it down.
Enjoy your takeaway!

Oohhh asking for a friend @Vinorosso74 Did you just transfer some over to 0%? Every bank I've tried has said no to me transferring my cc balance over to 0%. Maybe it's too high (just under £5k).
You've done ridiculously well. Very proud of you. Def enjoy your Friday night now!! X

Evening everyone 🤗
Not long come home from Mum , been there all day waiting for the Dr to come.
He eventually came and Mum perked up no end said 'Hello Dr' and ' l am fine ' and made liars out of all of us 🤣.
Anyway Mum has a UTI and on antibiotics and on the mend !
Hey ho what a day, what a week 🙄.
No food, no drinks, no internet. Still at least Mum is sorted she lives to ride another day
Spends today £10 Tesco for Mum . Off to raid the cupboards
now , l am hungry 🤣.
AHH you are welcome @RumBananaSundae
Fabulous you are going to Paris next month 👏🤗
Sounds a fabulous trip to Washington @BigSkies2022
When are you going hope you have the most brilliant time 🤗.
Hard work for you this week @Vinorosso74 well done getting it all done . Hope you have a fab weekend with your Dd. Aw bless her with the mocks it's not easy for them .
Great job on the CC clearing too 👏👏
Enjoy your takeaway @Frugal25 so glad the plasterer came and well done to your DD and the gymnastics grading bless her ,keep trying with the CC 🤗🤞

Spendy day today. Nearly £150 on gift cards for Marks and Spencer, Waitrose and Tesco. There is a Tesco near the office so thought I’d give it a go. Hopefully they will last a while. Still have a bit left on the Asda and Sainsbury ones I have.

Museums sound like a good plan @BigSkies2022. By the time you’ve scheduled your visits and booked your slots you might want to swig the wine.

Glad the plastering is done @Frugal25. Enjoy your takeaway. Good luck to your daughter for her grading.

Well done on the cards @Vinorosso74.

Hope the antibiotics kick in soon for your mum @DirtyGertiefromno30 and that she starts to feel better soon. Even if she thinks she’s fine.

Ended up at the office today. It was nice to have company but the train fare wasn’t so nice. Glad it’s Friday. Can’t believe that difference in weather between yesterday and today.

So glad your mum was seen by a Dr and is ok the mend @DirtyGertiefromno30. Phew. Enjoy Friday night now knowing she is being looked after.
Oh I missed the news about Paris @RumBananaSundae how amazing 😍 I'm quite jealous. I hope you enjoy x
I went into the office too today. Snap about the company but train fare. Today's weather was rubbish!

Ohhh!
I absolutely loved Washington DC we did it as a combo trip with New York and we didn't have long enough there.

I transferred some over, then 6 months later they increased the amount so I transferred more to the 0%. I've focused on clearing the non 0% balance. It was an old account which I wasn't using so glad they had the offer as it really helped.
It feels so much better to see it's nearly clear.
I wasn't watching my spending and it just got out of hand. I think once I was post cancer treatment, I overdid the catching up on what I felt I'd missed out on.

if you applying for a lot of 0% in a short pace of time it actually goes along against you. In case you didn’t know. The searches leave marks on your credit file which looks like an increased risk indicator for the banks. That’s lime why you were declined.
wait a bit before you try again and try the ones that give you a decion without leaving a marker.
if you can leave open a cleared card and there might send you a lower apr to tempt you back which you can transfer in

also they look at the credit limits you already have as part of the responsibility stuff. If you have cards with high CL or lots of cards already again a risk flag

sorry if you know that

Another option might be a consolidation loan but again it’s all down to risk criteria and doing the numbers

Afternoon everyone 😊
Aldi £65 ,honestly I got naff all in there 🙄.
Tyre has a nail in it ,£75 for a new budget tyre 🙄.
So annoying the tyre is really good too. We are never buying good tyres again,what is the point. This is the umpteenth one we have had nails in now 😱 hey ho tis what it is .
Weather is awful grey , miserable, cold and foggy .
My sister has gone to visit Mum today so l am having a day off . DH will be watching the rugby and football and l will be in here and reading 🤣
@lifelongfrugaleer thank you for explaining about the Credit cards. l honestly had no idea how they worked 🤗.
@Vinorosso74 am l the only person here who didn't know you have had cancer . I am so sorry to hear this and l so hope you are recovered from it all . I know you said post cancer treatment so it sounds very positive 💐 However
It's totally understandable why you overspent bless you ❤️
Thank you both so much for your lovely good wishes for my Mum@RumBananaSundae and @Frugal25 hope you are both having a lovely weekend 😊

I didn't realise that about credit cards and credit files tbh so thank you @lifelongfrugaleer. I've applied three times in the last three months for £5k. But tbh I think I'll just stick to my credit card despite the large % on it as I worked out I can pay off in the next 9 months. Just need to keep head down and crack on and hopefully after that my file looks better.
Oh @Vinorosso74 I didn't know about your cancer either I'm so very sorry but so glad the treatment worked. No wonder you spent afterwards. Makes complete sense.
Oh @DirtyGertiefromno30 argh your tyre. Indeed no point in expensive ones when you keep getting nails.

£15 on lunch today to get us all out of the house.
£5 in Tesco on sofa crystals etc.

Hopefully tomorrow is a NSD. OH is going to take DD to the party (I always go so I can chat to the other mums) but I need some time to do a couple of bits so hoping to just crack on and not spend.

