Everything Else

This includes everything  else I discuss on Pounds and Sense, including Health, Holidays, Relationships, and so on.

March 2021 Update

My Coronavirus Crisis Experience: March 2021 Update

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Here is my latest monthly Coronavirus Crisis Update. Regular readers will know I’ve been posting these updates since the first lockdown started a year ago now (you can read my February 2021 update here if you like).

I plan to continue these updates until we are clearly over the pandemic and something resembling normal life has resumed. Obviously, I very much hope that will be sooner rather than later.

As ever, I will begin by discussing financial matters and then life more generally over the last few weeks.

Financial

I’ll begin as usual with my Nutmeg stocks and shares ISA, as I know many of you like to hear what is happening with this.

As the screenshot below shows, since last month’s update my main portfolio has been through some ups and downs. It is currently valued at £19,155. Last month it stood at £19,008, so it is at least up a little (£147) overall.

Nutmeg March 2021

As you may recall, three months ago I put £1,000 into a second Nutmeg pot to try out Nutmeg’s new Smart Alpha option. The value of this pot rose as high as £1,040 in mid-February, though it currently stands at a more modest £1,007. Here is a screen capture showing performance to date, though obviously it is much too early to draw any conclusions from this.

Nutmeg Smart Alpha March 2021

You can see my in-depth Nutmeg review here (including a special offer at the end for PAS readers).

I mentioned last time that my first investment with P2P property investment platform Property Partner reached its five-year anniversary, at which point investors can vote to sell their shares or continue for another five years. Along with just under half of the other investors, I voted to sell my shares.

The shares of everyone who wanted to sell were duly put up for sale on the platform. Unfortunately, though, there were few buyers, so with a substantial number of shares unsold, the property has been put up for sale on the open market. That means there will be a period of several months – possibly longer – before a buyer is found, and there is no guarantee that the independent valuation price will be achieved.

That is obviously disappointing, though as I only have a very small amount invested in this property (about £50) I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. In my view Property Partner didn’t make much effort to market these shares to investors. I suspect the same may be the case with at least some of the other properties coming up to their five-year anniversaries. It may be that Property Partner are happy to get some of the smaller houses and apartments off their books, especially the city-based ones for which demand has fallen as a result of the pandemic. Currently I have another small investment going through the five-year process. I voted to sell my shares in this too, but suspect the outcome will be the same.

As I have noted before on PAS, shares in many properties on Property Partner are currently available on the secondary market at a discount to the independent valuation price  Based on my experiences to date, however, I would advise caution about regarding this as a buying opportunity. If properties that are relisted attract little interest from existing PP investors, they will have to be sold on the open market. In that case you are likely to have a long wait until you see any return on your investment, and there is no guarantee of an overall profit even then. I shan’t therefore be investing on the Property Partner secondary market for the foreseeable future.

That wasn’t the only disappointing financial news last month. Property crowdfunding investment platform The House Crowd unexpectedly announced that it was going into administration. I still have some investments with THC, though thankfully not as many as I did two or three years ago.

Apart from one small loan – which I accepted some time ago had gone south – my remaining investments are in traditionally crowdfunded properties, all of which are currently up for sale. The money is therefore secured by bricks and mortar, so I expect to get at least some of it back (and have of course been receiving dividend payments from rent received). As with other property crowdfunding platforms, each THC property is owned and managed by a separate Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), which gives it legal protection from claims against THC by creditors. How this will pan out in practice remains to be seen, but I note that the administrators have said that their appointment is ‘not expected to have a material impact on investors.’

So I am being philosophical about this and awaiting further developments. These have undoubtedly been tough times for property investors, and regular readers will know that I also recently lost money with another property crowdfunding platform called Crowdlords. Overall, when you allow for my successful property investments and rental income, I am more or less breaking even, but even so (as I have said on the blog before) I am a lot more cautious about this type of investment nowadays.

Personal

February was another long, cold month, but at least there are signs of better times ahead now. The vaccine roll-out continues to go well and case numbers are dropping rapidly, giving us all hope for a return to something approximating normal life in the weeks and months ahead.

And, of course, we are heading into the spring now, with longer, brighter days and – eventually – the prospect of some warmer ones!

One thing that always lifts my spirit at this time of year – and especially in the current circumstances – is the arrival of spring flowers. In my garden I have crocuses and snowdrops out at the moment, and it won’t be long until the daffodils are in bloom. Here’s a photo of a flower bed in my front garden…

Garden

I had my first Covid jab in February, at the Whitemore Lakes mass vaccination centre near Lichfield. It was run by a team of NHS staff, military and volunteers. Everyone was friendly and efficient. The only slight blip came when I was checking in. I happened to notice that the clerk had put ‘female’ on my form, doubtless due to my lockdown hair. She was embarrassed when I pointed this out, but of course I couldn’t just say nothing. I shall be very pleased when we are allowed to visit hairdressers again!

I received the Oxford-Astra Zeneca vaccine. After I had a bad reaction to my last flu jab (fever and nausea) I was prepared for something similar with this, but thankfully that didn’t happen. Apart from very slight soreness in my arm the next day, I had no side-effects at all. I hope I am just as lucky with my second jab, which I have already booked for May.

Also on a medical theme. I had my latest trip to the eye clinic at Queens Hospital Burton last week. Regular readers will know that last autumn I was diagnosed with a perforated retina in my left eye. My first laser treatment was only partly successful, so Iast time I received a (more powerful) top-up treatment. This visit was to check if it had been successful, and I was pleased and relieved to hear that it had. So once again I need to express my thanks and gratitude to all the staff there, and especially to Mr Brent, the consultant who performed my final laser treatment and gave me the good news this time. I have been told that if something like this happens once it increases the chances of it happening again, so I have to be on the lookout for any potentially worrying changes to my eyesight in future. But that aside I am lucky that this problem was detected early before anything more drastic (e.g. a detached retina) occurred – so big thanks to my optician at Vision Express Lichfield as well!

As I write this update, the schools are just about to reopen to all students. I am delighted about that, as I know that it has been a tough time for many children. While some schools have been very good about running online classes, these can never be a complete substitute for face-to-face teaching. I also know from speaking to friends that some schools have been less supportive, simply sending pupils written lessons or assignments to complete on their own. That is obviously less than ideal for younger children especially.

I do think it is regrettable that the government has advised that secondary school children should wear masks in classrooms. The same applies to the mandatory twice-weekly testing. In my view these measures will achieve little apart from traumatizing young people and making it harder for them to learn. I understand these measures have been introduced partly to placate the teaching unions and some worried parents, but hope they will be swiftly withdrawn when (as I fully expect) there is no big ‘spike’ in virus cases following the return. Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox now!

As always, I hope you are staying safe and sane during these challenging times. If you have any comments or questions, please do post them below.

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Top Tips for Freebie Hunters

Top Tips for New Freebie and Competition Fans

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The world is an expensive place, so it’s no wonder many people are obsessed with getting freebies.

However, when entering the freebie-hunting world it is important that you adhere to certain rules in order to make the most of it. This article will set out some top tips for novice freebie-hunters – and you may learn a thing or two as a seasoned freebie-hunter as well.

If It Sounds Too Good To Be True, It Probably Is

The excitement of (potentially) getting a freebie from a favourite brand can easily cloud your judgement.

According to Karen Newman at Mega Free Stuff, the majority of transactions have both an upside and a downside; however, when a transaction is free the downside is temporarily forgotten. ‘Free’ provides people with a strong emotional charge, where the individual perceives the item on offer to be more valuable than it actually is. This basically means that the person will set aside common sense if they are being offered a freebie.

Some companies are willing to give freebies, but fans of a brand are often willing to sell their soul (or at least provide all sorts of valuable personal information) in exchange for a minute sample. This is detrimental, and it is essential that you know how big the sample is and what exactly you will be getting. Be sure the freebie is genuine and always read the terms and conditions before applying for any offers.

If You Do Not Ask, You Will Not Receive

It is always worthwhile writing letters or sending emails to companies asking if they have any samples available for you to try. This may seem obnoxious and pointless to some, but those who complete this task have often received large boxes of free items or discount vouchers from the companies as a means of gaining feedback on their products. Furthermore, if you do not like a product, be honest about this. In many cases companies are happy to offer replacement freebies (plus an extra item) if their products do not meet with the user’s approval.

Do Not Expect Too Much

A full-sized freebie is a rare occurrence, with the majority of free products being delivered in small envelopes or tiny sachets. Of course, the primary goal is not to obtain a full-sized freebie but a free sample to see if you enjoy the product for a future purchase.

