P&O Cruisers - What are things like where YOU are?

[purplesea]

Rain has eased in this neck of the woods and the wind too, although still not nice!

 

Some of you mentioned having problems with cats, and other wild life. This is our public enemy number one - it keeps knocking on our back door😖

[SarahHben]

Good to see this thread back, thank you Sharon!

Just been for a walk to the park with daughter & grandson, he didn’t let go of my hand all the way there, he missed me as much as I missed him 💕

Controversial I know, but I’d quite like to get some of those mop slippers Kalos  😂

[Harry Peterson]

7 minutes ago, Vampiress88 said:

Good morning peeps

 

have been lurking again for a while. Was surprised to see the thread had gone, I just assumed it had gotten too long. 
 

After weeks of back and forth with p&o over child friendly venues on iona I’ve finally got my answers but my some of the staff on the chat don’t have a clue what so ever. 
 

to comment on some of the posts about parents helping out with money, I agree with you, we are early 30s. Never had help from parents we have done it all ourselves but the one thing we have taken away from that is that we know we will need to help ours out when it comes to house in probably 15yrs time, or they will be living with us still I don’t know but it seems to get harder and harder with money and housing etc it’s definitely worrying. 
what I wish more than anything is for someone to have taught us about money correctly. How interest rates work on mortgages and what’s the best. It actually pains me to think of how much money we have lost over the last 15 years because of being on an incorrect mortgage and not knowing how to work out what was financially better. I still think schools should teach it but to be honest our parents are useless at things like this. I’m just glad that we eventually learnt how to do all this ourselves and are now in a better position but it will make me strive to ensure that my two understand budgeting, mortgage and finance etc so that they shouldn’t need us but we already have plans in place for when they do as there’s no point in leaving inheritance now as you just get taxed on that too. 
 

anyway. Counting down 271 days to the cruise and if I can work out the technology then my girls will probably vlog it as they have said all the vlogs aren’t kid friendly. 

You’re absolutely right about the complete lack of financial education in schools. It’s critically important, but it’s simply not being taught in any serious sense. I’d include home cookery and household management to that too. You’re taking a very sensible line with your two - that’s clear from all your posts - but it’s not always the case, and kids grow up without a clue as to how to manage their lives.

 

We had no financial help when we started, but things were different then. One income was enough to buy a flat in the London area, but that’s no longer possible. We’ve helped our children because I’d sooner see them secure than take expensive holidays every year. We had to scrimp and save in the early years - very few meals out, no coffees out, and the kids knew it was always water with meals if we did eat out. Taught them how to economise too. Finance has always been my thing though, ever since I was a student and had to make ends meet. Our son’s too. Daughter learned the hard way when she was at university, but she’s incredibly good at it now too.

 

Radio 4’s Money Box has been compulsory listening for most of my life, Martin Lewis now does an excellent job  -  but kids do need the will to pay heed. It’s a struggle for the first few years, avoiding debts, and car loans just to show off to the neighbours, but the payoff is massive.

[P&O SUE]

And we’re back!! Thanks so much Sharon 😊

 

It’s quite windy here and looks like the heavens will open soon!

 

John is at work today so I’m just pottering about and looking online at holidays 😀

[P&O SUE]

Talking about grandparents helping out - my parents have two daughters and only one grandchild so a few years ago they changed their will to splitting everything three ways to include our son - they checked with my sister first! I didn’t know about it until quite recently and I haven’t told our son.

[P&O SUE]

1 hour ago, Adawn47 said:

My mum would never have white Narcissus or Lilies in the house. She said they were the flowers of death. 

Avril

l’ve never heard of the red and white thing but I know Lilies are associated with death. I hate the smell of them, very cloying!

[P&O SUE]

44 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

We have pouring rain and very cold at the moment.  We are just about to go out to a Christening at the church where my family all used to go to, though as we have all married and moved homes none of us actually attend there now.  The church has lots of great memories for me of past weddings and christenings but also sad memories of family funerals.

Hope you have a lovely time, despite the weather.

[P&O SUE]

24 minutes ago, purplesea said:

Rain has eased in this neck of the woods and the wind too, although still not nice!

 

Some of you mentioned having problems with cats, and other wild life. This is our public enemy number one - it keeps knocking on our back door😖

Ooh err, that would give me the creeps!

[P&O SUE]

12 minutes ago, SarahHben said:

Good to see this thread back, thank you Sharon!

Just been for a walk to the park with daughter & grandson, he didn’t let go of my hand all the way there, he missed me as much as I missed him 💕

Controversial I know, but I’d quite like to get some of those mop slippers Kalos  😂

Aww bless him 💕 My bus got a bit late to my DiL’s last week, I could have caught her up as she went to meet him from nursery but I waited by their place. When my grandson spotted me he came running at me So lovely. 🥰

 

(I wasn’t slack getting there late, there had been a crash involving one of the buses 😱So obviously everything was a mess!)

[Eddie99]

Nice to hear from you Vamps

Martin Lewis (MoneySavingExpert) is very keen on children growing up knowing all aspects of household finance.  He’s produced a book which should have gone to all secondary schools.  You can download it for free.  Probably a bit beyond your girls just now but I think it’s suitable for secondary school age.  Have a look 

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2021/10/first-ever-financial-education-textbook-arrives-in-welsh-schools/
 

(Don’t know why that URL says Welsh schools - the link takes you to a page where you can choose your location)

[Angel57]

20 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

l’ve never heard of the red and white thing but I know Lilies are associated with death. I hate the smell of them, very cloying!

I don’t like the scent of lilies either.

I also dislike the scent of hyacinth and lavender!

[P&O SUE]

1 minute ago, Angel57 said:

I don’t like the scent of lilies either.

I also dislike the scent of hyacinth and lavender!

I quite like lavender.

[Peanut006]

Thank you so much Sharon for restoring our thread, it is much appreciated

Hope you feel better soon

Michelle

[Adawn47]

45 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

You’re absolutely right about the complete lack of financial education in schools. It’s critically important, but it’s simply not being taught in any serious sense. I’d include home cookery and household management to that too. You’re taking a very sensible line with your two - that’s clear from all your posts - but it’s not always the case, and kids grow up without a clue as to how to manage their lives.

 

We had no financial help when we started, but things were different then. One income was enough to buy a flat in the London area, but that’s no longer possible. We’ve helped our children because I’d sooner see them secure than take expensive holidays every year. We had to scrimp and save in the early years - very few meals out, no coffees out, and the kids knew it was always water with meals if we did eat out. Taught them how to economise too. Finance has always been my thing though, ever since I was a student and had to make ends meet. Our son’s too. Daughter learned the hard way when she was at university, but she’s incredibly good at it now too.

 

Radio 4’s Money Box has been compulsory listening for most of my life, Martin Lewis now does an excellent job  -  but kids do need the will to pay heed. It’s a struggle for the first few years, avoiding debts, and car loans just to show off to the neighbours, but the payoff is massive.

I was continually taught by my father how to budget and avoid debt. Cut your coat according to your cloth was his mantra, and it's served me well my entire life. So much so, that I was delegated as the 'chief finincial officer' from the begining of our marriage.

Avril

[Astrajet]

29 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

When my grandson spotted me he came running at me So lovely. 🥰

One of the best feelings ever 😊!  A few years ago, I went to pick my two grandchildren up from nursery for the first time. I was told to go through to the playground where I met with a sea of youngsters and couldn't instantly spot my grandchildren but before I knew it, they appeared from nowhere and were hugging a leg each !  So special 🥰! I'm delighted to say they still do this but hugging higher up now!

[P&O SUE]

6 minutes ago, Astrajet said:

One of the best feelings ever 😊!  A few years ago, I went to pick my two grandchildren up from nursery for the first time. I was told to go through to the playground where I met with a sea of youngsters and couldn't instantly spot my grandchildren but before I knew it, they appeared from nowhere and were hugging a leg each !  So special 🥰! I'm delighted to say they still do this but hugging higher up now!

 
you can’t beat grandchildren love 🥰

[Adawn47]

1 minute ago, Astrajet said:

One of the best feelings ever 😊!  A few years ago, I went to pick my two grandchildren up from nursery for the first time. I was told to go through to the playground where I met with a sea of youngsters and couldn't instantly spot my grandchildren but before I knew it, they appeared from nowhere and were hugging a leg each !  So special 🥰! I'm delighted to say they still do this but hugging higher up now!

