I must admit my sons flying lessons are fairly eye watering. I suppose the fuel must account for more than the instructor. I've become very budget conscious recently - the other day I was hunting around M&S for bottles of wine in the £6-8 range - I had to get down on the floor on my hands and knees to find them.

Fangirl Three wrote:

I've worked out my capital gains tax. I don't owe them anything, cos my gains were less than the allowance.

I still had to spend most of my day off today filling in the form though. That was exhausting.

And I still have to find a big envelope.

You can get someone else to do that for you. Decent chartered accountants pay for themselves.

Delegation's what you need.

I found an envelope. And my financial secrets are now on their way to Cardiff.

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2022/jul/13/three-quarters-of-uk-adults-cant-read-a-map-heres-how-to-get-better-ordnance-survey-study

Three quarters of the population can't read a map. People run day long workshops charging up to £80 a head to show how. If you can suffer fools, that could be very easy money.

The cost of energy/utility usage in this flat has now reached an average 54p a day.

My daily energy usage is averaging around £1.20.

That works out at £36.52 a month.

But my monthly direct debits have been set at £82 a month.

Yes, it's very odd. Apparently I'm in credit to the tune of £326.57, and for some reason it's better that they keep it rather than me having it. I don't really understand it all.

You could opt to pay the full amount owing every month. That way, if you wished to maintain a buffer against future higher bills, you could do that yourself.

When I had a house I was averaging £59 pcm for gas and £42 for leccy, that's £2 and £1.40 a day respectively.n

No doubt those costs would have risen over the last 14 months.

Fangirl Three wrote:

You could opt to pay the full amount owing every month. That way, if you wished to maintain a buffer against future higher bills, you could do that yourself.

When I had a house I was averaging £59 pcm for gas and £42 for leccy, that's £2 and £1.40 a day respectively.n

No doubt those costs would have risen over the last 14 months.

No, I don't understand all that. I think there's a direct debit set up, so if it's working out to be a higher cost than what's being used, they can just keep it in my name. I'd rather be in credit than in debt.

I finally got a letter back about the tax return they demanded I fill in a few months ago.

They have calculated that I owe them £2.60

It will be collected by PAYE. I'd much rather pay by card, cos now I have to check my payslip every month to make sure they've taken the right amount.

Has anyone here ever tried taking a shopping list to the supermarket? It was suggested to me as a money saving tip. Usually, I just drift around the aisles (starting at the doors, and working up and down through to the far wall) throwing whatever takes my fancy into the trolley, and it's always a surprise when the checkout tots it up - although I've usually guessed the final tally to within £10 or £20.

I took a list over the weekend, and it was the most stressful time I've ever had in Sainsbury's. I'd go up one aisle, then notice something further down the list that required a visit several aisles back across the way I'd already come, over and over. Any saving was more than wiped out by the hassle of it all. I felt as if I was working there, running about like that. I don't think I'll be doing that again.

I always take a shopping list. And I write the items down in the order that I'll find them on the shelves (if I'm going to a shop that I know well).

I never use a shopping list. I like to wing it.

The Call of the Wendigo wrote:

I never use a shopping list. I like to wing it.

It's the only logical way to do it.

My pay for December was 1p short!

It's the plot of Superman III made real.

It turned out there was a discrepancy between the bank's app and their website, and I had in fact been paid the correct amount