Update and NYC this weekend

Hi Everyone,

Things are going OK in CBCharlotte land. DH had an interview for a decent job and he said it went pretty well. He was one of 4 they interviewed, and they will have 2 come back to meet the CEO and he will decide. They said DH will hear next week, but some of the things they said (asking him if he was interested in the job, giving him cards and repeatedly saying they will call him next week, etc) made him feel like he will be one of the 2

The decrease in child support is effective February 1st, woohoo!!! It only cost us $15,500 to get it lowered However it will save us $162,000 over the next 15 years so I would say that was a good investment.

SD turned 17 on the 17th, can't believe it! SD17 and SD13 are flying up to visit this weekend, and as a bday present SD17 gets to bring a friend. I've met this friend many times and she's a very nice girl. We are staying in our city Friday, then taking the girls on an overnight trip to NYC Saturday into Sunday. We are staying at a hotel in Times Square (it is a "suite" style so there is a separate living room where friend will sleep). We are having dinner at a cool burger place then going to see Wicked at 8pm on Broadway. I haven't seen it in many years, and the girls have never seen it, so it should be fun. We are also probably going to the Met, and our favorite cupcake place Molly's. Sds and DH and I facetime every few days and they keep saying how excited they are.

On a mushy note, I posted a pic on instagram of SD17 on her bday saying "Happy Birthday SD17!!! I can't believe that you are 17, Can't wait to celebrate in NYC this weekend. Love you!" and she commented back "Thank you so much. Excited for this weekend love you too"

This is the first time either of us have said the L word, even though I have known her for 3 years and 3 months. I do love my SDs, they are just teenagers so I kind of stay back as the "cool aunt" and don't really get huggy or mushy with them. I don't want to force myself on them or anything, but it did feel nice. She sent me a Happy Mother's Day snapchat this year as well, which was very sweet.

DH and I are pretty well. We've been bickering a bit, but it's all stress. He is SO READY to get back to work and driving himself (and sometimes me) crazy. My role at work has expanded and gotten more challenging so I'm sure I'm bringing some of that stress home. I'm re-reading "The Proper Care and Feeding Of Husbands" again for the 10th time to try and bring myself back. We went for a long walk last night and saw La La Land (highly recommend) so it was nice to have a date night.

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I don't mean to be a brat..

I don't mean to be a brat.. but I just can't with the reduced child support, no job.... but yet a trip that will cost well into the thousands of dollars?

I can imagine this is going to piss BM off to no end... not that it matters. I just know that when the rolls are reversed We'd all be screaming what a piece of crap BM was for crying poverty then going out and blowing a wad.

We all complain about

We all complain about this..... BM wants more CS.... bleeding Daddy dry and go on holidays

or BM is suppose to pay CS, never has the money and yet she has more holidays then any one else...

I guess maybe that's why it

I guess maybe that's why it irks me.. because I've lived it. BM1 who never paid a damn dime in CS when SD lived with us for 2 years, yet she can go out and buy $1500.00 dogs, rent a car for a week and just drive it around town because her plot to drive to SD state flopped, gets her hair done, nails done etc.

Then we have BM2 who couldn't possibly come up with $30 for a fishing license for SS, yet she can flit off to California on a vacation, flit off to another state for a UFC fight, gets her hair done, nails done etc.

It's just annoying and ridiculous

My DH's EX also would buy the

My DH's EX also would buy the spendy dogs.. but somehow she would convince people to let her make payments.. which she would then NOT make..lol.

Agreed. And I'm pretty sure

Agreed. And I'm pretty sure her DH is paying a good deal in support still, even with the reduction. This is a man who pulled from him savings, massively downsized his own standard of living just to continue to pay astronomical CS based off a six figure salary to two BMs, even though he'd been out of work awhile. If they want to go on a little trip, vaya con dios, baby.