Furthermore, do not expect to receive all free items applied for. Even if you have claimed a free sample noted as available online, it is unlikely that you will get a 100% return. In fact, the most you can expect is approximately 70%. Do not give up hope and keep applying, and soon you will be enjoying masses of freebies. Once again, though, be sure to check that any freebie is worthwhile, and always read the terms and conditions regarding the size and number of samples.

Do Not Feel Guilty

While some individuals may feel a degree of guilt about asking for freebies, this is completely unnecessary. The company sending a freebie is not losing millions of pounds on the free products; in fact, they are benefiting from the free item. Think about it – for every sample sent out, there is the potential of a new customer. If you receive a free sample and like it, there is every chance you will make a future purchase of that product and might even become a regular customer.

Set Up a Second Email Address

One important – but often neglected – tip is to set up a second email address. To avoid receiving spam mail to your primary address, use this second address to claim freebies and enter competitions.

We have found an amazing competition here, where you can have the chance to win one of 20 Lindt chocolate Easter Eggs (see picture below). This competition ends on 1st April 2021.

Free Easter Egg competition

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for which I am receiving a fee.

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Review: The Good Retirement Guide

Review: The Good Retirement Guide

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Today I am looking at The Good Retirement Guide, an annual guide published by Kogan Page. I bought the current 2021 edition, which was published last month.

The Good Retirement Guide 2021 is 318 pages long. The text is fairly dense but broken up by plenty of headings and bullet-point lists. There are 14 chapters and an alphabetical index at the back. The chapter titles are as follows:

  1. Are You Looking Forward to Retirement?
  2. Money and Budgeting
  3. Pensions
  4. Tax
  5. Investment
  6. Your Home
  7. Leisure Activities
  8. Starting Your Own Business
  9. Looking for Paid Work
  10. Voluntary Work
  11. Health
  12. Holidays
  13. Caring for Elderly Parents
  14. No-one is Immortal

The chapter titles are pretty self-explanatory. The book attempts to cover every aspect of making the most of your senior years. The style is clear and readable, and additional resources are signposted as appropriate.

In contrast with Sod 60! which I also reviewed recently, The Good Retirement Guide covers the financial aspects of later life in some detail. I thought the information about pensions and benefits in particular was very good and tells you most of what you need to know.

Some of the other chapters are a bit less comprehensive. The one on leisure activities, for example, lists various things you might like to do – or take up – in retirement, but the information is frequently sketchy and can verge on stating the obvious. Here is what it has to say about poetry, for example:

There is an increasing enthusiasm for poetry and poetry readings in clubs, pubs and other places of entertainment. Special local events may be advertised in your neighbourhood.

And apart from a mention for the Poetry Society and a link to their website, that is all you get on this subject 🙂

I don’t want to appear too harsh. Obviously in a wide-ranging book like this, it can be hard to judge the degree of detail appropriate to any particular topic. At least by mentioning a wide range of possibilities, the book may give you some ideas about activities you might like to pursue further in retirement.

The health-related content is a bit of a mixed bag. Some subjects are covered in reasonable depth, others less so. There is just half a page devoted to keeping fit, for example, with a further couple of paragraphs about yoga and Pilates. On the other hand, there is some good information (and advice) on health insurance, long-term care plans, and so forth. Again, this illustrates that the book’s primary focus is on the financial aspects of retirement.

One thing that did surprise me is that although this 2021 edition of The Good Retirement Guide was only published last month, there is no mention of the pandemic in it. You will search in vain for Coronavirus or Covid-19 in the index. I know there can be long lead times in publishing, but in an annual guide you might think they could have inserted a section about it somewhere. Maybe we will have to wait for the 2022 version?

Even so, a lot of the subjects discussed in the guide – holidays, for example – have been seriously impacted by the pandemic. The advice and procedures for travel abroad in particular may be very different even after the pandemic is officially over.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I thought The Good Retirement Guide 2021 was a helpful book for people approaching retirement. As I’ve said above, it has a strong emphasis on financial matters, and is well worth reading for that alone. Some of the other content is a bit hit-and-miss, and the surprising lack of any mention of the pandemic means that at times it reads like a guide to an alternate world where Covid never happened. Of course, none of us really knows what the ‘new normal’ will be in future. We can but hope it will be not too far removed from the old normal we remember and which this book – despite the 2021 in its title – basically depicts.

As always, if you have any thoughts or questions about this post, please do leave them below.

Disclosure: As with many posts on Pounds and Sense, this post includes affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a modest commission for introducing you. This will not affect in any way the price you pay or the product or service you receive.

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Bloggers Valentine Giveaway

Win a Dyson Airwrap in the UK Bloggers’ Great Valentine Giveaway!

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

As I write this we are still stuck in what feels like everlasting lockdown. But with the successful vaccine roll-out and rapidly falling case numbers – not to mention spring on the way – there are at least a few rays of hope on the horizon.

Anyway, to cheer you up, I’ve joined forces with some of my fellow UK bloggers to put together a giveaway with a top-of-the-range Dyson Airwrap worth £450 for the lucky winner.

As a mere male I must admit I had never heard of this before. But as I have read up about it now, I can tell you that the Dyson Airwrap is a high-tech hair-styling device. It harnesses an aerodynamic phenomenon called the Coanda effect, which curves air to attract and wrap hair to the barrel. So it styles using a flow of air, not extreme heat. This reduces the risk of heat-damage to your hair.

As I am currently sporting a mop of ‘lockdown hair’, I reckon I could probably do with one of these myself!

Bloggers Taking Part

Reinventing Neesha | Chilling with Lucas | Melanie’s Fab Finds | Lipgloss and Curves | Doing Numbers | Monethalia | Reality in Reverie | The Life of Dee | Our Transitional Life | Spilling Life Tea | Lottie Lately | Lisa’s Notebook | Vegan Etc | The Little Landeg | Pounds and Sense | Hollie Plus | Testing Time Blog | Pretty Core | Mumernity | Lylia Rose | Afshanesque | Gemma Etc | Miss Makeup Magpie | Kayleigh Zara | Alice in Sheffield | Mind Over Meds | The Financial Wilderness | Boxnip | Hawkes at Home | Explorersaur | Recipe for Home | Life with Ktkinnes | Discount Days Out | Live the Easy Life | Be Happy Be You | Gift Guides | Laura Hadley | Best Lodges with Hot Tubs | Rach Talks Business | Family Loving Life

The Prize

One lucky winner will win themselves the highly coveted Dyson Airwrap worth a whopping £450! The Dyson Airwrap is currently the hottest tool on the market and with it’s hefty price tag it’s not accessible for many.

The Dyson Airwrap comes with six hair styling attachments to dry, curl, wave and smooth hair. The Airwrap with intelligent heat control measures airflow temperature over 40 times a second and regulates heat, to ensure it always stays below 150°C.

The Dyson Airwrap also comes with a tan storage case to store your Airwrap and its attachments safely.

How to Enter

To enter simply complete all or any of the Rafflecopter entry options below. The more you complete, the more chances you have of winning.

The competition ends at midnight on Sunday 14th March and a winner will be drawn on Monday 15th March. If for any reason the chosen prize is out of stock at the time of the draw, the winner will be able to select an alternative prize up to the same value.

For full entry terms and conditions please see the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One final small point is that if a winning entry comes from following someone on social media, the organizer (my colleague Neesha Rees) will check before awarding the prize that the winner is still following the account in question. If they aren’t, they will be disqualified and a new winner drawn. So, please, don’t follow and immediately unfollow, as your entry won’t then count.

Good luck, and here’s hoping we can all look forward to brighter times (and better hair) soon 🙂

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my coronavirus Crisis Experience - February 2021 Update

My Coronavirus Crisis Experience: February 2021 Update

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Here is my latest Coronavirus Crisis Update. Regular readers will know I have been posting these since the first lockdown started in the spring of 2020 (you can read my January 2021 update here if you like).

I plan to continue these updates until we are clearly over the pandemic and something resembling normal life has resumed. Obviously, I very much hope that will be sooner rather than later.

As ever, I will begin by discussing financial matters and then life more generally over the last few weeks.

Financial

I’ll begin as usual with my Nutmeg stocks and shares ISA, as I know many of you like to hear what is happening with this.

As the screenshot below shows, since last month’s update my main portfolio has been through some ups and downs. It is currently valued at £19,008. Last month it stood at £18,886, so it is at least up a little (£122) overall.

