Your greatest achievment or proudest moment

[MelanieGiles]

As they estimate that it costs something like £80,000 to raise each child from birth to university, I imagine there is some impact on finances Debbie!!!

[aguise]

There are a lot of us arent there Debbie. I think it has a huge impact on everything. I always got annoyed when you take them somwhere for the day and they offer a family ticket, but it was always 2 adults 2 children. I quite often used to comment this is my family but just had to pay the extra, yes clothes xmas you name it double the cost. When they were all at home it looked like I shopped for a month and it would only be a week.

Ang

[aguise]

There are a lot of us arent there Debbie. I think it has a huge impact on everything. I always got annoyed when you take them somwhere for the day and they offer a family ticket, but it was always 2 adults 2 children. I quite often used to comment this is my family but just had to pay the extra, yes clothes xmas you name it double the cost. When they were all at home it looked like I shopped for a month and it would only be a week.

Ang

[buttercup]

Like everyone else it has to be my 3 great kids aged 22/20/18 having 3 aged under 5 was a nightmare & they were planeed . I must have needed me head read but now they all get on great in fact the eldest 2 are at uni together & share a house with 4 others.They have been a great suppory during this awful time.

Rivava you should be proud of yourself as well that is something that really was a life saver all because of debt.

I really wish we could all tell people in debt to stop NOW & get help do not let it go on & ruin your life. We are all lucky here as we have this great forum where we can turn. I must admit this forum & all posters have helped me greatly.

[Reviva UK]

Costs - 4 children v 3

Whilst there are some cost benefits such as hand me downs with toys / clothes / prams etc ( I am lucky as i have 4 girls )there are some significant additional costs.

The family is now confined to having to drive a van - believe the technical term is MPV or people carrier - and these are significantly more expensive that the equivalent age 5 seater car. If you can't afford a 7 seater then you are destined to 2 car journeys!.

We have 4 lots of friends birthday parties to attend ( pressy costs), we have 4 lots of friends who visit and have sleep overs. actually thought we were running a boarding school recently with the number of overnighters!

4 lots of calpol etc etc

the costs are significant and not to be sniffed at.

[aguise]

Yes Paul we had to go to the mpv, back to a car now, but it was higher costs, insurance everything. My trouble was the three older chiuldren were so close in ages you couldnt hand anything down !

Ang

[Soulgrowth]

I have to say that now all mine have left home (well one keeps a token untidy bedroom here just to remind me what it was like in the "good old days") my debt drain has died down enough that I am able to address it and my "weekly" shopping consists of all the things I like to eat! [:)]

Debbie

[aguise]

Yes Debbie same here. my younger one appears every week at some point and destroys a bedroom for the night. I still have a problem with cooking too much food I was so used to running a cafe, mind sundays can still be a bit like that.

Ang

[BECKY]

Having suffered with agoraphobia for 2 yrs I beat it and passed my driving test. Thats my greatest achievement !!

[Soulgrowth]

Hey Becky! Brilliant!

Debbie

[Adam Davies]

Hey Paul
Read your reply saying that my photo must be at least ten years old
Your on my Xmas card list as well as Mel's !!
Ps. We have alot in common as I also delivered my eldest daughter !!!

[chris.g]

Well done Becky, you must have been very proud of yourself, xxxx

[BECKY]

I am thanks x
I still struggle but try to carry on , I have a really good family supporting me.

[MelanieGiles]

That post goes to demonstrate what difference good teachers can actually make to a child's development. I take my hat off to both primary and secondary school teachers, who often work in extremely difficult conditions with little support, on struggling budgets and with enormous responsibilities.

[elizabethr]

I have two "proudest" moments.

One of course like everyone else is my children. Two beautiful girls, one 12 last week, doing extremely well at high school - made sure she got in the top sets at our "huge" comprehensive by having to pay for extra tuition and she is now doing as well as her sister did. My eldest is 20 next week is beautiful and beautifully clever studying joint honours in german and spanish at Bristol - I go on about this because one of my proudest achievements is getting her there as she tried to commit suicide when she was 16 and I was the one that found her - she was bullied by exclusion at school but she has got "there" and is now a fully fledged student with loads of friends and she won't look back.

My second "proud" moment is remarrying my husband - we got divorced through all the stress of money and his illness but 4 months later remarried - cost me 7000 pounds to get divorced and 80 to get married again.

My next proudest moment will be when I sort my finances out but like everyone else - theres more to life than MONEY!!!!!!