TARTING UP PICK AND MIX

The home insurance renewal offer has gone up in price, (considerably) from last year  "in line with the cost of living and inflation".  Uhm, did I read that correctly! As I recall, we had a miniscule amount of time when we were sitting at deflation, other than that, we are constantly being told that the cost of living has gone down, the global economy is not so buoyant either and that the Bank Of England base rate has remained at a steady all time low over about three or four years.  

I phoned three insurance representatives who insisted on babbling through verbal pro-formas, in the nicest possible way, expecting me to absorb the data they have visible and I do not. Links to policy summaries and policy wording would balance up the odds.

Knowledge Is Power

The best deals for utilities and insurances are to be had as new customers. Inertia is expensive. Loyalty has become a delightfully old fashioned concept.  I'm sure this must have led to the development of a nation of economic tarts. This week I have taken two major 'tart' decisions and now, I have spent hours making home insurance comparisons online. Best prices mostly reflect base line insurances. Watch the prices jump and the exclusions pop up as you add extras.  

The comparisons show that most companies are charging the same level of compulsory excesses for major and structural risk, in addition to any voluntary excess. The more excess you volunteer to pay, the more the premium reduces. Variations arise in the quality of 'extras' and exclusion clauses. This is where the customer would benefit from reading what's on offer. It looks like a couple more phone calls have to be made. I am beginning to to feel inertia setting in.  It's not easy being an economic pick-and-mix tart.

 CHRISTMAS WILL SOON BE HERE


Two parcels posted today, and two gifts wrapped in their Christmas paper.  If I wrap up a couple of gifts per day, it will make the wrapping task less of a rushed chore.  I could even enjoy doing it more than I have done in recent years.

I have a few more packages to make ready for posting.  A note to me: I must keep the gifts light to cut down postage costs.

I am now seriously thinking about how I can arrange for third party gift sending services.  There are a number of companies who do it. For example, earlier this year a well known online  retailer was requested to send me a gift-wrapped book.  It was presented very nicely with a card telling me when it should be opened, (nice one!) and the message card was very suitable. The company sells other things that could be posted, I guess, and they offer physical and electronic gift tokens.

 I have seen some interesting items that I think would raise a smile or two with people, where there has been some sadness recently.  One item is rather heavy and breakable. This is exactly the kind of gift that I would rather the retailer mail and take responsibility for. 

There is a chocolatier whose product is divine;  the cost of gifting them elsewhere than the UK is prohibitve.  So,  I may yet send some flowers.

Christmas is will soon be here!

ROCKY WHIZZ BANGS AND GLOW STICKS

Apropos my last post Guy Fawkes Pyrotechnics, there was an organized community fireworks display last night, Saturday the 7th November, which took place in a new location.  As long as I have lived here, (a good chunk of my adult life) the bonfire with effigy and the fireworks were set up on the beach well away from buildings.  There could be little difficulties if the tide had not gone out quite at the time the bangs and whizzes were meant to start.  Nevertheless, it always seemed to work out.  A  quick clean up afterwards was part of the arrangement.

Families and individual would arrive for the fun, drop a donation into one of the many orange and yellow buckets being waved about on the route to the entry point.  For further fund raising, the kids could buy glow sticks.  All the money collected is donated to local charities.

This year, is where health and safety has arrived. There was  some concern about the bonfire on the beach last year, when there was, unfortunately, a mismatch in the tidal tables and the performing of the celebrations. I could understand this if people were milling about on the beach, they were not.  They always stayed firmly on the concrete of the esplanade.  The only people on the beach, were those few people who were authorised to manage the pyrotechnical displays. A couple of them were trained firemen. 

Because of the health and safety issues, the spectacle has now moved to one of the harbours where there are sharp and dangerous rocks but no beach.  There is a walkway and a car park.  The area is surrounded by houses, apartments, a furniture store and a local fish market.  Personally, I cannot understand why this location should be approved as healthy and safe for the pyrotechnical exhibition.