Nutmeg main portfolio Feb 2021

As you may recall, two months ago I put £1,000 into a second Nutmeg pot to try out Nutmeg’s new Smart Alpha option. The value of this pot rose as high as £1,037 in mid-January, though it currently stands at a more modest £1,010. Here is a screen capture showing performance to date, though obviously it is far too early to draw any conclusions from this.

Nutmeg Smart Alpha Feb 2021

You can see my in-depth Nutmeg review here (including a special offer at the end for PAS readers).

Incidentally, I was recently asked by Nutmeg to contribute an article about my ‘Investing Journey’ for their blog. This was published in early January and you can read it here if you like. In the original version I was more explicit about why I left the charity I used to work for (basically a personality clash with the new Director who saw me as a rival). Nutmeg presumably decided this might ruffle a few feathers – even 25 years on! – so they changed it to something blandly neutral. Anyway, I thought I should let you know, as the opening section reads a little oddly now 🙂

The Nutmeg article brought quite a few new subscribers to this blog – so if that includes you, welcome to Pounds and Sense! I do hope you find my posts interesting.

Moving on, I had an email this week from the peer-to-peer lending platform RateSetter saying that all their lending activity is being transferred to Metro Bank (which now owns RateSetter). All investor accounts are therefore closing at the start of April, with investors’ money being returned to them in full along with all interest due.

I know some RateSetter investors are unhappy about this, but personally in these turbulent times I’m just glad to be getting my money back with interest. I originally invested £1,000 in September 2018 with an eye to claiming the £100 new investor bonus. The latter was duly credited to my account a year later, so by April I expect there to be a total of around £1,180 in my account. That equates to an annual interest rate of around 7%, which I am perfectly happy with.

This last year has undoubtedly been tough for P2P lending companies, with rising default rates and withdrawal requests along with reduced demand for loans. This has caused some platforms to experience cashflow problems and bad publicity. The only other one I have any money left with is ZOPA, which has also had a challenging year. I have only a few hundred pounds left in ZOPA as I switched some time ago from reinvesting repayments to withdrawing them. I’m not sure I can see much of a future for P2P lending in the UK, but of course in these unique times anything is possible. I don’t foresee myself putting any more money into P2P lending for a while, though.

I also heard recently from Property Partner. As you may know, this is a property crowdfunding platform. A few years ago, when I was investing regularly in property crowdfunding, I put around £5,000 into twenty or so properties on this platform.

Anyway, the email revealed that the first property I bought shares in has now reached its fifth anniversary. All investors therefore have the opportunity to sell up at the current independent valuation or else continue for a further five years. I voted to sell my shares, since (as mentioned in this recent post) I am currently trying to reduce the total amount I have invested in property crowdfunding.

The way the five-year anniversary process works is that all shares owned by investors who want to sell are bundled together and put up for sale on the Property Partner site. Assuming they are all bought by other investors, everyone who voted to sell then gets their money back at the current valuation. If that doesn’t happen, Property Partner put the property concerned up for sale. But obviously that is likely to take months and there is no guarantee the valuation price will be achieved. So you might end up getting back less than anticipated (or perhaps more in a best-case scenario).

Obviously I’m hoping this process goes smoothly and I get my money back soon. I would comment, though, that many of the properties that are coming up to their five-year anniversary are on offer on the resale market at well under the current valuation price. So if you are of a speculative persuasion, there is an opportunity to buy shares now at a discount and maybe make a quick-ish profit through selling up via the five-year anniversary process. I must admit I am tempted to try this, but haven’t made a decision yet!

Moving on, my two Buy2LetCars investments are still delivering the promised monthly returns without any fuss. As I am semi-retired but don’t yet qualify for the state pension, the £450 or so I receive from them every month represents a major part of my monthly income currently. I am also looking forward to receiving a substantial lump-sum payment in April when my first investment with them matures.

As I’ve said before, investors with Buy2LetCars put up the money to finance a car for a key worker such as a nurse or police officer. They then receive 36 monthly capital repayments followed by a final balancing payment of interest and capital. If you are looking for an income-producing investment with a substantial lump sum payment after three years – and you like the idea of doing a bit of good with your money too – they are well worth checking out (and likewise if you’re a key worker looking for a lease car yourself). If you’d like to learn more, you can read my review of Buy2LetCars here and my more recent article about the company here. And here is a link to Wheels4Sure, their car-leasing website. Note that you can’t invest with Buy2LetCars through an ISA, so the interest part of the final payment will have some tax deducted. Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to reclaim this.

Finally, several more readers have now signed up with the low-key matched betting opportunity mentioned in some previous updates. New members are still being accepted, but the company has had to reduce their payouts slightly. New members now receive £50 a month for the first six months, reducing to £25 a month thereafter. Considering that this opportunity is cost-free, risk-free and hands-free, that’s still a pretty good deal, though 🙂

As I said above, this opportunity is based on matched betting, a sideline-earning opportunity I have been pursuing for several years myself. I was asked not to divulge too many details about it publicly, for good reasons I will explain privately to anyone who may be interested (and no, it’s not illegal!). As I said above, it doesn’t require any financial outlay, is entirely hands-off, and will provide a passive income of £50 a month for the first six months and £25 a month thereafter.

No knowledge of betting is required, and you don’t have to place any bets yourself (this is all done by the company’s clever software). You just have to set up a separate bank account for bets to go through, but running the account is entirely financed by the company. Please note that this opportunity is only open to honest, trustworthy people who haven’t done matched betting before and have no more than two accounts already with online bookmakers. For more info (and to receive a no-obligation invitation) drop me a line including your email address via my Contact Me page.

Personal

I don’t know about you, but January to me has felt a very long month. It’s been cold, damp and depressing, with the whole country stuck in what seems like a never-ending lockdown.

As you may know, I live on my own since my partner, Jayne, passed away a few years ago. I am lucky to live in a fairly large house with a good-sized garden, so being mostly confined to home hasn’t been as big a challenge for me as I’m sure it has for some. Also, I am well used to working from home, having done this for the last 30 years or so. Even so, being unable to see friends and family has been hard for me, as has the closure of my local swimming pool (which I used to visit twice a week). And I appreciate that in many ways I am one of the lucky ones. I don’t have any major financial worries, and I’m not trying to home-school any children!

I did have a ‘day out’ at the end of January when I had to go to the eye clinic at Burton Hospital for a follow-up appointment. As regular readers will know, in the autumn I was diagnosed with a perforated retina in the left eye. I had laser treatment for this, and my January appointment was to assess how successful it had been.

As it turned out, there was some good news and some bad. The consultant told me that the treatment had been three-quarters successful. In one area it hadn’t ‘taken’, meaning I needed top-up treatment. He administered this then and there. I guess he cranked up the laser a bit, as unlike my first treatment it was somewhat painful and I had a headache for a couple of days afterwards. I have to go back at the start of March for what I very much hope will be a final check-up. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Because they put drops in my eyes at these appointments, I can’t drive. I therefore took a taxi to the hospital and caught the train back. On previous occasions the trains have been very quiet, but there were noticeably more passengers this time. The roads too seemed pretty busy. I get the impression that people are (understandably) becoming fed up with lockdown now and the government’s Stay At Home message isn’t being as well complied with. Not a criticism, just an observation.

I am still aiming to go out for a walk once a day, though with some of the bad weather in January, I have missed a few. Here is a photo of my front garden about a fortnight ago 😮

snowy garden

On the plus side, I do enjoy watching the snow as long as I don’t have any essential trips to make. And I like to go for a walk in it once it has fallen. It was lovely to see (and hear) the local children getting out their sledges and enjoying some much-needed fun during these difficult times.

As far as evening entertainment is concerned, I finished my box-set of the tongue-in-cheek detective series Agatha Raisin and am happy to recommend that. On a similar note, I am enjoying the new (second) series of The Mallorca Files, which is currently on BBC iPlayer. It is just a shame that because of the pandemic they were only able to record six episodes.

Also, inspired by this post by my fellow blogger Caz, I have been investigating what is on offer on Amazon Prime Video. I have Amazon Prime mainly for the fast, free deliveries. But of course members do get access to a range of free films and TV series as well.

Anyway, I found a couple of series I really enjoyed. Being a Star Trek fan, I had to check out Lower Decks, a cartoon series focusing on the junior ranks on board one of the Federation’s least illustrious starships, the USS Cerritos. This has some great laugh-out-loud moments but some good stories as well. There are plenty of allusions to familiar Star Trek tropes that will keep any fan of the franchise amused. Watch out also for an appearance by an evil incarnation of Microsoft’s infamous ‘Office Assistant’ Clippy!

