Spent 4 years pretending it's all OK

NoOneAround

Morning All,:)
A beautiful day here, the willow tree leaves are just about to unfurl and making the whole tree glow a golden lime green against a turquoise blue sky. :):):):):):):):) There's lots of orange and yellow and pink, so I think I might just end up loitering outside today, (long overdue)and ignore the to do stuff inside.
I didn't finish opening the yesterday's post. Just done that this morning and my sister sent me a couple of packs of sweet pea seeds :):):)so I'll pot those up gently today.

Too nice a day to waste, so will also get DS/DH to strip all the beds to wash n' dry outside - neither have surfaced for air yet(DH got back at 2.30 am, DS waited up for him (while I watched Friends with him whilst sleeping on the sofa;))

Have a lovely Sunday everyone
xx
NOA

brizzledfw

What a glorious way to spend your Sunday..enjoy

Xx

NoOneAround

Third load nearly done, 2 loads out in the sun
Online Grocery Shopping order placed through TCB (thanks Brizzle and friends:beer:)
Picked up tree branches and debris from around garden and topped up on Vit D, but its still very cold and my hands started aching, so came back in to warm up. Will go back out in a bit

Will do some research/browse for sit on mower again later as lawns are in dire need of attention now.

xx

NoOneAround

"Persuaded" DS to come out with me and he lopped grumpily under my direction and we managed to tame 3 wild shrubs by the fence :j Now there's an unruly pile of loppings on the grass.

Another hour tomorrow from him hopefully. I'm suggesting that a second hand iPhone 5s @ £200 (the earliest that supports what his friends have, apparently) may only be a couple of months away if he helps me 5-6 hours a week (out of his gaming time) with the heavier gardening jobs, coupled with good exam results (which are never a problem). Resorting to bribery I know:rotfl:, but I'll treat it like a job and pay monthly (weekly doesn't work for him - he's an impulse spender). He already has approx. £100 saved from money my parents give him whenever we visit, which I have refused to let him spend on rubbish, and is sitting in his account.

Early night for all tonight, need to get DS's body clock back in synch for start of term.
xx

Bobarella

Sounds a productive day NOA. Glad your son helped even if you did need to gently motivate him...well done for not feeling pressurised into going to the wedding. It sounds like you did the right thing for you.

NoOneAround

Bobarella wrote: »

Sounds a productive day NOA. Glad your son helped even if you did need to gently motivate him...well done for not feeling pressurised into going to the wedding. It sounds like you did the right thing for you.

Thanks Bob - felt good yesterday but quite achy and tender today, but sun exposure definitely made difference.
Hope your little ones are continuing to be a bundle of laughs - DD is probably crawling? I had a look through your wombling thread and got quite a few tips. Haven't joined as won't have much time over the summer to keep updating, perhaps next year:)


Am glad that DH caught up with old friends, he doesn't really keep in touch with people - it was always me that did Christmas cards for him etc. until about four years ago when I decided enough was enough - spending £100 plus on postage sending cards to friends and colleagues that you never otherwise see (= one third of a months food )
I have instead started making phone calls to those people that I want to speak to every now and then, or sending a card out of the blue at a different time of year, just to say hello, am thinking of you, and not just because it's Christmas and it's the done thing. Downside is he's invited them all over Summer, which is fine, but when I have friends (not so often now), he carries on with his own thing, but when its his friends I have to be involved. Shouldn't complain, it might never happen, and some of my resolutions this year are to 'take it as it comes' and 'learn to let go' instead of getting:mad:

xxNOA

NoOneAround

List to do today before summer term starts and posts will get far less frequent (MSE breathes a sigh of relief:D)

1. Take DS for back-to-school haircut
2. Book dentist apt for Me/DS/DD (now 9 months overdue)
3. SE work phone calls/2quotes to prepare and send, pay nvoices.
4. Start on VAT returns/hopefully complete due end of the month.
5. Encourage DS to do a few hours on project - deadline looming - he's too laid back about it all - its worth half a GCSE.
6. Move loppings from yesterday
7. Wash some garden pots with Ds's help in prep for planting
8. Iron school uniform for the week
9. Repair tracksuit bottom hole in knee:mad: or £40 to replace
10. Make a chart for DS for paid help @ £4/hr so he can see his iPhone materialising. He had the cheek yesterday to ask if a iPhone 6s was possible, I said yes if he put in the hours. :rotfl:

Here goes.
Happy Monday Everyone:)
xx
NOA

triple_choc_chip

NoOneAround wrote: »

10. Make a chart for DS for paid help @ £4/hr so he can see his iPhone materialising. He had the cheek yesterday to ask if a iPhone 6s was possible, I said yes if he put in the hours. :rotfl:

If you're even a bit serious about that, check out the new SE that's just come out. For the first time Apple have gone smaller and cheaper - they must have reached the tipping point for sales. Anyway the SE is the size of the 5s but with the functionality of the 6.
Mse link:https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/70365782#Comment_70365782

This year I'm considering buying one outright for my son on his 18th birthday to use with a giffgaff sim rather than taking on a new 2 yr contract. Should cost me much less in the long run not least because I hope he will take on the monthly payments sooner rather than later - which is just a dream at the moment but I live in hope!

And by the way, since I've de-lurked, in my opinion you are too hard on yourself not including your mortgage payments when asked about your debt on here. Your total debt has dropped by more than £20,000 since beginning your diary which is fantastic. Onwards and upwards!

Igamogam

NoOneAround wrote: »

8. Iron school uniform for the week

Teach DS how to iron..........get to his iphone sooner;)

NoOneAround

triple_choc_chip wrote: »

If you're even a bit serious about that, check out the new SE that's just come out. For the first time Apple have gone smaller and cheaper - they must have reached the tipping point for sales. Anyway the SE is the size of the 5s but with the functionality of the 6.
Mse link:https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/70365782#Comment_70365782

This year I'm considering buying one outright for my son on his 18th birthday to use with a giffgaff sim rather than taking on a new 2 yr contract. Should cost me much less in the long run not least because I hope he will take on the monthly payments sooner rather than later - which is just a dream at the moment but I live in hope!

And by the way, since I've de-lurked, in my opinion you are too hard on yourself not including your mortgage payments when asked about your debt on here. Your total debt has dropped by more than £20,000 since beginning your diary which is fantastic. Onwards and upwards!

Hi Triple choc chip - my favourite sort of cookie:D
Thanks for delurking - I am not very Apple (or phones in general) savvy so that info is really useful, have passed on to DS to consider - makes big sense to me He won't have a contract or it will be minimal if he does and no data, as he can use wifi wherever available (he's not sixteen till end of year so unlikely to be earning much until he's 18, and actually doesn't really need a phone better than the nokia £20 basic he has for the few occasions he has to walk somewhere alone.

Thanks for your thoughts on the total debt reductions - it's nice to see the mortgage finally coming down - we have 9 years left. Unfortunately 96K is on interest only, so after school fees end, we need to hit that big time. I suppose I keep the priority debts separate because we have never been late/missed payments with those, its just the unsecured debts that spiralled out of control for quite some time we were paying >£8K :eek:a year in interest. One day I will sit down and work it out:rotfl: