What Preps are you doing this week? Part 13

[Yorkshire Andy]

2 days 2 different car issues..

Sisters car was loosing water diagnosis a knackered radiator so a "simple" remove most of the front of the car and replace it £80 for a radiator mail order on the hurry up and £18 for fresh coolant and just shy of 2 Hours graft

Then today I've started the MOT prep on the wife's car... Noticed the disc pads were looking a bit thin when I put the winter tyres on whilst it's warm I made the most of the weather window... Discs and pads £55 delivered

Plus did it an oil and filter and engine air filter whilst I was at it got 20l of engine oil sounds silly 4 litres for a few quid less at Halfords

Over the years investing in tools has paid off many times over

[Frnc]

Started moving stuff from rear living room to newly painted front room. Still got all the big stuff to move. Decorator wants to work on it while filler, paper and paint is drying upstairs. Be glad when it's all over!

Was moving loads of old books, and most of them are just junk, I should give them away or even bin some. Some of the tape is falling off some framed prints - will get a bit of gaffa tape on that.

Regretted putting the mattress in the bathroom. Having a shower is like doing an obstacle course.

[Frnc]

Couldn't get the sofa out, so it's on it's end, to reduce footprint. Apart from that, back living room is empty. Oh, just the internet. Will have to take the router out while he's sanding. You can't wrap them in plastic for a whole day, will get cooked.

Front living room (finished), now chocca, including decorator's stuff.

Can use the kitchen, but nowhere to eat. Tempted to go the the chippy. Or get something like a pizza which I can eat in my room.

Preps are not really affected by the disruption.

[pseudonym]

4 more half Sovereigns.

[Peter]

£1600 ?, wow

[Frnc]

Crikey, have they more that doubled in four years?

[Yorkshire Andy]

Well not prepping persay but was out this way for work today about 11 the lights started dipping and computers and machines shut down then power came back on only for it to happen again a few times then it seemed to sort itself out at its peak 1500+ propertys off connection (power cut

Still a large area off now a and looking to be a other few hours till they fix the issue initially 4pm fix estimate then 8pm now looking towards midnight 12+ hours off grid with no bad weather and a fairly mild doing day..

[pseudonym]

Crikey, have they more that doubled in four years?

Or.... hear me out...... the buying power of sterling has halved

£1600 ?, wow

I wish they were that cheap

[Frnc]

Crikey, have they more that doubled in four years?

Or.... hear me out...... the buying power of sterling has halved

Partly, yes.

I asked GPT. It said causes are 30% geopolitics (wars, instabilty, safe havens), 25% central bank purchases, 20% monetary policy, low real yields (interest rates) in the USA [US bond yields are the benchmark for global “risk-free” returns], 15% weaker dollar increasing demand, but pound weakening even more, ie weakening against dollar, 15% inflation and hedging demand (ie hedging against inflation).

It gets complicated. Price of gold here can even go up during a period when US interest rates rose, if there is enough inflation, and the other factors I just mentioned. If: Rates = 5%, Inflation = 4%, Real return ≈ 1% (not very attractive).

[Frnc]

Living room all stripped. Nothing too drastic found. A lot of ceiling has distemper on. This is a thick (about 3mm) chalky paint - not good for sticking lining paper to. He managed to scrape about a third of it off. He will paint the rest with a stabaliser. Found one small leak next to the window, so ordered a tube of Stixill. I have a sealant gun.

I am removing the router during to dusty phases downstairs. Will have to live off snacks in my room when he sands the living room. Will put a dust sheet over the bedroom door when he does that room.