Mr and Mrs K's New Journey to a Debt Free Life.

AlexLK

Wednesday 8th January, 2013.
Day 133.

Dear Diary,

I entitle this entry "old dogs, new tricks".

Unlike yesterday, I'm sat here reflecting with a soothing mug of hot chocolate after having had a decent night's sleep, no hangover and no loud kids to deal with. I've had a quiet day, got some work done and spent some quality, if unexpected, time with my wife and son despite the weather.

Earlier this morning I read an interesting article about procrastination, somebody I have not seen in quite a long time sent it to me via email. Anyhow, whilst I should have been doing some paperwork, I was reading this. OK, OK so that means I was procrastinating by reading an article about the aforementioned affliction. Clever, Alex really, really clever. Luckily, the day became a little more productive from there on in and I got on with what I should have been doing in the first place.

On the debt busting front I managed to get a few items listed on eBay and checked my BT phone bill. Usually this is in the region of about £60.00 because I ring all manner of mobile numbers from the house, so with that in mind last month I made a conscious effort to call no mobiles and neither did Mrs. K. I can report it worked as the bill came in at £32.75 exactly for my phone, calls to landlines and internet. Rather pleased with myself there.

Concluding it is in fact possible to teach an old dog some new tricks.

Summary:
+£60.00 Music Teaching.
-£1.70 Bakery.
-£15.00 Groceries.

Yours Faithfully,
Alex.

AlexLK

Granariesgirl wrote: »

Piffle! :mad:

If he gets to your age & he is a happy, confident man who has found what he wants to do in life (even if you don't approve), who can come to you & tell you all his worries / problems because he knows you won't carp on at him, who has good friends he can trust, & childhood memories of good times & laughter he can cherish when times are hard - then you have given him something worth intrinsically more than all the money your parents have ever given/ spent on you.

All that stuff I listed isn't shiny & hasn't got a designer label on it or a Sotheby's sticker but in my opinion it is worth FAR more than all the money & things that you & your parents possess. So just keep on giving him the tools to live a happy & confident life rather than sweating over the posh nursery school & the bigger house!

I have to admit if I manage that I'll actually be rather pleased wth myself.

Granariesgirl wrote: »

:TI'm with the others here, I think you're great for going to volunteer & DEFINITELY think that Dr Who or Sherlock is the sartorial way forward unless you invent a style that is totally your own! :rotfl:

I reckon that if you stick at it you could be one of those teachers one remembers for years & years, long after all the others have faded into the mists of time...


Ooh I can't wait for the next instalment of "Alex & the Teenage Musicians"! Reckon it could be a great serial! :j

Thank you, I've been thinking quite a lot about what I can do next week over today. Tomorrow I've got to go to counselling, which often only seems to lead me into another low mood. However, I've a few plans to utilise my wife's drawing skills for lesson number two next week.

You trying to say I'm a "speshul" case?

Iwillsucceed wrote: »

Alex!

Why you keep stating 'you cannot, you cannot! You Will NEVER offer your son what your parents offered you because YOU! aren't them!! You need to STOP comparing yourself to your parents and stop comparing your son to the young you!! You aren't your parents and your son isn't you!! He appears happier to the spoilt ££££££ young you! :-)
Anyway, stop referring to your past! You will be on the right path only when you are living the present and excited about the future!

You are the result of the small choices you make everyday, you can choose to be happy or miserable but you are the one you decides.

Choose to be happy! :-) :-)

Regards

Iwillsucceed wrote: »

Self fulfilling prophecy Alex! Self fulfilling prophecy! If you say YOU cannot then you cannot! If you already know you can't! What will it take from you to chance that path?
I guess I am just annoyed that you are most of the time sooooo negative, and referring to the past, when you had, when you did etc, etc I personally couldn't think of you less or more because you had! You are who you are now!! And you are the only one who fails to see the brave guy, etc that we exchange with in this forum! :-)

Iwillsucceed: Thank you. I'd actually quite like to get to a stage where the past is merely that, a collection of memories. Moving forward, I would like to become more of an optimist.

AlexLK

arsenalbarnie wrote: »

It was more like half an hour talking about all the good things that had happened the previous week and then relaxation hypnosis. You then had to listen to the same stuff during the week. A bit like a relaxation tape. I used to feel so chilled out after for the rest of the day. I am supposed to still listen to it a few times a week but have lapsed a bit. It hasnt cured me but I don't tend to dwell on the negatives. I was an only child until I was 18, I think it makes a difference. We have more time to dwell on things and no siblings to turn to. I went on to have a family of five am bloody mad!

Take her with you next week! He he, she would have them all behaving in five minutes flat :rotfl: she sounds quite a challenge your mother.

Thank you. Unfortunately, I've always found it terribly difficult to chill out.