Your last sentence bought smile to my face. I remember when my grandchildren would hug me around the waist, and now I hug them around theirs. At 5' 2'' the only family members shorter than me now are , Greatgrandaughter 9yrs, Greatgrandson 3 yrs, their hamster and their dog.😁

Avril

[Astrajet]

6 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

At 5' 2'' the only family members shorter than me now are , Greatgrandaughter 9yrs, Greatgrandson 3 yrs, their hamster and their dog.😁

Love it 😄!  Have to say that's not a problem we have as we are all tall and it seems the grandchildren are following the trend. Their father, our son, is 6'6"!

Edited February 13, 2022 by Astrajet

[SarahHben]

57 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

 When my grandson spotted me he came running at me So lovely. 🥰

 

 

It's the best feeling isnt it 🥰 

He held my hand on one side the whole way and took it turns to hold his grandad's, his auntie's and his uncle's hands on the other side, swapping every few minutes 🙂 

[Harry Peterson]

15 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

I was continually taught by my father how to budget and avoid debt. Cut your coat according to your cloth was his mantra, and it's served me well my entire life. So much so, that I was delegated as the 'chief finincial officer' from the begining of our marriage.

Avril

Sound advice, Avril. Avoiding all debt, house apart, has served us very well. Buy it when you can afford it. The money going out on PCPs financing a new car every three years staggers me, and most of it’s just keeping up with the neighbours.
 

 

[Guest ccpm]

3 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

Our cars are always garaged, but it’s rare. Avoids any risk of catalytic converter theft, and helps keep them a long time. Eight years old now, from new, and probably another four years in them. They’re spoiled!

 

As for the children, they’ve never ever asked for help, but without it their lives would be very different, and so would the lives of our grandchildren. Help with houses has transformed their lives, and that gives me far more pleasure than expensive cruises, new cars every two years, and money in the bank. Also avoids 40% of it vanishing in taxes!  Far better for them to have it now than when we’re dead.

That is an excellent point Harry and had we had children I have no idea which way we would have gone. However I am not their parent and have already given very large amounts to all 4 of them. I have had a very sleepless night about this and will continue to do so. 

[Guest ccpm]

35 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

I was continually taught by my father how to budget and avoid debt. Cut your coat according to your cloth was his mantra, and it's served me well my entire life. So much so, that I was delegated as the 'chief finincial officer' from the begining of our marriage.

Avril

That is both of us my father instilled in us the "buy the best you can for what you can afford" ideology  added to "money is not just for spending today, there is always tomorrow and who knows what that brings so set money aside now". Stood me in good stead added to which was my Mum's advice of "always set aside some fun money".

[P&O SUE]

18 minutes ago, SarahHben said:

It's the best feeling isnt it 🥰 

He held my hand on one side the whole way and took it turns to hold his grandad's, his auntie's and his uncle's hands on the other side, swapping every few minutes 🙂 

 
Bless him 🥰 My son picks him up and he’s given up trying to help him with his shoes etc it’s always ‘Nanny do it’ 😏

[Harry Peterson]

2 minutes ago, ccpm said:

That is an excellent point Harry and had we had children I have no idea which way we would have gone. However I am not their parent and have already given very large amounts to all 4 of them. I have had a very sleepless night about this and will continue to do so. 

There’s an enormous difference, though, between gifts which are not sought but freely made (as in our case) and gifts asked for almost as an expectation. And also between parent/child gifts and other gifts.

 

Our kids have never, ever, asked for money, even though our daughter did once run into some problems at university trying to keep up in a house share with someone else who’d been given her own credit card by indulgent parents - she felt bad buying food from Aldi while her friend only bought from M&S.

 

We only found out about the debt (not huge, but huge to a student) by chance and paid it off immediately. Her boyfriend had already paid some off for her - what a lovely thing to do. He’s now her husband, and the perfect son in law. That kindness on his part meant an awful lot, particularly as he had no money himself.

 

I’m rambling now, but what I’m saying, I suppose, is that what you do depends very much on the circumstances, and the people. If we had grasping children, they’d get very little, if anything.

[Cpt Pugwash]

30 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

I suppose, is that what you do depends very much on the circumstances, and the people. If we had grasping children, they’d get very little, if anything.

So true my 'children' who i now consider NOT mine treated there Grandma like dirt till the day she died but making sure they grabbed everything she offered like the Ex Wife brought them up to do and treat me the same but i got to the point where i said 'enough is enough'.They were never MAN enough to stand up to mummy and do right by us both even though i warned them many times she was a 'control freak' now they know i am leaving them Nothing except the one thing they don't want 'The Truth to be Known'.