Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally

HairyHandofDartmoor

milann said:

What are the festivities like at school this year? I’m missing being there at this time of year as the Christmas productions, parties and carol concerts usually make for a lovely atmosphere. I’m presuming with no singing and no bubble bursting it’ll be a very different scenario this year even if I was there. 

The vaccine news is very encouraging- hopefully we will see things change sooner rather than later.🤞🤞🤞
Fishing things out of toilets reminded me of a little one I used to work with in nursery - she used to throw her glasses and hearing aids down the loo at every opportunity . We had to watch her like a hawk....in the end her mum stopped sending her hearing aids and her glasses had a strap around them to help keep them on😂😂😂😂 i often wonder if she ever got used to wearing her hearing aids as she grew older 😂😂😂

 🤣🤣🤣 to your pupil throwing hearing aids and glasses down the toilet 😱.  At my school we're doing year group Christmas performances and singing, dancing and poems with actions are all involved. The parents will have to watch it on video though rather than in real life which is a shame. I presume they'll have a class party at some point too. The class I was in today made Christmas cards which they and I enjoyed, I like doing craft activities for a change. As you can imagine it got quite messy 🤣. My tricky boy had hearing aids but they only lasted a few days as he broke one by chewing it and he kept throwing them on the floor under his desk 🙄. He wears his glasses sometimes but leaves them all over the place and they get broken every now and then 🙄.

HairyHandofDartmoor

It's payday today, whoopee 🎉🎉🎉. My pay is higher this month as I've been doing the extra two days cover for longer. I've distributed my wages to make sure the mortgage money is sitting in the right account and allocated most of the rest to bills. I've put £200 in my secret EF though and have £700 in there now. I fear economic doom and gloom is ahead of us and my TA cover isn't secure, so it feels important to squirrel as much away as possible for a rainy day, especially as we have no access to credit (apart from a £600 overdraft which I don't want to use, especially now they charge daily for overdrafts). DH will get another self employed grant in December which will help a lot but we really couldn't manage without my money at the moment. Apart from that I folded up some clean washing but mainly relaxed as I have some tiring sessions coming up at school over the next few days.

It was sunny and quite warm in the playground at lunchtime so I quite enjoyed being out there ☀️. This afternoon I had fun in the challening class as they made Christmas cards 🎄🎅 using pva glue, silver snowflakes, gold stars, felt, shiny paper, ribbon, wrapping paper, etc. They made a right mess and got glue everywhere 😱 so tidying up took a while, but they loved it and I enjoyed doing something different with them for a change 🙂. The tricky boy had to be carted off by the deputy head halfway through due to him being disruptive, but I didn't feel like it was my fault . Tomorrow the children will have to get on with their work but the tricky boy is at an appointment so it should be a more chilled morning 😃, although he will be back in the afternoon 😒.

I hope everyone in Diaryland is having a spendid Wednesday.

badmemory

I think there is probably something behind the getting rid of glasses & hearing aids.  Once my mother's demetia got bad she kept losing her hearing aids & her glasses, she was usually sitting on them or had dropped them on the floor.  I suspect that if she had been able she too would have put them down the loo.  I think they do it when too much is going on around them, often that they don't get, so they remove them so they don't have the input of it.

foxgloves

Yay to payday, HHoD & well done for squirelling some more money into your secret emergency stash. That sounds like a very sensible thing to be doing in these turbulent times.
F x

Sun_Addict

Hooray for payday and secret emergency stash 🥳 Shouldn’t be really but smiling at the thought of the tricky boy being carted off, they must be at a loss what to do with him, imagine having to cope with him at home 😱

beanielou

Good news on payday & topping up the emergency fund. 

doingitanyway

Yay to payday and adding to your savings.
Making Christmas cards with the children sounds fun.

badmemory

The child may not actually be as bad at home.  If you consider the sensory input of over 20 children in a room, especially when doing something like making Christmas stuff & compare it with being home alone with 1 or 2 adults who have figured out the problem.  Of course if they haven't then nightmare city!

On a pleasanter note he he for payday & an even bigger one for a growing emergency fund

Willowtree222

Great about the EF and the extra money. Hoping the extra 2 days continue for you. 
Hopefully the quieter settled morning will be better for the boy coming into. A calmer classroom might help him settle when he gets back. Of course it could completely go the other way!
I love doing crafts and loved it in school too. X

teafor2

Morning HHD Hope you enjoy the quieter morning and the boy is more engaged when he comes in. I'm honestly never sure about certain pupils being in main stream school. Some I've come across would definitely have benefitted from smaller classes, more routine and a calmer atmosphere. The whole thing can be equally frustrating for the child, other pupils and teachers.

Love that you've got your EF and a good amount in it too. Are you  still putting £50 away every month into Premium Bonds as well? Has DS planned his return home yet? I think the mass travel plan starts next week but DD will be staying in the house until 18th December so just 3 weeks before we go and get her. xx