  • Of course, if you’re a Star Trek fan and haven’t yet seen Star Trek: Picard featuring the great Patrick Stewart as the eponymous hero, you should definitely watch this on Amazon Prime Video as well 🙂

The other series I enjoyed is Undone. Indeed, this is one of the best things I’ve seen on TV for quite a while. It’s almost impossible to describe, but it’s an animation that combines elements of mystery, comedy, romance, science fiction/fantasy, and more. And all with stunning, almost psychedelic, imagery, and strong acting and characterization. Here’s a screen capture that will give you some idea of the style. If you watch nothing else on Amazon Prime Video, give this a try..

Undone

Going back to the pandemic, there has at least been some good news this month. The vaccine roll-out has been going well – I’ve just heard that 10 million people have now had their first injection – and the number of new cases has been falling rapidly. As a 65-year-old I have not yet been called for vaccination but assume this is likely to happen fairly soon.

I do hope these developments will allow lockdown and other restrictions to be eased in the coming weeks, as in my view they are causing grave harm to people’s physical and mental well-being. In particular, I would like to see schools reopen, along with swimming pools and gyms. I would also like to see pubs, restaurants and hotels allowed to reopen before many have to close their doors for good. In the (slightly) longer term I would like to see all restrictions lifted so that normal life can resume. I am not a fan of mandatory masks and would like to see them made optional for those who believe they offer some useful protection from the virus (personally I have never been convinced of this).

As always, I hope you are staying safe and sane during these challenging times. If you have any comments or questions, please do post them below.

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Sod 60! Review

Review: Sod 60! The Guide to Living Well

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As I just hit 65, I thought now would be the perfect time to take a look at Sod 60! The Guide to Living Well.

As you may know, this is a best-selling book by Claire Parker and Sir Muir Gray, published by Bloomsbury. I bought a hardback copy from Amazon. A slightly cheaper ebook version for Kindle is also available.

  • Sir Muir Gray is also the author of Sod 70!, a similar healthy living guide aimed at the over-70s.

Review

Sod 60! is 232 pages long. The text – which is very readable – is broken up by lots of sub-headings, diagrams and cartoon-style illustrations (by David Mostyn). There are nine main chapters, each covering an aspect of how to live well in your sixties. The chapter titles are as follows:

  1. Getting Older Doesn’t Matter – Getting Active and Getting Attitude Does
  2. Keeping Active is Fitness Friendly
  3. Your Attitude and Its Soulmates: Mind and Mood
  4. Keeping Your Metabolism Healthy
  5. Take Care of Your…Bits
  6. Rhythm and Blues
  7. Stuff Happens
  8. Decisions, Decisions
  9. Health Care: Choosing and Using It Wisely

Some of those chapter titles are self-explanatory, others less so. For example, Chapter 5 ‘Take Care of Your…Bits’ isn’t about what you might think. It actually covers looking after different parts of your body, from your brain to your feet. Sexual health is then covered in Chapter 6, ‘Rhythm and Blues’. Those both seem pretty odd choices of chapter title to me, but I suppose the aim was to help give the book a ‘quirky’ personality.

That small criticism aside, the style of the book is friendly and relatable. It’s also down to earth and practical, and I like the way that the text is interspersed with exercises, resolutions, and so on. It is very much a hands-on, practical guide.

Sod 60! concerns the importance of looking after your body and mind as you grow older. The authors stress the need to stay as active as you can, both physically and mentally.

Chapter 2 includes a range of physical exercises to try, and also sets out some general principles for exercising healthily as you get older. I thought this was one of the most useful chapters in the book.

Chapter 3, which focuses on attitude, mind and mood, is also very good. It looks at the importance of keeping a positive attitude, and staying connected with friends and family, your neighbours, local community, and so on. It also discusses maintaining a good relationship with your partner (assuming you have one). Getting enough sleep and dealing with stress are covered as well, though not in great detail.

Chapter 4 ‘Keeping your Metabolism Healthy’ focuses on diet and weight. The authors advocate following a balanced and varied Mediterranean-style diet, with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. That seems eminently sensible to me. I wouldn’t say there was much in this chapter I hadn’t heard before, and some of the advice such as avoiding sugary drinks struck me as stating the obvious. But this is of course very important to long-term health, so I guess it had to be said.

Chapter 5, as I’ve already mentioned, focuses on different organs/parts of the body. It discusses how to keep each one healthy, and warning signs to look out for as you get older. It also covers age-related changes and what you may be able to do to help prevent problems. Having a good diet, staying active, giving up smoking and reducing alcohol intake all crop up quite frequently. Again, there were no huge surprises for me here.

Chapter 6 is about sexual health and related matters such as bladder and (for men) prostate problems. On the sexual side, the advice could be broadly summed up in five words: Use it or lose it! The advice on matters such as urinary incontinence is – to be honest – a bit depressing, but nonetheless important to be aware of.

Chapter 7 ‘Stuff Happens’ is also a bit depressing, though again it covers some important topics. These include how to deal with the problems later life can throw at you, including depression, isolation, bereavement, serious illness, and so on. There is some excellent advice here, especially on the importance of cultivating and maintaining a support network of friends, relatives, health professionals, and so on.

Finally, Chapters 8 and 9 are both about healthcare and could easily have been combined in my opinion. They look at such matters as how to navigate healthcare decisions, self-care to prevent (or at least mitigate) serious health problems, drugs and vaccinations, and so forth.

In Conclusion

Overall I thought Sod 60! was a useful guide for sixty-somethings though maybe not an earth-shattering one. The book covers a range of issues that anyone in their sixties will need to think about and prepare for. It was first published in 2016, so there is no reference to the Coronavirus pandemic. The advice in the book still applies and in some ways is even more cogent now. With the UK still in lockdown at the time of writing, for example, we all need our support networks more than ever at the moment…

Sod 60! is really a ‘mind and body’ book. It doesn’t cover financial issues such as pensions and benefits (and indeed doesn’t claim to). And it doesn’t have much to say about the challenges and opportunities retirement can bring, or the pros and cons of carrying on working. For advice on these and similar matters, something like the annual Good Retirement Guide (which I hope to review soon) would be good. And keep on reading Pounds and Sense, of course!

If you want a readable and entertaining guide to making the most of your sixties and preserving your physical and mental health, though, Sod 60! would certainly fit the bill. It would also make a great (and relatively inexpensive) birthday or Christmas gift for anyone in this age category.

As ever, if you have any comments or questions about this post, please do leave them below.

Disclosure: As with many posts on Pounds and Sense, this post includes affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a modest commission for introducing you. This will not affect in any way the price you pay or the product or service you receive.

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How to Get a Better Night's Sleep

How to Get a Better Night’s Sleep

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For many of us (including me) the stress of the Covid-19 pandemic is playing havoc with our sleep patterns. That’s bad news for a variety of reasons.

Scientifically it’s been proven we all need at least 6 to 9 hours sleep a night. The amount required varies between individuals. It also reduces a little as we get older (though not as much as some people would have you believe).

Getting enough good-quality sleep is essential for a number of reasons. For one thing, sleep is when our body repairs itself so it is ready to face another day. In addition, scientists now believe that sleep – REM sleep when we are dreaming especially – plays an important role in consolidating learning and memories from the day before.

Not getting enough sleep leaves us tired and irritable, more prone to anxiety and depression, less able to concentrate and be productive. It may also make us more likely to put on weight, weaken our immune system, and increase our risk of heart disease.

So today I thought I’d share some top tips for sleeping better at this stressful time. Some of these are from my own experience (and research) while others have been contributed by my fellow UK bloggers. I hope you will find some helpful ideas among them…

Top Tips for Sleeping Better

1. Try to Keep to a Regular Routine

Aim to go to sleep at the same time every day and at weekends. This well help set your body clock and ensure you are able to get to sleep quickly and wake up refreshed and ready to start the day.

2. Make Your Bedroom as Dark as Possible

Darkness signals to your body it is time to sleep and stimulates the production of our natural sleep hormone, melatonin. Avoid as much as possible light from electrical devices such as mobile phones and TVs on stand-by. Ideally such devices should be banished from the bedroom completely or at least covered up at night.

I also recommend having blackout curtains or blinds in the bedroom. These can cut out light from outside almost completely. Until I got blackout curtains I got woken up on various occasions by the security lights on the house opposite when (I assume) a fox or something passed by in the early hours.