:rotfl: They'd be quaking in their boots after a minute and she is rather the "challenge". Father used to be similar but has really quite mellowed these past few years.

mum2one wrote: »

Alex - great the school went ok, its hard going in as a volunteer in what ever avenue, but to go in with a talent to give like your music is going to make a massive difference to those teenagers lives, take for example the girl that asked about clay pigeon shooting ok off target, but shows shes thinking and respected you enough to ask.

I know its easier to say but I use to do this I did that, I was better off at x/y/z time, - a penny to a pound we could use a point in time where we were better off financially, emotionally, free for what ever reasons.

Christmas 2012 I'd just come back from Lapland with DD, this Christmas were all laid with bugs, and Christmas and New year were literally just another day for us. xx

It would be nice to think one day I'll make a difference to somebody's life. Not sure that will happen, in fact really I'm sure it won't but still, a nice thought.

maman

Granariesgirl wrote: »

Ooh I can't wait for the next instalment of "Alex & the Teenage Musicians"! Reckon it could be a great serial! :j

Gareth Malone eat your heart out!:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

mum2one

Sounds like a lot better day, I'm pleased.

Really sounds like those little baby steps are coming into big strides, that a good one with the BT bill. Not being nosey, but with our BT rental we pay £5 a month on top of the line rental for unlimited calls (doesn't include mobiles) try to use my mobile for that (or text its free).

Hope all goes well tomorrow, just remember open up, be honest, there not there to judge, there to help xx

AlexLK

maman wrote: »

Gareth Malone eat your heart out!:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

He's merely the warm up act compared to me.

mum2one wrote: »

Sounds like a lot better day, I'm pleased.

Really sounds like those little baby steps are coming into big strides, that a good one with the BT bill. Not being nosey, but with our BT rental we pay £5 a month on top of the line rental for unlimited calls (doesn't include mobiles) try to use my mobile for that (or text its free).

Hope all goes well tomorrow, just remember open up, be honest, there not there to judge, there to help xx

Why thank you.

BT: We pay 12 months line rental upfront (though account into the monthly spend so the money is there, told you I'm learning ), £5.00 for unlimited calls to landlines 0845 etc. and unlimited broadband.

Mobiles: I've got a cheap Tesco contract but cannot fault it thus far and is great value for money. Mrs. K.'s is much more expensive as she likes her iPhone far too much (and upgrading the damn thing).

Unfortunately, I'm still up thinking about tomorrow now.

heartbreak_star

Good lord. You'd have to pay me more than she gets to marry Wossy! *shudders* Am not a fan

Good luck with today.

HBS x

Granariesgirl

AlexLK wrote: »

I have to admit if I manage that I'll actually be rather pleased wth myself.

And so you should be, young man!

AlexLK wrote: »

You trying to say I'm a "speshul" case?

:rotfl:Nope, just great teacher & a "posh" English eccentric for those lads & lasses (you'd better brush up on Stately Homes & the Royal Family or they'll be disappointed...)! :rotfl:

AlexLK wrote: »

(On Gareth Malone...) He's merely the warm up act compared to me.

:rotfl:That's the spirit!! :T
I hear TV pays rather well - there's merchandising too... :cool:

Good going on the BT bill, too!:T

AlexLK

heartbreak_star wrote: »

Good lord. You'd have to pay me more than she gets to marry Wossy! *shudders* Am not a fan

Good luck with today.

HBS x

:rotfl: No, I'm not a fan either.

Thank you, fortunately it was not half as bad as I'd built it up to be. Even better the weather has been lovely, so son and I managed to go for a drive in the Triumph before his nursery date. Now rather missing my partner in crime, ought to get some work done, I suppose.

Granariesgirl wrote: »

And so you should be, young man!


:rotfl:Nope, just great teacher & a "posh" English eccentric for those lads & lasses (you'd better brush up on Stately Homes & the Royal Family or they'll be disappointed...)! :rotfl:



:rotfl:That's the spirit!! :T
I hear TV pays rather well - there's merchandising too... :cool:

Good going on the BT bill, too!:T

Certainly fit into the category of "eccentric". As for the Royal Family (past and present), everybody knows the Queen likes Landies.

Iwillsucceed_2

Hello Alex,
I hope you are feeling great today!
I have noticed your answers above to someone suggesting that your volunteering could make a great difference to the life of those children.


'... Not sure that will happen, in FACT really I am SURE it won't!'
' ... I've ALWAYS found it difficult to chill out!

That is what I am referring to when I say you are so NEGATIVE!
They are toxic, unhelpful , fixed, self destructive etc thought patterns! I really hope you can start rewording or re phrasing them .. 'Old dog new tricks!'
It's a vicious circle, bad habits and you can relearn to have a more positive self regard.

I truly believe you can make a difference in the lives of those children, perhaps you might be the only person of a very contrasting background they will ever know in their lives. You can be a good 'role model', and I hope those children will never pick on you being somoone who looks down on that sort of demographics because that will be very unhelpful for them.

Have a lovely evening,