taking responsibilty to get me where I want to be

efes_shareholder wrote: »

You wait all month for a salary replenishment and when it arrives it vanishes so quickly !!

Yesterday my son approached me to tell me he isn't sure he has enough money to see him through until his uni payment in September - he has an emergancy fund which came from a saving scheme since he was a baby and needed to dip in to this when he had to pay next years rent up front , but he knows he will be expected to return at least some of this when he is able too ( its a ball ache having to pay before the grants arrive as he is always chasing his tail)
He also has a part time job for the summer but its at a local venue which is very much dependant on good weather so he can get rained off and as yet he hasn't had a pay day.
Hes a bit like his mum and doesn't always manage his money well but this is the first time he has approach for general living - he wanted to take some cash from his EF but didn't want to approach his dad who is in control of this as he would get a rollicking

I have told him , I need him to sit down and make a budget planner listing everything that is coming in and when and everything that is going out and when so that he can have a clear vision of his forthcoming expenditure and what funds he will available to him - He has a little weekend booked with his friends and this is what he is worried about , that he doesn't have enough funds.
Having spoken to him , I asked him how much he had and couldn't see why he was concerned as it sounded more then enough , I think he just wanted the buffer.

We have compromised that he doesn't touch his EF for the moment and he does his upmost to manage on what he has however if that isn't possible , I will transfer to his account on the clear understanding that it is returned when the loan comes in and it isn't a gift.

I am not comfortable with him dipping in to his EF and wanted to find another way , as if he takes a £100 here and there for the sake of needing £30 then before he knows it there will be no EF.

Making him sit down and do himself a budget will at least give him an understanding of how he manages the year and what he has available

To be fair in 8 years of my kids going to the uni this is the first time i've ever been asked which it is quite surprising and hopefully his wages will come in and tide him over anyway !

I guess my ramble is that I am trying to encourage good habits in to him instead of easy fixes as that fix will run out

I approached Virgin Media yesterday as they have withdrawn all the UKTV channels so I see this as an oppurtunity to try and get a reduction on my bill whilst I am still in contract - they offered me £3 per month which I have told them to apply but also said it wasnt enough as i would now need to install an aerial to access my mums favorite channels and had i known i would not be getting these i would have done this in the first place and not paid them to install their virgin box etc. it has been escalated to a manager. I am aiming for a credit to cover the initial installation of the equipment which was £40 ( although I got this back by using Quidco)
I've read some people are managing to leave the contract early but I don't really want to do this as the internet service is the best in the area