From debt to freedom...

Willowtree222

That sounds such a beautiful place to picnic.

Dakota_Rose

That sounds like a lovely Saturday. Being able to take the time to appreciate our surroundings when they’re so beautiful is important 😊

Spendless

That does sound idyllic HSL. Isnt it funny how our most treasured experiences are the low cost 'money cant buy' ones.

Yes, I should imagine that tourist season is getting into full swing. A bit to go yet but at least its just 1 more full term to get thru in job1.

Sun_Addict

The picnic sounds lovely. You always find such wonderful places.

savingholmes

Great news on the accommodation costs.

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you SH, Spendless , Dakota Rose, SA and Willowtree222.

Pay day was on the 30th…all bills paid which is good. DD4 has had the shortest term I’ve ever heard of…3 weeks! My friend’s son who is also a first year uni student also has only 3 weeks but the accommodation contract runs to mid June 🤔😳. So 6 weeks rent paid for despite the term finishing. Baffling but clearly a good deal for the uni hall profits.

Glad to get to the weekend. Had chance to get to the allotment yesterday and got some courgette plants in the ground. The broad beans are doing well and are now in flower. Also planted out some sunflower seedlings. Tomato plants have now been transferred to the allotment greenhouse. Lots more seedlings are ready to pot on so I’ll be busy after work this week!! I’ve tried cauliflower and kale this year…longer in the ground but should hopefully give us vegetables right into Autumn .

Spendless

Yup had that for the whole 8 years mine have been at Uni. Didnt matter if it was Uni halls, private halls or private house share, you paid for longer than the course ran for. The house share is a landlord paying a mortgage on the property so understandable and when the tenancy is for 51/52 weeks it does give the option for student to stay for the summer and find work, but not possible for May/June endings. Just a guess as to why its done this way but maybe because different courses have different end days or to accommodate international students so they get time to move their things out?

I think unless youve been a parent involved in contributing to accommodation costs previously, due to the size of offspring's maintainance loan this sort of thing can come as a shock to the system, how much you need to help out.

I still always get a 'buzz' from the month ending and everything paid off. Looking forward to your stories of meals made from the home grown veg.

Dakota_Rose

I hope you’re getting some much-needed rest in this weekend too HSL. The allotment is going to serve you well this year by the sounds of it!

savingholmes

Yes landlords have learned a lot since I was at uni… Then you could even serve notice early and get out the contract. Summer if you were not there was like half price etc… Very different now.

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Spendless, SH and Dakota Rose.

A welcome week off Job 1 this week…felt very much on my knees last week!

Have been spending every available spare minute in the garden or allotment. Youngest DD came up to the allotment with me one evening and we came across a peacock in the middle of the road. We walked slowly forwards and it ran further down the road and straight into our allotment. It walked down the allotment and hid around the side of the greenhouse. A beautiful bird but I’m always a little cautious with them after DS2, who was then 3, nearly got attacked by a free range one on a zoo visit.

We spent Saturday visiting a local NT garden, taking a picnic with us. My dad loves these gardens so we went to have a birthday picnic with him. I renewed our NT membership for this. I find that this is good value for money for us as it gives us days out and I am able to get free parking in many coastal car parks. Only spending was for the picnic food!