Additional excitement locally here that we had a tiger on the loose. Actually made front page of the BBC news website.
We had a bit of a family finance meeting and my ideas have been ratified.
New budget.
All bills to be paid from my salary. Cash from my salary to cover £400 per month shopping (not just food, all shopping and lottery). £250 cash from my money to cover fuel for both cars.
Money from Fahed smallest job to cover £150 each pocket money. Pocket money includes clothing allowance, eating out, work lottery syndicate ( I don't want to be the only one left there when they win and all leave).
Fahed s other job and any additional cash from quidco, ebay, housekeeping from eldest son goes straight to savings. Savings includes financing holiday (which really means progress on Crete house rather than cocktails at the beach), Presents for birthdays and Christmas, car tax and MOT's, car and home repairs.
Eldest son is saving for holiday (coming with us), a new computer and paying for his computer course so I did a separate budget for him which he found really useful. He also came up with some meal ideas to be a bit more economical. He always takes lunch from home and doesn't waste any of his cash that way.
Youngest son doesn't normally take lunch to college unless they have a physical day, hiking or some sailing activity. Which means he does come home from college actually ravenous. He eats a meal as soon as he gets in and another when we all dine int he evening. I asked for ideas from him for a cheaper late lunch/first dinner and he said he loves Lidl noodles. If he gets his job (everything crossed) then it will all change because he will be away from Monday to Friday when they are on land and obviously away constantly when they are at sea. I want him to get the job as he wants to get it but I would much prefer to have him at home! He eats a lot so it will be much cheaper if he isn't here. Plus i could cancel Sky Movies with a clear conscience.
Fahed was happy with the budget figures I used. Any left overs can go in the DIY pot as we mustn't stop progressing the house here in England. If it all settles down out there then Fahed will go to Syria in summer 2012. We will decide then whether to sell the land etc that we have and re-invest out there or move all our eggs to the Crete basket. Lastly I have answered an advert for someone looking for a house in Crete through the 2011/12 winter. They are bagpipe makers who spend the summer in Scotland and Bulgaria and fancy winter somewhere further South. How cool. I don't want to rent the house out really but it makes sense to do so. I have to do it on a long let because we don't have a certification for holiday letting. That means we dont get very much rent but it all goes int he savings pot and maybe I get over my fear of strangers in the house. If a Bulgarian bagpipe maker can;t overcome my fear then who can??
Eldest son wants me to help his girlfriend with her budget on Monday. I don't think she has had any help from her family in how look after her money and is always broke despite working three jobs so hopefully I can help.
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