Great posting Tigger,it is a lovely feeling being able to do those things without worrying when the credit card bill drops on the door mat. My partner and i often go to Liverpool and we too have discovered the Red Hot buffet, i have been twice now with my partner and you do have to becareful that you don't fill up too much, those virgin mojitos are something else too.
Learning to be frugal can be quite challanging but enjoyable too, i have certainly found this as instead of driving into Liverpool i get a save a way ticket for £4.70, can go on any train within merseyside and also get a ferryride thrown in too. You couldn't park in the in city centre for that amount of money and then there is the cost of petrol, so train everytime now, even going into manchester costs only £7.20.
Om shanti, namesté, good luck to all who are embarking on the IVA journey, it isn't always an easy one but the outcome is the best.
IVA COMPLETED August 2012, received Completion certificate 18.4.13.