No Taylor Swift tickets pushed me over the edge tonight

[SadUselessMum]

I know this is 1st world problems but I’m feeling so sad tonight. I’m just sat here sobbing. My DD has saved up £200 from all the birthday/xmas money to try and get a TS ticket and I’ve been saving a bit every week so we would have enough for 2. We didn’t get any with our code (as it wouldn’t work) and I stupidly thought that £400 would be enough to get 2 tickets even if they were really rubbish seats.

I’ve been looking for weeks. Anything within the price range is rare and gets snapped up. I even looked tonight for short notice and the cheapest were £800 for 2. One ticket was going for 7k!

This has been the final straw for me. I work all the hours god sends, missing time with my kids, just to keep a roof over our heads. We have no money for fun. I go to bed worrying about money and wake up worrying about it. My DD had no presents or trips this year as she wanted money for one measley concert ticket! But no! All the ticket touts got there first. She’s being brave about it as she can see I feel bad but I’ve heard her crying in her room tonight. I didn’t have much when I was a child but I had more than this. I’m a shit mum and my DD is having a shitty childhood. I wish I’d never had her.

If this is life, I don’t want it anymore.

I agree that Swifites are a bit scary. I was mega busy at work today, ad in couldn’t spare one minute and I went to a meeting where the first 10 minutes was 2 adult women in their 40s talking about which Taylor Swift album is the best. I mean she’s a great performer but dear Lord it’s all a bit OTT.

Fucking hell, what is wrong with some of you. The last few sentences are a really clear indicator of someone who potentially is feeling really low. Hopefully none of you are in positions of support in your workplace. Op it maybe worth speaking to someone. It’s shitty right now but you seem very down and that’s understandable.

Tell me you didn't read the OP without telling me that you didn't read the OP.

OP: I work all the hours god sends, missing time with my kids,

You: Work more hours, get a second job, retrain

In the time she hasn't got because she's already working loads of hours?

I’m a teacher and also do tutoring. I can’t work anymore hours. I had 8 miscarriages before finally having DD but then life happened and cancer happened and here we are - in a house falling down around our ears with nothing to look forward to. Yes I’m depressed. I’m on a massive amount of antidepressants but really I just want life to give me a break.

I am a Head of Year . If I knew a student in my year was struggling for study guides, I would get them bought for her. Please ask school for their help on this.

I have £500 to throw at the situation, DD(11) is desperate to go, but we can't get any tickets despite trying pretty much constantly since last July...

But, we've really had fun trying, we've laughed at how much the tickets are, we've raced to press buy and laughed when the tickets have already gone, every single time 🙄

I thought my £500 would be enough, but it seems to be way off the mark, but we've really had a lovely experience trying our luck.

We've concluded that it would be wet, and freezing, and it would be rubbish anyway (yeah right!)

But you ve now got 400 to spend on a lovely weekend away
Look on the bright side

As my old Dad used to say, in his Northern accent

‘Life’s not fur’

to which we shouted

’No, it’s rabbit’s wool’.

It’s tough but your DD will know you tried.

Posters have already put some great ideas of what to do instead. I think the idea of the tribute band is great, you'll both have a fab time. I love TS, have listened to her since 2006 and I'm gutted I haven't got tickets but it is what it is.£400 was never going to be enough even if tickets were only £100 each once you factor in travel, accomodation, merch, outfits etc

This isn't about the TS tickets though it's about how you feel. Have you and DD really, truly never done anything fun together in her 14 years? I doubt that. Most of the things children remember when they look back on their childhood are the free things anyway. DD and I do loads of stuff that's free or very cheap. It's just a case of forward planning, signing up for emails from all local venues, taking packed lunch and a water bottle and saying "yes" even if you aren't sure it's for you, we did that for a "Pay what you can afford" poetry reading evening and it was great.

£400 can pay for a awful lot of activities or season asses to favourite venues, may look at becoming "Friends" at your local Theatre, ours is £25 a year but gets you 50% off of first night performances, priority booking, discounts on food and drinks etc and pays for itself. I pay for it every other year and buy tickets a year in advance or so to make use of it.

£500 can’t buy two tickets?!

Does she hand out bags of diamonds or something?!

I thought she seemed a decent sort but this is insanely greedy for a millionaire with a very young fanbase. Absolutely shocking

You sound like a lovely mum OP, not a rubbish one. Genuinely. You sound so thoughtful and kind and you're being hard on yourself precisely because you are those things! Please don't beat yourself up.

I also wanted to echo a PP re the study guides - explain the situation to the school and that due to finances she is saving for them herself, they may well be able to help you and then she can save for something special for her instead.

You're doing bloody well all things considered, including cancer in the family. She's lucky to have a mum so obviously invested in her in every possible way

Was it you that had cancer?

If so, you are legally classed as disabled from diagnosis for the rest of your life, even if you are in remission. You may be able to claim PIP (which isn't means-tested because being disabled costs more regardless of your baseline income) even if you are above the means-testing threshold for other benefits.

Nope, absolutely no chance, zero! 😩

Your dd has a loving mum so you are winning. Keep being there for her through the highs and lows, that’s what she needs. Take a breath and get some perspective, it’s a concert and you can’t watch it on tv with takeaway having a special mum/daughter evening.

Stanley Park (the park which Anfield is built on the edge of) is currently full of thousands of fans listening to it for nothing. My DD is there with her mates having a great night! Could you bring her to Liverpool on Saturday?

The majority on sale with the codes were almost £200 each so I would never have expected them to be resold for that amount. I tried and had no luck and I'm disappointed for my DD who is now watching so many go. It really feels like everyone else managed to get a ticket.

BUT there will be other opportunities in the future OP and once these concerts are over she won't be bothered anymore.

I'm finding the press attention over every single concert a bit hyperbolic tbh. I'm not a big pop fan but it wasn't like this when Beyonce toured? Or ummm any of the other big ones??

I have never been more happy to not be a Taylor Swift fan.

Im probably a tight git but I thought the £88 Green Day tickets I bought were expensive!

No, her tickets that she actually sold and made money from were cheap. They were all bought and are now being sold 10x plus the original price via 3 party sellers. I don’t like her as a singer, but I feel a weird sort of rage of the pure vitriol she gets from people stupid enough to think she’s making money from second hand tickets

I genuinely thought that reselling ticket prices at a profit was now banned

What a shitty practice

It could absolutely buy from the initial sale (ours were £68 each for Wembley) so normal prices (I paid £85 for the cheapest Beyoncé tickets in Cardiff about 8 years ago). It’s the inflated prices touts are charging that’s where the greed is.

This is ridiculous.
if money is tight why would you blow £200 + on one night out?

No they weren’t. The cheapest was £59 and the most expensive (not including vip) were £110

I know it’s ridiculous. But sometimes you have to do one thing to give you a bit of joy, to make life worth living. And this was our one thing.

OP have you heard of Taylorgating? Loads of fans congregate outside the concerts, swap friendship bracelets, listens to the concert outside together. Might be something to think about as could still be an amazing memory!

Op, this weekend, sit down with dd and plan a new “thing”. You’ve got this xx