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

Spendless

badmemory said:

Does that make her writer, director & producer.  That must be nerve wracking for all of you.  I have fingers firmly crossed.

Thank you and good question. Yes I think it does. Just looked it up and she has an assistant director to help her. Things like this she thrives on. More of a conundrum is her thinking 'if I use the pool at the gym after class  and my housemates have all hogged the bathroom when I get in how do I find time in the morning to wash my long, thick  hair  and get it dry in the morning without missing the bus to class for my call time'! Unfortunately this seems to be part of her  ADHD and I'm still waiting for her to fathom things like this out.......

Lots of things achieved today. House done, DH is packed. I will do mine whilst he visits his Dad later. Groceries bought, had some threading done. Bought the flowers for DD from the florists, a gorgeous bouquet of 6 peach/lilac roses plus some other flowers I can't identify for the grand sum of £2. Also went and got some $. Last time the organisation  paid for a superior taxi service with a suited and booted driver to meet us from the airport, which she did then drove us to where we were staying with an opinion on everywhere in town that she recommended us visiting from restaurants to Churches and then she dropped us off at the wrong hotel! She'd driven off by the time we discovered it, fortunately the bell boy came and put our luggage onto one of those racks and wheeled it down the blocks (yes just like you see on films, it really happened -lol)  accompanying us to the correct sister hotel where DH's colleagues were waiting for us in order to set off for a dinner booking. Already mortified I then wanted to tip the bell boy but only had English currency on me. I handed him £5 and suggested he ask back at 'his' hotel if they'd change it for him. So this time I've been and got US currency. Handing my Tesco clubcard over gave me a better rate which I wasn't previously aware of. 

Spendless

Just signing in from our hotel. We watched daughter's play today and just wow so proud of her. She'd warned us in advance not to take some things too literally and we were also aware that writers may use aspects of their own life and then scatter it amongst their characters. One of the lines was from a character complaining about their therapist and said 
'If I'd wanted to be lied to for an hour Id have just rang my ex' Hahaha. I just knew that was about Tex - lol.

Afterwards we took her out for a celebratory meal with cocktails at a Greek restaurant. Then we dropped her off at her digs. Her housemate had to let her in cos as the characters in the play say towards the end there's pros and cons with ADHD. Can she write, produce and co direct a play that  sells 70% of tickets and gets a standing ovation - yes. Does she remember to take her house keys with her -  nope. 

See you all stateside or when I get back.

Spendless

Hello from Texas. We've been here a few days now, so am getting into a routine as DH's conference has now started so hes working for a portion of the day. As Im his +1 I have a guest pass that enables me to  join him for 90% of meals, drinks, entertainment.

However there is also a lounge that we werent told about last time we came that we also have access to and is complimentary. It does breakfast in the morning, hot/cold nibbles late afternoon and in-between it has both savoury (crisps/nuts) and sweet (cookies, cereal type bars, choc coated  pretzels, jelly sweets) plus soft drinks, bottled water and a coffee machine, I go there if I need anything in-between invited meals.

I fill in the in-between times, sunbathing, reading, having a swim in the pool or looking round the nearby shops as there are a lot of independent stores here. 

Of the corporate entertainment I have been to, everything lives up to the stereotype, portions are huge, the steaks beautiful and the alcoholic drinks generous. 


Back in the at home real world of our finances - 
Today interest has been paid into our everday savings accounts. Not much this time (under £10) as we have moved the bulk of savings into ISAs now. I have used the interest plus some of DHs wages to top up the amount needed for daughters student rent. I now have 4 weeks worth  of rent put aside before I start having to dig in to what is remaining of my wages. 

Spendless

Good Friday and the only money of our own spent so far on eating and drinking has been when we first arrived and yesterday afternoon when we did our usual Walmart shop to take items back home and picked up some sweet treats and got some drinks from the maccys situated by the store. 