3. Brighten Your Mornings, Dim Your Evenings

Try to get some natural light (ideally sunlight) as soon as possible after waking up. In the evening, though, dim the lights, especially in the hour or two before bedtime. This all helps strengthen your daily rhythm of sleep and wakefulness.

4. Exercise Daily, but not in the Evening

Getting enough exercise is crucial to sleeping well. But do it in the morning if possible. Exercising then will energise you for the rest of the day, and later ensure that you are physically tired enough to sleep well. By contrast, if you exercise in the evening, this will speed up your metabolism, raise your body temperature, and stimulate the production of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. This is not a problem if you’re taking exercise in the morning or afternoon, but too close to bed and it can interfere with your sleep.

5. Avoid Caffeine and Alcohol at Night

I guess for many of you this is stating the obvious. Nonetheless, it’s worth pointing out that caffeine is a natural stimulant and can interfere with sleep if taken at night.

Coffee is the best known source of caffeine, but tea contains it as well (even green tea). People vary in their sensitivity to caffeine. Even so, for most folk a milky bedtime drink is likely to be a better choice. Or you could drink decaffeinated coffee. Personally, though, I find this generally tastes like dishwater, and prefer simply to avoid coffee from afternoon onward.

Alcohol, on the other hand, is a nervous system depressant. This means it can help you to sleep, but the quality of your sleep is likely to be impaired. For one thing, it can be dehydrating, meaning you wake up in the middle of the night needing water. You may also have to get up for additional bathroom visits. And drinking alcohol can make you more prone to snoring, which can affect your sleep quality (and that of your partner!).

6. Change Your Mattress

Many of us keep our mattresses for too long before changing them. Ideally you should get a new mattress every eight years or so. Old mattresses tend to lose their spring and become lumpy and uncomfortable. Even worse, detritus can build up in them including dead skin cells and dust mites. This can cause allergic reactions, affecting your sleep quality.

7. Get Comfortable Pillows

Like mattresses, many of us wait too long before changing our pillows, but for similar reasons they need to be changed regularly (as a rule of thumb every one to two years). A pillow of the right size and firmness will hold your head in a comfortable, ‘neutral’ position while you sleep, ensuring you don’t wake up with a stiff, aching neck in the morning.

The type of pillow you get is a matter of individual preference. Personally I like feather and down, but others may prefer memoryfoam or microfibre. In any event, it’s important to choose your pillows carefully, and don’t begrudge paying a bit more for quality – it will be an investment in your health.

8. Don’t Eat Late at Night

Eating late will raise your blood sugar level at a time when it should be falling and make it harder to get to sleep. It may also, of course, cause indigestion. If you want a late night snack, something light like cheese and biscuits, a piece of fruit, or a bowl of cereal may fit the bill. In any event, you should try to avoid eating anything from an hour before you go bed.

9. Keep Your Bedroom Cool and Quiet

The optimum temperature for sleeping is between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius. Obviously it can be difficult to ensure that your room stays at this temperature all night, especially in the depths of winter and the heights of summer. Do what you can to stay cool (though not cold) all night, though, and your sleep quality will improve as a result.

Noise can be another obstacle to sleeping. This will obviously depend a lot on where you live, how much traffic there is outside, and how quiet (or otherwise) your neighbours are. Even if noise is a problem, however, there are things you can do to improve matters. Earplugs are one solution, though they don’t suit everyone. And a fan or similar device can help drown out noises from outside (personally I have a dust extractor which whirs away quietly all night and clears the air as well as covering up other noises). Finally, there are lots of free smartphone apps that will generate relaxing background sounds to help you sleep, with rain and sea sounds especially popular.

10. Wind Down at Night

Try to spend the hour before going to bed doing a calming activity such as reading, listening to music or even meditating. Try to avoid touchy discussions, work-related worries and so on. All this will help put your mind and body into sleep mode. If possible avoid using electronic devices such as laptops and mobile phones late at night, as the blue light they emanate can make it harder to fall asleep.

11. Bath Before Bedtime

This is something I swear by myself. A warm bath is a great of way of relaxing your body and easing the tensions of the day in preparation for sleep. Adding a few drops of lavender oil can assist in this. You can also add bath cream or bubble bath if that’s your thing.

12. Ask for Help

Finally, don’t be afraid to ask your GP if your sleep problems continue for more than a few weeks. She will be able to check to see if a health condition — such as acid reflux, arthritis, asthma, or depression — or a medicine you take may be part of the problem. She will also be able to talk you through any lifestyle changes or medications that might be helpful.

I haven’t mentioned sleeping pills until now. Personally I am dubious about taking these if I don’t have to, and concerned that I might become dependent on them. There are, though, various natural/herbal remedies you can try, including chamomile tea and St John’s Wort.

I have also had good results from a health supplement called 5-HTP, which is made from the African plant Griffonia. This boosts the production in the body of serotonin (the so-called happy hormone) and can therefore help with depression. But serotonin is also a precursor to melatonin, our body’s natural sleep hormone. I take one of these at night if I have had a stressful day and do find they seem to improve my quality of sleep. Below is a link to one such supplement on Amazon. Read the description and reviews and see what you think. But if you have any pre-existing medical conditions, I would strongly recommend speaking to your GP before you start supplementing with 5-HTP (or anything else).

Top Tips from UK Bloggers

As mentioned above, I also asked my UK blogging friends to let me know what worked well from them. Here are some of the answers they came up with…

Joanna from My Anxious Life says: ‘I like to play little games or make lists in my head. I often play “I Went To The Shop And I Bought…” or the Alphabet Game, for example listing all the foods beginning with C or all the girls names beginning with S. It helps to give me something simple and repetitive to concentrate on other than my constant stream of thoughts. It’s the adult’s version of counting sheep!’

Kier from Beyond the Blues says, ‘I always open my window about half an hour-ish before I’m going to go to bed so that it’s extra cold in my bedroom, and then I take my hot water bottle to bed when I’m ready to sleep. I don’t know what it is about sleeping in a cold bed with a hot water bottle but it just makes me feel so calm and cosy that I fall asleep pretty quick!’

Nikki from Best Brunch or Breakfast says, ‘When I want to go straight to sleep, I have a really hot bath. Not a relaxing soak – a REALLY hot bath (be sensible and don’t end up in A&E, obviously!). When I get out I get quickly dry and then I am that exhausted I fall straight asleep!’

Claire from Stapo’s Thrifty Life Hacks says, ‘I put my phone on charge away from the bed and get my Soothe Kit out, which has lots of comforting bits in it. Everyone’s Soothe Kit will be different, depending on what works for them, but mine contains herbal tea, a colouring book, some slime, a lavender body lotion and my favourite blanket. The items relax me and take my mind off the day’s worries.’

Emma from Bee Money Savvy says, ‘This may contradict a lot of advice about avoiding electronic devices before bed but right now I’m finding playing Animal Crossing on the Nintendo Switch really soothing before bed. My advice would be to find something that relaxes you; whether that’s a game, doing yoga, meditating or having a bath in the hours leading up to bedtime.’

Rebecca from Views From My Garden Bench says, ‘I was an insomniac for years until I worked out what helped me – calm spoken words or classical music. At the moment, I’m listening to Patrick Stewart reading a Shakespeare sonnet a day – his voice is so restful, and because it’s poetry there is a cadence to his words. Also I listen to modern classical music from Ludovico Einaudi [Italian pianist and composer].’

Chloe from Nyxie’s Nook recommends making your bedroom a ‘sleep-friendly haven’ and more in her blog post titled How to Get to Sleep for Night Owls.

Anna from Goodness Me Nutrition says, ‘I’m a nutritional therapist and write about gut health and sleep. Allowing three hours between your last meal of the day and sleep makes a big dfference. Eating in time with your circadian rhythms is a big factor.’

Joanna who blogs at Joanna Journals says, ‘For me, I find that the best way to sleep soundly is simply to have a routine. When I was at uni, I slept so badly because I just had no sleeping pattern, but in my final year, and now I’m working, I have a set bedtime and wake-up time, and I fall asleep so quickly and soundly. It really is amazing how our bodies work; once we’ve got used to our body clock, it works wonders!’

Victoria from Semi Charmed Life says, ‘White noise really helps me. I usually have a fan on when I sleep which does the trick (and keeps the air circulating, making me feel better).’

