Time to grow up.

happilymarried2013 · 3 March 2016 at 5:30PM

Hey Megano.

I've been reading your diary for a while and thought that if I didn't comment soon it would start getting weird. :rotfl:

Well done on dealing with all the crap you've had thrown at you lately - you've done so well to even get out of bed in the morning.

Please go to Muse. You need to reward yourself for all your hard work. Go to free touristy attractions, get TCB on your hotel and coupon like mad for the food. MSE and fun. Build some memories with your friend, you may be debt free but you don't want to be friend free. Budget like mad but enjoy yourself. Please.

You deserve this reward xx

Willowpop · 3 March 2016 at 6:45PM

Megano, so London... what sort of things were you wanting to do if you visited? Let's see what it'll actually cost. I'll bet there's a way to do it on the cheap. How many nights? Where do you want to stay? Driving or coming by train?

If we can work out the cost of the trip, you can see if it's feasible. London doesn't have to be expensive.

Megano · 6 March 2016 at 1:10AM

Willowpop wrote: »

Megano, so London... what sort of things were you wanting to do if you visited? Let's see what it'll actually cost. I'll bet there's a way to do it on the cheap. How many nights?

Well BB and I are thinking of coming down on the Sunday 10th (on the sleeper train, BB wants to bus it but hearing what friends have said its apparently awful!) as the concert is on the 11th and then back home.
In terms of what we want to do I'd like to London Eye it (even though Im afraid of heights) dungeon, natural history museum and we really wanted to go see the book of Mormon (but that might need to come of the list) in terms of where do we want to stay. Well anywhere Im sure we could get a map and find our way.
The moral dilemma train was still going around and around but then my BB posted a video of starlight live and I was like Megano your going to kick yourself if you don't go! Go! Be young(ish)! Do it! Your only 30 once! Plus Ive paid 20% off my debt Im still well in target plus Im getting a bonus in April (so far looks like a minimum of £250 before tax) so unless I swear at a customer or hang up on folk its pretty much in the bag #FamousLastWords
Then I forgot I hadn't put in my holiday request from W1! I should find out tomorrow if Ive got the dates I need.

Remember last month how I got payment happy and I left myself totally short? Well......lets just say its happened again. I think I have a grand total of £50 to last me two weeks :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
(it shouldn't be so funny but it is!) but on the debt busting front I have got my bike back and I'm determined to ride her everyday.
I was speaking to a girl at work "A you know there is no point me going to the gym, cycling if Im going to eat junk food"
"Your right Megano"
5 minutes later my stomach started eating itself so I bought ALL the chocolate from the corner shop, it felt so so so bad but so so so so so good. #IRegretNothing! #ApartFromThisAndThat #AndThatAndThis.....
Ive also been a bad daughter and forgot to post my mum a mothers day card,. I explained I was going to buy her a CD in which I ended up getting an MSE lecture of how everything on DVDs can be streamed nowadays :mad::mad::mad::mad: kicking myself cause I can see on the MSE site they were doing like 100 spring bulbs for £4.50 and I just missed out! My mum would have loved that, so when I'm going home I said I would take up a rose-bush.
I applied for my old package account to be refunded to me via resolver and I received a letter today from bank of Scotland saying I never had an account with them. I sent this whole complaint, written like an episode of the good wife to the wrong bank :rotfl:so Ive spent the night forwarding it to the right place (TSB) so hopefully I'll get my money back.
Ive also contacted a no win no fee, PPI agency to check an old loan and credit card for me. I don't think I was paying PPI but as my mum always said if you dont ask you wont get.

Kitten868 · 6 March 2016 at 9:02PM

London eye is a very different experience and great if you enjoy it but a bit tricky to not feel green. London Dungeon is pretty rubbish now. It was good in the 90s. I would consider a tour on a bus? There is so much to see. I would recommend Covent Garden. It's lovely to go round all the quirky shops and see the live magic shows. And then wonder through to see all the shows. Or walk to Trafalgar Square? And obviously Camden Lock. I love walking around the markets and seeing all the fantastic stuff. And the bars are great too.
What do you want to get out of it?
It's ok to eat a load of chocolate. Just as long as you don't give up

xxx

Megano · 11 March 2016 at 11:07PM

Ive taken the plunge and Ive given up fizzy juice and sweets (currently day 3) and its going great and I feel like Ive saved so much cash! No more random trips to the canteen spending £5 a time of juice, sandwich and wine gums. Im coming down with a slight cold but apparently thats side effects of cutting out sugar.
I also finally brought my bike home from the underground carpark and have been riding it everywhere, therefore no more taxis :j:j:j small changes which is going to help towards a smaller waistline and deeper pockets! My bike really needs a service though as when Im riding it you can hear something grinding against something. The breaks and wheels still work but you can honestly hear me coming a mile away. I REALLY want a new bike
http://www.electrabike.com/bikes/townie/balloon-3i-eq?g=ladies
Behold! My dream bike!
BIL had an SS meeting today and its really great news! He's allowed as much access as he wants, can take him out without supervision and apparently SS are confident within the year FLP will be back living with his dad...which is great. Honestly. It is, but somewhere in the back of my mind and Im like really? So all that stress OH and I had over the past few months was for nothing? All the financial contributions we've made? What about the taking FLP out every Sunday to give PIL a break? No pat on the back for that? No thanks? Like lets be honest FM never woke up one day and said "hmm Im really happy here but Im going to move out to my own place which will be more expensive when Im saving up to go traveling because I feel like it"
Its not only that BIL is going to be given a grant to get his own house and to get it furnished and again Im gobsmacked. Were is the grant to help Megano and OH!?!?!