Today is our last full day at this hotel and as its the Easter weekend it has become busier with guests. Think the pool will be packed later! Currently we are waiting to see if housekeeping arrives (usually here around 9am) and are then going to start packing. Weve received 3 rucksacks as freebies (Im going to give one to a friend at home ) so will be using one of those as our overnighter when we move to the other hotel tomorrow.

Usually I keep a low profile here as Im just DHs guest, but I got invited to a seminar about women in business. I was a bit eeek about it considering my recent checkered employment history but enjoyed it and was happy that on chatting to one student about daughter I persuaded her to put her hobby of salsa dancing back on her CV, shed removed it for fear of not being taken seriously for jobs. When we chatted more she agreed that it showed she had stamina, confidence and thinking on feet skills (literally) - lol.

Housekeeping has arrived so bye for now

Spendless

Spendless

Morning - and since I've only just woken up I am taking that as today's 'home win'. Hopefully this means both my jet lag and fingers crossed my insomnia is  gone!

We set off to England on Easter Sunday (morning) and landed at Heathrow on Easter Monday to a gloomy sky and drizzling rain, England saying 'welcome'- lol. Glad it's perked up since.

Yesterday I was mostly out of the house for 12 hrs, first for a chiropody appt then after lunch I accompanied a relative to a medical appt in another city. I had plans to leap in a taxi from the train station, my relative suggested we walk instead (gulp) as otherwise we'd be there too early, so we did and after the appt we walked back too treating ourselves to something to eat on the way back.

Really enjoyed my trip away, lots of lovely meals, entertainment, local independent shops to look round and the hotel lounge and pool for me to enjoy whilst DH was working. Various relatives looked after the dog whilst we were away as DD came home as it was her Easter hols and she found herself both skint and at a loose end at her own accommodation. She borrowed some money as her student loan didn't come in i
until yesterday but then sent me the whole £90  back when it did. I have put this aside for her accommodation as I realised whilst floating around the hotel pool that the amount that we now need from DH's wages to pay student rent until the end of this academic year I had calculated incorrectly and I believe we need £110 more each month than I had previously believed. My thoughts worked out correctly with the hotel pen and paper but I've just gone to check on my spreadsheet against what I previously had put only to find excel is disabled until we purchase a new application. Going to speak to DH about this when he's home as to what options we have.

Rest of today I need to do laundry, put our hol items away, clear the fridge and make a meal plan/shopping list and start a job application. 

Spendless

I take back what I said about no jet lag. A leisurely trip to breakfast with a friend on the train had to be changed into  taking the car instead when I only woke up at our prearranged meeting time despite setting 3 alarms - oops!

Yesterday was a NSD. Today was a low spend one, just parking and a drink. Friend paid for breakfast as Id driven.

Nan was feeling ill earlier in the week with diziness and fatigue. Eventually got to the bottom of it she'd been mistakenly taking some tablets she believed to be paracetamol but were really meds of the sleeping/anxiety variety that she was taken off of  by the Drs 2 years ago! 

DD has the opportunity to take her play to a local fringe (not Edinburgh) and the feasibility is being looked into. 

Still working my way through the holiday washing. Grateful for weather that means line drying has been possible. 

dawnybabes

Makes such a difference when you can get it all washed and sorted.  We came back in winter so lots of mine is still at the bottom of the basket 🤣🤣. Will need to get it done as it’s clothes we will be wanting to wear soon! 

Fab news about your DD play ! 

Spendless

Yes definately dawnybabes, I have already got another lot of washing on the line and another lot in the WM. I was like that when we previously went to Texas last Sept/Oct, the clothes I took there wasn't what we were wearing on our return. It took us months to actually get round to putting the items away.


On my mind this morning is £60 or to be more precise 3 x £20 that I need to get me till DH's payday next week.

I need 1 x £20 to add to the account for DD's student rent. That will take us it up to having the funds to pay the weekly  bill  up until the end of May. I have notes in my purse to go and pay this in to cover this.