Georgia of Big Fashion Talk says, ‘I add on my pillow some drops of lavender essential oil and it has helped me tremendously!‘

Anne from The Platinum Line says, ‘I find I need to keep to a routine. I still get up and dressed at about 8 o’clock and try to stick to regular meal times. I find I am sleeping better as there is less traffic noise and our student neighbours are at home.’

Ren from Queer Little Family says, ‘I’m an insomniac and my general advice is if you can’t get to sleep don’t force it. Get up and start again. Go have a cup of tea, spend twenty minutes, half an hour away from your bed and from trying to sleep. Then go back to bed and try again. It doesn’t always work but it breaks it up.’

Marina from Marina Writes Life says, ‘Back in the day, I used to search up techniques on how to sleep better and ways to make you fall asleep as, quite frankly, I was really struggling due to the stresses of college, etc. I found a list of foods based on old wives’ tales that supposedly make you sleepy, two of which were chocolate and banana (there were others like turkey and sunflower seeds, but as a midnight snack – ew). Five years later, still to this day, I eat a chocolate and banana toastie at night when I can’t sleep and, honestly, it works a treat!’

Rob from The Sober Odyssey says, ‘I’ve taken CBD oil for the more than six months and found that has helped with much better sleep. Then giving up alcohol in January improved my sleep even more. I track my sleep with my Fitbit.’

Finally, Marie from Broke Girl in the City says, ‘Write a list of the important things you need to do in the evening to prevent yourself from worrying. Also, nice clean sheets work a treat!’ Marie also has a great blog post with tips for sleeping better from UK money bloggers. It was published specially for Mental Health Awareness Week, 18-24 May 2020. Here’s a link to her post.

  • Persistent ear infections such as Otitis Externa (Swimmer’s Ear) can also disrupt sleep as well as reducing quality of life generally. The specialist ear doctors at Auris Ear Care can diagnose and treat your condition in the comfort and safety of your own home using their fully mobile and CQC-regulated service.

Many thanks again to my UK blogging friends for their tips and ideas. Please do take a moment to check out their blogs!

Final Thoughts

I hope you have enjoyed reading this post and it has given you some ideas to try if sleeping is a problem for you. I am definitely going to try out chocolate and banana toasties 😀

This is undoubtedly a difficult and stressful time, but hopefully there are at least a few signs of light at the end of the tunnel now. If you need advice and support, however, don’t be afraid to reach out to others, be they friends and family, counsellors and chaplains, financial advisers, healthcare professionals, and so on. And make time to contact people whom you know may be struggling right now or you simply haven’t heard from for a while. We really are all in this together, and by supporting one another we will make it through together to better times ahead.

Good luck, and sleep well!

  • As always, if you have any comments or questions about anything in this post, please do leave them below.

Disclosure: This post includes Amazon affiliate links. That means if you click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small fee from Amazon as a reward for introducing you. This will not affect the price you pay or the product or service you receive.

Note: This is an update of a post first published last year.

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My Coronavirus Crisis Experience January 2021 Update

My Coronavirus Crisis Experience: January 2021 Update

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Happy New Year! Here’s hoping it’s a better one for all of us than the year just past 🙁

I shall be continuing my monthly coronavirus crisis updates in 2021, at least till we are clearly over the pandemic and something resembling normal life has resumed. Obviously I very much hope that will be sooner rather than later.

Regular readers will know I have been posting these updates since the first lockdown started in the spring of 2020 (you can read my December 2020 update here if you like).

As ever, I will begin by discussing financial matters and then life more generally over the last few weeks.

Financial

I’ll begin as usual with my Nutmeg stocks and shares ISA, as I know many of you like to hear what is happening with this.

As the screenshot below shows, since last month’s update my main portfolio has continued on a generally upward trajectory and is currently valued at £18,886. Last month it stood at £18,008, so it has gone up by over £800 in value since then. Considering national and world events at the moment, I am more than happy with this.

Nutmeg January 2021

As you may recall, about a month ago I put £1,000 into a second Nutmeg pot to try out Nutmeg’s new Smart Alpha option. This pot has risen as high as £1,015 in value and currently stands at £1,007. Here is a screen capture showing performance to date, though obviously it is far too early to draw any conclusions from this.

Nutmeg Smart Alpha

You can see my in-depth Nutmeg review here (including a special offer for PAS readers). As a matter of interest I was recently asked by Nutmeg to contribute an article about my investing journey for their blog. I will add a link to the article here once it is published.

I had some bad financial news last month from Crowdlords, one of the property crowdfunding platforms I invested with. Three years ago I put £3,000 into a development project to build what was originally described as six eco-homes (it has lately been known more prosaically as Kennington Road). An update on the Crowdlords website revealed that due to a ‘perfect storm’ of problems caused directly or indirectly by the pandemic, the development had made a loss and investors would receive no returns. At a stroke I lost £3,000, which was (as you may imagine) a bitter pill to swallow.

I plan to write a more in-depth post about this soon, including lessons learned from the experience. But i will say two things now. One is that property development projects are inherently very risky and you shouldn’t invest in them unless it really is money you can afford to lose in a worst-case scenario. And second, while I don’t blame Crowdlords themselves for the failure of this project, I do think their communications about it could have been a lot better. I also think it would be a nice gesture if they were to offer modest ex-gratia compensation payments from their own profits to investors who have been hit hard (I know some people lost a lot more than I did). Events such as this clearly damage the reputation of property crowdfunding and mean investors are less likely to risk their money this way in future. I know I shall certainly be a lot more cautious now!

  • In fairness to Crowdlords I should add that I have had other investments on their platform which did deliver the promised returns, However, with the loss described above I am certainly down overall with them.

On a brighter note, a couple of the loans I invested in with Kuflink were repaid (with interest) last month, and I duly reinvested the money in other loans.

Kuflink is primarily a platform for investing in bridging loans, and generally these are safer than development projects such as the one mentioned above. There is still a risk of loss, of course, but as your investment is secured by bricks and mortar, it is unlikely you would lose all your money (though delays in repaying loans can and do happen). I have a diversified portfolio of loans with them paying annual interest rates of 6 to 7.5 percent. These days I generally invest a few hundred pounds per loan at most (and quite often under £100). My days of putting four-figure sums into any single property investment are definitely behind me now!

As you may be aware, I recently updated my full Kuflink review. You can read it here if you like. They recently passed the milestone of £100 million loaned, and say that since their launch no investor has lost money on the platform. I’d particularly draw your attention to their revised and more generous cashback offer for new investors. They are now paying cashback on new investments from as little as £500 (it used to be £1,000). And if you are looking to invest larger amounts, you can earn up to a maximum of £4,000 in cashback. That is one of the best cashback offers I have seen anywhere (though admittedly you will need to invest £100,000 or more to receive that!).

Moving on, my two Buy2LetCars investments are still delivering the promised monthly returns without any fuss. As I am semi-retired but don’t yet qualify for the state pension, the £450 or so I receive from them every month represents a major part of my monthly income currently.

As you may remember, investors with Buy2LetCars put up the money to finance a car for a key worker such as a nurse or police officer. They then receive 36 monthly capital repayments followed by a final balancing payment of interest and capital. If you are looking for an income-producing investment with a substantial lump sum payment after three years – and you like the idea of doing a bit of good with your money too – they are well worth checking out (and likewise if you’re a key worker looking for a lease car yourself). If you’d like to learn more, you can read my review of Buy2LetCars here and my more recent article about the company here. And here is a link to Wheels4Sure, their car-leasing website.

Finally, I am still getting a few queries about the low-key matched betting opportunity mentioned in some previous updates. I checked with my contact there and they are still accepting new members, but for reasons related to the pandemic have had to reduce their payouts slightly. New members now receive £50 a month for the first six months, reducing to £25 a month thereafter. Considering that this opportunity is cost-free, risk-free and hands-free, that’s still a pretty good deal, though 🙂

As I said above, this opportunity is based on matched betting, a sideline-earning opportunity I have been pursuing for several years myself. I was asked not to divulge too many details about it publicly, for good reasons I will explain privately to anyone who may be interested (and no, it’s not illegal!). As I said above, it doesn’t require any financial outlay, is entirely hands-off, and will provide a passive income of £50 a month for the first six months and £25 a month thereafter.

No knowledge of betting is required, and you won’t have to place any bets yourself (this is all done by the company’s clever software). You just have to set up a separate bank account for bets to go through, but running the account is entirely financed by the company. Please note though that this opportunity is only open to trustworthy people who haven’t done matched betting before and have no more than two accounts already with online bookmakers. For more info (and to receive a no-obligation invitation) drop me a line including your email address via my Contact Me page.

