Deb, never planned anything in my life!! Organised? Us? No, no, no. Gary is more bothered than I am to be honest, he's the one that likes thing sewn up and nice and safe, I'd fly out with ?2.50 and a tube of smarties!

Yeah, yeah I read all those books in about a week and a half so if anybody else wants them let me know! And your point about growing expenditure, I posted in a different thread that I wondered whether it was just coz those kiwis had had it so good for so long that now they were worrying about rapidly rising costs. Seriously though, it is concerning.

It's not just a dream to think that life can be made to work the way you want it too either. Gary and I really didn't want to spend all day every day away from each other with the kids in daycare and weekends spent catching up on the household jobs you don't have time to do in the week. That's why we did what we did and bought this place. It's been really tough at times, I mean nail bitingly scary but throughout it all we've had each other. The kids have always been dropped off and picked up by one or the other of us, Gary can start work and finish work when it suits and I only take the work I want to do and am truly committed to. That way, since Poppy has been at nursery, we can still sneak an afternoon or two at home together :icon_wink:

We still have to watch the pennies but we are much more content that we can be true to ourselves and not be wage slaves!

But God, you know we still have two kids with many years left at school and a daughter to get through uni!!!! And a fortune to spend in dance shoes and physio bills.

Heigh ho - we believe everything is a means to an end - but Gary still likes to keep an eye on the bank balance! :icon_lol: