Geriatricmum vs inner voice: A monologue

greenbee

Geriatricmum said:

KeepOnKnitting said:

Fair enough about not wanting to move her into the small room if it can't even fit an actual bed. I can see my thoughts definitely do not work as a solution.

I appreciate she helps out at home and is saving up for her own place. You absolutely don't have to answer, but does she pay board? I know it isn't fashionable these days to expect kids to contribute, but if it means you all get to upsize to a more comfortable property sooner, maybe it is worth broaching?

Yup, she pays £150 a month. When we move we've all agreed she'll contribute more.

The bed is starting to become a issue fur DD7, she's currently in one of those extendable ikea beds and we cannot extend it to the third fullest length so she'll soon be squashed in there. 

Gin and cigarettes? Isn't that supposed to help stunt growth  

In all seriousness, it sounds as if paying down the debt and getting the house ready to go on the market need to happen in parallel. Decluttering could help with both!

Geriatricmum

enthusiasticsaver said:

Geriatricmum said:

I want to be out of this house by the end of the year, I think by 2yo DS1 will need to be out of our room. 

I want the Barclaycard cleared by May, then half the other cards by the end of the year.

Our mortgage advisor suggested we pay off our cards with the profit from the sale of the house. 

That will presumably mean a bigger mortgage on your next house. What is the plan re selling/purchase costs? 

Oh definitely, I have the numbers scribbled down somewhere but from memory at the moment we're looking at a mortgage which will cost us about £500 more than we're paying now.

We have a two loans which will be paid off this year (monthly cost is £940!) plus credit card bills which will reduce and a massive reduction in nursery fees once DS1 turns 3. So it's affordable. 

Geriatricmum

Spendless said:

I think it's quite difficult when you're trying to second- guess when a 20-something will leave home. Our (almost) 24yo never returned after Uni (in fact he barely returned in hols after the first 18 months) because he met his now wife there. My friend's sons who went into the world of work from sixth form are still with her at 23 and 21 with no sign of going. It is very dependant on their own circs. 

We have a summer house in our garden. It has wifi connection and electricity. Built initially as a playhouse and occasional workspace, it became  a Godsend during the pandemic. I know you've ruled out converting the garage into a bedroom as not cost effective, is making it into a work space feasible to give you all a little extra space even if it doesn't solve the bedroom requirements? 

No not really, DH is actually very handy and he services the cars and is great in the house with bits that need fixed etc and builds things so he has alot of tools in the garage, there would be nowhere for him to store this stuff and he'd lose his workshop in essence. It's also cold and has no windows. 

Geriatricmum

greenbee said:

Geriatricmum said:

KeepOnKnitting said:

Fair enough about not wanting to move her into the small room if it can't even fit an actual bed. I can see my thoughts definitely do not work as a solution.

I appreciate she helps out at home and is saving up for her own place. You absolutely don't have to answer, but does she pay board? I know it isn't fashionable these days to expect kids to contribute, but if it means you all get to upsize to a more comfortable property sooner, maybe it is worth broaching?

Yup, she pays £150 a month. When we move we've all agreed she'll contribute more.

The bed is starting to become a issue fur DD7, she's currently in one of those extendable ikea beds and we cannot extend it to the third fullest length so she'll soon be squashed in there. 

Gin and cigarettes? Isn't that supposed to help stunt growth  

She's tall for her age too she's the height of a 9 year old

In all seriousness, it sounds as if paying down the debt and getting the house ready to go on the market need to happen in parallel. Decluttering could help with both!

Yeah, that's what we're working towards. That's why I started this diary, we realised what we needed to do last summer but I just didn't start doing it till now. 

I just love shopping. I miss it. 

Spendless

That sounds like the dopamine hit you're missing.  Have you looked into different ways to combat this? .

enthusiasticsaver

I was speaking to my son in law re this as he has ADHD and regrets bitterly the money he feels he wasted due to impulse buys years before he married my DD2. Their finances are solid now but only because he has limited access to funds at his own request and they don’t use credit cards. Finding another way to get a dopamine fix other than shopping is critical really. 

Geriatricmum

My problem is finding the time. Having the two younger kids and keeping house keeps me very busy. 
This is also a reason to declutter, the amount of clothes is unbelievable. Plus DS1s toys are kept in the lounge.

At the moment excercise is my hobby. 

greenbee

You need to get your dopamine hit from ‘unshopping’ 😉

Geriatricmum

greenbee said:

You need to get your dopamine hit from ‘unshopping’ 😉

😂 I did join the NSD challenge! 

greenbee

Geriatricmum said:

greenbee said:

You need to get your dopamine hit from ‘unshopping’ 😉

😂 I did join the NSD challenge! 

Next challenge is to sell as much as you can and get the dopamine hit from the sales.