We've been friends since high school and know each other well but, lately, I find myself getting really frustrated with her.
I'm a busy working mum of 3 with a full time job, a husband and a mortgage. Late 30's. It can often be a struggle to keep all plates spinning but I manage by being careful with my time and finances.
Friend on the other hand, never worked (despite having a degree from a top university), has always lived at home with her mum and has no kids or financial responsibilities. Also has limitless free time.
Usually, I can only meet at weekends or if it's anything mid-week then I'd need to arrange it around commitments. I work around 50 hours a week, as well as lots of take-home work that eat into my evenings.
Last couple of times I've met with friend on a Saturday afternoon, hoping for a relaxing coffee and chat in a cafe or something similar, she's wanted to trawl around bookshops looking for a really obscure book. I found it exhausting. I'm 7 months pregnant and struggling with aches and pains associated with that. Why not look online for it or do it another time? Sigh.
She's recently asked me to go on a 5 day trip to London for her birthday. Her intended plans in London are to look around lots of galleries and arty type places, not my thing at all. If I were spending a small fortune on going to London for 5 days (totally out of the question btw, I couldn't afford to go even if wanted to), then I'd want to do things that interest ME.
How do I make her see that my time/money is limited and I need to be careful with spending, as well as not being able to head off on a 5 day trip at the drop of a hat like she can?