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It's always good to be able to report on positive news:
Well.... in addition to the increase in the (Old) State pension this month, I have had an increase in my Civil Service pension of .....drum roll please..... 1.7% equivalent to £1.50 per month! £18 per annum! Woo...🙄
As this is my own personal spending money I'm glad of any uplift but our rent has gone up by 3.2% so why not my pension? Typical isn't it🙄 I'll therefore keep my 'frivolous' spending at £10 per week and let the £1.50 per month payrise roll over for emergencies. My £10 is usually spent on any charity shop finds, maybe a coffee out, a drink in a pub, sometimes half the cost of fish and chips out, although at £10.70 a portion that's now a rarity 👀
If you want a reminder of my personal budget it's on my post of 15th November 2024. I'd put a link here but can't work out how to do it.......
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More pleasing news....I took another batch of my cards into the Hospice shop just in the nick of time last week. There were just 8 left in the basket to which I added another 16. A lady pounced on them immediately! By the following Friday, the number had dwindled again to 9 so I'm hoping to make more in the next few days. Each one sold raises £1 for the Hospice. 😊
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That's all for now folks. The weather is warming up and the plants are thriving. The first butternut squash seedling is bursting through! Exciting times!
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An elderly gentleman was encouraging me last week to grow my own squash. Seeing yours has made me want to have a go
ReplyDeleteThey have germinated really quickly and are growing like triffids! They can be a bit hit and miss though because they like heat....
DeletePs please could you email me Angie. I have a question for you "off blog" Thank you
ReplyDeleteDone!
DeleteMy Health Service/Civil Service pension had gone up by a tiny amount like yours but now that has pushed tax up and I am worse off! Grr! Oh well. I enjoy reading your blog and how you manage financially, it is very inspiring. Regards Sue H
ReplyDeleteHow annoying for you, Sue 😒 I don't have sufficient income to pay tax yet but I'm gradually getting sucked in by fiscal drag.
DeleteThank you for your lovely comment regarding my blog.
I took voluntary early retirement from the NHS as I could access my NHS pension early which, like yours, has gone up 1.7% this year. It makes it a bit less tiny!!! I couldn't live on it, but my husband still works full time, so we budget and live accordingly. Another 6 years for us until we can claim our state pensions.
ReplyDeleteWe can only do our best can't we 🤔 I only hope they don't move the goalpost again regarding retirement age for you. I wouldn't put it past this government.
Delete£1.50 extra a month for emergencies - will have to be very small emergencies! :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm waiting to see what the dear old HM tax will take off my County Council spouses pension.
I've got an Ups and Downs post tomorrow - more things up than down of course.
That's true 😂 This blooming fiscal drag is no joke is it, Sue. I look forward to reading your post !
DeleteWell, at least it is an increase in your pension and not a decrease! Got to count those pennies!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely right, Bless! Every penny counts :)
DeleteI love the speed that courgette and other squash seeds burst through the soil and spread their leaves at. Lovely chunky little leaves too. :-)
ReplyDeleteYour cards for the hospice shop are proving very popular aren't they, well done. xx
Yes, they are very satisfying things to grow! Everything seems to be shooting up right now.
DeleteRe the cards: the shop manageress is very happy and it feels like a worthwhile thing to do. I'll carry on until my stash of materials runs out. I will need to buy some more card blanks though as I've only got 4 left 😟 I can see where my pocket money will be spent thus weekend!
Thank you for a lovely positive post here. Your baby squashes are doing really well and look strong plants.
ReplyDeleteYour cards are very popular at the charity shop too, and it is good that the money raised from their sale is going to a worthy cause.