The Mental Debt Struggle...

cinnamon123

Excellent updates Keedie! So happy for your son - super wonderful news. Definitely make sure to take regular breaks (monthly!) to appreciate how hard you've been working and how much you have paid off. Cheering you and your son on from afar!

IndiJonesi

That's great news @keedie about your son's education.  I am delighted for you both.  Indi x

LittleMissDetermined

That is fantastic news @Keedie!! I’m so pleased things are looking brighter for both you and your son. Hopefully he will enjoy hybrid learning and it will give him the extra motivation.

Great saving on the exams too, don’t forget to give yourselves a treat x

Keedie

Thank you very much @cinnamon123 and @IndiJonesi! He's super excited and hopefully a lot more focussed now, and he sustains that. 

I'm definitely taking breaks Cinnamon, as I'm off to visit my friends in Norfolk this weekend 😁. We've been friends for 20 years since we met when we were travelling, and one friend lives in Suffolk and the other in Norfolk, and we take it in turns to meet up at each other's houses a couple of times a year. And so it's great, as our kids are now growing up with each other as well. My son's too old to hang out with them as he's lost interest as he's 16 in two week's time, and the youngest of their kids has just turned 4. But we've created some great memories over the years with just the three of us ladies and with the kids and their other halves as well. So I'm looking forward to seeing my friend's new renovated house and enjoying some wine and a good catch up chat whilst the kids play. They're coming to London in November/December to see the Christmas lights and go to the museums and Hamley's toy store (for window shopping and to play with the demo toys for free as it's unnecessarily expensive!). So I'm looking forward to that!

I'm not looking forward to the drive though 🤦🏾‍♀️. The trains were a bit strange, and I have to go to my sister's in East London on the way back for my nephew's birthday, so the journey on public transport to do all of that was a bit much. But I'll stop on the way to Norfolk and on the way back. I'm not working on Monday, so I can relax at least.

Keedie

Oops, I forgot to say that I've paid £32.87 as a normal direct debit towards my Sky Mobile, so that's coming down as well.

Keedie

Just saw your message, thanks @LittleMissDetermined, thank you. It's a great saving, and the exam centre was not close by, so this saves a lot of stress going there so many times as he would have had 12 exams. This way he has 6 at the exam centre that I have to pay for and the rest at the college - all for free!

I'm hoping the hybrid learning will definitely help him, as he has been so overwhelmed by it all and I'm glad that I only have to help him get to grips with 3 subjects and not 6. And not being in each other's faces, day in day out will make a difference as well to our relationship, as at the moment, he's been trying my last nerve! Just like I'm sure I've been getting on his nerves.

I think I'll treat myself to a trip to the hairdressers. My hair has really thinned out since I've been so stressed. It's not that noticeable as I have an afro, but I've lost a lot of hair and the greys at my temples are uncontrollable, so I want to get it dyed and treated. I've not been to the hairdressers in a year, so that would be nice 🥰.

Keedie

I'm super duper excited as my son's enrolment at the EHE college is today. Once I know what is happening with his timetable, I can then sort out his online school and how he will study the remaining subjects and do next week's timetable. The week after, once he's had a week to understand and settle into his new routine, I will start to build the catch up for Year 10 into his timetable incrementally so that he has basic knowledge to give his mocks the best chance, but not too much so that he is not overwhelmed.

When all of that is settled, I will finally be able to go back to my own distance learning and start working on my copywriting and proofreading qualifications, so that I can gear myself up for a career change. I hate working in HR, and I just need to make some much needed changes in the background, whilst I continue to work in my current job, then I can eventually freelance as a copywriter whilst I continue to blitz my debts and then look for a copywriting job. The aim is to change careers once the bulk of my last credit cards has been sorted, as I will be able to find something I really want and not be thinking too much about the pay, but what will make me happy. So I will be working on my portfolio through freelancing whilst I still have a stable job. 

Speaking of payments, I have put £20 in the exam fees pot and potted my spare change of £3.06 in my tin. I need to think carefully about October's budget, as it's both our birthdays, so the likelihood of being able to put anything much in the PAD pot to overpay for bills is incredibly slim. I'll also be paying the exam fees, so once that ad hoc payment is out of the way, and I can see how things are working with the increase in energy bills, I will do a big budget reset for November 2022.

Once we're back from enrolment, I will running around like a mad lady sorting out life admin and getting my slow puncture on the car sorted, packing and then I'm off to Norfolk to see my friends. I drive up there late afternoon and I'm not looking forward to the drive as it's 3 hours and I will need to use my heated seat cover to reduce the pain, but it will so be worth it 😁. I need to pack all of the kids birthday presents as well, because we hardly see each other, so when we do, they get a big birthday or Christmas present opening session which they love.

Have a great day everyone x

AntoMac

Just caught up properly with your happenings Keedie as been abroad for a few days (It was saved up for by the way!)
Managed to catch up with some cousins who live out there who I haven’t seen properly for 30 years. Wonderfully life affirming and special. Anyway, I digress.
That’s a lot of really good stuff going on for you at the moment. Great that things are going your way, and you’ve still got a wonderful break to look forward to. 

LittleMissDetermined

Have a lovely weekend away Keedie! 

X

cinnamon123

Enjoy Norfolk!