DH is paying $2,000 a month

DH is paying $2,000 a month to EACH BM, so a total of $4,000. If anyone thinks we can't have a weekend away using as many discounts and deals as possible, well tough

I don't think Daizy meant it

I don't think Daizy meant it like that. Honestly when I read it... I thought CBCharlotte and I must have different ideas of downsizing. Because if I did all of the things that you have done to make sure that CS could be paid (smaller apartment, riding a bike, etc etc) then taking a trip to NYC, adding an extra friend and all the other extras seem VERY EXTRAVAGANT.

Agree that CS should have been lowered a long time ago. Not disputing that.

But everyone has their different idea of "poor" and what is a necessity and what is just over the top.

I think when most people have to fight to get CS lowered because their husband is unemployed and they downsize their life style the last thing they can afford the next month is a fancy trip.

So that is just my thought on what I think Daizy was thinking or even what I was thinking.

Not that it is any of my business how you spend your money. Sounds like a fun trip.

No one was judging her.

No one was judging her. Relax.

We used miles to book the

We used miles to book the flights, used points to book the hotel. We are driving to NYC (only 1.5 hours from us) so parking will cost $50. I get free access to the Met through my job. Our only cost will be dinner (burgers, not crazy expensive), a cupcake (again, not expensive). We are sitting in the last row of the upper level, the cheapest seats you can buy.

I understand where you're coming from, but I can assure you we are trying to have a nice weekend on the cheap. SD didn't get many Christmas presents (I think she had 4 small things to open) since her present was this trip.

I wanna go. I'm gonna hide in

I wanna go. I'm gonna hide in your suitcase!

Have fun this weekend, I bet

Have fun this weekend, I bet the girls will have an amazing time, and it will be good for you and your husband to relax too.

Awww thank you

We just went to NYC. Yes, an

We just went to NYC. Yes, an expensive city but if booked mindfully - a trip does not have to cost much at all! I have a family member who works for a hotel who got us one for super cheap ($89) blocks from Times Square. We ate at a Pizzeria and a pub - I highly recommend O'Briens Irish Pub, affordable and delicious. If you make it mostly about sight seeing, it isn't that expensive at all. BM always has her commentary about what she gets in child support and what we do with our spare time, I am learning to ignore it. Screw the naysayers. Not my problem she doesn't have a steady income of her own :). Enjoy yourself!!!!!!!

I would love to visit. What

I would love to visit. What are your tips for saving money?

I live a little bit outside

I live a little bit outside of NYC (my dad's company used to be based in Manhattan so spent many summers in it--still go in sometimes) and I say, don't stay at one of the fancy hotels unless you can get a really, really good deal.

I'd rather stay outside of NYC and take the train in to Penn. Some hotel near any of the LIRR stations or trains is a good idea.

Do a historic tour, they're actually pretty interesting.

Yelp for good food--there are great restaurants that are also pretty cheap, or come during restaurant week. High end restaurants will usually be featuring a prixe fix menu that's less than $30 a person for an app, an entree, and dessert, you'll have to make reservations though since space can be limited during that time. Sometimes I go in with friends for that. Clubbing is usually cheap if you like to dance/party.

Some off broadway shows are really fun to watch too and cheaper.

Also, if you're coming into NYC, don't be afraid to explore surrounding areas either. Long Island wine country is beautiful, the south shore is full of delicious seafood and the beaches are famous, NJ on the west side of Manhattan has Mitsuwa, which is the largest Japanese outlet on the east coast (if you want to experience a small taste of what Japan is like, Mitsuwa is almost an exact copy.) Most everything can be gotten to by train/bus. There are some special buses that go to either Tanger outlet or Woodbury outlets for $5 that run almost hourly and they offer DEEP discounts for high end brands. (Got myself a $300 Doony&Bourke bag for less than $100.)

charlotte, if ya'll ever want

charlotte, if ya'll ever want to have an awesome shopping trip, about a hour north of the city is an outlet mall with its own zipcode. pm me if you might be interested you can also get bags, sunglasses, ties "tree fo' ten dollah" in chinatown. at least you used to be able to, i have not been that way in a very long time.