Drawing a line under the debt. Take two.

Drawingaline

So today was another wet and windy trip to the beach. And it cost an extr days parking as when we arrived I realised I had booked the wrong day 🤦😱 honestly don't know how I managed that. Luckily it wasn't busy so managed to book while we were there and will get some of the wrong date fee back as I cancelled it. What an idiot! Typically it rained the whole two hours we were there and then we got blue skies the whole way home 🙄

Anyway we have the zoo booked for Wednesday, London for me and the girl on Thursday (with a tube strike, not normally an issue we will walk to the west end, but the first show is over at the Barbican) and seeing as the wierd ones obsession with cars is going strong atm (number plates and old cars?!) We may plan a trip to Beauliea.

Drawingaline

Well apparently the tube strike is off which makes Thursday a bit easier. Today is lovely weather, just right for the beach 🙄

The boy has thrown a bit of a spanner in the works. Been invited to stay with a friend but they are a good 5hr drive away. And no direct train. So atm am trying to figure out a way to get him there if at all possible. I am happy to take him, but am not available on the day suggested, so will try and sort it later. 

Today is a bit of a lazy day, need to clean my house and may take a trip to the Swedish superstore. I need some shelves for the kitchen and hubby's hobby room. 

savingholmes

Good luck with all your trips out... especially the Swedish store. It's had lots of my £ over the year so actively try to avoid going now as too much temptation!!

Drawingaline

Well the zoo was a warm day. But was a nice day out. It's a big zoo and really close but we haven't gone for at least 8years. Both the small two were well behaved. The boy and girl stayed home, the girl had work and the boy had an interview at the place where she works. 

Thursday me and the girl went to London. We took a trip to Camden market where she spent all her wages on clothes 😱 but she got some pieces that she has been looking for, for a while and she is big on sustainable clothing and second hand so she was really pleased. Both shows were good, Anything Goes was a big showy production that was fun and then Hairspray was brilliant, just the sort of thing I enjoy.

Friday I took the boy up to Stafford and met up with the people he will be staying with. Passed him between cars in a garage parking spot 😂 he is staying until Tuesday, and from the messages I have received he is having a ball! He also had an email saying he has the job so hopefully he will start in the next few weeks. He has his eye on a gaming pc, which may help with his course depending on his GCSE results.

On Sunday me and the girl along with her friend went back to London. While they watched the everybody's talking about Jamie matinee I took a trip to the British museum to see the Thomas Beckett exhibition. I really enjoyed it. Then after dinner we all went to see SIX (again!) Wasn't a fan of the theatre it is on now, but it still a fantastic show amd this (fifth) time will not be the last time I will see it!

Money wise I have spent a lot. Extra petrol getting the boy up north and back, also booked a hotel for the end of September for hubby's very belated April 2020 birthday trip 😂 I have a few more trips booked in before September, but am also realising that the girl needs to visit some universities between now and Xmas 😱😱😱 so will need to try and set some funds aside for that. 

Drawingaline

So the boy is home. It has cost a tank and a half of petrol that wasn't budgeted form taken it out of car maintenance. He had really good fun and I think it took his mind off his GCSE results which he gets on Thursday. 

Have inputted all of my spending from the week off into ynab and it's not looking great 😬 I have a tenancy clean this week which will help, but August is always a low wages month. It looks like I will definitely be back in my other job from the beginning of September which means that I will lose 12hrs a month as currently doing a client on a day I should be WFH. Also another client is moving away. I am rejigging my current clients and will hopefully be able to take on another one at some point which will help, but our mortgage overpayment may have to take a hit.

Also been looking at changing my car. I use so much petrol it's ridiculous and we have much less need for a seven seater now. But it's proving difficult to decide on what I need and want. 

The boys phone contract is up in a couple of months and am hoping he decides to buy a new phone so I can move him onto a sim only deal which will save some cash. And I will stop paying him his allowance once he is receiving a paycheck which will be an extra £50 a month for me.

Everything just feels a bit tight right now and all I see is people on holiday and spending and I feel for what we earn we should be able to do more. Too many kids I suppose! Just feeling a little bit envious. Even my sister is going away for two weeks, no idea how they can afford it after the 18 months they have had.

savingholmes

Great news on getting to see shows, havi a break from one or more of the kids and your son getting a new job. Lots to celebrate.

Easy to be envious of others holidays. Sometimes it reflects priorities, stage of life or hidden debt. Good that you are getting days out...

Drawingaline

Definitely different priorities. My sister owns a touring caravan so it won't be costing them a lot, I think I was just having a bit of a pity party for some reason. I just feel that my kids don't get to do much because I am always having to work in the holidays. The fact that the younger two don't like doing too much doesn't change how I feel about it. 

Just feeling a bit flat after a week off I think. 

Drawingaline

I had an unexpected day off on Friday as my client was on holiday. Which I knew about but forgot 😂 so I took the little two to the big Swedish store. So now ynab is not happy with me. Need to do some financial jigging I think 

The boy got his results. Did well and we are so proud of him. He has had such a tough 18 months and isn't very academic but he passed everything and got his maths (he was borderline and has worked with a lovely tutor over zoom for six months) which means he can do the college course he wants. He enrols next week. 

The girl is feeling a bit more fired up about applying to uni, some of them are having actual open days too. So she needs to decide if she applies this year and asks to defer, applies and goes next September or leaves applying until next year. There is one course that is incredibly hard to get onto, so she of course wants the challenge of applying for that one, not sure I cam cope with the drama this will create, but it is the best in the country I think! She needs to start taking her portfolio serious (maybe a reason for applying next year) and needs to talk to her teacher for his advice too.

Have a London trip tomorrow with the boy and the smallest. Hopefully it will be a cheap one.

savingholmes

Congrats to DS. Good luck to DD. I sympathise on the uni stuff... I think kids give us drama whatever their choices it goes with the territory...

Drawingaline

savingholmes said:

Congrats to DS. Good luck to DD. I sympathise on the uni stuff... I think kids give us drama whatever their choices it goes with the territory...

She takes after me, but she is even more creative (I loved drama but the other arts eluded me!) And it certainly shows. But she is an awful at procrastination so everything just becomes a last minute drama 🙄 I warned her at the beginning of the school holidays I wasn't standing for her leaving it all to the last minute and then throwing massive tantrums. But although she has been revising for her theory test not a lot else seems to have happened and I know she needs to do at least six more essays and two photo shoots 😱😂