From debt to freedom...

Honeysucklelou2

It’s been a rollercoaster day today. I remained very concerned about how DD1 would be able to access food / groceries when she has to self isolate for 14 days, so I dashed off to Mr T’s and got some dried meals that could be mixed with water and popped into the microwave and be a type of ready meal. Not ideal or fresh, but at least some sort of sustenance in tricky circumstances.

By midday it was becoming apparent that the situation with flights was not straight forward. We’ve kept checking news sites and discovered this evening that DD1’s flight is not happening ! She is obviously disappointed and I am sorry for her disappointment but I confess to also feeling relieved...the thought of her being alone in a new country on Christmas Day, unable to access anything due to self isolation regulations has been a huge worry and given me many sleepless nights. At least she can be with us for Christmas and hopefully the course providers can think about making the first few weeks, an online experience until it is safer to travel.

After  an afternoon of such uncertainty, it was wonderful to get to the beach today. The sea and sky was a mass of grey, only the frothy white waves roaring and crashing into the beach, broke up the grey, but it was still uplifting to appreciate the expanse of sky and sea before us. The spray was visible as the waves crashed in and a few hardy surfers braved the waves. The younger DCs certainly benefited from having chance to run off some energy and get some fresh air into their lungs.

janb5

A huge relief HSL.  Hardly the best start to her trip and at least now you can spend Christmas together.
Maybe you can take the dried food back and get a refund!
We're in Tier 4 which is grim. I can have Christmas with one son + his household which is a relief. I've been self isolating for virtually 9 months 
Who would have thought life is so topsy turvey!

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Janb5. I’m glad you are able to spend Christmas with some of your family. 9 months of self isolation sounds incredibly tough. If we’d been told a year ago, what life would be like at the end of 2020, I don’t think I’d  have believed them. 

janb5

Sadly I don't have a spleen so I'm in the vulnerable group. There were periods where I could go out but like everywhere some people are very casual about mask wearing etc.
On reflection the 1st lockdown was the easiest but we all thought we wouldnt have to endure this for long!

savingholmes

Glad you can be together for Xmas even if DD disappointed

Sun_Addict

Boo to the garage bill just before Christmas and what a palaver trying to access your savings. At least DD not being able to travel has solved the food problem. 

Cherryfudge

That's a hefty car bill - I envisage you investing in a donkey cart at this rate. You need to be able to travel though and at least the money was there in savings, even if it was in other pots. That's what savings are for, after all. Give it time and the others will refill: you are very resourceful and hard-working and good at managing money so it's a balance of time and, of course, any other calls on your finances. But you will get there.

I feel your relief over your daughter being home over the next week or so - family members of ours will be cancelling trips abroad to be together as borders close and will be very disappointed but really it's safer. Does this mean she will actually be at yours on Christmas Day?

It must be very hard for all those who have been looking forward to Christmas as a time of normality, companionship and fun and who can't now go through with plans. These boards are usually super-quiet in Christmas Day but perhaps this year more people will drop in and keep each other company?

enthusiasticsaver

Ouch to the car bill but lovely that you did not take on more debt to deal with it. What a faff re the Xmas savings. I don't think we have any bank branches in our town now although we rarely use cash these days. Was there no option to transfer online to a current or nominated account? 

Mixed result re your DD but on balance it is probably better not to travel at the moment. We are still Tier 1 so hopefully will still spend Christmas with our DDs, SIL and DGDs. We had already decided not to visit family in SE London and Surrey so no changes for us but I feel for those who are disappointed they cannot see family. What a year

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Janb5, SH, SA, Cherryfudge and ES.

Cherryfudge - yes it means that DD1 is home for Christmas 🥳😃. It is such a blessing and a huge weight of worry off my mind. As far as I know so far, she is unlikely to be able to travel until at least 6th January, so making the most of every day with her.

Tuesday was an early start to drive to the nearest city ( about an hour away) in order to get to the bank. Thankfully this time, counter service was available so I was able to get my Christmas savings out. These promptly went on getting godchildren ‘s gifts sorted, so was glad I’d been able to get it all sorted out. I did ask about getting a card for the account to avoid a repeat of this fiasco next year but was told it wasn’t possible on this account. That confirmed my intention to close it down in the New Year.

Yesterday turned out to be quite spendy on top of the usual Christmas spends. We went for a walk on Tuesday afternoon, across the top fields around the village. I hadn’t appreciated quite how much rain we’d had, as there were swampy sections of the field, despite it being so much higher up than the village. As we walked through, I became more and more  aware that the waterproof qualities of my wellies were somewhat diminished!  Since I spend a lot of time in my wellies in the winter, I felt it essential to go and get some new ones, only a pair of basic ones from the local agricultural shop but will keep my feet dry.

I did an evening shift at job no. 2 this evening. It was uncannily quiet. In the past , when I’ve worked there, the whole of Christmas week would be busy but we’ve had quite a few cancellations of bookings.  Apparently we are moving up on a tier on Boxing Day. Not quite sure what impact that will have on job no 2 at the moment.  The news seems to change hourly at the moment ( or so it feels like), so will be grateful for each shift I get.

I had a letter from HMRC telling me that I have overpaid tax. It’s due to telling them about my  union subscription, which I hadn’t realised up to now, can affect the amount of tax paid. It looks like I’ll be getting a cheque in the New Year to cover the tax overpaid and my tax code has been altered for job no 1. That money can either replenish the pots  or go straight off a debt.

Since I’m awake again in the middle of the night, I think I will tackle Mr T’s early to get the Christmas food shop done. Since we can only meet up for the one day with my parents, my intention is to keep the food fairly simple. Normally I do 3 or 4 desserts that we pick over and quite a big buffet style tea but this year somehow, I just want to cherish the time I have with my family.

I’m thankful for the Camellia bush in the garden, that is a riot of colour at the moment. Usually we have the first couple of flowers showing at some point between Christmas Eve and New Year, but this year the first blooms appeared on the 4th December and it is in pretty much full bloom. A welcome burst of colour in the grey weather! 

janb5

My message was deleted!
I have a Camellia Williamsii and agree with you how lovely it is and a welcome burst of colour.
Maybe look at internet banks such as Starling which rescued me during Covid.
Feeling woebegone atm as saw the recording of service for my ex's funeral.
Galling to hear that my sons' good qualities were derived from their father ....very childish of me