Money and Me - A Love/Hate Story

skintygerlinky

Evening all!! Oh,no, it's actually 'Morning, gang'!!

Right, am knackered (full day at uni and then straight to work - as you know, I work with teenagers. One of them asked me tonight 'Skinty, in the olden days, did you, like, have to write with a pen ALL THE TIME? Did your hands go funny cos you never typed on, like, an ipad?' The next generation, laydeez an gennlemen.....aw, I love em really!!)

So i'm going asleep now, catch up properly later on tonight but first up....

ahem-hem-hem............

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! OH! OH! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! :rotfl::rotfl:

Oh my lordy pants!

Our Winnebago!!
Our siblings' sleeping habits!!
Our god-awful dating history!!!!

Much to discuss tomorrow.

Night night you insane gorgeous gals xxxxxxxxxxxxx

PS once dated a proper divvy who tried to teach me how to iron socks 'properly'.

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh..............!!

mothernerd

Oh, I so want a cabin (on wheels or without). When I was seeing the counsellor last year, I told her one of the things I was grateful to her for was that I would be quite happy living in a caravan by myself (would prefer the woodland setting with David Bellamy approval ones rather than the bingo every night type of caravan park, if I could afford it - prices for lodges tend to be a bit more than the current of value of this house (4 bed semi) and it's a bit of a funny arrangement (you can only sell through the park owners and have to be approved -some sites are over 50's or over 55's only,families can visit but not sure if they can stay). Still stuck with DS3 though- did wonder about sneaking him in under cover of darkness as he only leaves his room to eat and bathe.

Meanwhile,I am killing my self trying to keep this monstrosity of a house going so that anyone who might need it (mother/sons/son's friends /homeless acquaintances of sons )has a bed if/when they need it.

Been doing a lot of de-cluttering this month (including a son). Bits of the house are looking quite bare -need to decorate so avoiding putting anything extra in the rooms I am doing first. But the more I get rid of,the more I feel like 'me', IYKWIM.

Relationships,hm. I originally bought my first house to live there, by myself - I had plans to be an 'old lady', I would wear hats and lace gloves and garden. I know people thought I was strange,one girl asked if I wouldn't be frightened on my own at night.So I turned round to a married colleague and pointed out that her husband worked nights. It's far better to be on your own than to be in a relationship and feel alone. I think far too many people are so frightened of being alone that they cling desperately to bad partners and horrible situations. I love solitude.

So, my bubble was burst when I met my ex. I wanted to be 'just friends', he clung on to me like a drowning man holds on to a lifebelt. I had decided to leave him but then found out I was pregnant (my grandmother had just died after 8weeks in hospital and I only started to count how long since...). I knew in between taking the test and getting the result (M-F) that I wanted the baby. He said he did too (he lied -when we got divorced he said he had never wanted any of the boys. Never paid maintenance either) so I got stuck with him. The room that was to have been my study/sewing room became a nursery and then 1 boy became 3.

I finally got rid of him. Had a couple of serious relationships before him and several since (fitted in around the boys and never had anyone living with us). My last relationship lasted about 5 or 6 years. I got him through 3 serious bouts of depression. We split up for a few months when I found out the other woman he was seeing (surprise) was causing the depression. I did remember when we first went out,one of his friends saying ~we like this one. We got back together (on Valentines day - completely unintentional) the following year after he finished seeing her and had a great time for a while but things got difficult (think my ex stopped seeing the boys -only saw them twice in eighteen months so no free time for me) and we drifted apart.

So looking after the boys for a long time -and not prepared to put up with idiots (polite way of putting it). Had a toyboy once -not as much fun as you would think (he wasn't very good at fun). Mostly men 10 years older than me (great record collections). When I watch guitar greats on BBC4 I sigh over how many of the men I fancied as a teenager have been dead (mainly drink,some drugs) for the last ten or twenty years. So not a lot of the horizon for me -especially if my mum moves in. Ah well I have my memories to keep me warm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ky7pmnF9WQ

Busymumofthreeplusdog

Buffythedebtslayer wrote: »

That was a mess. before him a couple of scumbags, and a possibly gay guy....

