Renovations and Repayments.

AlexLK

edinburgher wrote: »

Hehe - if only it were that simple - I could respond with detailed financial planning and Excel tuition

I will read that tomorrow evening (antenatal class tonight) and will listen to some examples tomorrow afternoon when I'm winding down at work.

I do not think that I have the right temperament for jazz, at least that is what the contents of my iTune5 account is telling me!

I could do with that, though you'd probably find my finances a terrible mess. Currently, I can make simple databases in Excel, use autosum and =cell+cell type functions but nothing else. I presume you work in finance as you know an awful lot about it? Perhaps there's something in people swapping skills; skillswap.co.uk, anyone?

Hope the antenatal class went OK and your wife isn't too worried about things. Do look after her.

The ABRSM site is a good one to get some ideas about standard repertoire for the instrument. What type of things do you like listening to?

AlexLK

Thursday 30th April, 2015.

Dear Diary,

Today hasn't been the greatest, a deal fell through and I felt the need to console myself with a pub dinner as I couldn't face cooking. Another deal happened on something I'd almost given up hope of selling, so it's not been terrible though I've only recovered the initial investment back.

I have somehow managed to get a reasonable amount of sleep these past few nights and not been staying up until silly times in the morning, this is progress for me. Though there's only one week to go until the election now and I've no doubt my new bedtime routine will be destroyed come next Thursday evening as I'll be listening to the results all night.

Mrs. K. got back safely yesterday and was back to work today; we had a really nice evening together, apparently she'd missed me and she was pleased with the efforts I'd made with the gardens. Unfortunately, no more money has been added to the savings, it would be nice to see those start going up soon but this bad run of luck doesn't seem to want to go quite yet. However, I spent a little time in the garden this evening and have some plans to do some more to the house over the next few days.

Yours Faithfully,
Alex.

edinburgher

I presume you work in finance as you know an awful lot about it?

No, but I do work with numbers some of the time

Hope the antenatal class went OK and your wife isn't too worried about things. Do look after her.

Mrs E is fine, although the class was introvert hell 'now, all the Dads !!!!!! off and chat about things' :eek: I am taking good care of her, she even managed an ice cream as she was overheating in the wonderfully modern hospital building we were in (roasting!)

What type of things do you like listening to?

This is probably like telling a Beatles fan that you really like Busted, but I listen to a lot of Ludvico Einaudi, in fact I think I own all of his albums. Any relaxing, 'traditional' piano music soothes my mood.

so it's not been terrible though I've only recovered the initial investment back.

That's good, don't fall for the sunk cost fallacy, sometimes a deal does not work out the way you expected and breaking even is better than a poke in the eye

I've no doubt my new bedtime routine will be destroyed come next Thursday evening as I'll be listening to the results all night.

A few years ago, I would have thought such a comment slightly odd. Then we had the Independence Referendum, and I found myself waking up anxious at 02:30 to see what was happening! :rotfl:

Have a good day

AlexLK

edinburgher wrote: »

No, but I do work with numbers some of the time

Mrs E is fine, although the class was introvert hell 'now, all the Dads !!!!!! off and chat about things' :eek: I am taking good care of her, she even managed an ice cream as she was overheating in the wonderfully modern hospital building we were in (roasting!)

:rotfl: Take a book to read if you don't want to chat to "the Dads".

My wife hated her antenatal classes and told the class she didn't want to make small talk because all they had in common with her was happening to conceive at around the same time. After that, no one wished to speak to either of us.

edinburgher wrote: »

This is probably like telling a Beatles fan that you really like Busted, but I listen to a lot of Ludvico Einaudi, in fact I think I own all of his albums. Any relaxing, 'traditional' piano music soothes my mood.

I can't say I'm a big fan. However, pupils seem to like his music.

edinburgher wrote: »

That's good, don't fall for the sunk cost fallacy, sometimes a deal does not work out the way you expected and breaking even is better than a poke in the eye

I entirely agree.

edinburgher wrote: »

A few years ago, I would have thought such a comment slightly odd. Then we had the Independence Referendum, and I found myself waking up anxious at 02:30 to see what was happening! :rotfl:

Have a good day

:rotfl: So you'll be staying up too?

