Hypno's approach to life, the universe and debtbusting.....

GreyhoundAngel

Blimey Hypno..... I go offline for a while (ok for quite a while.... oh all right then for a couple of months ) .... only to find that you've added another 74 pages already on a new thread (let alone all the ones I missed on chapter 7 :eek:

Loved the intro by the way, but have to confess, I've only had a chance to skim read alot of it, I'd be here weeks otherwise just trying to catch up with you:rotfl: :rotfl:

Glad to see you've had a good break, but sorry to hear OH was under the weather - hope now well on the mend ?

As for those people who criticise the way you raise your family, and what you spend / how you spend it .... I've always found your ways to be similar to how I would raise a family. You've always seemed to me, to be raising them as well rounded, adjusted and happy. I know it's demoralising especially if it's family / friends / people you know who do it - but at the end of the day, most of them probably use their debt cards to provide easy options for their families and don't experience the same satisfaction I'm sure you get from seeing their families develop as individuals !

I've always meant to ask about your student stays (as I never did manage to peice it together from your posts) ... How did you first get into it ? and are there any criteria you have to meet to be able to it ? I've been thinking for sometime about this option, but didn't really know where to start looking. :rolleyes:

Best go do some more skimming...

G:A xx

hypno06

Re the students, we got into it because someone came into the bar where I was working, and asked if we knew of anyone with a spare room because she worked for children's services and they were looking for host families. My first thought was "nah", then she mentioned that they paid £120 a week, and I suddenly became interested

So, a quick phone call to OH and we agreed to give it a go - to be honest, we had no choice because at that time we were still £100k in debt on top of the mortgage, and without the extra income we would have gone under.

Re the short term students, we just stumbled across an ad in the local newspaper.....

Criteria - well, we do regular CRB checks, and occasionally have a home visit to check we are not axe murderers. Of course, a tidy home and an organised lifestyle are pre-requisite.....NOT!!!

What matters is that you can provide a friendly, flexible household and act as their "family" for however long they are here for. These are only children at the end of the day, so you have to be ready for hormones, breakups with boyfriends/girlfriends, struggles at schools, food fads, boundary pushing and everything else that teenagers bring with them. As long as you can do that in a caring way, the rest is easy!

Walshyboy84

hypno06 wrote: »

Re the students, we got into it because someone came into the bar where I was working, and asked if we knew of anyone with a spare room because she worked for children's services and they were looking for host families. My first thought was "nah", then she mentioned that they paid £120 a week, and I suddenly became interested

I love the fact stories like these always start with,

"I remember that time in the bar when..."

So many things can happen in there! All we need to do is really believe and you've got yourself a veritable miracle place full of lottery numbers! :cool:

Sorry bit crazy today... Jury service is not how the TV programmes describe it... :eek:

hypno06

Where jury service is concerned, I don't think there is such thing as "standard"

savingholmes

hypno - we tend to just want to come home from holidays too - its not the same once you've given up your lodgings is it! Glad you had a cheque waiting for you too - always nice to come home to:beer:

For anyone who hasn't seen it yet in my diary - I've got a 6 month job starting next Thursday :j- which considering that bar 3 weeks I have been out of work since the end of March is pretty darn good news.... I also still have a perm job interview in the pipeline so it could be all systems go at the same time.... but if I don't get that - at least I can clear between £6-9K of debt during this contract.:j

elantan

shaun40400 wrote: »

we dont...our house is like a lunatic asylum:D
its even harder when we have to tell him off for something,,,,and he comes out with those sort of comments,,,
we have to turn our faces away so he cant see us smiling!!!
ita almost impossible to tell him off:o

ahhh i remember those days .... i remember when my son told me that girls that loved girls were called lightbeans aged about 5 if you are lucky ...and when i was in the toilet trying to do a number two in peace (as i am sure you all know virtually impossible with a kid) being asked if i was having a w&nker in there (about 7 ..he had some strange friends) and the time when he learned what tampax were for ...well not sure if you really would like to know that one ...ahhh the joys of kids

hypno06

ahh, bless, El!

elantan

now he's 18 and knows it all arrrrgggghhhhh where has my sweet funny boy gone

mizmir

Welcome home hypno - sounds a good holiday notwithstanding OH being under the weather. Can't believe people think your kids are spoiled! I always think they sound just the kind of kids I like having around - and that is from someone that doesn't really do kids! They understand already about priorities and making an effort for the things that are important to them - which is rare even in adults!

Good news on the cheque - like that kind of homecoming. Think I may join you on the store cupboard challenge - we are rapidly running out of grocery budget!

hypno06

I have to take my £60 number plate fine out of the grocery budget, so if I can get away with not visiting the supermarket this week, it will put me nearer to being on track.

We had lamb kebabs and couscous tonight. Tomorrow I am out with DD so it is egg and chips for DS and OH. Chicken casserole on Sunday, Pasta Carbonara on Monday, pork and potato curry on Tuesday......something with rice on Wednesday, something with pasta on Thursday, something with Potato on Friday.......Tesco on Saturday.

We will need bread and milk, but hopefully that will be it. I am on a mission, and have warned the family accordingly :rolleyes: