Half way through Year 13 and the last school year.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

eep.

I'm hoping she will get a job when she is there.

I can't remember what DS1 gets this year, I think its about 6.5 k, certainly less than 7. He is in his second year and sharing a flat and lives on that completely. He has qualified for a bursary but isn't using it to live on. He isn't a huge drinker though. Or into very expensive hobbies. And also at a comparatively cheap northern uni. And he can do all his course printing in his department which is another saving.

He definitely doesn't spend £70 a week.

We send him back with a grocery shop at the start of term.

He works in the holidays, he used his Christmas earnings to buy an ipad for taking onto campus rather than his laptop..

I am under no illusions DD won't cost us a fortune!!!!!

I am slowly trying to convince DD that she does not need a new outfit every time she goes out. Nor does she need her nails doing. Nor does she need ludicrously expensive make up palettes.

I hoping to budget 5k for DS, basically I'll top up his loan to whatever the max is,

Dd1 is going to be limited to savings & loans I think. I’ll contribute something but it depends how I’m doing work wise.
Started the forms with her. I need our tax stuff from filing now though

We are back from Notts. Hopefully ds1 will hear back soon with good news from them. He thoroughly enjoyed his day and still loves everything about it so fingers crossed.

On another note he turned his phone on as we were driving home and found he had an email from the RVC about the six year vetmed gateway course. He has a ccc offer.
I am so pleased for him.

Wow Drummer that's brilliant news!

That's brilliant Littledrummer, he's waited so long you must be incredibly chuffed.

DS1 will get the full grant here in Wales as I am skint and earn very little but the halls in Bangor are all over £100 a week and he was hoping to get a room with a double bed as he's 6'2" and would like to sleep with his feet in bed with the rest of him. That would make it £600ish per month just on halls. I'm looking back fondly on my grim but serviceable NHS accommodation that was £54 per month. Plus he eats loads! His dad certainly doesn't appear to have any cash spare and I don't have enough to top up to £12k either. Now I'm thinking about the possibility of having two at uni at the same time . Oh my!

Don't forget when they're eating at uni, they aren't eating their way through your cupboards and fridge. My food bill definitely goes up in the holidays! Also fuel bills! DS has really, really long showers, and has many electronic gadgets. Plus the petrol from borrowing my car ....

Also other things you might have paid for, eg DS had music lessons right up until he finished school.

Drummer that is brilliant news.

Looking forward to another confirmed snow day here tomorrow!

Wow drummer congrats, my cousin tried three times before she got into vet school, very tough course to get in!

The loan is only based on the resident parent's income if you are separated. I have several friends whose dc get the full loan and then monthly top ups from wealthy fathers.

Another snow day here.

Well done to your ds drummer. Does that mean he only needs to get c grades?

Congratulations to your DS Drummer!

Fabulous news drummer,,congratulations to your son!

Eek my Post may have sounded snippy. Not meant to at all.

I'm just so bloody cold! Our heating doesn't seem to be coping with this wind.

Thanks everyone. Ursula, yes the gateway course has an extra year in order to make vetmed accessible to dc from families who wouldn't otherwise be able to go.
We live in a postcode area with a very low university uptake plus other factors which meant he met the criteria.
The low offer reflects that as a gateway course there is an extra year of study to prepare students for the main vetmed course. It does mean that he will able to go on to qualify though.
He's still hoping for a standard vetmed offer as the extra year means an extra £20000 he'll need to borrow but right now he's thrilled that he has a very achievable offer on the table at one of his favourite choices and it's definitely going on the shortlist.

drummer that's great!!! What a fabulous offer for him.

We're on our second snow day. Dd is reluctantly doing homework. She enjoyed yesterday's homework, her FM teacher emailed them all with instructions to "do a practical investigation of projectiles. We recommend throwing snowballs uphill and downhill" So she joined in with a family snowball fight and had a lot of fun, before going back to exam papers.

I don't know yet how much dd will get for her maintenance loan, but I'm hoping it will be enough to pay the rent, then we can give a weekly/monthly amount for groceries. It seems much more affordable that was round.

Finance is worrying for dd as she will be in London so cost of living is high
I’ll probbaly give about £60 a month and she will work and top up
Full loan here due to me cutting back work last financial tax year
Dds school is still open and will remain open as it is a boarding school, although the heating isn’t working properly and there’s about 4 pupils who aren’t boarders in each year
It’s chaotic apparently
Dd is still very ill and not urinating properly

Congrats drummer

Now trying to sort travel arrangements out for tomorrow

Drummer that is such a relief, and its Nottingham too (is that my imagination?)

ds has gone off to a lecture on Victorian poets in North London. Seems unperturbed by the travel, I think he will have v wet feet. For first time in his life he is showing interest in designer clothing..I told him to order a new jacket (in desperation it was so cold and he didn't seem able to bother with a coat) and he ordered a state of the art RAB jacket in graphite and tangerine lining. Then he tried to order some very expensive shoes too, cue my card being declined thank goodness - I mentioned the word shoes meaning clarks weatherproof.

Last night was an ordeal the hardwired smoke alarm went off (all four of them) at 4am. I had to call the fire brigade as operator refused to give me advice on how to stop it ringing and said it needed to be investigated for safety's sake. they disconnected all of them and put a single battery operated one back. it was pretty much a nightmare, and realised how terrible dcs are at following orders in emergencies, all arguing with one another, ds2 offering to make me cups of tea and move ladders from under me and all the time this GHASTLY NOISE RINGING!!!!aargh. finally went back to sleep, and woken at 7 by freezing draft, ds had left kitchen window OPEN to let the traumatised cat out at 4am and forgotten (it was behind a blind so i didn't notice)

Dh is away I hasten to add. I don't think he would have been much use though, possibly he could have taken the kids away so I could stand on the ladder safely..

The fire brigade were pretty chilled though, offered to come back and fit free smoke alarms for me (battery ones) and said their last call had been a frying pan charred, preceded by another smoke alarm household, no real fires.

@UrsulaPandress great question. I'd love to know too! I'd assumed I'd need to find approx £6k per yr (on top of his £4K loan), not sure what I based that on but his accommodation is going to be around £5500 (depending on which choice he gets). However they only really seem to have 2 terms. Sept-Dec, the Jan-Easter. Then they have 2.5 weeks in May for assessments/exams.
He understands that he needs to find a job v quickly if he goes as I won't fund his social life. I guess nearer the time he/we need to sit down and work out a budget of necessities.
Btw my DS "only" needs CCC, but this may be a challenge for him and I'll be v proud if he gets it!

after a few googles, I've decided the unusual activity of the smoke alarm at 4am was caused by a combo of blizzard and boiler exhaust spiralling up to the top floor landing from outside and sneaking in the window (hurling in by violent wind currents)

Flatmouse I'll be overjoyed if ds gets 3 Cs (although I told him he has to get one B at least, but that might come at the expense of English Lit) for him that is pretty good, and means a solid body of understanding/knowledge that he didnt have two years ago.

I used the word 'only' in respect of veterinary offers which I always imagined to be A*.

Thanks for the explanation Drummer.

ursula I always say "only" in relation to ds, it is still only for most of the A level cohort who are aiming higher. I have friends who are in despair that their children will "only" get Bs. I've developed a strange ironic leer around the whole subject of grades disguising my own fears for ds not even getting C's..

It's a minefield isn't it.

As we always say to DD, as long as you do your best - but who knows what her best is nails and hair obvs!

That's brilliant Drummer!!
Nettleskeins, what a night, you must be shattered.