Cost of Living #8

Car passed, so that's a relief, I do need a new tyre, but not urgently.

So now I'm going to save up to get that done and get the springs done as well.

But next up is getting my passport renewed, another £100, so hopefully I can do that while there's no council tax this month and next.
 
Yeah got my minicooper for like 4500 with 80k miles on it but that was years ago. Plus that required going on a 'date' with previous owner. 😳

Just to be clear he wanted photos to post on FB to one up his ex wife who had recently got engaged. 😏
 
November
November
pretty privilege
Did my main food shopping for the month, I'll probably need a few bits like milk later in the month, but should be able to keep it under £100, including cat food.

I'll have to sit down and meal plan it, and then see if there's anything I've missed, but I should be good if I can get to zero waste for some veg and bread.
 
Kendar said:
My brother: "I'm looking for a used car. Under 70K miles, everything works, and I don't want to pay more than $5k".

Me: "There are some Matchbox and Hot Wheels that meet your criteria".

Wife and I have always preferred used cars, but these days it might be worth getting a new one given the price of used.
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Yes, this was my recent experience too. I have never wanted a brand new car, never really cared that much about a machine made to get me from A to B. But when I was trying to get another car, it made far more sense to go for a new one! And considering some of the lemons I have seen my neighbours trade in, it seems I have dodged a bullet by paying a bit more for peace of mind. My new car has a 5 year warranty, used cars dont. And my new car cost less than my neighbours used Nissan was advertised for on the same yard! She said it needed $10,000 in repairs, thats why she traded it in! The fuel efficiency of the new car just blows me away. I can do so much more in far superior comfort. Heaps of the pensioners here have opted for new too, we dont have cash upfront for repairs but can do repayments over a long period. Just makes sense.


Vet bills today are just the beginning, but the bunny wont be around too much longer, so I will pay whatever I gotta pay to keep her comfortable. The costs were actually quite reasonable today. I'm used to paying for meds and fluids for much larger animals! Her costs are proportionate to her size.
 
I downloaded too good to go again today, but even that's gone up. There's more available but I'll just check it every so often, as it's one of those where it might not be very useful.
 
There are some seriously borked prices in this.

 
Ordered a too good to go bag from Costa, meant to rain all day so we'll see if that means I get lots as it's quiet, or I get little as everyone goes to the coffee shop! It's just an experiment today to see if it's worth me doing them. I doubt it will be, but maybe when I'm all out of treats at the end of the month it might be a cheap way to get a bag of pastries
 
Got my Costa bag,and I'm pleased with it. For £3.50 I got, 4 toasted sandwiches, a breakfast wrap and 2 slices of cake. I shared it with my dad, as I don't like tomatoes, so he had the cheese and tomato one, and a cheese and ham, and I had the wrap, and another 2 cheese and ham sandwiches. We had a slice of cake each too.

Not something I'd do often, but maybe a once a month treat.

P.s. Costa is the UK version of Starbucks essentially.
 
nightshade said:
I looked at booking a cat sitter for when I go away later in the year, and she wants 50% up front, so that's not happening. Unfortunately the one I used to use no longer does it, but I'll find someone.

It's more money but I'd rather book someone than have to rely on friends or family to do it.
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Pet sitting is not cheap.

I have used Rover in the past, and found a great sitter who basically helped me raise my dog. I trust her, and she's great, but she charges $25 a visit per pet. Now that I have three pets, it would be too expensive to hire her.

I have a weekend work trip planned at the end of the month, and am at a loss as to what to do.
 
Kendar said:
My brother: "I'm looking for a used car. Under 70K miles, everything works, and I don't want to pay more than $5k".

Me: "There are some Matchbox and Hot Wheels that meet your criteria".

Wife and I have always preferred used cars, but these days it might be worth getting a new one given the price of used.
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I'm going to be looking for another car soon myself, so I sympathize with your brother! I am experiencing some serious sticker shock at prices now, even for used cars. I bought my current car brand new for $9000. It only has 60,000 miles on it, but is 20 years old now, and I have spent way too much on repairs in recent years.
 
