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

Coxy11

Just to say I got a TGTG bag today from Co$ta. For £3 I got:

EssexHebridean

That looks great - annoyingly the one along from work doesn't appear to take part - although I've realised that the ones by home do... I'll have to remember to take a look when I'm in different places to see what might be available at a suitable time. 

savingholmes

Nice haul.

Spendless

Yes fab haul. I went to Edinburgh last weekend to see DD and had a fab  time, we ate out both fancy and casual, watched school of rock, did a little shopping. Then my train got cancelled due to the winds (in Edinburgh it was just very cold so hadn't been aware) with just over an hour to go till it set off. The message arrived 8 minutes before the last train set off, too late to see if I could board that instead. No more ran that night so instead of arriving home at 9.30pm Saturday night (booked on purpose so I could have a full Sunday at home before my working week began again) I spent the night sleeping in daughter's student digs and returning to the train station the following morning, where trains eventually started running in my direction at 11.30 and even then not calling at my stop so had to get an inter connecting train, finally arriving home at 4pm Sunday, 17 hours later than anticipated!

All this had a knock on effect as grocery shopping hadn't been done, so 3 times I spent this past week on just grabbing lunch/something on way home as I have also been too tired to do much. The weekend was very enjoyable, the trip back wasn't so much!

However I wrote on my time sheet for the Friday I took off, 1 days holiday pay for 2021 accruement as per previous email and it's been paid, whether it really is last year's entitlement or just hours I've accrued this year I don't know and I'm not rocking the boat by ringing to find out just in case they've paid in error and want it back, so I'll accept I've taken things as far as I can. I have been asked to stay on till Feb 28th. I'm still going to apply for other roles this month too though.  

And on the same note of taking things as far as you can - daughter's ex has been back in touch. The lad who made up stories about DD (he claimed she'd slept with him a week after DD's and then boyfriend's hols) has been in touch with her ex and admitted he'd lied. Too late for their relationship  because ex not only believed him he added his own layer of lies on top - which made it practically impossible for me to get to the bottom of stuff and was the reason I thought DD had lied. It was only when the 2 lads stories started contradicting each other plus it didn't tie in with what I  personally knew as fact that I eventually worked it all out and DD was the truthful one the whole time. However I think it's all messed with her head too much, with the consequence that she's come home for the weekend. She arrived last night but I'd fallen asleep after a bath so haven't seen her so far.

I checked my wage slip and the earnings I've had over the past 2 months, whilst I wouldn't say they've particularly reduced our debt much (3 weeks without wages over Christmas didn't help with that!) I will say that we've been able to meet DD's costs from them, helped with buying christmas presents and has meant we haven't had to dip into savings the way we were doing prior to me working. DH got both a payrise and a bonus this month so is hoping we can straighten out the overdraft from it. 

DD has 4 weeks left of her course and then needs to decide what she does next whilst she's waiting for the outcome of her applications to drama schools. 

Honeysucklelou2

Do drama schools go through UCAS and the usual academic year or do they have their own timetable / system?

What a delay to your journey back! Good job you were able to stay with your DD. 

Coxy11

Hi Spendless,
Glad you had a good time visiting DD but what a palavar getting home!
How awful that that lad made up stories about your DD. I often think how glad I am that social media didn't exist when I was a teenager. Not that I did anything dodgy, just that rumours can spread so quickly and be really detrimental to your mental health. My DDs ex put some really nasty comments online about her after they (amicably) split after nearly 2 years. DH went to talk to his parents and it stopped. I then saw him in the SM and he went to walk past, all brazen, and I said 'Hello' really loudly - he was at our house for tea 3 times a week for those 2 years and I used to drop him home. Cheeky s0d!
I hope she has a nice weekend with you guys.
Good news on the wages front, and that you'll be in the job until the end of the month. Good luck with the job hunting, will the agency be able to find you something?

savingholmes

Sounds like am exhausting time away. Glad you got back safely. Good the truth has come out

EssexHebridean

Hopefully the lad coming clean will at least help her to put the whole situation to bed, as it were, although I’m not surprised it’s messed with her head, it would, wouldn’t it! 

What a nightmare with your trains getting back too - I’ve had similar stuff happen when returning from Devon to East Anglia after visiting the in-laws down there so I sympathise, thankfully I’ve never been stranded overnight but have had much delayed same-day travel. 

Spendless

Thanks for the supportive comments. It has been a hugely stressful and upsetting time over all this and I'm just glad that the truth is now out.

@Honeysucklelou2 - the answer to that is - it's complicated! Some drama schools are on UCAS so you only get the 5 choices. This year DD could think of 6 on there she's like to apply for so had to decide which to drop. Then some are on CUKAS (UCAS Conservatoire) . I can't work out why some are on CUKAS, some the clue is in the title eg 'Royal Conservatoire of Scotland' but why is Bristol Old Vic on there when RADA isn't ??? I haven't a clue! Then some you apply directly. The hours are invariably longer than a Uni course and so are the terms, often more following a school academic year with early September - July and then the funding becomes difficult too, some charge more than you can borrow from student loans, some offer diplomas instead of/as well as degrees and the funding is different there too. When people look up the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch or Olivia Coleman and invariably discover they have close relatives who've been in the industry and/or they've had families wealthy enough to put them through private education - this is why! 



Daughter came home last weekend but I think the imagined fab  time she thought she'd had was different to the reality, for various reasons.  She only has a few weeks of her course left and  is in a dilemma whether to come home or not. Most of her fellow students are facing the same predicament.  I am taking a week's holiday towards the end of Feb to see DD in her final play, but also after the fiasco that was my holiday pay last year to make sure I get it all paid before the last date of this month that  I have been asked to work  upto so far. I still don't know what's happening after that.

On the debt front. Still continuing to take tasty lunches. DH did the grocery shop and didn't buy the items I would have, so had to get creative some days. I have messed up what we owe on the mortgage on my spreadsheet. Bottom line is still correct as is the finish date but we owe more on September 1st this year than I'd originally thought as I'd included September's payment - which won't have gone through,  in my calculation. This means it's probably too high a target for me to get cleared by then unfortunately. DH has also similarly slipped up, he thought he was overpaying by a set amount on the 0% cc, only to discover that each time the balance has been reduced so has the payment. He's not sure what he did. When he discovered it he decided to apply for another 0% balance that had no fee and has set up a payment schedule for it. The 0% lasts for 21 months. If my calculations are correct, I think we will be looking at getting rid of it by the end of next year.  

I can't claim NSDs though, as twice this week I bought on the net, each was something for presents which came with a free gift and will be put away for birthdays/xmas so will help when that time comes. 

Coxy11

Hi Spendless,
Yes that does sound complicated with the drama school applications. DS2 submitted his UCAS form and I found that hard enough! One conditional offer so far at the same uni as DD - she wasn't as put out as I thought she'd be! Nothing yet from his first choice, so will wait to see.
Sounds like you're on it with the debt. I'm now back in the office one day a week. Went in on Thursday and was so unprepared. Spent £4.50 at the station on a coffee and bottled water, as didn't have time at home. Then bought jacket potato and a tea at lunchtime in the canteen - another fiver! Did the food shop yesterday and now have suitable packed lunch items to take this week 
I got a Christmas gift for DNiece in B00ts yesterday - from their 50% off sale, plus a roll of wrapping paper. I'm determined to be better organised this year!