A Thread for After Debt?

JulieGeorgiana

I refused to send DS on the school trip this year... £300 for 4 days at an activity centre, I won't pay that much for the whole family for a holiday. Come to think of it thats how much the flights to Norway cost me for this summer!

Maybe if I worked still, but I believe me being home gives DS a better quality of life... even though there is less money!

I also make DS pay half his school trip...

... my pet peev is the school doing theme days... i cant afford them, a whole costume for one day... I dont mind for school plays!

Which reminds me... ds is a king in this years year 5 play, and I need a sewing machine to make it (white sheet into a chifon and a red sash) but I won't be able to borrow my mums in time

So I am looking for a 2nd hand sewing machine now (visited mil today, she said if I see something, I'm to tell her and she'll help out as a birthday or christmas gift)... so eBay tomorrow

Had a good time at my mil today... since she stayed here our relationship has changed, and I really like it

JulieGeorgiana

ps. just washed Eliza's 3-6m clothes this weekend, will iron everything tomorrow and put them in her wardrobe... she's grown out of her 0-3m Pjs and vests.... shell be 2 months on Tuesday! its her length, she's on the 98th centile!

QueenB.

JulieGeorgiana wrote: »

I refused to send DS on the school trip this year... £300 for 4 days at an activity centre, I won't pay that much for the whole family for a holiday. Come to think of it thats how much the flights to Norway cost me for this summer!

Maybe if I worked still, but I believe me being home gives DS a better quality of life... even though there is less money!

I also make DS pay half his school trip...

... my pet peev is the school doing theme days... i cant afford them, a whole costume for one day... I dont mind for school plays!

Which reminds me... ds is a king in this years year 5 play, and I need a sewing machine to make it (white sheet into a chifon and a red sash) but I won't be able to borrow my mums in time

So I am looking for a 2nd hand sewing machine now (visited mil today, she said if I see something, I'm to tell her and she'll help out as a birthday or christmas gift)... so eBay tomorrow

Had a good time at my mil today... since she stayed here our relationship has changed, and I really like it

We love dressing up in our family and my kids have a massive dressing up box full of costumes, most of which I picked up from charity shops and car boot sales. Plus DS2 gets quite creative making new outfits from random bits and bobs. Those school dress up days also mean that both me (when I worked) and OH have to dress up. OH dressed up as a treasure island pirate for world book day:D But when I worked in primary schools those theme days could turn into quite an emotional ordeal for those children who for whatever reason where in no position to really take part.

Anyway on a nicer note I'm glad to hear that you and your MIL are getting along better.:)

backinbusiness

Hey JG - sadly being a lone parent means I don't have the option of staying home. My children are a bit older than yours anyway I think, both in Secondary. I am however lucky enough to work in the same Secondary and the same hours, including holidays, so whenever they are home, I am home too.

Lucky really.

BiB

QueenB.

I am so tired after last week, when DS1 is ill it hits him hard due to his other medical issues, he can barely move so needs to be carried/supported and doing that for 4 days or more has left me in serious need of a rest. So today I am going to just relax a little, stitch, read, a little housework and bake a crumble before the school run. DS1 did go back to school today but still a little run down.

Ordered his pressies today so just have to go out later in the week to get the last one and I have to book up DS2 birthday party some time this week. So a bit of a spendy week in our home.

JulieGeorgiana

Sounds like fun in your house QueenB, I wish we dressed up more actually, I just need to get better at making things! I suppose my problem is being an army brat I hate clutter and 'stuff' so I keep chucking out things instead of recycling...!

BiB I used to be a single mum, it's definitely a hard job. You are so lucky your ex supports you and the children. My ex and I get on ok, and he pays his CS on time. But that's it... no paying for school trips!

QueenB Rest it up and take it easy, being superwoman is a lot to do! Now I might go off and take that same advice, I am feeling a bit burned out. I think being in pain all the time is really getting to me, and as I won't slow down I am making it worse for myself!

Well Eliza is sleeping so I am off to do a marathon ironing session (normal stuff plus all Eliza's 3-6m stuff) but as I am hurting I have put the ironing board on boxes to make it taller! I hope that helps

QueenB.

