A frugal life is an easy life!

The clock has struck 12 here, tis now Christmas eve!

We are all in the "marketing" zone, whereby fears and worries about forgetting a gift, food shopping, etc, are at a height never seen at any other time in the entire calendar year.
No matter how strong, most of us will "nip out" for something we have forgotten off our shopping list.

This scenario represents a huge danger to every individual in the country.
You have done really well this year, you haven't fallen for all the high pressure sales patter, the insistance of the staff who have no interest in "your perfect christmas" instead, they have dressed the season of goodwill up, to get you to part with your hard earned cash.
For the biggest part, you have achieved something many cannot, you have sourced your present buying to months in advance, in those far off September and October days.
Some of us have managed to pick up one present per week, others have sniffed out genuine discounts - not the December artificial "bargains" where a store has increased a price by 20% to be able to cut 10% off it and say it's part of "a sale"

Most have ducked the obvious sting about to get us, as shoppers, the "pre VAT rise prices" - which we all know will increase by more than the 2.5p per £1 that we should see, but won't.

On our part, many of us are now at our weakest, to resist the last minute gift or extra box of chocolates, etc.

Tell yourself just one thing - You don't need it!
If you haven't bought it by now, then you probably didn't need it in the first place... stay frugal gang!

All that's left for me to do, is wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.

Being a dad who looks after a baby, the phrase I hear most is, "You have to get a baby into a routine!"

Although I have a different outlook and approach, this being our second child, although to the onlooker my system appears in disarray, how I operate has one major benefit... it works!

A classic example is made clear by the fact that I am posting this, at gone 1am on a week night and as I type, sprog2 is happily and contently shouting from her "rest chair" whilst playing with a piece of thread coming off a towel, keeping most of those in the house wide awake.
Mum is down for the week, a huge help make no mistake. However, there are times when not listening to what I say and going about things differently to how I would normally do them, can have a major impact.

Although I purposely aim for no routines at home, my casual approach has served us all well and ended up saving money and time, creating a happy and content home life (as well as being frugal!)
Previously, sprog2 would "rest" in her chair around 10pm every evening, nodding off in her own time, so that come after 11pm, she would be sound asleep. A quick pick up and transfer to her cot and I wouldn't hear a peep from her until around 10am the next morning.
Between 10am and 10.30am, whilst gradually waking up, a top up bottle and bowl full of weetabix would be devoured, leaving me 30 minutes free to scoff my own breakfast.
One all over wash or bath later and sprog2 would be content and watching TV (apart from wednesdays - when we attempt a silence morning speaking in basic baby sign language) where sprog2 would casually drop off into the land of nod around 11.30am and snooze through until about 1.30pm

This respite is an ideal time to get things done, like housework or maybe a bit of plastering.
Come 1.30pm, we have some playtime, until the gurning starts, signalling feeding time.
A bowl full of dinner, followed by a choice of sugar free pudding or mashed fruit, then a cup of drink, normally boiled water and sprog2 would be quite content to play in her baby prison for a couple of hours once she's had her nappy changed.

This sees us through until teatime, whereby sprog2 would watch me eat my tea, whilst noshing on some of it, then scoffing a bowl full of her own.
More playtime follows this and we are into early evening and an hour or so snoozing in her rest chair.
Another wash later and jimjams are on, followed by more playtime, maybe a story, then it's a top up bottle, then we are approaching 10pm, time for a chill out in her rest chair and the cycle begins again.

Throughout each day, we have an understanding.
Attention gurning is simply ignored, it's a process that serves no purpose. Be it habit or baby understanding, put simply, it achieves nothing. This means that unless peggies are coming through, rarely does it happen.
I can sit at the side of sprog and sprog chills out, but on the understanding that this is only a certain times of each day.
The huge benefit I get from this, is that if sprog2 is gurning I know all is not well. Usually it is her peggies coming through, only once so far has it indicated illness (measles).

Now compare this to the approach being used during my mum's stay:
Don't get me wrong - mum being here this week is as good as it always is, a huge help and good for sprog2. The example I am about to give could just as easily be anyone who steps in or visits.

Sprog2, has for the past two days, been woken up "early" - shouldn't be left to sleep in - around an hour earlier and woken up, not allowed to stir and wake up herself.
The top up bottle and weetabix is served an hour earlier, the wash and change happens earlier and sprog2 is put down for her rest. Problem is, this is an hour earlier and she is simply not tired.
Sprog2 becomes restless and irritable.
Without her nap, she is moved to feeding, earlier than normal, but she now leaves half her dinner and no top up bottle.

The afternoon arrives and its playtime, instead of being full of energy, she is now cranky, still no snoozing. Eventually, she is placed in her rest chair, but instead of drifting into the land of nod, she stares at the TV or watches what is happening around her.
By teatime she is very irritable, loud continuous gurning, won't settle at anything.
Sprog2 has her tea, again not eating all of it then wants to play, right in the middle of parent's teatime.

Patience has now gone out of the window, as instead of being left in the baby prison to chill out and potter on with playing, she has now gotten used to being picked up or distracted with a new thing everytime she gurns consistantly louder.
Mum is now snappy with dad, dad is now snappy with everyone, getting tired of the constant grumpyness of the sprog.
By 7pm the onslaught of tiredness has decended upon sprog2 and she is out for the count.
By 10pm, sprog2 is awake and full of energy, whilst parents are worn out and in need of sleep.
Mum heads off to bed, sprog2 comes back down and dad is sat up for hours keeping her entertained whilst tiring her out at the same time. A top up bottle later and, if I'm lucky, sprog2 may drop off to sleep around 1.30am

Just one little change in her morning wake up pattern, to try to get her into a "routine" has left everyone in the house grumpy and with no energy to devote the time to sprog2. Interaction is now reactive, after long bouts of gurning for attention.
Half meals are being left, sleeping patterns have gone out of the window. Not an ideal scenario all round.

Running up and down the front room playing "brum brums" at 1am is not good!
This my friends is why I get the impression sometimes, that I am talking chinese.
My methods may have look like a dogs dinner, but they were effective. Imposing a sudden change of methodology (is that even a word?) and it's mayhem.
Just occasionally, it maybe worth listening to the men folk, as on rare occasions we have been known to get things right?

British Gas are systematically telling their customers lies, misleading their customers and breaking strict laws on Data Protection by not keeping accurate customer account notes!

British Gas are also taking no action when pre payment customers are witnessing credit being taken from their meters, at more than two and a half times the normal rate.
British Gas are also advertising that their pre payment offices are "open 24 hours per day, seven days per week" - again a complete lie!

Customer scenario:
- £40 per month put on gas meter every month, same as it has been for the past 4 years
- In mid November, the usual £40 for the month is put on to the meter
- No extra usage, all gas appliances used as normal
- 14 days later, ALL the £40 has gone off the meter
- Another £40 is credited on to the meter (Making the cost for November DOUBLE the price, at £80)
- Over the next 4 days, £32 credit disappears from the meter!
- A brand new condenser boiler is fitted
- Over the next 3 days, another £10 of credit disappears from the meter (£82 has been taken by the British Gas pre payment meter in just 19 days - as opposed to £40 taken for a normal 30 days gas usage)

A quick call to British Gas will sort it all out?
CALL NUMBER 1:
Traditional British Gas greeting, then I explained about the problem of credit disappearing from the pre payment British Gas meter - the advisor then decided I was talking to "the wrong department" and put me on hold to transfer me over to a different department.
I was transferred to Rob, in double quick time, a promising start!
I then had to explain everything all over again - a bit of a pain but still I got someone quickly so no bother there.
Sadly, my British Gas experience went rapidly downhill from here.

Rob insisted that the old back boiler was to blame - when I pointed out that the expensive cost continued even after the brand new boiler was fitted, Rob blamed the new boiler, saying, "It is using too much gas, get the installer out to turn down its gas consumption!"
Of course this is total rubbish, a boiler either uses gas or it doesn't, a "turn the gas down" option, does not exist.
I told Rob this, he put the phone down on me!

CALL NUMBER 2:
Not happy, I rang them straight back, speaking to Ann.
I explained everything again and gave her my details so she could look up the account - Ann couldn't even find the account, gave me the direct number for British Gas pre payment accounts and hung up.

CALL NUMBER 3:
Next up, Nicola.
Once again I explained everything to Nicola, who then had a look at the account notes, telling me that Rob from the earlier call, who rudely put the phone down on me after talking complete rubbish, had not only done something that if caught, would cause an instant dismissal, but also broke the law by not keeping customer account notes correctly, in fact Rob of British Gas didn't even update the account notes and to all who viewed them, it appeared I did not even call and speak to him, as if didn't enter ANYTHING about the call on to the account notes!

For some obscure reason, Nicola put me on hold, then chose to refer me to British Gas' "Energy efficiency department" to discuss my home energy usage and talk about cavity wall and loft insulation!
I explained that the problem was that my pre payment meter was taking 3 times the amount of credit from the meter it should have been.
I confirmed that the emergency call out on Sunday, resulted in a full test for a gas leak (by their own engineer) which showed there was no gas leak.
I was assured that British Gas' "Energy efficiency department" would ring me at home later in the day, between 2pm and 3pm.

CALL NUMBER 4:
At 3.30pm - with no call coming from the energy efficiency department - that's if it even exists or maybe they are saving energy by not ringing customers back? - I rang British Gas again.
"I'm sorry our offices are now closed" was the automated response on the next four telephone calls - this is despite advertising via the British Gas website, which states they are "open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week"
I rang the British Gas main line and spoke to Susan, who objected to my abrupt manner - when I explained (yet again) all that had gone on previously.
Susan transferred me across to the pre payment department that was telling direct callers that they were closed!
I don't know the name of the lady who tried to sort things out.

