hanging my head in shame

worried_jim

I live on the south coast and they are in the midlands. I am about to go to the local garage, but after speaking to my dad last night (who has now gone into hospital this am- it never rains but it pours) I think it is head gasket. I only have £200 from now to end of month, if I fix the car I don't eat, If I buy train tickets I can eat but not fix car, whatever I do now will have repercussions.

miggy

worried_jim wrote: »

I live on the south coast and they are in the midlands. I am about to go to the local garage, but after speaking to my dad last night (who has now gone into hospital this am- it never rains but it pours) I think it is head gasket. I only have £200 from now to end of month, if I fix the car I don't eat, If I buy train tickets I can eat but not fix car, whatever I do now will have repercussions.

Jim, I am really sorry to hear how things are going. Any possibility of one of your employers giving you an advance? Or do you have enough credit on a card to lend to yourself till payday? I know that's not ideal but it might be an option. Or is there a mate who would lend you a car?
And might there be any other transport options for your 2nd job, such as car share? Or take compassionate leave / holiday?
Hope things improve and your Dad is okay. If you can't get to the funeral at least you were there on the other end of the phone for your Grandad before he died, which counts for a lot.

miggy

Hi again, I had a look back at your SOA and haven't found any leeway but I'm not much good at that sort of thing - so am bumping this in the ope someone with better ideas will come along.
Meanwhile, {hugs}:grouphug:(sorry there are only dodgy ones).

worried_jim

Well I set off at 7pm and managed to go 16 miles before giving up and turning back, it was like driving in a sauna. I will try tomorrow on the train, it will cost me £65 and as long as there are no delays I may just make it although I have to change trains 3 times and I believe 1 stop on the underground. I have travelled the world and been to war zones but I have never had to change trains before, I know now that this will not go well.

miggy

I hope your journey goes smoothly Jim - will be thinking of you.

worried_jim

Wow ! How friendly and helpful are station staff, at all four stations I had to use I was blown away with how good they were, was I just lucky ? How cool is St.Pancras. The journey was fine, I only missed one train which delayed me by 6 minutes- and it was the first one ! The funeral went okay and I got there with an hour to spare, very tearful but found out something about my Grandad during the service. In WW2 he caught malaria and was left for dead at the side of the road in Italy by the army, however an American soldier kicked his blanket and he moved and was taken to an American hospital were he recovered, whilst watching mt.etna erupt from his hospital bed. If it wasn't for this American soldier discoveing he was still alive I would not be here today. It was a really uplifting service and the church was packed, a real honour to be there.
I didn't catch the train back as my Mum has given me her car, however we spoke to a mechanic my Dad knows and he has advised me to try some K-seal (£9.99). Just need to pour it into the radiator and 3 mins later it should be sealed. I will be trying this on Saturday, just need to drain a bit of water out to allow some room. A gain things maybe back on track, what an horrendus start to the year.
p.s dad now out of hospital and is waiting to pass the kidney stone which is 6mm- sounds huge to me.

miggy

Thanks for the update That's a real treasure of a story about your Grandad, make sure you keep a note of it to hand down in the family. I was once told that the reason there are such astounding survival stories from the world wars (and presumably from other wars too) is because the people who brought stories home were literally the survivors, often against the odds. We never get the inside story of those who didn't make it. Your Grandad's sounds particularly dramatic! And it's great that so many people came to pay their respects, he must have been a special person.
Come to think of it, some sort of record of your memories of him would be a lovely way of keeping his memory alive, if writing or recording something appeals to you.

You seem to have met some brilliant people recently! And it's fab of your Mum to give you the car, though I hope yours can be fixed. If the return half of your ticket is still valid (ie. not for that day only), might you be able to get a refund? I think you can in certain circumstances.
I hope the 6mm stone isn't as painful for your Dad as it sounds. I guess they wouldn't have sent him home if they thought it was anything to worry about. What timing, though!
Here's to a better second half to the week for you

worried_jim

On Thursday I poured the K seal in the radiator (after sucking out with a pipe and my mouth some fluid to allow room- it tasted disgusting) and let the car turn over for 15 mins, still steaming up. Went for a drive around on Fri night and it was defiantly an improvement and drivable (just) with the windows open. Its harder at night as the steam causes a lot of glare so I took it out again on Sat morning, this time it was a lot better, still steaming up though. I was thinking that how can a £9.99 fix remedy this, but I wont give up and chanced it at work last night. After a driving for about an hour it is now- happy to say- perfect! The smell has gone and there is no steam whatsoever - I cant tell you how relived I am, I just wished the guy at the garage had told me to do this on Monday, all the worry and stress it would have saved. Just going to hang on to my Mums car for a week to make sure everything ok and then drive it back and return on the train, if I book in advance I can get a ticket for £19.50 (i think!).
Still looks like I am going to get my salary increase back, should have conformation very soon, and may get small (£300) bonus in February, however had letter from Brit Gas my dd for gas is increasing from £18 to £44 this month. He giveth with one hand and take with the other.....

paybacktime2008

Glad you made it for the funeral and heard some great stories about your grandad. What a relief about the car. Have you rung British gas and given them up to date readings and asked for a breakdown of your account. If you are breaking even or in credit at this time of year they have no right to increase your dd.

RoxieW

Just wanted to add my support - keep your chin up you've done so so well thus far!
have you heard of quidco? it's basically a site that gives you cash back when buying goods or services. It's especially good for things like changing utilities, home or car insurances, bank accounts etc. I made £300 last year when I switched a couple of things that I'd been meaning to switch to get a better deal anyway. Tis worth a look. Also, have a look around and see if you have anything to ebay. Having a clear out can reap financial rewards as well as giving that 'new start' mentality. Also, I know this has been mentioned but could you go interest only for a while to give you a bit of breathing space with the mortgage? I think it's a relatively simple process.