A new chapter, An empty nest, Drama school & Last year of Uni

Honeysucklelou2

Lovely dessert - scones and jam and cream! Glad you had a lovely Mother’s Day.

Spendless

Thank you. It was both simple and enjoyable. I'll probably repeat that again. I can even make my own once I have a working oven again!

I'd totally missed that the 15th had passed so I got a little interest on our everyday savings. Not much pennies in one just over £1 in another, but it all helps. This will go towards a coffee tomorrow that I've arranged to have with a friend after we do a canal walk.

I now have 2 consecutive days off before another long shift followed by a long weekend off - yipee. When the same midweek days off fell last week I spent the days at dental appts and sorting out a care repair and never got the benefit! Today I'm looking forward to a day at home just doing housework and taking my car on a short drive whilst I rebuid confidence about driving as I find I am still very 'jumpy' following my crash. I need to see if a Tesco parent and student gift card can be topped up as the previous one I bought couldn't and the staff were baffled as to why! I bought another to give to DD, as it's helpful for her if for any reason she hasn't taken lunch with her and a trip to her nearby Tesco for a meal deal is far cheaper than the college canteen! I also need to call on my parents to talk to them about the possibility of taking them away for a few days once mine and DH's schedules allows. Mr S is currently away as he's flying to Paris for meeting! I said to him remember this in a few years when we're reitred and the highlight of the day is something very different. He replied 'like going out to buy the dog a birthday card' just like I came across my parents doing the other week hahahaha. However I like my uncomplicated working life now, my manager's boss spent yesterday asking her questions about things that had happened (or rather hadn't happened). None of which was the manager's fault, she'd been off and even if she hadn't they were circs beyond her cotntrol. It did make me feel relieved that nowadays none of that is me being asked why unlike my admin days when all problems fells to the bottom tier of workers as being the problem regardless of root of cause!

As today is Tuesday I have paid DD's student rent. That is the last money from my wages because it's due again before my payday falls I will need to pay that from the surplus I saved up.

Spendless

Yesterday was quite a productive day considering I didn't do a huge amount. Parents accepted an offer on Nan's house at the full asking price. They'd also had their car in for MOT and only cost £50 to fix, which was half the price it cost me last week sorting something out on my new (to me) car!

I discovered that the reason the parent student top up card hadn't worked is cos you need to keep the cardboard it comes with, which it doesn't tell you to do anywhere and you'd think it was packaging cos you can't just slot the parent card into your purse without having to also take the cardboard with it, ridiculous design!

I hung washing out which all dried. I went thru my present cupboard and got all the items out I'd been saving for DD's birthday and created a little hamper for them. We have still to order her main gift.

I had an email from my insurers saying I can ask the other party to refund the excess I paid due to me not being at fault. I've never heard of this before but I printe off the info and have sent it off, might as well find out for the price of a stamp - though they are expensive enough!

Mum has shortened the sleeves on my BNWT 50p charity shop dress. I'm hoping to wear it this weekend.

Spendless

With a week to go until payday Im overdrawn in my account. This hasnt happened for a few years so I was a bit baffled. Looking thru I can see buying some theatre tickets for me and friends to attend has caused this. For various reasons I said it was my treat, friends did offer to pay.

Thats made me aware that we do need an entertainment budget as we're just used to paying for outings from disposible income. I do have money in savings to borrow from until payday or could use money in the joint account. Im not being charged interest so will review situation next week.

Spendless

Friday and the fivers have gone out. Xtra rent is now at £130. Lost is at £65 and my Friday savings at £60. This £15 was taken from our joint acc (which DH's wages are paid into) as mine is overdrawn.

After my last post I did a bit of soul searching as to why (other than the theatre tickets),this was the case. I realised I'd not submitted my claim to my healthcare plan for my recent dentistry work. This will take my account out of the red. I also realised because this month there has been a bigger 'pull' on the joint account, due to things like buying my car which was a few £100 more than the inheritance I'd been left and then paying almost another £100 to fix something not working on it, I'd been avoiding using the joint accoutn for incidentals and using my own account more. .

DD's student rent is paid from my wages but it doesn't leave me a great deal of money leftover for other things and I just failed to take this into account and tried paying for more stuff than I could comfortably manage.

Not long after I'd had this epiphany, a clip came up on my SM with a different approach to budgeting. I'm off work today and the oven we anticipated arriving has been delayed, so going to use the time to implement a different strategy to go forward from next month.

In better news I did send a referral link to one of my kids for opening an account and we both received £10 this morning. Not entirely sure where that is heading yet

Spendless

For various reasons my work rota for this week was changed. It's meant I lost 4 hours buuutt it also means my whole weekend is free, which I'm thrilled about because a local drama festival is taking place and I can attend. The same one my DD competed in from the age of 10. In memory of DDs classical drama teacher who we learnt died last year we have bought a trophy to be presented to the winner of a drama category. DD has come up for the whole weekend, so she can watch it being presented (and we're probably going to watch other classes too) and the late teacher;s family are also attending.

