Only freedom will do

edinburgher

LadyGnome wrote: »

That's quite a drive. Kent is lovely, I lived in Canterbury for a while. Did you consider flying from Edinburgh to Gatwick and hiring a car from there?
Your DD is still young enough that birthdays are more important to you than to her so you've got some flexibility on the scale and nature of the event. They wise up in a couple of years. The gnomeboys keep mentioning that "all my friends have an Xbox." They are probably right.:eek:

Unfortunately we're a bit like a travelling circus at the moment - lots of equipment! We'd do similar (but train as opposed to plane) in a few years.

The birthday party will be friends and family at the inlaws (much bigger house), so just finger food and a small quantity of alcohol. There won't be 8 clowns and a petting zoo.

Think your sons may be right re consoles!

AlexLK wrote: »

Stripping wallpaper is a nasty job. Are you going to paint the walls or having fresh wallpaper?

I agree with LadyGnome re. your daughter's birthday. Although it's special for you, she's one and I can assure you one year old's don't know or care for birthdays, so no need to spend.

We'll be painting Alex, not fans of wallpaper. Unfortunately this will mean getting a plasterer in.

Re. DD, we've been more restrained than we were at Christmas, possibly in the region of £70 or so? A pretty frock, a couple of soft toys, a small payment to her ISA and a few small plastic toys that will amuse her.

mrsp1987

£1900 for dental work! Dare I ask?

edinburgher

mrsp1987 wrote: »

£1900 for dental work! Dare I ask?

Remove cracked baby tooth, implant piece of bone to attach implant, attach new implant to replace baby tooth :eek:

Changed my front windscreen wipers after much huffing and puffing - no point in paying the mechanic to do it when he services the car at inflated rates, eh?

mrsp1987

edinburgher wrote: »

Remove cracked baby tooth, implant piece of bone to attach implant, attach new implant to replace baby tooth :eek:

And that cost nearly £2,000? God forbid the Tories get their way with privatising the NHS. We'd all go medically bankrupt!

newgirly

Glad you enjoyed the holiday ed, welcome home

edinburgher

mrsp1987 wrote: »

And that cost nearly £2,000? God forbid the Tories get their way with privatising the NHS. We'd all go medically bankrupt!

It made me weep a little on the inside

Also, that's a fairly typical price, not even an expensive dentist!

newgirly wrote: »

Glad you enjoyed the holiday ed, welcome home

Cheers NG

edinburgher

I read Rich Dad Poor Dad for the first time. Lots of familiar concepts, but I liked the forthright manner in which they were set out, quite decisive/blunt to the point of being rude. If I wasn't so sure that the author is an 'E' on MBTI I could probably relate to him

On a related, but unrelated note, the medical expense above should really have been covered by an EF, something that we no longer have. Unfortunately I no longer have the resources to just hive off ££££ for that, so looks like I'll need to get on with some pay yourself first action to sort that out...

pavlovs_dog

welcome back Ed.

Did you decide on a plan of attack to stop yourself feeling so thinly spread in all directions?

edinburgher

Yes PD, focusing on 0% credit cards first, with a smattering of EF. P2P, OPs and pensions/ISAs will need to take a back seat for now.

AlexLK

:rotfl: Re. the 8 clowns and a petting zoo.

Freshly plastered painted walls would be my vote too. It will possibly be the greatest visual difference you'll see in your house.

The gifts for your daughter sound good. I'm told they get more demanding as they get older but my son hasn't reached that stage yet. This may sound awful but I've made it quite clear he has things that mean something for his birthday / Christmas and not some latest fad which will be played with for 2 months and then thrown away ... that's what grandparents are for.

... Also no point in paying a mechanic to service your car, never mind fit windscreen wipers. :eek: :rotfl:

edinburgher wrote: »

I read Rich Dad Poor Dad for the first time. Lots of familiar concepts, but I liked the forthright manner in which they were set out, quite decisive/blunt to the point of being rude. If I wasn't so sure that the author is an 'E' on MBTI I could probably relate to him

On a related, but unrelated note, the medical expense above should really have been covered by an EF, something that we no longer have. Unfortunately I no longer have the resources to just hive off ££££ for that, so looks like I'll need to get on with some pay yourself first action to sort that out...

Is there a reason you're trying to complete the house so quickly? I presume this is the reason for the finances not looking so healthy.