Debt Reset....

EssexHebridean

Scissors for cutting pizza is a genius idea!

So delighted to read about how well the HT is progressing into his next stage of life - and also how lovely his pals are too. I bet there are a good many mums-of-teens on here who would LOVE their offspring to have the kind of chums who clear up after themselves before leaving! 

CRANKY40

Thanks everyone, I never thought of scissors. @dawnybabes the HT can do that with his fingers too. It's hard work dealing with someone who doesn't appear disabled. His friends sometimes don't understand why he can't keep up with their schedules of nights out etc. 

So.... NSDs are at 10 so far. Someone is supposed to come and fix the guttering at the back of the house today - postponed from the summer when all it did was rain. Three guesses what the weather is doing today 🙄  I have the money put to one side for that already. I have also contacted someone for a quote for a new boiler. The one that we have is 14 years old and heats water that is stored in a tank in the HT's bedroom. I really want a combi boiler and the tank taken out. The ever warm HT will then have an extra cupboard and a cooler bedroom. 

Talking of HTs - his first day at uni went well. He arrived early but very wet so at least he had time to dry off under the hand dryer before he had to sit down and listen to people. In MSE news he wants to try not to use his maintenance loan so he has opened a separate account for it. He said that his friends are seeing it as free money which bothers him as he said it's a debt. I will also open a "pot" and I will try and put money in there as and when I can so that if I see him making an effort to be frugal I will contribute too. He already realises how much money he will not owe to anyone by living at home while he studies. His new laptop is paid for with money that he has saved and he's put three quarters ofhis inheritance money in an ISA. 

I've packaged and frozen a lot of beans from bf's garden. I also have several bags of tomatoes in the freezer but I'm waiting for the rest before I do anything with them. The rhubarb needs one last cut but rain has stopped play. I have twenty something baking apples to deal with today though as well as making the HT's bedroom presentable so that the boiler man can look inside the hot water tank cupboard. 

Take care all of you 😊

foxgloves

I definitely saw mine as 'free money', @Cranky40. All the money I saved from my teenage part-time job also spent (every penny) putting me in overdraft at the age of 19 .....& as I had zero interest in correcting the situation, that was the beginning of my 24-year old overdraft!! If your HT can stick to his good intentions, he will be in a better situation financially than many students in his cohort.
F

badmemory

Isn't HT doing well.  It could well be something to do with his mother's guidance!  He is bound to fall at some point but self knowledge (which he seems to have) should stop that fall from being too bad. 

doingitanyway

Wow, you must be proud of HT

CRANKY40

Good morning all. Thanks for your kind comments about the HT. He drives me mad sometimes but he is generally well behaved. 

Operation HouseFix is underway. When we moved here we discovered that the boiler was an old style one that heated water in a tank rather than a combi that gives hot water straight away. I said that I wouldn't renew it immediately but the time has come and it's being done this week. The hot water tank is being taken out and we won't have a water tank in the loft any more. Last week the rainwater gutter at the back of the house was finally replaced (it stopped raining for an hour) so we won't have to listen to the sound of water pouring over the edge of that any more. 

Once the boiler is done I'm hoping to gradually paint through the upstairs including the doors. The garden also needs a tidy but the boiler man is using the patio this week so fingers crossed for miinimum rain the week after.  I've lost count of the NSDs again but I think the boiler price wipes them all out anyway 🙄

Take care all of you 😊

londoner2019

Well done HT! Honestly, I wish I thought like that when I went to university. I didn't really budget at all - maintenance money just fell into my account and I wasn't thinking about what I was spending with it. That mindset set me up for debt all through my 20s and I'm only just out the other side.

Ensure he does let his hair down occasionally, though, particularly when he's done so well. Perhaps a little "fun" fund would work for him?

badmemory

When they remove the tank ask them to check where the overflow was.  Mine left a hole in the fascia board, being unobservant I never even noticed.  A year later I opened the loft hatch & some wasps came out.  That was fun.

Having a combi did save me money even back then (over 25 yrs) & my new one saved me even more money.  Despite the increasing costs my heating doesn't cost me much more than it did those 25 years ago.

Blackcats

Sorry I'm very late but wanted to say congrats to your HT for his uni place.  He sounds very sensible about his finances.
also I'm pleased your op went so well.
looking forward to seeing your winter craft projects. 

CRANKY40

Thanks @badmemory and @Blackcats. @londoner2019 his choice of relaxation is online gaming so he has plenty of chat time with friends both real life and online. His hypermobility is so bad that he gets PIP so he has to be careful. If he goes on a night out with friends he is usually in pain for two to three days afterwards so he has to time any outings carefully - especially now when he doesn't want to miss any classes. 

We've brought all the tomatoes indoors. Counter space in the kitchen is somewhat limited due to the ongoing boiler work and now I've filled in any gaps that I could find with green tomatoes in brown paper bags 😁 I also have a pumpkin and 4 baby Boo squash to do something with.That won't be happening this week. 

I paid for the boiler today and it's in my living room. I also went grocery shopping to get that over with (milk, ham, bread, cat fud - that kind of thing). The HT was going to have Maccies for dinner but the closest one to us is being refurbished so we had cheese and crackers and a doughnut instead. The doughnuts sneaked into the shopping trolley while I wasn't looking 🤣