Z lit the fire and is now too hot

Tim is off on his travels down the motorway again – it’s a weekly thing at present, but we hope that won’t go on for too much longer.  Here, it’s cold.  I lit the fire this evening.  I didn’t desperately need it, but it’s cheering when you’re alone and the chill of the day justified it.

I went to Norwich today for a Nadfas lecture (they’ve changed the name of Nadfas, but they were silly to do so, so I’m kind enough to ignore it) and half thought of shopping afterwards, but  shops don’t seem to do clothes for me.  Unless it’s essential I keep trying, I need to find something I like within a few minutes or I’m disheartened and don’t bother.  Every dress was sleeveless and every top was gaudy and there didn’t seem to be any skirts.  Or jackets, which I really do need, unless they were obviously part of a suit.  So I came home instead and ate rice salad with avocado and hard boiled egg for lunch.  I’d cooked too much rice on purpose last night – and since LT isn’t here, I’ve got enough for tomorrow’s dinner as well, for I’m out to lunch.

With much resentment, I’ll go to the new bank in Yagnub tomorrow, which is a van that comes for two hours, twice a week, some half a mile from the town centre – though it is near the library.  I have a cheque to pay in for over £1000, payment for china that I’ve already paid the vendor for,  and sent off the china itself because the buyer is someone I trust.  I have decided, though, to open an account with one of the internet only banks – none of the high street banks, which have all abandoned Yagnub in the past few years, will get more than a modest sum from me in future.  For convenience, I keep a fair amount in a deposit account.  My banking is free and I appreciate that it costs the bank money, so don’t mind it investing my basic savings and paying me very little.  Or, I didn’t mind.  Now I do, and that bank will have less to invest.  A few thousand pounds, but it’s all I can do to protest.

It’s now quarter past nine and I shall read for the rest of the evening.  Cheery-pip, darlings.

4 comments on “Z lit the fire and is now too hot

  1. Blue Witch

    I trust it’s with First Direct. The only bank that consistently excels for customer service, in every poll.

    The only bank that doesn’t mess you about, will always answer the phone with a real person, in the UK, who is empowered to make decisions, and who has never let me down (ie left any issues unresolved) in 28 years of banking with them.

    And the only bank for my main banking – I currently run 21 current accounts (mostly to take advantage of the linked 5% regular savers), so I am in a good position to judge… You can pay in at HSBC branches and Post Offices too. Not the flashiest banking interface, but you can use it without a gizmo for many purposes, and it is stable and reliable. I understand that the App is OK too (although I don’t use it, not being of a smartphone persuasion).

    Reply
    1. Z Post author

      My son tells me that internet-only banks are very helpful – I haven’t decided which yet, and might spread the load anyway. I’d much prefer to keep it simple, though I’d always have accounts at two banks, at least, in case of problems, but the bastards have ground me down.

      Reply
  2. Blue Witch

    https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/compare-best-bank-accounts

    IME, don’t bother with M&S (recent experience, and the worst experience I have ever had from any institution), TSB (who still haven’t solved their IT failures a month on and don’t give a flying f*ck), Santander, and many of the rest.

    Use RCI savings as an instant-access deposit account (1.3%) (MSE will have all the info).

    In your position, wanting to have 2 accounts, I’d go for FD plus Nationwide. The NW £13 per month paid-for current account gives great included travel insurance (covers many pre-existing conditions without requiring extra payment), mobile phone insurance (loss and broken screens etc) and breakdown recovery insurance home and abroad (and other things too that I can’t currently recall). Keep £2,500 in the account and you get 3% interest on it, so it only costs you (IIRC) £6.72 a month (less than £84 per year for all that insurance is unbelievable). A joint account will give you both the insurances, for the same monthly fee. I wouldn’t recommend any other paid account, but this one really is excellent.

    The FD account requires a £1K a month pay-in (but no direct debits out, as many do), but you can recycle/bounce the money in and out on consecutive days by standing order from another account (or do it manually, immediately on the same day).

    Let me know if you have any questions!

    Reply
  3. 63mago

    I have no clue about banks, except for one thing, and that is that SantAnder should be avoided like the plague. This is based on what I hear from local people who had an account with another, local bank here that was taken over by StAnder – and it went downhill from there royally. They were treated like dirt. Of course this is absolutely subjective and based only on hearsay.

    Reply

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