Having recently received our house insurance renewal notice I decided yesterday to go to the comparison website A Spokesman Said. com and see if we could get the same cover any cheaper. We have been with the same provider (our bank) for a number of years and just kept accepting the price rises but this recent renewal gave me a kick up the bum to do something about it.
To say I am disgusted with myself for not doing something sooner is an understatement. We now have a premium cover policy every bit as good as our previous one for a saving of.......£530 a year......£530.....can you believe it? I nearly passed out with shock.
Our new cover is now paid for the year so no monthly payments for that going out....brilliant.
After that I had a look to see if we could swap energy providers but the only provider who could offer us any significant savings was one who I have read so many bad things about that I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. I will see if our current provider can offer us a better deal.
Next on my list to check out is car insurance for DD and Andy and then pet insurance for Smudge. I don't begrudge our little boy a single penny but he has had a lot of operations for various things and so his insurance is through the roof. Added to that we have his monthly medication to pay for so he is quite an expensive little doggy and if we can save a little that would be good.
Today started off rather foggy and damp but it looks like the sun is coming out and there is a hint of blue sky. There's a little breeze but I don't think the washing will even lighten let alone dry so I won't even attempt to hang it out.
I actually have one of the patterns for Marlowe out of it's envelope ready to cut it out but I just need to check on her weight before I take the scissors to it. I have never used a pattern before that goes by weight.....strange.
The fabrics I want to use are all stacked and ready to go but I don't think I will get any actual sewing done until next week now as we have Ruby for the weekend, Sunday we are all meeting up at the pub for lunch and Monday I am off to Derby market to pick up another couple of patterns and some more fabric so a busy few days.
DD has nine days annual leave next week....just as I was about to get my house back with Andy going back to work....lol. She is hoping for some good weather to be able to get out and tidy up the back garden and make a start on redesigning the front garden. For some reason that makes me feel really cheerful.
Anyhoo.....I had best go and get on with something else me gorgeous girl will be here and I won't have done a thing.
Hope you all have a smashing day today.
Sheila-x-
Blimey that is a enormous saving. x
ReplyDeleteAmazing isn't it Marlene-x-
DeleteSNAP!Same here re. our Car Insurance. A massive saving to be made. I can afford to pay it all in one go so no monthly outgoings too. Next stop the house insurance. Like you I am ashamed that I hadn't looked at this sooner, especially with a blog with "frugal" in the title!
ReplyDeleteWell done on your car insurance. I can't wait to see what we can save-x-
DeleteLong gone is any reward for loyalty I'm afraid. Quite sad really.
ReplyDeleteIt is very sad indeed Jackie-x-
DeleteHubby does all the comparison things and switches ours about for the best deal, that s some saving you have made there
ReplyDeleteMy hubby doesn't know one end of a computer from the other Dawn...lol.
DeleteI am extremely happy with the saving-x-
Snap here too with contents& buildings ins. Stuck with same provider for almost 24 years (due to being skint in our younger days and them being able to add the whole yearly payment to our mortgage account - with interest!!). As soon as we realised - yes took a long time - we swapped and saved about £500 like you. It's fools like me that keep the banks going!!
ReplyDeleteWe shouldn't be too hard on ourselves Mrs. I was bought up to believe that loyalty pays and am only now realising that it's not true at all-x-
DeleteInsurance can be crazy. I worked it out, just before evil cat went to terrorise heaven, that with all the premiums and the bit you have to pay before insurance kicks in that it was actually less expensive to just save up every month. Mind you, evil cat was extremely frail at that point and a lot of expensive treatment wouldn't have been appropriate
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued by a pattern by weight! x
Smudge is quite old and I don't intend for him to have any more operations. He has been through enough so we may decide to put the money aside each month for any more medicinal treatment he might need in the future.
DeleteI am totally puzzled by this pattern. Newborn size 7-13lbs....the 13lbs made me wince a bit....lol-x-
I have got lazy with insurance and energy etc -I used to shop around but wow what you saved is enough for a cheeky weekend away somewhere for you and Andy!
ReplyDeleteI just got a parcel of washers, heavy duty, for laying othe paper patter for cutting out instead of
Pinning. ( my iPad froze then and went a bit funny!! ) cutting out patterns is a pain though. Quick question for you
ReplyDeleteAs I consider you like an expert in sewing
Do you lay your pattern on right side up or Wong side up? Does it vary from pattern to pattern?
Hey Rachel.....yes a cheeky weekend is something we are planning on later in the year:)
DeleteOoooh where did you get your washers from? Pinning is my least favourite bit when I'm cutting out.
No sewing expert here but yes it does vary from pattern to pattern. If you you look on the instruction sheet that comes with your pattern it should tell you which pieces need laying which way and also how your fabric should be laid out....have fun.
Hugs-x-
That's a massive saving Sheila - definitely worth spending a bit of time on. Mark does ours every year and even if we don't manage to save anything we tend not to have to pay more either. We've just changed our energy bills as well, not so much because the unit price was much higher but the standard charge doubled and it doesn't matter how much you try to save there's nothing you can do about that.
ReplyDeleteI've got the sewing machine out today, I Seem to be hopping from one thing to another again.
Had to laugh at DD being off work, typical isn't it, but if she's going to do the garden for you I'd be more than happy to have her home. xx
I was totally gobsmacked Suzanne. Andy and I are of an age where you believe that loyalty pays...blah, blah, blah and now we know it flippin' well doesn't.
DeleteOoooh lovely....I shall look forward to seeing what you have been doing in your weekly post.
I'm hoping for dry weather next week so that she can be out in the garden while I get on with bottoming the house...lol.
Hugs-x-