Kitten868 · 12 March 2016 at 9:09AM

Don't hold your breath. There might have been another meeting after that one!
Poor FM. When does she go travelling? X

Willowpop · 12 March 2016 at 6:27PM

Kitten868 wrote: »

London eye is a very different experience and great if you enjoy it but a bit tricky to not feel green. London Dungeon is pretty rubbish now. It was good in the 90s. I would consider a tour on a bus? There is so much to see. I would recommend Covent Garden. It's lovely to go round all the quirky shops and see the live magic shows. And then wonder through to see all the shows. Or walk to Trafalgar Square? And obviously Camden Lock. I love walking around the markets and seeing all the fantastic stuff. And the bars are great too.
What do you want to get out of it?
It's ok to eat a load of chocolate. Just as long as you don't give up xxx

Isn't it funny how we are all different..I love the Dungeons! ! And I'd never pay for a tourist bus when the number 15 sees most of the sights for a couple of quid.
Different horses for different courses.

So, if you did do the things you mentioned Megano, go to the natural history early...and spend the morning there(you'll not see it all so just pick the bits you fancy the most, the see it all would take days)...then head to the south bank with a combo ticket for the eye and the Dungeons https://www.londoneye.com/tickets-and-prices/combi-tickets/ as that's likely to be the cheapest way to do it. You can get 2 for 1 offers online sometimes if you Google it, some need a train ticket but it might only be for the date on the ticket- not sure how it works if yiu have a return...might be worth researching though. So that's about £40 so far, plus lunch. From the Eye I'd walk along the south bank and see the sights, from here you can follow the path and get all the way to the wobbly bridge (millennium bridge) at the Tate Modern and walk across that to see St Pauls, or walk to Tower Bridge, cross over that and have a walk round the perimeter of Tower of London, grab a pizza at the pizza express there, then head down into Covent Garden on the tube for an hour of wandering around the shops etc there or head to the concert depending on the time. Where is the gig? If it's somewhere like the 02 then there's loads of places to eat there, but you seriously need to book a table or you'll have no chance of getting in before the gigm

Megano · 13 March 2016 at 11:38PM

Bad news on the gig front. W1 was like its either Easter Weekend off or the gig so Ive done the right thing and picked Easter Weekend. It's fine! OH said he would take me to London later this year (granted he's been saying that for 7.5 years) but why not? Couple of nights away will do us great! In the summer. Plenty of time to try and get some cheap deals.

Its OH's birthday in August and its his time to turn 30 Im thinking of trying to book a tiny mini break away I was thinking of Rome or Venice but then Im thinking maybe we should stay in the UK incase BIL or PIL need us. That way we are only a train, bus or in life or death situations a taxi ride away?

Speaking of BIL he thinks he has found a perfect flat for himself only downside is he needs to get 1 month in advance and a deposit, which brings up 2 problems:-

Problem 1: Apparently he is eligible for a scheme which means he can get his deposit in advance however he needs to pay back £30 per fortnight off his benefits (another twist to the story he's ALREADY paying back £30 per month for a crisis loan he apparently took out in 2001 however he was in jail at the time. He's made one telephone call to discuss it and then left it. I swear to f**k I could shake him at times.
The problem with BIL spending most of his adult life in jail ^seriously he's been out a grant total of 36 months in 20+ years^ is he has never had to do anything for himself. When he gets out his social worker organises a flat, s/he fills in all the benefits forms. He just needs to stay out of trouble. Which he has never managed to do (until now?)^ which means he would need to pay £60 per fortnight off his benefits. PIL have offered to step in but I dont really think they have the spare cash. Which is were St Megano and OH step in. We've saved up £100 for Christmas, plus my W2 wages we should be able to give him 1/2 of what he needs but part of both OH and I is why the f**k should we?!?! He's a grown man he should be able to stand on his own two feet.
Problem 2: He needs a guarantor. Who's employed full time. PIL are both retired. OBIL is on benefits. TA-DA! Guess who that leaves? :eek::mad::eek::mad::eek: OH and I. Now I fully want to believe that BIL [STRIKE]will [/STRIKE] [STRIKE]is[/STRIKE] has turned his life around, and I would never be the person to throw up someones passed, but if it quacks and walks like a duck sometimes you have to say that's a duck.
There's just a big difference from him being out 18 months here, 19 months there to the rest of his life

Claree__x · 14 March 2016 at 9:59AM

Eek what a situation - I totally get that you want to help him, of course you do, but you'd be crazy not to consider the risks of being a guarantor. How long has he been out for this time? Do you really see a change? Obviously these are rhetorical questions but have a think. Do you think if anything did happen you'd be left with the bill or would PIL step in to help as much as they could?

For the mini-break, I'd go for it. Sometimes it's cheaper being out of the UK and you get to see the world and you're only going to be away for a few days - sometimes you have to do something for you!!

Willowpop · 14 March 2016 at 6:14PM

Eeeef that's a tough one Megano... is there no other help from the social worker re a guarantor? There must be people who use the scheme who have noone?
I think the questions that Claree posted above are the sort of things you need to ask yourself....and then only agree to it if you're totally comfortable with the idea...perhaps go into assuming that he won't pay and you'd end up with the debt. How would that affect you? Could you afford it?

Time to grow up.

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