I spent £110 on a new frying pan today, god help us it better last! And £51 on trousers and shirt for dh, he’s got to officiate something tomorrow for his sport so needed. And then I spent £4 on cookies 🤣

You can get copies of your credit files. MSE has an article on it.
they also look at all other lending you have as well. Ie mortgage car loans. It’s much stricter since the last bank crash

I've had a day out with my bestie today much needed.
£10 parking (makes me cry every time) but she got the coffee to make it halves which was totally not necessary but appreciated.
£18 dinner
Also put £10 fuel in each time I do a reasonably long journey at the moment I am going to put fuel in as I'm a bit nervous.

Sorry about the tyre @DirtyGertiefromno30. That’s irritating.

Spent £16 on a shirt for the gym. And bought some avocados. Having a quiet day as my knee is complaining. My book arrived. Planning to make a start on it tomorrow. This month is turning out to be more spendy than expected.

It's so frustrating about the tyre @RumBananaSundae 🙄
I could scream honestly !
Hope your knee is feeling better now , glad you have the book you wanted , enjoy 😁.
I get your thinking re the fuel @ChipshopPickledEgg😱.
It's worrying, glad you had a lovely day out with your bestie 😁.
@lifelongfrugaleeryou are the fountain of all money knowledge here. Honestly you are brilliant thank you so much for all your help 💐
@Frugal25enjoy your time pottering around on your tod tomorrow. You will get loads done l am sure 😁
Oh @FurForksSake that frying pan sounds absolutely amazing! Hope you are really pleased with it when you use it. Now the £4 on cookies is a necessity 😋🤣
Good luck to your DH tomorrow l am sure he will look very smart in his new clothes 👏👍🤗
Really chilly here tonight got the heating on 🥶

Aargh, nails in tyre! Very frustrating!
@DirtyGertiefromno30 @Frugal25 it's 5 years since I was diagnosed with breast cancer and just over 4 since my active treatment finished. I'm on hormone blockers for another 5 and a half years. I do need my implant removing and a new reconstruction, likely using my belly!
Enjoy your evenings all!

@Vinorosso74 thank you for telling us. I imagine that's been a huge hit to your self confidence and what a traumatic time for you all .
It sounds as if you have been looked after very well and that is fantastic. l am so pleased for you . I am hoping the use of your belly for a new reconstruction is the equivalent of a tummy tuck , not that you need one but wouldn't that be a bonus 😁.
I am joking btw 😁 so glad you are ok now 💐

Morning all - been back from my cruise for a week and just finished catching up with the thread!! Lovely to read all your updates, hugs to those of you that need one ❤️

Fabulous cruise and some much needed time with my bestie - who is now a cruise convert. The industry should be paying me commission at this rate 🤣

Quite spendy though and I treated myself to a new Kipling purse and reusable bag at the airport which was almost £50 in total (the bag was €16 and I thought it was €6 so I will be making full use of that…)

Have decided to move the majority of my money from premium bonds as I didn’t win anything this month & logically I know there are better places to invest.

Have also just received my tax notice for April and am mulling it over - my tax free allowance has been allocated between one of my occ pensions and my SIPP which means any work I do for my previous employer will be taxed at basic rate. I know overall it wouldn’t make a difference but something in my head says that working more hours now won’t make sense as I will be taxed more - am I right?? And could I ask the tax office to change it if I am? Have to say, my brain hasn’t been in gear since I got back - I forgot how the pay at pump works when I got petrol this week 🤣🤣

Re the discussion up thread about melatonin and magnesium- my sleep has been rubbish the last couple of years (hence me being awake since 4am…) and I have tried both (melatonin from Spain on one of my trips). Have to say I think the magnesium does a better job - bought some from Boots for a tenner (actually I used my points so it was free which is even better). Related (but not really) I am thinking of taking collagen- any recommendations? I feel very creaky, joints hurt a lot of the time and my nails need more strength.

Need to decide whether to go to the gym or do the ironing now……

Ab thanks girtie. Just many years of being frugal
and researching

you will be taxed more naturally by increasing your hours. Whether your total income is pension or work most tax codes are around 12k. Will the increase in hours combined with pension take you over the 40% bracket?

@Vinorosso74. ❤️.

Lost track again, but marking this place as a catch up line!

£75 on a huge bouquet of flowers for DM. It’s a combined Mother’s Day and Birthday present though as it’s both for her while I’m away in a week or so.
£25 energy gels for running.

Rough menu plan for the week.
Last nights Cottage Pie, lots of veg - carrots, peas, parsnips and broccoli
Carrot, coriander and cannellini bean soup with crusty bread.
Veggie tagine.
Leek and butter bean orzo
Smoky Black bean stew.
Probably an easy supper like tuna pasta bake etc.

Ps - our little friend was back in the garden today. Had a potter and then wandered out again!

Such a beautiful garden @needastrongone just gorgeous. You lucky thing. Hello to the deer!
NSD here. Yay.
We have poached salmon with steamed fresh veggies tonight.
Last night was slow cooked veggie tagine with cous cous. Got leftovers for next week in the freezer.
For the rest of the week we have leek and potato soup, fish and chips with veg, and rice salad.
All pretty simple and easy this week as builders still in situ.
Happy Sunday all

Thanks @Frugal25. We love it mostly, and hate it sometimes - I’m still gathering leaves up from the autumn round the side of the house and it can feel never ending at times. Then it gets to Spring and we love it again. Your menu plan sounds lovely.

How’s your Mum @DirtyGertiefromno30?

Hello everyone, I'm back, I was pearl teapot before.

The last 6 months I disappeared as things went really wrong for me. I think I last updated that I had quit my miserable civil service job but then I got unwell and ended up in hospital for 4 months. I've been back home for a few weeks now, just trying to get settled in to home life again.