The next £20 I need is for some bits of grocery shopping in order to create meals for the next few days. I do have this in £1 coins and small change. I don't need loads, I do need a few items. I ate last night at my parents, Oh my goodness my Mum and carbs,  her meatballs in sauce , were served with spaghetti and chips and cheesy garlic bread, with grated cheese to sprinkle of top and not a veg in sight. I couldn't finish my plate! Having not taken anything out to defrost  for our own tea tonight , I ran through the  options with Mr S this morning and meatballs is the one thing I have. It was going to be I just had to accept the same meal twice (but I'd add more veg and less carbs -lol) then I've just found an Ikea sauce in the cupboard, so thinking of getting cream and having them this way instead. 

So my last £20 that I don't have is needed for a brunch tomorrow with old school friends. This was arranged shortly before I lost my job and was the only date all 4 of us could make. It's at a nice location and the food is fantastic but consequently a bit dearer than 'spoons.  Now strictly speaking Mum owes me £20 which I could use. I fetched her some hair products back from the USA at her request, and she has touched on her owing me the money for them, but my parents do so much for us in terms of dog sitting etc I feel a bit mean  chasing her up  for it rather than it just being a gift (we did fetch them some chocs back which were a gift) 

I can't take from what's left of  DH's wages as we need the money to cover the CC bill, whereas usually I would contribute from my wages for this (depending on what was bought and why) and I don't know how long what is left of my final wages will need to last.

Grrrrr I loathe Wednesday paydays. If they fall Thurs/Fri I take into account that payday doesn't happen until the end of the week. If they fall Mon/Tues by the time it gets to the preceding Friday due to the way our bank acc works anything paid for on debit card doesn't come out until Monday evening (the following working day) which means either payday has already happened on the Monday or money goes in early Tuesday Morning just hours later. Wednesdays are neither one thing or the other! 

All downstairs rooms are untidy since our return, but I'm struggling with motivation to do it, which is why I'm on here procrastinating.. It won't take long to do once I do get started as it's purely holiday stuff . DD during her time here last week, spent some time tidying and rearranging and left me a sweet note saying that she hoped that made life easier for me at home. 

I need a plan, so think if I take a before and after  pic on my phone of the lounge which will be the quickest and easiest to do, that *should* motivate me to do the more messy kitchen and dining area and part of that can be meal planning for the next few days and see how much I need in the way of groceries to manage till next week.   

Spendless

And sorted. A discreet word with Mum and she gave me the money for the hair products and a bit extra cos she knew I was going out for breakfast today  so she paid the bank of Mum & Dad tax too -lol

Yesterday - Breakfast was porridge with (defrosted) frozen fruit. Lunch was HM veg and lentil soup with a slice of cheesy garlic bread. Tea - I bought some cream to make Ikea meatball sauce  and some YS apple crumble to have afterwards . Total amt spent yesterday around £2-ish 

Spendless

No idea what happened. I posted an update yesterday and it's not showing, can't have submitted for some reason.

Yesterday we paid off the 2 monthly CC bills. 1 CC was reduced because the CB has paid out on it. However the other month we put DH's hobby onto it paying the yearly subscription  that way as it worked out cheaper and better value than monthly intending of course to pay it all off from my wages..........! We have instead borrowed from our savings and made arrangements to pay it back over 4 months. Not ideal but it is what it is.

The other large bill was our expenses whilst away which was shopping and any meals/entertainment not covered by the conference. Again we thought anything more than we anticipated spending  would be covered by my wages and though I have a chunk left we don't know how long it has to last so that has come from our savings pots too. I am now aware we need to be better prepared and have allocated savings pots for various things  rather than it all sat in bulk in an account 'looking pretty' as my friend calls it.

In non related financial news, DD is on to the next step of taking her play to  a fringe. 2 of her original actors can't do it, as 1 is an international student and won't be in the UK in the summer. The other is a graduating student and obvs needs to prioritise looking for paid work so can't commit. Daughter has recast both parts.


Today I've walked the dog already and now a day of household and admin tasks awaits.