Bankruptcy

[doodab]

Very posh, but would need guarding when away. There are plenty of campsites in Germany, why not go camping for spring, summer and autumn and save a bundle? A van might be better though.

I have actually thought about a camper van. You see loads of them parked around here. Bit cramped when they come over and stay though.

[TimberWolf]

I have actually thought about a camper van. You see loads of them parked around here. Bit cramped when they come over and stay though.

Hostels are only about 10 or 15 Euros a day and you can rent 4 bed rooms. Some have internet, restaurant, washing facilities, etc, but may be fully booked in summer.

[lilelvis2000]

But I don't want a tulip life, and I don't want my boy to have a tulip life. Surely that's just giving up?

My feeling is that there is room to save money so you can at least break even each month.

Try and be me...8 months little work. I'm paying outta my pocket each month. Gave up a £60K pa contract so I can spend as much time with my 5 y/o as I can. Being a freelancer is hard work...and it will soon end...it will soon be back to 9-5 shelf stacking for me.

[doodab]

My feeling is that there is room to save money so you can at least break even each month.

Try and be me...8 months little work. I'm paying outta my pocket each month. Gave up a £60K pa contract so I can spend as much time with my 5 y/o as I can. Being a freelancer is hard work...and it will soon end...it will soon be back to 9-5 shelf stacking for me.

Yes, we could save a small fortune by only living in one place. Unfortunately she wants to live in the one that I don't have a job in.

[lilelvis2000]

Yes, we could save a small fortune by only living in one place. Unfortunately she wants to live in the one that I don't have a job in.

That's one way of looking at it.

[vetran]

Ah it may not be what you are saying, its the way you are saying it.

We won't get housing benefit unless you sell your flats - won't work. She thinks silly b****** wants me to sell the flats, my mate gets benefit why shouldn't I?

Try 'that's a good idea love can you find out about that just in case?' When she finds out people other than you are not going to help then she might be more interested. Also once she gets close to the edge she will understand more.

You may be impatient to solve the problem but sometimes you need to lead the horse slowly to water.

One of my many big failings, I think I know all the angles (can't you guess) but its better sometimes if you let people find out by themselves.

I tend to use the covered page technique, once they have run through all the options I have discounted I ostentatiously cross them off the list. The one I wrote before the meeting on the second sheet of my pad, upsets people nicely! Does make them less receptive to my ideas though.Not advisable in front of the wife but you can do it mentally so you don't forget things.

Key thing that keeps coming through is the fact you cannot communicate with your wife effectively about this. Judgemental I know, but even after 18+ years together there are still places I can't get my wife to follow even though they are logical. Before the smut baron's start I don't mean in the bedroom!

Hope this helps!

[Churchill]

If I've got the time and I'm not knackered I generally try and squeeze a few extra hours in at work. Unfortunately I also have to take care of my own cooking, cleaning, washing and shopping etc which eats up a surprising amount of time and energy.

TBH I am currently trying to work a bit less hard as one also needs to look after oneself a bit lest one become unable to work, and a combination of billing over 460 days in 2 years (those are 8hr days BTW, so thats 490 of your 7.5hr days) and various other factors actually led to me having 2 weeks off due to stress earlier in the year. Which is kind of what precipitated this whole crisis as before that I was plodding along fairly happily. It's a lot easier to loose that money than it is to save it or earn it in your spare time.

You're a wimp. I'm in the office at 6:30 I leave at 18:30 and go to the gym for a couple of hours then I sort my own dinner out, today I was in the office at 7:00 and won't get home tonight until 21:00, wtf are you doing with your time apart from whinging?

It's only a matter of time before the stress of your home life f*cks up your contract. Fly home today and sort your life out this weekend.

[SueEllen]

Ah it may not be what you are saying, its the way you are saying it.

We won't get housing benefit unless you sell your flats - won't work. She thinks silly b****** wants me to sell the flats, my mate gets benefit why shouldn't I?

Try 'that's a good idea love can you find out about that just in case?' When she finds out people other than you are not going to help then she might be more interested. Also once she gets close to the edge she will understand more.

You may be impatient to solve the problem but sometimes you need to lead the horse slowly to water.

One of my many big failings, I think I know all the angles (can't you guess) but its better sometimes if you let people find out by themselves.

WHS

Sometimes you need to make people find out things out from another source themselves even if you know the answer already.

BTW with the shopping the problem with a supermarket like Waitrose over Asda is that Waitrose has more choice on tasty items. Therefore if you can't keep to your shopping list/are spendaholic doing your shopping at Asda means you may spend a £1 more on normal items but you will save more than that because you don't come out with some lovely sauce and cakes. Remember supermarkets are designed to make you spend money. (Though walking to supermarkets cures me of not buying things that aren't on my list)

[Spacecadet]

You're a wimp. I'm in the office at 6:30 I leave at 18:30 and go to the gym for a couple of hours then I sort my own dinner out, today I was in the office at 7:00 and won't get home tonight until 21:00, wtf are you doing with your time apart from whinging?

It's only a matter of time before the stress of your home life f*cks up your contract. Fly home today and sort your life out this weekend.

Harsh but fair

Plenty of us are working full time contracts, commuting every week, keeping the Mrs happy, doing the "Man stuff" round the house at the weekend, paying for the house and week day accommodation and still managing to squeeze in training to make sure we can keep doing it in the future.

Spare time is for the rich, teenagers and the retired.

[MaryPoppins]

Spare time is for the rich, teenagers and the retired.

Amen.