Just catching up on the last few pages.
Encyclo, am I right in thinking it's your last day tomorrow? Good luck! Must feel strange (and rather liberating) to know that you won't be going back, especially after so many years working. 
It was interesting to read the posts about Child Benefit (a few pages back). CB is a universal payment in Ireland so it's paid to everyone irrespective of their income. Since the recession, there's been a bit of talk about means testing it, but the government haven't gone down that road yet. Seems a bit unfair that in the UK it's based on one salary and not total household income. At least, that's my understanding of it.
Ememem, when the recession hit in Ireland our government introduced so many new taxes/charges (in a very short space of time) that our disposable income was drastically hit. We had to accept that foreign holidays simply weren't an option for the foreseeable future. Things got so bad at one stage that we couldn't even afford a short break in Ireland. It's depressing because we both work and felt we deserved a holiday. But our mortgage and bills and food had to take precedence over the luxury of a holiday. In future years when we no longer have to pay childcare (and hopefully things will have eased economically also), we hope to resume foreign holidays. Must be frustrating for you trying to explain to your DH that short term pain = long term gain.
Not much to report on the spending front. Been taking it easy all week. Getting a bit fed up with the cold and rain and wind and sleet and snow. Roll on February!