I have an amazing spangly new phone. its a good job its on a two year contract SD I'm fairy sure it will take me that long to work out how to use it...
18 to buy a drink in a pub or alcohol from a supermarket, 16 in a restaurant with food and someone else over 18, I believe. I think it's about right. I think parents need to bring children up with an awareness of alcohol and a sensible attitude towards it. My parents have a glass of wine most evenings and would let me have a sip at Christmas and that and communion wine put me off for a good while! But it showed me you can appreciate having a drink without getting smashed. I think making it younger would be irresponsible, but older would just encourage binging on crap drinks in the park anyway and there's already not enough places to go when you're 16-18.
I've been pretty lazy with this recently - doing things more passively than actively trying to complete them, so I'm planning to get back on it. I'm so lucky at the moment. I am exactly where I imagined I'd be in my 20s, with the time and resources to do all the things I want. I'm not rolling in money but that's because I'm spending loads on rent and trying to save the rest, but I'm a pretty cheap date anyway so it's all gravy.
I was convinced the black bits on cereal were poison put there by two men in long trench coats and trilbys who were trying to kill me. I've no idea where this came from but it must have been a book we had as 10 years later I discovered my sister had the same fear and we'd never discussed it until then!
I also go ill when I was about 6 and was off school for quite a while, and I got really scared about going outside because I thought all plants and things were poisonous. Basically I was scared everything was poisonous. I vaguely remember over-hearing parents at school talking about a girl in my class who had food poisoning and I think it started from that.
1. Have just done monthly post pay-day finance shuffle. Now have £300 in ISA towards Masters fund. Admittedly at present it's still towards paying off overdraft rather than any useful savings (planning to save it high interest then pay it off as my overdraft is still interest-free). In 10 months maximum (I hope sooner) I will be able to pay off overdraft and my credit card, then all payments for them can go towards actual savings too. Then I'll have 10 months to really save every penny before I start the course. Antony is seriously talking about buying a place now, partly because I had a mini-breakdown on him last week when I realised how much it would cost, and because I realised how much it will affect him. He wants to buy somewhere anyway but it would also mean I could save a lot on rent, as I could just give a bills contribution while I'm studying at least.
2. I got to see Theo and Yola on Monday, I went to pick Theo up from nursery! Was so sweet. He's hilarious he is obsessed with re-enacting nursery when he's at home, constantly calling the register/having story time. Yola is adorable, she's talking loads now. When she says "mummy" if you're not looking it could be Theo!
3. I am changing rotas at work in May - will start working Sunday-Thursday instead of Tues-Sat. That means I have a shorter week as Sunday is 11-5 instead of 9-6, and I'll have a Friday night again! There is also a possibility that I'll start looking after Yola on a friday, as their childminder has handed in notice. It's not set in stone and probably they'll just find someone else who can take her all the time but it would be lovely to spend more time with her and they'd give me a bit of cash too, which as you see from point 1. would be very useful!
4. Antony's gone skiing for the week (yes, again) and I'm working all weekend so I'm staying back in Chelm with my parents this weekend. It's so nice to see them (and get spoiled and looked after :P). I've also booked in lots of catch up time with friends this week - Becca's coming for a sleepover on Tuesday, going to see Rach's new house and have dinner on Thursday. Then next weekend popping down to Brighton for the night!
5. It's only 4 weeks until I go skiing!!! I can't wait for a holiday. Although I need to get to the gym and do lots of squats so I can keep up properly!
There we go - 5 positive things that also summarise my week!
I enjoyed the insight into everyone's psyches last week so here's another questions for you... what little thing drives you really insane? This was triggered by me just having to sit here and file my nails before I can do anything. I can't STAND having long nails. I don't bite them really short or anything I just file them so they don't go past the end of my finger. I think it's from playing the piano all my life as I hated the sound of nails clicking on the keys. but when they get too long i can't do ANYTHING until I've sorted them out! And I get really irritable until that point too.
Although I graduated 6 months ago and have been reasonably well paid since then, I find it hard to spend money on "luxury" things without real consideration. This is partly because I spend an excessive amount on a luxury flat, and also I need to save but I think after 5 years of living frugally it's hard to shake anyway. i can't imagine ever being like "ooh lovely new designer shoes i'll take them" or getting a huge TV or computer or something without really going over it for weeks first. Hell I look forward to the day when I allow myself to buy Persil or some other not bottom of the range washing powder, I'm so used to just automatically getting own brand everything. My biggest outgoings are my flat, as mentioned, as it is very expensive but I love love love it, and paying for trains to go and visit people. In my head that is "excluded" from a normal budget - I never count it. Oops.
So what is your guilty pleasure that you spend too much money on, or what will be the first thing you get when you are in a secure financial situation (i have always just imagined that one day I'll wake up as a proper grown up with a large disposable income and no debts and will be able to get things when I want them!)