Spent 4 years pretending it's all OK

NoOneAround · 29 April 2015 at 9:20AM

themarsbargirl wrote: »

Hey NOAh,

I read you whole diary a few weeks ago when I was too shy to post, but have now refound you by stalking lilty.

Remember that not increasing debt in difficult circumstances in a huge achievement in itself :T:T:T

I Grew up (and I'm only 25 now) with about 1/5 of the pocket money of my peers. By the time I reached secondary school (2011) I got 70p pocket money a week. If I wanted more money I had to do chores for it. One day's worth of washing up (family of 7!) was worth £1, One bucket of weeds from the garden was 70p (and Dad always stamped on the bucket and told me it wasn't full yet so I had to do more), washing the car was £1.50 (but no hoses, just buckets of water and a watering can)....can't remember the other job prices....when I got to the age of 14 and had a cleaning job that paid me an hourly rate (introducing me to the concept of an hourly rate lol) I insisted on getting one and got paid at the rate of £2 an hour....although washing up was still £1 a night.

As I got older it went from instant money for the chores to Dad tallying it all up and paying me weekly on a saturday with my pocket money to teach me about working and having to wait for the money.

Had I not left home at 15 I don't know if that would have become fortnightly and then monthly or not.

Anyway, it gave me a good steed and work ethic. Obv the money management didn't go so well but it was up to me to spend it (which I always did on sweeties) or save up for bigger things that my parents refused to buy me.

Lovely to see you MARBARgirl, and I am :eek: that you read my whole diary - what perseverance! but Thank You. I am guessing from your name that I have found my partner in crime......my other alias is the marsbarlady (have graduated some years ago from marsbargirl....;) Thank you so much for your sharing your learning money story, I love my kids to bits but sometimes I get so :mad: because I feel that they don't seem to quite understand what we are going through for them and to keep DS at the school for the next couple off years. All self inflicted but We are doing what we think is best for them in the long term, and I appreciate not everyone would make the same choices - everyone has different priorities.
DS earned £20 for cutting the grass three times (a lot of hours! I think it works out £2.50/hr) - He wanted to see the new marvel film at the weekend so I said he could and I would pay for the ticket. Then he said his friend wanted to go to get a burger afterwards, could he go with him and I said he could built he would have to pay for the meal out of his own money as well as any snacks at cinema. He decided he didn't want to pay for the meal from his own money as he would then have none left .......RESULT!
I will look up your diary too.:)
xx
NOA

NoOneAround · 29 April 2015 at 9:23AM

Brogden wrote: »

Of course I am spiritual NOAh.......what made you think I wouldn't be?

I takes one to know one :rotfl:!!

Brogden xx

I should have known......:o.....that's how you have managed to transcend the P&F path (stands for Perfection and Fulfilment);)
xx
NOA

NoOneAround · 29 April 2015 at 9:31AM

liltdiddylilt wrote: »

Oh NOAh I LOVE the garden. Reminds me of mum and dads own slice of heaven. When I was growing up we had three sycamores, a cherry tree, an apple tree, a holly tree, a Christmas tree that grew higher than the house, two rowans and a twisted willow in the garden. My dad has merrily chopped all but the holly tree down now :eek: for light and firewood, but I am sad that the days of blossom and helicopters have gone. It is still a beautiful garden though.

Thanks for my birthday wishes and flowers. I got a lovely cascade orchid from work and a lovely bunch of flowers hand delivered by my friend today who I thought was in Dubai! I was in shock! But very nice indeed

Well done for eating your frogs. And by that I meant getting the two bad jobs out of the way We call it eating frogs on my challenge and it keeps me focused. If you didn't know the story, there was a man who ate a frog every morning when he got up, and when asked why he would do such a thing he always responded, nothing in my day can be worse than eating a frog!

Big hugs xxx

Thaks for explaining the Frogs - never did get how that came about!