I'm in the same boat as my Honda Fit which I bought new only has 80K on it but its a 2008. It still runs great, it's in great shape, and its been very good to me as far as repairs go so far. It's a real judgement call as to whether I start thinking about replacing it or just continue to use it. Honda no longer makes that model so I would have to jump up a Civic to stay in that small car bracket. Not fond of having to spend 25-30K for something of similar size as my Fit was only 15K when I bought it.
 
Did my taxes and was surprised to see I am getting a refund, which I have not got for years. So that's cool.

Buuut... then realized I'd forgotten to include a W2 from a job I only worked at for one month earlier in the years so I'm going to have to file an amended return.

I sold two items this week on my eBay! Didn't sell for much, but it all helps...
 
Electricity has exactly doubled now. This house is still much cheaper than any other house I've been in for electricity, but it was a shock to see the same amount per day used to be around $2 and now its over $4! Why is it more expensive now when we have all the new wind farms near by?

Since the bun has gone, I no longer need two grocery deliveries a week. It was the only way to get fresh enough greens for them. I have been going to the pool in a bigger town, I can pick up milk while I am there too. Its a very expensive shop, but Im already in the town so I will pick up bits when I need them and do a grocery order when I need that rather than having it on a schedule. This will work until winter when the pool closes at least. Then I might have to go to the city to go to the pool, but Im struggling with the 80km round trip to the pool, I dont think I could do 200kms more than once or twice a week, if that. I will need to get more bathers too if I do decide to go in winter, the chlorine and UV really takes its toll.

And since I have been driving so much, my car is due for a service 6 months early! I am not looking forward to that, just the logistics of having to hang around in the city for the day with no transport in the hot months, but at least I have a quote already so I know how much I need and its far less than the old car was.
 
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I'm getting to deal with the joys of taxation. The withholding reduction they put into place doesn't actually change the tax situation, so my amount owed doubled, since most of the actual tax savings aren't actually relevant to most people.
 
Its getting scary with housing here. My neighbours across the road have just been suddenly kicked out of the rental. The homeowners want to sell.

I didn't talk to them before they left, I hope they have somewhere to go. One lived in the bus out the front, there was another caravan out the back, and kids come to stay when they had visitation. I know that one of the men and some of the kids are on ndis, so disabled enough for that. They had ndis cleaners there all the time and I was jealous. Im not jealous anymore.

I wonder how much it will sell for. Whoever owns it is going to make a huge profit. They got it for around $60,000 cos it was a homeswest meth house. Now, the only other house for sale in town is priced at $425,000. Just a very weird time. I know Im safe in my house but its so unsettling to see. I have no idea whats going to happen in this town. The city close by has changed a lot very fast - good changes, but its scary not to know what to expect next. I used to have a feel for these things but now I'm too disconnected from society to know.
 
Do what! Your neighbours across the road have been kicked out, so does that mean they are not neighbours anymore?

Get them to borrow money from the bank to buy the place as a rental, just tell them not to tell the bank they'll be renting it from themselves.
 
ILLYRIAN said:
Do what! Your neighbours across the road have been kicked out, so does that mean they are not neighbours anymore?

Get them to borrow money from the bank to buy the place as a rental, just tell them not to tell the bank they'll be renting it from themselves.
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Yeah you'd think 7 adults under one roof would be able to more effectively pool their resources. But the guy (who is about my age) went from walking independently to walking with a cane, to needing a motorised scooter to get to the post box in under 3 years, so maybe the medical bills are adding up for them. They were good neighbours, quiet and frugal. Their halloween party was the only time I saw them splurge on anything.

They left so suddenly, the owners of the house have been there the last few days. Very loud. There has been two skip bins out the front and piles of garden debris covered in sheets. Landlords catching up on all the things they neglected to do while it was rented out.

I have to book my car in for a service asap. Its such a relief to be able to get quotes up front! I couldnt do that with my old car cos there was always so much wrong.
 
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