AlexLK

Friday 1st May, 2015.

Dear Diary,

I'm pleased to say today has not been a pub dinner day and nothing terribly bad has happened either. Unfortunately, nothing has changed with the finances but I'm hoping May will be more promising.

On the positive side, I've been proactive about next week's workload and have planned what I'm going to be doing for the business over the coming week. For those of you that like spreadsheets, I've managed to update mine which reads much better than at the start of this year. Whilst I haven't read the Millionaire Next Door book, it is saved on the computer ready to read alongside my Investment for Dummies book and a couple more once I've handed in the assignments I must complete for my course.

Going to try and keep to the routine I am starting to establish over the weekend with the hope I will start to go to bed and get up at more reasonable hours. Ultimately, should I succeed it should be beneficial to but myself and business which means better for finances.

Yours Faithfully,
Alex.

pavlovs_dog

found you :wave:

I can't say I'm overly excited by this election. I don't particularly want another Tory government, but don't think that Milliband has the gumption to run the country and be the face of Britain. The result will be difficult to call and I currently feel very undecided about who I'll vote for on the day.

On the topic of building a better future for your offspring, I think that this is something all parents aspire to. However I share the views of many here that leaving them a healthy inheritance or providing generous financial support is not always in their best interests. I teach in a school with a largely affluent catchment area. It is heartbreaking to see so many of these well-to-do families indulge their children with presents rather than parental presence. These kids know the price of everything but the value of little. Kids are bought brand new cars (e.g. a mini cooper for a 14th birthday... I know, don't get me started), which are promptly damaged or written off in accidents when they learn to drive. But it doesn't matter because daddy will buy me a new one.

I learnt much of what I know about money through observing my mother's financial mistakes. She was forever robbing Peter to pay Paul, and borrowed money at extortionate interest rates to try and ensure that my brother and I never went without. If she were to inherit from her parents' estate, I suspect she would end up with little to show for it or pass on to my brother or I. At the other end of the scale, OH's parents are comfortable financially in their retirement, but are saving everything for a rainy day which may never come. I would much rather see them enjoy the money that they worked so hard for whilst they still have their health to do so than rub my hands in glee at the prospect of a sizeable inheritance down the line.

Having money to provide for his future is no guarantee that he will not repeat your financial mistakes. Neither is it a guarantee of his future happiness. Teach him by example that hard work is rewarded, and he will value what he himself works to achieve.

AlexLK

Hi pavlov's dog, :hello:

I think the upcoming election is a very interesting one as a lot of people seem to be saying the same type of thing as you. I have always been a Tory voter and happen to like David Cameron, even if I think him perhaps not the best leader. Milliband pleasantly surprised me in the Paxman interview but I wouldn't vote for his party.

With regard to children and money, my parents thought it solved everything and that included them not having any time for me. Whilst it hurt at the time, I now understand why they put business first. However, I refuse to have the sort of relationship I had with my parents when growing up with my son.

I suppose the main reason I want to be able to give my son everything I had and more is because I would like to be as successful as my parents in my own right, even though I'm painfully aware that I'm not good enough.

pavlovs_dog

AlexLK wrote: »

I suppose the main reason I want to be able to give my son everything I had and more is because I would like to be as successful as my parents in my own right, even though I'm painfully aware that I'm not good enough.

says who?

you? You've already admitted that your parents weren't perfect and that whilst you understand the mistakes they made raising you, you want to avoid them.

by as successful do you mean financially? They will have had a 20-30 odd year headstart on you to reach where they are.

AlexLK

Pavlov's dog, thank you for the kind post.

Yes I'm talking about financially, my parents have done very well for themselves. Thus far, I have not and I'm running out of time. At the moment I cannot afford the fees to send my son to the school I went to so my parents will pay, they fund my business and have been known to pay my bills in the past. Yet they managed all this without assistance.

edinburgher

I'm another one who doesn't hold out much hope for the coming election.

I think continued fiscal restraint would be well advised, but I feel that we could probably afford to loosen the purse strings slightly for key infrastructure projects that will pick up some of what has been ignored over the last 5 years.

There's a difference between restraint and penny pinching, as we all know