From debt to freedom...

Honeysucklelou2

Must confess more of a spendy day today. Had to stock up on corn for the chicks, that really are getting much bigger now and approaching point of lay in a few weeks. I picked up a card and present for my mum who is visiting tomorrow. We did take a picnic to the beach but we did have a packet of fruit pies that were half price but not what I would usually buy. It has been a lovely day and I do feel refreshed.

Tomatoes have germinated and are out of the propogator and on the window sill pending repotting and removal to the allotment greenhouse. Lettuces have also germinated as the calendulas. I just love their cheery colour and it goes so well either with other flowers or on its own. I did get some beetroot seeds today as well, to start sowing those this week.

Honeysucklelou2

I had a lovely Mother's Day. DD2 presented me with pancakes in bed and the girls had all made cards, which was thoughtful. My parents and grandmother visited so we had lunch out. My dear Dad paid for that so I had no cooking to do and no cost. It was a relaxing Sunday...just got to gear up for the week at work.

Honeysucklelou2

Busy week at work and finally had a NSD!

Starmummy

I love how cheery your diary is. You make everything sound so poetic. I wish you all the luck on your journey

Honeysucklelou2

Hi Starmummy, thanks for dropping by.

Work continues to be very busy so just juggling work and home seems to have occupied all of this week. DD1 finished her term yesterday so I went to collect her today. I was a little concerned about the weather forecast and there was certainly a heavy snowstorm when I got to her halls of residence. I ended up topping up the diesel to maintain a full tank, as I didn't want to be caught out if we got stuck in any snow. The total cost was an eye watering £120 but al least I have about 3/4 of a tank to see me through the rest of the week.

I'm feeling quite conscious that there are a number of expenses coming up that I neeed to work into the budget. These include

Cost of school camp for DD4 and 5.
Cost of school camp for DD4 when she starts secondary school on the Autumn.
Uniform costs for DD4 ( completely different size to her older sisters so no hand me downs.)
Present for my dear Dad who turns 70 this year.
Transport costs for DD2 and possibly DS1 depending on what he does after leaving school.

DD1 has been able to sort out her accommodation costs for next year herself. I'm so pleased thT she has her emergency fund sorted out which enabled her to cover up front costs.

Honeysucklelou2

I need to catch up at home today. All the tins are empty so a fair bit of baking needs doing. I have meat for pasties so they can cook in the oven at the same time.

DD2 is hoping to put in for her driving test soon. I've been trying to squeeze the budget a little further to pay for driving lessons so am hoping she will pass soon.

The other expense I have lurking in the background is legal fees to sort out the separation legally. I'm not sure how it will all pan out and feeling quite apprehensive about it.

Spendless

Good grief, it barely seems 2 minutes since DD1 went off to Uni.

Unfortunately, we've also had snow here too and it's cancelled a drama festival my DD was meant to be at this weekend, lots of crying and disappointed children when it was announced.

Driving lessons are so expensive aren't there. We're paying for them as DS xmas present, but he keeps on asking for 2 hour lessons and I keep gulping at the cash I'm handing over.

School residential trips are a big outlay too and so is kitting out for Secondary school. Hopefully you can spread the cost out.

Enjoy your 'catch up' day. Now I'm no longer at a festival all day long, that's what I'm doing too.

Drawingaline

I have already told my dd and ds that I will pay for driving lessons when they get to 17, but they will be giving me the money back from there child trust funds. These will hold maybe 1k by the time they are 18, so not enough for uni, house etc and they see how their dad can't drive (never passed his test) and how it has restricted things for him. Maybe I am being mean, but I learnt when I was 17, didn't really drive again until I was 22, but a few refresher lessons with dad and it was fine. To me having that licence is important, if I had had to learn at 22 when I had just moved to a new area and needed a car for my job it would have been a nightmare!

Spendless

This is pretty much why my DS is having lessons. He's due to go to Uni in Sept and 2 of my friends with boys at Uni, one told me how much more difficult it'd been for her younger child who hadn't learned locally and instead was left with the choice of having lessons in a busier unfamiliar city or learning in the hols in his home time and also how much it had helped that her eldest had learnt before going to Uni and that gave him more options when he did a placement year at Uni. My other friend, her son graduated last year but having not learned to drive has been restricted in where to look for his first full-time job and is continuing with his student p-time bar job whilst he learns to drive.

Drawingaline

I honestly think it is an important skill. It affected my husband's job hunting last year, and as it is he had to take two trains, and I drive him to and from the train station (morning at 6.45!) I have been quite open with my older two about the child trust funds and have really tried to be honest with what they will pay for.

My husband tried to do his test again 10 years ago when we moved here. We live in my home town but he had never lived here, don't think that helped his failing of the test! We live in a pretty decent sized town (home of the roundabout!) And I think it has a bit of everything for driving.