The lady told me that Rob (from call number one) had not put anything about the call on my account notes.
The lady went on to speak to the "Metering department" requesting that our meter be checked - as any gas leaks had been checked and a new boiler fitted - as this was the only other option.
Accoring to the lady, there was definately something wrong, as we should be using around £2.20 of credit per day, at present the meter was taking more than £5.50 per day from the meter.

The "Metering department" told her that nothing was wrong at all with the meter - despite this, she insisted on sending out an engineer next Thursday - when she suggested we were now putting £240 per month on the meter, to try and force a call out, British Gas' metering department were simply not interested!

Suggestions for British Gas:

• STOP paying out hundreds of thousands of pounds on TV advertising campaigns and sponsoring the British Olympic swimming team - Use this money instead to protect customers where things are going wrong and improve your customer service!
  Putting the phone down on customers is bad mannered and rude, having customers waiting around for hours for a call from a mystical department, then not calling them, is disgraceful. Not keeping accurate account notes is a CRIMINAL OFFENCE!
• When there is obviously a problem - DON'T just ignore it or dismiss it out of hand, try sorting it out at the first attempt!
• Stop advertising that the British Gas pre payment department is open "24 hours a day/ 7 days a week" - this clearly is NOT the case and misleading.
  Contact should not depend on someone being abrupt with another department just to get to speak to the correct department.
  Switching your automated answering service to "emergency calls only" leaves customers hanging on the phone with no point of contact.
• Stop your advisors from telling customers lies!
  In this case, your advisor could not even see the boiler, nor has the expertise to make a considered opinion about its workings, yet he still portrayed himself as experienced and qualified enough to suggest that first the old boiler and then the new boiler, were both at fault for the same problem!
  Clearly untrue and should be stopped with immediate effect.

As for what happens next, regarding credit on the meter and keeping a house warm and being able to cook over the next two weeks, until more credit is put on the meter, British Gas are simply not bothered or interested.... a shocking way to treat their customers!

If you have an unpaid debt, then it maybe purchased by a "company" called equidebt, be prepared for some telephone calls from a "company" called EQL.

The telephone call will consist of asking for the person named on the debt, followed by repeated requests for the person named on the debt, wether they are present or not.
Their advisor will give their name and state they are from a company called "EQL"

Of course, equidebt ltd and EQL are the same company.
The advisor will then completely ignore any verbal request to remove your telephone number from their records and to contact you in writing ONLY.

The equidebt or EQL advisor will then instruct you that they will simply ring you up again at another time and terminate the call.
These telephone calls could come at any time, more often than not they will come around tea time and early evening.
Equidebt's actions are standard, fair game, for a debt collection company right? WRONG!

What equidebt/EQL are doing is illegal:

• Telephone calls at unsociable hours
• Refusing continuous requests to remove your telephone number from their records - even when that telephone number belongs to someone else!
• With holding clear information about who they are working for (any written contact is made by "equidebt limited" when asked who they represent they say "EQL" - the advisor has to be asked again who EQL are, only then do they reveal they are infact equidebt)
• Refusing continuous requests to have contact made in writing only

How are equidebt/EQL breaking the law?

Administration of Justice Act 1970;
s 40 - "harassment of a would be debtor"

When notified in writing, equidebt/EQL should remove a debtor's telephone number from their records (This should not be completely ignored when equidebt rephrase their company name to "EQL").
Any telephone calls should not be at a time of unsociable hours.
When making contact via telephone or written letter, equidebt/EQL should make clear exactly who they are with immediate effect. (It is against the law to misrepresent who they are by quoting more than one company name)
At no point, should correspondence cause "duress" to the would be debtor (Telephoning when written request has been made for contact in writing only, is bad enough, but to add to the duress, by making remarks to the effect that telephone calls will carry on regardless of the would be debtor's legitimate requests to cease.

Other laws that will also be applicable:
* Consumer Credit Act 1974 - If a company do not comply with the law regarding harassment of a would be debtor, they may also be in breach of this act, as regards their suitability to hold a consumer credit license (which they will need to be able to operate as a business).
* Data Protection Act - Often, account notes from debt collection companies are not updated correctly and accurately. Which is why all correspondence should be in writing only.

For the purposes of saving time, this dad diary entry will be done in bullet format.

• Stormy night, bird feeder blew off the washing post and smashed 3 panes of glass on the greenhouse. Don't mind that, but getting glass out of grass is impossible
• A quarter of the kitchen is sat in the front room still, waiting for me to finish pipework before it can go back. Job made more difficult as I have a walking sprog to keep an eye on most of the day.
• Plumbing work to do so far - 2 radiators to move, 1 to install, and pipework up to the boiler jig to put in. Normally wouldn't take too long, but with sprog on the scene I have to be careful.
• Storms here mean tonights athletics class should be fun!
• Family visiting at the weekend, lots of housework still to do

Have  a wonderful Wednesday, where ever you get blown!