First Steps to Solvency

RelievedSheff

alt80 said:

@enthusiasticsaver that’s where we are heading taking dog too lol. Then cafe lunch. He doesn’t need to be introduced to the spending life haha.

Hope you have a lovely time. Don't fall into the trap we did though and spend a fortune

Plenty of lovely free places nearby to walk off your lunch afterwards as well.

enthusiasticsaver

alt80 said:

@enthusiasticsaver that’s where we are heading taking dog too lol. Then cafe lunch. He doesn’t need to be introduced to the spending life haha.

Great idea. Have a nice time. You can play car games with him on the way. If he is into cars you could have a great shared interest. Maybe not top of the range AM though

Andyjflet

Just wanted to say great job and intensity on the BC clearance, clear it down, I hate Barclaycard and live in the same town as them, lots of my friends work there. 
Also very pleased with your emergency fund, brilliant start. I would go for the M&S card now, at your rate of intensity this should be a walk in the park. 

warby68

Have a lovely day.
Drive, talk, walk, get a bit dirty, make him laugh, something nice to eat - that really is all you need. You even have the dog to help. Mine loved castles/ruins as well when they were little. Another favourite thing was to drive and show them places we or their grandparents used to live or go to school and tell stories.

mothsinmywallet_2

Also what about geocaching for the afternoon? 

riotlady

Hope you have a lovely day with your son Garden centre + cafe sounds great! 

lostmyusername

Well done x1000000!!! You have done so well. Keep up the momentum and remember how lovely and stress free your life will be once it’s all paid off.

alt80

Brilliant day out with son today. Made his day having the day out together and mine tbh. Went to garden centre and after to Rufford with dog and football. Weather so-so, can’t have everything. Also got my dinner out with wife and son this evening, so not been the cheapest of days but not too bad for me haha. It seems we are getting an extra day of freedom tomorrow - need to work though.

Definitely regret binning off time with son but the more I dwell on what’s gone before the more I’m going to be self destructive which just exacerbates the spending to ridiculous levels. Caught the guilt when we stopped for lunch - need to channel that into something positive, knowing I’ve messed up but the definition of idiocy is making the same mistakes over and over - not going to let that happen. Same goes for the cards.

Been having a think about getting into a rage about not having a £10.5-11k/m income to spend. My solution has always been to earn more, suppose I always thought I could earn my way out of the messes I’ve been getting into for years. Thing is I’ll get to that income and the £10k spends will become £20k spends. Still driven business wise and want to get there but learning to live within my current income is perhaps not such a bad thing - I should have a decent life on the income I have and whilst a lot of it is accounted for I’m living in a really nice house, two really nice cars, eat well, son goes to a school he loves (don’t really think it’s value for money right now but he loves it there and he could move school and hate it which I don’t want for him) and still have a bit of money for spends despite having to clear the cards. No doubt tomorrow I’ll probably be in a rage again about not being able to go and spaff a couple of £k on event seating for my RR or something equally as f**king stupid. When I’m on a downer there’s no one more hard done by than me but really I know my life isn’t that bad need to keep doing the therapy and hopefully I’ll get there.

Ridiculously tired this evening - didn’t help having an awful night’s sleep again last night.

Entertainment spend of £105 all on food / drink. Took son for Christmas hot chocolate at Costa on the way back. Shared a cookie too. Wife goes mad about this sort of stuff so it’s a massive treat for son to have the silly Christmas hot chocolate. Only kid I know who’s 7 in less than a week and had a Maccies once in his life - my fault obviously but not today haha. Not gonna lie I quite regularly go for an expensed Starbucks/ Costa/ Maccies lunch wife would be absolutely raging if she went through my business card haha.

PassElephant

See a triumph today and a disaster yesterday.
Even it out and realise the best bits are the ones you aren't raging or excessively happy in.
Treat the two imposters ( triumph and disaster) just the same.
So glad you had a level and lovely day.

mothsinmywallet_2

Sounds like a great day. Glad your wife wanted to have dinner with you. 
And congratulations on the use of the word spaff. Excellent word and very much underused in my opinion.