JulieGeorgiana wrote: »

Sounds like fun in your house QueenB, I wish we dressed up more actually, I just need to get better at making things! I suppose my problem is being an army brat I hate clutter and 'stuff' so I keep chucking out things instead of recycling...!

BiB I used to be a single mum, it's definitely a hard job. You are so lucky your ex supports you and the children. My ex and I get on ok, and he pays his CS on time. But that's it... no paying for school trips!

QueenB Rest it up and take it easy, being superwoman is a lot to do! Now I might go off and take that same advice, I am feeling a bit burned out. I think being in pain all the time is really getting to me, and as I won't slow down I am making it worse for myself!

Well Eliza is sleeping so I am off to do a marathon ironing session (normal stuff plus all Eliza's 3-6m stuff) but as I am hurting I have put the ironing board on boxes to make it taller! I hope that helps

JulieG fellow army brat here too:D so is my OH, thats how we meet, both our dads where stationed in the same camp and we lived a few streets away from each other........teenage romance:)
I hope you took your own advice and rested a little, I think we often do just carry one because there always seems to be something else we need to think about but today I am really paying the price as the exhaustion has brought on a major headache so feeling a bit fuzzy.

Ironing yuck I HATE ironing, OH normally does it all but if possible I buy stuff that either doesn't need ironing or can get away with out it;)

JulieGeorgiana

Haha! I didn't stop, I never stop... but i did get Eliza's 3-6m wardrobe sorted and ironed, as she has only a few 0-3m which fit now, I managed to put the rest away... its amazing how much she grew over the weekend!

I do 1 hours ironing on Mondays and Thursdays... its the only time I watch tv... I watch one born every minute on Mondays and Superscrimpers on a thursday... oh how sad am I...

It used to be DH job, but I do it now as his new job means 10 hrs extra away from home and as he took the new job to allow me to stay home... i feel like its the least i should do. Plus he can't iron Eliza's clothes at all... and pretty dresses need ironing... I got the lovelyest jeans dress ready for tomorrow... I might change my avitar with a picture of her in it.

Don't get me wrong though, DH still does things to help out, like washing up (I've saved up for a dishwasher for when we move) and he scrubs the bathroom as my back and legs are not good

And after looking after me and doing everything while I was pregnant, its nice to give him a break

What a lovely day it is today, so spring like... I turned off the heating, that'll save me some pennies

rising_from_the_ashes

(((hugs))) to everyone feeling under the weather ...... I must admit that Saturday was a total write off for me . Managed to survive the 2nd attempt at the MRI scan on Fri (despite crying the whole way though and howling when I came out) and was totally exhausted & ended up in bed at 7:45pm:eek: Really washed out all Sat which was prob due to stress of it, but feeling a bit better today.


Now ..... positive news - I may be able to do the final year of my degree at OU. I had problems with exemptions the last time I tried so had written them off but am giving it another bash (they only offered 1 year credit last time, when other Unis offered 2 years:( but I have now finished the course I was doing at the time so hoping that will make a difference).

I've discovered that their fees stay in line with where you stay from the autumn (eg Scotland £1680 / year whereas England they go up to £5k:eek:).

Other places I've tried come out at min £3.5k up to £7k:eek::eek: which is totally unaffordable but £1680 .... that's much more reasonable and may be worth considering.

Negatives ..... I don't actually have £1680:rotfl::rotfl:

LianneH

hope everyone is feeling a bit better soon xx

We went to the zoo today, this was our "celebrate being DF day"!. I used the money that I had made on ebay over a number of weeks, so it was also "kinda" free!

Rising - the pandas are fab!!

I had heard that it could have been a let down as they might not have been there to see, but when we went both were lying sleeping like bit teddy bears and then one had a wee walk around the enclosure - fab!

Took a packed lunch, treated DD to a panda toy and then had a fish supper from the chip shop for tea, all in all a fantastic (but exhausting) day, and all paid for by the ebay money!!

Here's to staying debt free everyone!!

Li x