My former neighbour used to say that, usually to playfully tease me or someone else whom he saw as making a quick buck. But it does often seem to play that way.

I used to have “spare money”, or so I thought. Various things have chipped into that situation such that I feel that statement is far less true now. In some ways it is good, making me turn off every light that isn’t necessary, and wearing an extra jumper rather than cranking up the heating. But I’d rather have more, obviously.

One factor in my deteriorating financial situation is my retail therapy which pampers to my negative moods sometimes. This weekend it has been collars and drying coats for the dogs. Got to keep them safe and warm, of course. I’m sure we will revisit this topic in future posts.

But another factor was a very lengthy business involving a financial advisor back when my parents passed away. The story is very lengthy and frighteningly detailed but essentially ended up with me having to claim against that man via the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. You may have seen the name on your bank documents.

Sadly, even though they ruled swiftly and aggressively that I had been royally shafted, they have limits to what they can recoup and I was given the maximum amount. The losses to me from the dreadful guidance were horrid.

It is difficult to sulk about money when you have a roof over your head and food on the table, when so many others are struggling. However that money came to me from my parents and I resent it disappearing because of some piss-poor advisor who hid behind company bankruptcy and carried on advising people, just under a different moniker.

Anyway. That was all a long time ago.

So colour me surprised to open my post just now and find a letter from the FSCS saying they had continued to pursue the company behind this mess and managed to squeeze a few pennies out of the insolvency vultures at Ernst & Young. Included was a cheque ! Now I haven’t actually looked up what a tropical island costs, but I don’t think it will cover that. I might only get a couple of tropical drinks with the proceeds, but even a tenner, when it comes as a surprise, is a lovely thing.

So let’s go to sleep imagining that the cost of living crisis is all sorted, and we can all done on caviar tomorrow ! I’m still not turning the heating back up though – I’m not made of money !