Yesterday was busy. I really should have started doing things earlier but we'd had news of another bereavement (family friend's parent) so wasn't overly motivated plus DH had only come back from his business trip at midnight the previous day and also was attending another funeral in between also visiting FIL and WFH. That all meant I was fitting in a lot in a short space of time, starting with grocery shopping - £109 later! We had run the cupboards down quite a bit and also wasn't helped by a section of Aldi's fridge being down a trip to a 2nd supermarket - another time consumer. , Then I went and met DD from her train and had promised her a new outfit for the festival. A top and earrings were full (though very reasonably) priced in New Look. Then we had bargains with reduced trousers and shoes in Primark followed by me getting my staff discount where I work on some jewellery. After shopping and grabbing something to eat,we made our way to the drama festival which opened yesterday just to pick up tickets and programmes as we were unsure what category the trophy we bought is being presented for.

This morning, I'm up before anyone else as is usual and have re-arranged the fridge and freezer as I'd just bunged the whole lot in yesterday. Plans are to have breakfast, get ready and then me and DD head down to the drama festival and watch some classes

Spendless

Attended the drama festival. DD presented the trophy that we bought. Late drama teacher's family travelled to watch. A speech by the festival President was given about the trophy and the teacher. The person that won the trophy was also overall winner of the whole festival.

It felt like the ending of a film as though the teacher's presence was in the room with us. It was very emotional. The person that won the trophy had been upset days earlier due to not getting a place at a performing arts sixth form - the same place that rejected DD several years ago. DD had been able to reassure earlier in the day that ultimately it wouldnt make any difference in the long run - she was living proof of that. She was also able to reconnect with people she knew a few years ago who were either also former students of the teacher or who used to compete with DD. They are now teaching themselves so it gave DD some connections and ideas for herself.

Spendless

Yesterday came very close to being a NSD. I'd popped in at parents and gone round a friend's for a coffee and catch up and then I got a message from eldest. A neighbour was re-homing a cat and he was stepping in. Last minute evening trip to a pet shop to buy some supplies, then we came out of the shop in pouring rain and DS offerred to pay for us both to get a maccys whilst the rain subsided. Feels a bit mean taking it though cos the prev day I'd treated his sister to bfast, so I'll stand the cost, since he was ensuring the cat got a new home

So today, I intend having another at home day but looking thru all my linen cupboard to see what I have in way of an old towel and small blankets for my new Grandcat. The irony though my Nan's house would have been full of stuff like this and parents have only recently emptied and got rid of the whole lot!

Speaking of Nan's house, parents were there the other day mowing the lawn, when a neighbour came over to talk to Dad, said how much he liked the house, wanted it and had offerred £1k above the asking price on it. Parents have only had 2 offers on the house, the first before it was officially up for sale and an offer of £1k more dropped by the same person the following morning to £10k less which parents refused to take, and the offer by a 1st time buyer at the asking price which parents have accepted, so Dad knew full well who he was talking to but didn't let on, just said he was sorry but it had sold even when the man offerred to go back to his original offer of above the asking price. Later the EA rang parents about something else and Dad told them what had happened. EA already knew, man had been into their office offerring on it. EA stuck to sorry it's sold and politely told him that it could have been yours. Serves bloke right, shouldn't have messed people around!

At the weekend a charity bag came through the door for doorstep collection of reusable unwanted clothes. It's yonks since I had one of these and I had a bin bag full of stuff from my recent wardrobe clear out. The huge recycling bin at my nearby Dunelm seems to have disappeared so really liked that I could get rid of unwanted items without struggling to find somewhere to dispose them. Funny how that sort of thing always clears my mind and I get a feeling of acheivement.

My wages will be paid tomorrow and I can see that for the first time since starting there, I will earn a 4 figure sum, only just by less than 20p but still it's the first time I've earned 4 figures since a lost my prev job a year ago. The anniversary of that happening was recently and it has continued to upset me with the way it was done, so I'm happy to see some positives. I also have been enroled in the pension scheme - I was offerred it when I was a temp, but wasn't bothered about taking it up then because I never knew how long the role would last. It will never amount to much as I don't do many contracted hours but it's free money from my employer so I will take it.

liselle

Isn’t it awful that an upset happening at work stays with you.Even with volunteering and with a volunteer co-ordinator, she got my role completely wrong on the contact list, thus effectively demoting me.She’d asked for any amendments and I pointed it out (nicely!) but it’s never been changed.

Spendless

Its horrible isnt it Liselle. I dont know if this is just my experience but I hear of it happening to women/50+ a lot.

I think Ive forgotten to pay DD's rent - eeek. Normally pay on Tuesdays. Only thought about it this morning. Cant find any evidence Ive sent it. Currently waiting for family to wake up and read my messages to confirm if this is indeed the case, then Ill send. It wont be late as not due till today but its usually sent early to ensure LL is paid on time.

My wages are in the bank. I want to juggle around with a new budgeting idea but need all ducks in a row first (hence me spotting the rent issue).

Wasnt a NSD yesterday as needed petrol in car. As I did 2 trips to eldests house yesterday evening - second one cos I forgot to take the towels/bedding Id sorted out for kitty (clearly having mind fog over last 2 days!).

Am working all day today and setting off early cos still getting used to the car and as I work in the city centre and have to find all day parking need time to both find sonewhere and avoid the rush!