On Your Own Son!

Ok, i admit it, this has nothing especially to do with being out here in Australia although i guess in someways it also does...good start ey, anyway, it's true that i never truely realised the amount of 'things' that were provided and you, well I, took for granted whilst at home and living with Mum.

I rarely paid rent back home and even so food was always provided, clothes washed, taxi service provided and allot more besides, but being out here obviously none of those things are done, my Mum's good but she ain't THAT good!

So basically what I'm saying is that I'm on a drastic learning curve on how to manage money and spend it only on essentials...such as food and rent.

I stupidly, along with a vast number of other backpackers i wouldn't be surprised, got sucked into the whole 'hostel organised cheap nights out' were they will entice you in with carelessly used 'free drinks' and other deals, its only when you wake up the morning after that you realise after using your cheap/free drink vouchers you then continue to stay at the bar/club and spend your own money, more often than not moving on from that destination to a club or somewhere else were they thrive on fresh meat from abroad who all think aaah $100 is only £50, its nothing reeeealllly, suddenly 2 weeks have passed and somehow in those 14 days you've managed to spend nearly £700 dollars just on alcohol and late night kebabs, again, I can't speak for everyone but from my one and only hostel experience to date, I know I'm not alone!.

I realise now that money really doesn't grow on tree's or through my mum via the Internet and although she is still willing to put money into my account not only is it not fair for her to do so but also it shouldn't need to happen in the first place. So, with my Australian bank balance wavering, rent due, plane tickets yet to be booked and accommodation yet to be sorted for Melbourne (i think i can go without food for a week, it'll be a challenge but I'm not a quitter!!!!) I'm seriously riding 'i hope it'll work itself out' wave - i tend to do that allot anyway, but usually there's no 'hope' in there and instead i tend to go along the lines of just 'it'll work itself out'.  I've always seen being laid back and chilled out about things as a good things, it means very rarely little things that will constantly play on the mind of others i don't even want to bother thinking about but money i suppose is kind of an essential way to..um.....survive.

To add to the niggling niggles in my head my 'Chief' took read my note that i left him the other day explaining my visit to Melbourne at the end of the month and somehow managed to understand it as I'm moving out of the apartment on the 19th of this month, turns out he's already had people come by to check out the apartment! In a way it could help my situation in one way, no place to stay means no rent......but seriously, I'm lucky i found out otherwise come the 19th I'd get back from work at 2 in the morning and would go all Goldilocks on there ass enquiring as to who's sleeping in my bed!

Also not helping the money epidemic is the serious lack of shifts that I'm now getting at the pub, i know being the new kid its obvious that the older staff will have prime time when it comes to meeting there requirements but the thing is....besides three other people, one of which is leaving soon, everyone else there is either management or new, employed after me! I know January's internationally a quiet period what with it being just after Christmas and people need to save up again, add to the the (also) international recession its not looking good for moi, i don't want to be selfish and expect to just HAVE shifts but it still kinda sucks that I don't.  I've just gotta hope that things start to pick up and I've been reassured that come February things usually do.  The pub is often referred to as the 'finest rugby pub in Australia' and although it appears to me that although it now likes to simply provide a quality service the memorabilia and souvenirs situated around the walls still remain and with Feb the start of the rugby season out here business tends to pick up.

Saying that, from what Helena says there may be some work going at her bar in the city, not only is she leaving soon but also a couple of other employees have left over the Christmas period and there positions are yet to be filled, I'm all for at least having a look to see if Vino, Helena's manager, would employee me and if it means selfishly asking Helena to put in a few good words about me, so be it!

Whilst writing this blog and having a wee catch up with the Mother at some point in the conversation we got onto studying out here and it does sound quiet appealing in some ways, I mean mean when you break it down its just like going to University back home, only my Uni's situated on the other side of the planet and I'd be studying with any people from any number of the 150 nations that currently study in Australia....still, the idea sounds good and the course's that i would be interested in studying are cheaper than i initially thought they would have been, hmmmmmmm

I've decided that what ever my future is going to hold i need to have some money behind me to do it so, as a delayed resolution, I'm determined to keep on top of my expenses and manage my money allot better than i have been for the past 7305 days I've been on this earth!