Personal

December was another strange month in a depressing year.

A week before Christmas I had my 65th birthday. Normally reaching that landmark would be cause for celebration, but inevitably in the circumstances it was low key. I did at least manage to meet up with a couple of old friends for a birthday tea (don’t tell Matt Hancock!). It was great to see them and they did their best to make the occasion feel special. We had some laughs and a very nice cake, but it still wasn’t anything like I might have imagined my 65th. I didn’t even have the small consolation of being able to start claiming my state pension, as I am in the cohort of people for whom the age has just been raised to 66.

Work-wise it has remained very quiet (as you probably know, I’m a semi-retired freelance writer/editor). I’ve had very little paid work since the pandemic started and was grateful to receive further financial support from the government’s SEISS scheme. This time round you had to state that your income had been directly affected by the pandemic. I did agonize a bit over this, as it begged the question of how much money I would have been earning if things were normal. I honestly don’t know the answer to that, but it seems to me that the pandemic and government counter-measures have stopped the economy in its tracks, meaning there is less work around generally. Anyway, I applied and was paid without quibble.

The main good news over the last few weeks has concerned the vaccines. Two are now approved, with the Pfizer vaccine being distributed since before Christmas and the Oxford-AZ version coming on stream this week. One benefit of turning 65 is that I have presumably moved up the pecking order to receive it.

The government appears to be pinning all its hopes on vaccines bringing this pandemic to an end by spring/summer. I hope they are right, as the next couple of months in particular look pretty grim. At the time of writing my area has just moved to Tier 4, which effectively means lockdown. So I will have little/no opportunity to see friends or relatives, no more swimming, no more trips away, and the prospect of sporting ‘lockdown hair’ again. But I am still lucky compared to many, I know.

In my blog post Surviving the Covid Winter I mentioned some plans I had for getting through the winter months. In December I started several of these. In particular, I began a couple of DIY jobs I had been putting off. One of these was redecorating the en suite. Initially I planned just to repaint one wall where the paintwork was fading. But the new paint colour didn’t match the old one, so I am now planning to repaint the rest of the room as well. As is so often the case with DIY, what appeared a small job at first has grown into a much bigger one!

I have also taken my first tentative steps in the world of video gaming (my experience prior to this had been limited to Space Invaders/Asteroids and the games bundled with MS Windows such as Solitaire). With some trepidation I signed up with the games platform Steam and downloaded Coffee Talk to my Windows laptop. This was a game I had read about some time ago and liked the sound of. Here’s a typical scene from it…

coffeetalk

Coffee Talk is actually more like an interactive movie or novel. You take the role of owner/barista at a late-night coffee shop in an alternative Seattle frequented by a mixture of human beings and mythological characters such as elves.

Mostly your customers chat with you and other customers about their lives and problems, while you prepare coffee and other drinks for them. This isn’t especially taxing, though I was quite pleased when one of the regulars, Freya, returned and asked for ‘the usual’ and I remembered what it was. It’s a pleasant enough way of spending a few hours, though I am thinking I might try something a little more ambitious next time 🙂

On the TV side, I finally finished the box-set of Deep Space Nine, which I very much enjoyed and recommend to any sci-fi fans among you. At the recommendation of my sister Annie (also a sci-fi aficionado) I have now purchased the box-set of Babylon Five. This is also set on a space station, though with quite a different vibe from DS9. With five (long) series, six full-length feature films, a spin-off series called Crusade, and various other extras, hopefully this will see me through to the end of the pandemic 😀

And for a change from sci-fi I also bought the box-set of Agatha Raisin, a tongue-in-cheek detective drama starring Ashley Jensen and set in the Cotswolds. I wasn’t sure about this at first, but after the first couple of episodes I thought it hit its stride, and I recommend it for a bit of amusing escapism with some gorgeous countryside settings. It’s only a shame that all three series are quite short.

Finally, as a Christmas present for myself I bought the DVD of Roger Waters’ Us + Them concert. This is an epic production, featuring a group of hugely talented musicians and some awesome visual effects (at one point a giant model of Battersea Power Station descends into the arena, accompanied – of course – by a flying pig).

Roger and his band play a selection of Pink Floyd classics alongside some of Roger’s solo compositions, all of which are excellent as well (The Last Refugee is particularly poignant). In the video below, though, they perform Time, one of my personal favourite Pink Floyd numbers. Check out Jess and Holly (aka Lucius) supplementing their backing vocal duties with some exuberant drumming!

So that’s it for now. I do hope you are staying safe and sane in these challenging times. Be kind to yourself and to others, and hopefully things will improve before too long. As ever, if you have any comments or questions, please do share them below.

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My Coronavirus Crisis Experience - December Update

My Coronavirus Crisis Experience: December Update

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December is here, so it’s time for another of my monthly coronavirus crisis updates. Regular readers will know I have been posting these updates since the first lockdown started (you can read my November update here if you like).

As ever, I will start by discussing financial matters and then life more generally over the last few weeks.

Financial

I’ll begin as usual with my Nutmeg stocks and shares ISA, as I know many of you like to follow this.

As the screenshot below shows, since last month’s update my portfolio has been on a generally upward trajectory and is currently valued at £18,008. Last month it stood at £16,955, so it has gone up over £1,000 in value since then. Considering national and world events at the moment, I am more than happy with this.

As you may recall, I recently put £1,000 into a second Nutmeg pot to try out Nutmeg’s new Smart Alpha option. It is too early to comment on this yet, but I will include an update about it next time.

You can read my in-depth Nutmeg review here (including a special offer for PAS readers).

Nutmeg ISA Dec 2020

The news hasn’t been so good with my Bricklane Property ISA, which I talked about last time. As stated in in my blog review, Bricklane – not be confused with Brickowner – is a REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust). Investors’ money is pooled to purchase properties. Rental income is then distributed to investors, who also stand to benefit if the value of the REIT goes up. Last month I was down by about £80 on my £5,000 investment, but this month – as you can see from the screen capture below – the figure is over £600.

Bricklane Dec 2020

This is obviously disappointing, though not unexpected. As I said last time, the pandemic has hit property investors hard, especially investors in large commercial properties (as are most in the Bricklane portfolios). But, in addition, the current price factors in the liability of Bricklane and its investors to assess and where necessary replace exterior cladding in some buildings in light of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. I understand that almost half of the properties in the Bricklane Regional Capitals fund (in which I invested) fall into this category.

About the only good thing to be said is that right now Bricklane’s price reflects its liabilities in the worst case scenario. In particular, it has been argued that lease-owners should not bear sole responsibility for paying for this work, as the rules were only changed after Grenfell and it isn’t the owners’ fault that some properties were built to different specifications which were regarded as perfectly safe (and legal) at the time. If the government accepts that argument, in whole or in part, then Bricklane will not have to set aside large sums of money for remedial work, and the share price will rise accordingly. I have written to my MP about this, of course 🙂

As I said last time, if I was braver and had a longer investment horizon, I might look at Bricklane as a value opportunity just now. As it is, I am leaving my money where it is but won’t be investing any more with them for the foreseeable future. I am not planning to sell up as I don’t currently need the money and that would only crystallize my losses. i just hope there will be some better news on this front soon.

I also wanted to say a word about Kuflink this month. This property loan investment platform is still performing well and returning the promised monthly dividends. A couple of loan terms have been extended due to the pandemic but interest continues to be paid and I am not unduly concerned about this. I also had a couple of investments repaid after the loans in question were paid off. So I decided to reinvest in a new six-month loan to help finance the construction of a children’s day nursery in Chorley. Some details of this project from my Kuflink dashboard are shown below…

Kuflink loan

As you can see, the interest rate being paid is 6.80%. When I invested yesterday the offer had only just launched, so it’s interesting to see it is already up to almost 42% funded now. Although the loan hasn’t gone live yet, as is Kuflink’s normal practice I will received cashback equivalent to the interest on offer until it does, so I am already making money from this loan 🙂

Incidentally, I am not saying this project has any special merit compared with others on the Kuflink platform. But I decided to invest on the basis that it looks reasonably secure with a loan-to-gross-development-value ratio of 36%. And from a more personal perspective, wherever possible I like to invest in projects that will have a socially beneficial outcome, and a new children’s day nursery certainly ticks that box.

i did want to mention as well that I recently updated my full Kuflink review. You can read it here if you like. I’d particularly like to draw your attention to their new and more generous cashback offer for new investors. They are now paying cashback on new investments from as little as £500 (it used to be £1,000). And if you are looking to invest larger amounts, you can actually earn up to a maximum of £4,000 in cashback. That is one of the best cashback offers I have seen anywhere (though admittedly you will need to invest £100,000 or more to receive this!).

