Cost

Final negotiations have been completed on the Car Insurance front, resulting in a final premium of £475.00 including Protected No Claims Bonus, Legal Cover and Free Breakdown cover. That's a whopping £121 saving on my original renewal premium. See - it pays to shop around!

Well, the leak in the bathroom appears to have been identified, and has now stopped. Unfortunately, I'm still unable to recommend B&Q to anyone thinking of having a bathroom, or indeed, a kitchen by them.

On the insurance front, I've managed to negotiate a premium of some £510 with a local broker, even though I've had to swallow an increased excess (from £50 to £300!) which I'm not terrifically happy about. I did see that the Co-operative Bank has a new Privilege Premier Account which offers annual travel insurance and Green Flag breakdown along with a host of other benefits for £12 a month.

In the ten years that I've been driving, I've been through a couple of insurers: Drake, Highway at Lloyd's, Colonnade, Admiral, Elephant, and for the last three years, Co-operative (CIS).

Saturday saw the arrival of my renewal invitation. I knew that the premium would increase a little since my last renewal of c£260 (comprehensive), as I moved from a group 3 rated car to a group 13 car. Naturally, I assumed that the premium would move into low to mid £400 mark... but when I opened the renewal notice...SHOCK!

£596 per year was the figure. I'm forking out a mint as it is on petrol, without the insurance company trying to bankrupt me too.

There's been movement in the Bathroom area. B&Q delivered the missing radiator, and this was installed last Wednesday. Sadly, the fixed leak has come back with avengance, and we're having to turn off the isolator after each shower, or risk the kitchen ceiling fall in.

Has anyone seen the proce of petrol lately? It's working out at almost £1 ($1.70) a litre, and with a 70 mile round trip each working day, it's really racking up. Indeed, it's not unusual for me to fill the car up with £45 ($76.50) of fuel each week. Look like I need to move closer to where I work.