XXX

I hear you sista! I was told to look up my first bf on fb - he couldn't be more obviously gay now, no sign then. I've been told another guy I fancied at school prefers gentlemen, young gentlemen actually! I had a long 5 yr on off relationship with a gorgeous looking guy who was always being hit on even when out with me( and he soooooo wasn't gay). But what does all that say about my gaydar!!

The older I get the more I realise that, yes,you are right about life being a journey and we all need to stop to smell the roses, appreciate what we have and not to be in so much of a hurry to get to the next stage. Can you tell I've been reading Greying Pilgram's wonderful diary?:A

So onwards and upwards.....

By the way when does the tour start? can't wait:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

skintygerlinky

Morning Gals xxx

Proper reply later but it's a day of reckoning today!! Am out in work all day and then later I'm doing an evaluation of my months spends.

Nervous but excited too!! How's everyone done this month? Whatever the result, lets look ahead to March xx

Have a good day, get pricing up cabins on wheels and look forward to proper catch up later xxxx

RainbowBridgeReturns

I have found a very MSE bus, for those of us who are trying to give up our Diva tendencies x.

Shortie

Haha, love it. I can just imagine pootling down the road, followed by the smell of fried chips (as my head has assumed that's the recycled oil it would be using )

girlatplay

I think I might drive just ahead in the RV/Winnebago combo! I'm still a Diva, sorry

Magsnoodle

This is a brilliant thread. Helpful tips but friendship too. How wonderful - not sure how I have only just spotted it. Hope you dont mind me jumping in.

skintygerlinky

Evening gals xxx

Happy Friday! Lots to catch up on and thanks as always for coming in here, its appreciated as always!! Gonna talk dosh, then will post AOB - specifically re: the tour bus!!

I've just done a reccy on my spends and posted this in the Frugal '14 thread:

Well, that was February then!!

So, how did I do.....I'm not overly pleased, but can certainly see it could have been a lot worse!!

I've managed 11 NSD - want to deffo improve on this!

After rent, bills, phone, gym and union membership have been taken from my account, here's where my cash went:

Food £49.80
Toiletries £1.98 (just shower gel and toothpaste this month!)
Travel £47.30
Socialising £26.30
Newspapers £1.60
Gifts for others £8.95 (this inc most people's birthday cards for the year!)
Gifts for me £2.75 (just on some nice wrapping paper which I use to line the top of my dressing table and bedside cabinet. No new clothes or books :T)
Unnecessary food £4.20 (this is where I could have brought food from home but didn't due to being lazy/unorganised).
Coffees bought at uni £1.40

*Money going into savings: £10 (all I can afford, glad it's something!!)*

Goals for March:
Aim for 15 NSD
Reduce food bill - eat out of freezer and fridge before shopping with 'meal plan' list
Continue reading unread books, revisiting forgotten clothes, CDs and DVDs - no need to buy new!
Ensure to arm self with food when out and about!!


Any comments would be appreciated, laydeez!!

Grit and determination at the ready for next month! 'Test case' month is over, time to start adopting Frugality as a way of life!

The nights are getting lighter. I'm feeling calm and optimistic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj1AesMfIf8

Feb deffo proved to me that I can stop simply buying STUFF. STUFF THE STUFF I say!!
But ooooooooohhhh it can be difficult, eh?? Had spare 15mins before work today, wandered into bookshop, browsed, found a book I've been wanting to read.

The temptation to BUY SOME STUFF was, I swear, physical!!! I could really feel it in my stomach. Beforehand, I've always thought that sensation was psychological but today I acknowledged it in a physical sense. Unbelievable! Could feel the adrenalin, the butterflies and a slight breathlessness.

Gone are the days when I justify 'well, its only a tenner'. Those tenners are going in the bank.

I've got 50 and a half unread books knocking around my house!!! So, tell you what...lets just buy more, eh? :rotfl:

Got a grip, left the shop, felt a bit pouty and sulky and thought 'well what am I supposed to do for the next ten mins then?'

I went to work 10mins early.

What a stupid irritating drama queen, swear to God!!! :rotfl:

girlatplay

You could treat yourself to this other book you want but the challenge is you have to read 5 books that you already have first, then you can only buy it if you can find it reduced or if you have a money off voucher. Or, read some books that you have then sell them to raise funds for the new book!