From debt to freedom...

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Spendless. It certainly is different with just 4. We only needed 1 packet of corner yogurts and it served us all :rotfl:. It is so quiet as well!!

The college that DS has applied to is good at courses for outdoor careers including agriculture and horticulture. He has chosen something different again but I did meet the tutor of this subject on the open day and he seemed very passionate about passing on skills to the next generation to ensure that the countryside is well looked after in the future. If he was doing a non-outdoor course I would be a little more concerned but hopefully he will be able to settle to complete this.

Hope your DS is able to find out his results soon. Is he able to start university this September?

Spendless

Honeylou - Yes, he starts in just over 3 weeks time. Fortunately his chosen Uni offered foundation year too and guaranteed it if they were made his firm choice, which is just as well, given the situation. His 2nd choice which actually wanted better grades, and has no foundation withdrew their offer over his (unknown) poor grades.

My DS just doesn't 'get' my frustration. He's going to Uni and that's it. He doesn't understand why I'd like to know what he's got to show for the past 2 years . So annoying for someone who got 8 A-C grades at GCSE only 2 years ago, its not down to ability but a combination of DS' laziness and the college's poor teaching and disorganisation. For the past 2 years he was there, they told him last minute each year they hadn't received coursework (they had!). How can you accurately mark work you're claiming you haven't had handed in. :wall: Arrgghhh.

Honeysucklelou2

I have slumped after a very busy day. I took DD1 to work, then drove to the nearest Next shop to return 2 items that weren't needed. We searched the local Mr T's to get a pair of arm bands for the toddler before finding the last inflatable jacket at Bee and M for just £1!

I got the gate painted...I never realised that a 5 bar gate had so many nooks and crevices that required paint! It does look much better now.:) We were able to go swimming, which the toddler absolutely loved. We don't go swimming in a pool very often so it is a real treat when we do go. After picking DD1 up again we headed to Ald1 where I went in for fish fingers and came out with this brilliant gadget. It's a re chargeable garden tool that looks like a giant razor and is able to cut grass. At the entrance to our home there is a raised small patch of grass that is too small ( and high up) to warrant a mower but too big for shears. Over the summer it has got decidedly straggly, much to my dismay. This evening has been brilliant. Out I went with this gadget and it has clipped the grass beautifully so all looks nice and neat. O the joy:j:j:j:j::) iIt did cost £20 that I hadn't budgeted for so will have to juggle figures in a minute but this gadget will save me having to get a strimmer which was next on my garden tool " to save for " list. Ironically all the tools necessary for the garden are in sheds but triple locked so I can't access them but I'm glad that today the garden is looking so much better.

Honeysucklelou2

Spendless - that's appalling that he doesn't know his grades yet...if coursework is involved the college must have to go through some kind of external moderation at some point. They will need to be more organised with its whereabouts. Hope the next few weeks goes well as you all prepare for your DS's next steps. I can't believe that DD1 is going into her second year already. It doesn't seem that long since we were getting her prepared!

Honeysucklelou2

Hoping to have a quieter day today. It's quite wet outside, so I'm glad I got the gate painting out of the way yesterday. Two lemon drizzle cakes are cooking as I type, so will try and find some apple recipes next. I have been given half a bucket of apples that really need to have something done with them or they will deteriorate. DD1 has a day off today, so no rushing around to do

Eager_Elephant

Spendless - A level and BTEC grades came out mid August so I think he's had his results and doesn't want to tell you them.

My son was the same, very clever but didn't try and his GCSE's left a lot to be desired and then he flunked his Alevels for the same reason.

He has also done a foundation year at Uni, he's now in his first year of his course and had to do resits for 2 of them - honestly the boy will never learn!!!!

Honeysucklelou2

Well my quiet day didn't quite happen! I went out for a couple of hours and on our return found that the ex was back with the 4 he'd taken camping. The weather was too bad to warrant staying until today, which I believe was the original plan. Good job I'd made 2 lemon drizzle cakes and a scrabble in the freezer for sausages, sorted out tea. I was glad to get the 4 campers back. The house is now back to normal busyness and volume!

Today is need to get the car cleaned inside and out in preparation for it's service and MOT tomorrow. I'm hoping it won't be too much money after already spending £300 on the tyres.

There are a couple more jobs that I want to get done before returning to work, mainly finishing off the painting of the hallway and finishing the trimming of the hedge in the back garden. I'm still sorting through clothes and am now on my 5th bag of clothes recycling.

Made a £20 extra payment off a debt on Friday and in other money news, I had a letter from the mortgage company telling me of a £29 increase to the monthly amount.

Honeysucklelou2

Just had a quick check of the MSE Credit club and the good news is the home improvement loans have come down to £2994, the bad news is over the 4/5 years I've had the loans, I've paid £4,000. That's enough to have paid for the jolly windows outright. Such a frustration. I really need to make overpayments, however small because the interest still takes up most of the monthly payment schedule :mad:

Cherryfudge

Your lawn razor gadget sounds brilliant - it's surprising what inventions there are.

I notice a few diaries mention cutting short camping trips, and someone else even joined me in mentioning switching the heating on (okay, so I actually did so). I'm hoping for a drier day today as DS1 has offered to help me with the garden again.

The overpayments on the windows loan would definitely make a difference. Could you perhaps put a small amount to that account at the beginning of the financial month, as you'd then have to cut your coat to fit the cloth later? Or could you save 50ps or £2 coins or something? It may only be a very small amount but as you say, it will decrease the payments in the long term.

Spendless

Eager_Elephant wrote: »

Spendless - A level and BTEC grades came out mid August so I think he's had his results and doesn't want to tell you them.

My son was the same, very clever but didn't try and his GCSE's left a lot to be desired and then he flunked his Alevels for the same reason.

He has also done a foundation year at Uni, he's now in his first year of his course and had to do resits for 2 of them - honestly the boy will never learn!!!!

You know what I'd rather think that this was the case, he just doesn't want to admit them. However, the calibre of the college he went to, backed up by the last week of both yr1 and yr2 them emailing him to say he hadn't handed in assignments. Not being able to explain the grading system when there was an open evening (course tutor wasn't in, just admin). The college's reply of 'there isn't one' when DH asked the tutor what DS options were for getting on to yr2 when they announced the last week he had outstanding assignments (DH took time off work and DS went without sleep to get the 'missing' ones re-submitted by the deadline), makes me believe he doesn't know them, rather than is hiding them.

As I say DS doesn't 'get' my feelings on it. He was changed to an unconditional foundation the week before results came out, so says it doesn't matter, he's going to Uni anyway and is making no attempt to find them out. I can believe he might have been told how to get them and hasn't listened but this situation is just proving to me everything I said about the place 2 years ago. However, I am finding no satisfaction in 'I told you so' other than to act as a warning to my younger child.

What DS hasn't realised though, is that eventually those certificates will come thru the post and since I'm lucky if he picks stuff up off the doormat, let alone opens his own stuff, I am very likely to see his grades before he does, even if they do turn up before he goes to Uni.


I am hoping Uni will be a different story and because he receives the min maintenance loan, we've said we'll pay his accommodation and in a master stroke DH has said 'we'll pay for it every year if you get good grades. I have added which we will need to see the evidence of'


I hope you have better luck with your DS1 Honey, with his next step, than I've had with mine