Spending & Saving

We spent all of the rest of our Xmas money today - plus everything I'm earning at work tomorrow, and a fair bit more, as I booked five flights to Ireland, a hire car for the weekend and rooms in a stupidly expensive hotel for my sisters wedding in June. I'm really looking forward to it, but it's going to cost us a fortune (not as much as her, obviously, but she earns twice as much as Aggie, he owns a very successful company, and they don't have three kids to eat their time and money!). It totalled some £500 today, then I have a hen night (weekend) to pay for in April, which will be at least another £300, the girls are bridesmaids and Mstr A is an usher, so they will need expensive clothes, shoes, hairdo's, jewellery etc, as well as something for Aggie & myself to wear, food & expences while out there......... My JSA is £45 a week - it's going to take a lot of saving *sigh*

Still, some good news - I managed to get the house clean for the first time since xmas today, as I collected a new (to me) vacuum cleaner from a freecycler yesterday which means I don't have to struggle with the old one that only works if you hold the hose directly over a piece of fluff for five minutes:-) Aggie wanted to buy a new one in the Boxing Day sales for £175, so i'm glad I talked him out of it:-)

Also, Mstr A attended a birthday party today. L's mum phoned me last week a bit concerned as L (his "best" friend from a few weeks ago) really wanted to invite Mstr A, but as they were going to the cinema she wasn't sure if he would be OK. So I said I'd come along too - as Mstr A is not very good at cinema's tbh. he doesn't sit still well, and can not follow the storyline through dialogue. We were supposed to watch Happy Feet, but it was sold out (oops) so we saw A Night At The Museum instead. Mstr A managed about 10 minutes sitting next to his friend, then swapped to be next to me, and I gave a running commentary on the story for him, which meant he stayed and watched the whole film! Then we all trundled off to McDonalds, where he didn't behave any worse than the other boys;-) It's the first MD's i've eaten for at least two years. YUK! However, it was definitely a success for Mstr A. I'm so happy - he didn't get any invites to birthday parties last year!

I'm working tomorrow - teaching a course near Reading. it'll be a long day, but the money's pretty good:-)