My two Buy2LetCars investments are still delivering the promised monthly returns without any issues. As you will remember, investors with Buy2LetCars put up the money to finance a car for a key worker such as a nurse or police officer. They then receive 36 monthly capital repayments followed by a final balancing payment of interest and capital. If you are looking for an income-producing investment with a substantial lump sum payment after three years – and you like the idea of doing a bit of good with your money too – they are well worth checking out (and likewise if you’re a key worker looking for a lease car yourself). If you’d like to learn more, you can read my review of Buy2LetCars here and my more recent article about the company here. And here is a link to Wheels4Sure, their car-leasing website.

Otherwise, there is nothing especially notable to report on the financial front this month, so let’s move on to the more personal stuff…

Personal

Since my last monthly update England has been mostly in lockdown, so I haven’t been doing anything especially exciting 🙁

I went for my latest checkup at the eye clinic at Burton Hospital in the first few days of the new lockdown. As you may remember, I was diagnosed with a perforated retina after a routine eye test at my optician’s.

I wasn’t allowed to drive, as they put drops in your eyes which blur your vision for a few hours. The trip to Burton involved a bus ride, two train journeys and a one-mile walk, so it took up a whole day. The train journeys in particular felt odd and at times almost post-apocalyptic. I was literally the only person on Lichfield Station waiting for a train to Birmingham, and had the whole carriage (and possibly train) to myself. The train to Burton was a little busier, but you do start to wonder how long the railway network can go on with such minuscule passenger numbers.

It was very quiet at the hospital too, so I was seen straight away. The doctor seemed happy with what he could see, though it’s not easy to tell when he – and everyone else – was wearing a mask. I was told I will have to go back again in January, and if everything is still okay then, they will discharge me. So I guess that’s good news, although they did say that last time as well…

During the lockdown month I aimed to go for a walk every day, and apart from a couple of days of foul weather I achieved that. I have been wearing my new music hat – described in this recent post and pictured below – and enjoying listening to my choice of music. My preferred genre is prog rock (classic and current) but I enjoy jazz and blues as well. I do just find I have to be a bit careful when walking on the narrow country lanes where I live, as with my music playing I don’t always hear cars coming up behind me. Still, I haven’t had any really close calls yet!

Music hat

I was pleased to be able to go for a swim again this week at my local David Lloyd leisure centre. It was very quiet, and all the staff, including those at reception, are now wearing masks. I suppose some people would find that reassuring. I just find it rather sad and dispiriting. Still, I really enjoyed my swim, and it was great to see a couple of members I know and exchange a few words with them. Even small social interactions like that offer a welcome morsel of normal life in these strange times.

Afterwards I ordered my usual hot drink from the centre’s coffee shop, but because I’m in a Tier 3 area I was told I couldn’t sit down to drink it. I was afraid I might be forced to take it to the freezing cold car park to consume, but was informed there was no objection to me drinking it while standing up in the centre, so long as I didn’t stay in one place for too long. You might think this is barking mad – I couldn’t possibly comment.

There has of course been some good news on the virus front in the last few weeks. As I said last time, new cases (in England anyway) are on a clear downward path. The government are of course trying to spin this as a success for lockdown, but I am sceptical about that. As I said in my November update, cases were already starting to decline pre-lockdown, so what we are seeing now is simply a continuation of that welcome trend.

It’s also interesting that the – admittedly shorter – Welsh lockdown appears to have failed totally, with cases there on the rise again. So they are now imposing even harsher restrictions, including a total ban on pubs and restaurants serving alcohol. I would therefore like to extend my sincere commiserations to Welsh readers (and especially those working in tourism or hospitality) at this time. It is a shame that the four nations of the UK couldn’t have come up with a more coherent, co-ordinated policy to combat the virus – although in my view lockdowns shouldn’t ever be a part of this due to all the collateral damage they cause.

There has been good news about vaccines this week, with the first one from Pfizer/BioNTech receiving regulatory approval in the UK and due to start rolling out next week. I am not an anti-vaxxer and will (probably) accept the vaccine when it is offered. There are, though, some reasons to be sceptical about some of the claims being made for vaccines, nicely summed up in this cautionary blog post by my old friend John ‘Platinum’ Goss. In particular, we still don’t know about any possible long-term side-effects of the vaccines. And with case numbers dropping dramatically in England, you have to wonder how much Covid will still be around in a few months’ time anyway…

In my view, this pandemic will only end when some sort of herd immunity has been achieved. That will be partly through growing numbers of people achieving immunity through contracting the virus, and in addition (hopefully) people acquiring immunity through vaccination. If that is the case, the virus will have nobody left to infect and will ultimately die out (though maybe returning occasionally in milder variants, as happens with other cold and flu viruses). That’s the best-case scenario, anyhow, and I hope it plays out that way.

  • Before leaving this topic, I would just like to include a quick shout-out for the excellent Lockdown Sceptics website. This site is updated daily and is the first thing I look at when I switch on my computer in the morning. It includes articles from a wide range of academics and other commentators, and offers a sceptical slant on official policies and announcements that is often missing in the mainstream media. Even if you don’t agree with all the views expressed, it’s well worth a read.

As for Christmas, I am expecting to have an even quieter one than usual. I don’t normally socialize a lot at this time anyway. My only remaining close family consists of my three sisters, but they are all in different parts of the country and have their own families and social circles. I have put up my lights and decorations, though, and am looking forward to receiving plenty of cards and letters. I shall also ensure I have a good stock of box-sets to watch!

Well, I guess that’s it for now. I do hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and well and looking forward to the festive season. As always, if you have any comments or questions about this post, please do leave them below.

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UK Bloggers Christmas Giveaway 2020

Win a Samsung 50-Inch Smart UHD TV in This UK Bloggers Christmas Giveaway!

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2020 has been a stressful and difficult year, but here’s a chance to end it on a positive note. I’ve joined forces with some of my fellow UK bloggers to put together a giveaway with a Samsung 50-Inch Smart UHD TV for the lucky winner.

Read on to find out how you could win this amazing prize in time for Christmas. And please do check out the other talented bloggers who have collaborated on this giveaway.

Bloggers Taking Part

Reinventing Neesha | The Parent Game | Kayleigh Zara | Mind Over Meds | Lottie Lately | Jodetopia | Lindy Loves | Melanie’s Fab Finds | The Little Landeg | Lipgloss and Curves | Boring Mother | The Rare Welsh Bit | Wanderlust Weddings | Travel Bugs | Discover Kent | Miss L J Beauty | Pounds and Sense | Real Girls Wobble | Pretty Core | Testing Time Blog | Chilling with Lucas | Our Transitional Life | Pretty Big Butterflies | Probably Busy | Monethalia | Emily May | Skinny Spending | Lisa’s Notebook | Nishi V | The Life of Dee | Funding Her Freedom | Reality in Reverie | Afshanesque | Wotawoman Diary | The Secret Life of Me | Stapo’s Thrifty Life Hacks | Bulk Cook on a Budget | Codiekinz

The Prize

One lucky winner will win themselves a Samsung 50 Inch UE50TU7100 Smart Ultra HD TV worth a whopping £400! This smart TV is compatible with the following smart apps: Now TV, Disney+, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime and YouTube. It also has its own built-in Internet browser. To quote from the sales page:

Experience crystal clear colour HDR powered by HDR10+ as the film-makers intended. Crystal Processor adapts to provide the very best 4K picture and targeted sound based on what you are watching. Works with Alexa and Google Assistant. Slim design with very narrow bezel.

How to Enter

To enter simply complete all or any of the Rafflecopter entry options below. The more you complete the more chances you have of winning.

The competition ends at midnight on Sunday 13th December and a winner will be drawn on Monday 14th December. If for any reason the chosen prize is out of stock at the time of the draw, the winner will be able to select an alternative prize up to the same value.

For full entry terms and conditions please see the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One final small point is that if a winning entry comes from following someone on social media, the organizers will check before awarding the prize that the winner is still following the account in question. If they aren’t, they will be disqualified and a new winner drawn. So, please, don’t follow and immediately unfollow, as your entry won’t then count.

Good luck, and here’s hoping we can all look forward to a happier Christmas!

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