Sounds like you had a lovely childhood Lilty (insert Taylor Swift song here The Best Day) and lovely surprises on your birthday (sorry mine were only 2D:o but they were blossom on the most precious tree in my garden - my dad gave it to us when we first moved here 22 years ago:) - he gave others afterwards too (apple and pear) but you should have seen his excitement (their own gardens had been downsized with each successive house move).

Am dashing off now as need to pack food and drive over to see my DD and have a Best Day of my own. She wants to take me on a walk round the lake and down a path where she has found some Shetland ponies and a donkey in a field

Love n HUgs
xx
NOA

themarsbargirl · 29 April 2015 at 10:07AM

NOAh,

Just to share a little more of my growing up with you.....
My parents sent all 4 of my elder siblings to private school because at that time it was the only school in the area with good enough facilities. 3 of them got it free (scholarships and bursaries) but my parents had to pay part of one of my brothers fees. I only recently found out that they went quite deeply into debt to fund his education but they also believed it was worth it.

By the time I was secondary school age there had been an arson attack at the local grammar school so much had been rebuilt and the facilities were now best there (according to my parents) so that was where I got sent.

Puzzcat · 29 April 2015 at 10:36AM

Hope you have a lovely day with dd.
Puzz.x

NoOneAround · 30 April 2015 at 9:03AM

Morning Everyone:)
I had the loveliest day (a few hours really) yesterday with DD. I picked her up and we went into town, had a little wander browsing clothes (no spend) then found some bargain books for her extra reading at "The Wor*ks" (only recently discovered this shop - fab cheap books and crafty stuff) 3 classic paperbacks for £5 , and then I splashed out and bought £4 set of fifty blank cards/envelopes so that I can start spending time some time relaxing making very amateur cards (usually water colour or acrylic painting) which I use for thank you's etc).

Then we were naughty and had lunch (£23) but it was so nice, she told me she really missed me, that we used to argue all the time, but that now it's really nice and that I had no idea how much she loves me. Makes it all worth it and it confirms what you are doing it for:). That was her mature side and then we went back to her uni and we walked around the lake - lovely setting and she took me to see the Shetland ponies and donkeys she'd discovered and she was my little girl again - the excitement and the hugs and squeals of delight as she petted them - she could have been 6 again. :A I felt all warm and content all the way home. Didn't rush around and "do stuff" - I actually sat with tv on, and did some watercolour

Dishes from yesterday to wash/load, kitchen to clean (again)
but I don't care:o, I didn't want to spoil yesterday with mundane stuff that never goes away.
xx
NOA

themarsbargirl · 30 April 2015 at 9:14AM

Glad you took time out of doing housework and had a break

NoOneAround · 30 April 2015 at 10:18PM

Thank You Puzz - I did

Am going to be busy now for the next 2 months as working at school until end June, so no daytime procrastination like I did today;) for me

Did sort of do things - like sort out 2 bags of receipts/mail and condense into one:( ....just didn't get as far as filing.

Lovely DS helped clean kitchen tonight though - we seem to have turned a corner after lots of shouty sessions last week. Need him to be that helpful over the next few weeks.

Keep up with the walking...its motivating me! - I managed 1000 steps on the xtrainer today (on top of normal walkabout) - just need to start upping that.

xx
NOAh

themarsbargirl · 30 April 2015 at 10:21PM

Just thing of the moeny you'll be earning NOAh

NoOneAround · 30 April 2015 at 10:22PM

themarsbargirl wrote: »

NOAh,

Just to share a little more of my growing up with you.....
My parents sent all 4 of my elder siblings to private school because at that time it was the only school in the area with good enough facilities. 3 of them got it free (scholarships and bursaries) but my parents had to pay part of one of my brothers fees. I only recently found out that they went quite deeply into debt to fund his education but they also believed it was worth it.

By the time I was secondary school age there had been an arson attack at the local grammar school so much had been rebuilt and the facilities were now best there (according to my parents) so that was where I got sent.

Thanks for sharing this MBG:)...It seems there are a lot of parents who are in the same boat. After all, we wouldn't have had children if we weren't going to do our utmost for them:)
xx
NOAh

Spent 4 years pretending it's all OK

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