Bricking it...

[MrkyMrk]

At the ripe old age of 38, in a couple of months I'm gonna have to fend for myself for the first time in my life.

Marriage is bust, Mrs will stay in the family home with the kids while I rent a room walking distance from work.

That's by the by...

I never did Uni, went from school to YTS to job, lived with parents until age 25, moved in with then girlfriend (turned into wife - soon to be ex) - so I've always had someone around to keep me right.

Although I do my bit - I wash dishes, occasionally iron (very slowly!), vacuum the house, etc - she's been the organisational brains behind it all. She says this needs done, it gets done. Clothes are washed and ironed - I don't find myself without a shirt, the house is clean, there's food in the cupboards, fridge is stocked...

To make things worse, I grew up near Newcastle but live in Reading so family backup is a good 320 miles away.

Oh, and we'll both be totally skint...

I'm hoping this old dog can learn new tricks cos things are liable to get very messy for a while...

[Goochie]

I'm sure you'll manage Mark, if not there will be plenty of people here that are happy to offer advice on anything from cooking and ironing to which supermarket is the cheapest

[robmawer]

Am sure you'll be fine - if you can do the tasks themselves, organising when they need to be done is the easy part...

Rob.

[Xavier]

Mark, you'll make it. As you're worried about the cost of things, how about I buy you a pint or two in the pub of your choice one evening just for a bit of escapism

[Royston]

Good Luck fella. It's a scary time for you but I'm sure you'll pull through.

[David 8]

I'm sure you will soon adapt to to life of a single male

5hite everywhere, fast food, fast women etc

as has been mentioned if you need advice you know where to look just don't ask me about ironing that doesn't come into my job description in the regime known to me as home

[pixi]

I'm sure with all your newly aquired skills you will end up having, you will be a good catch for someone else in the future.

Good luck.

[David 8]

I'm sure with all your newly aquired skills you will end up having, you will be a good catch for someone else in the future.

Good luck.

Not if i give him any advice

You should hear the names i get called by my dear wife

[MrkyMrk]

Thanks, people.

It's been a hell of a journey so far with some highs and some almost unbearable lows. I've been *very* close to the brink at times....

Right now I'm in the more positive frame of mind which is "interesting times ahead", not the "I can't live without my family around me". But it turns on a sixpence.

I suspect for a while I'll gonna be living on salads, tinned tuna, baked potatoes, beans and cooked/processed meat sarnies (not *that* far away from how I eat right now!) I can heat up, but I've never proper cooked, and I'm gonna have to do that to save money.

Don't want to fall into resorting to cheap junk food (and there's plenty of temptation where I'm moving to) as I've worked hard to get in better shape.

If it comes to it, losing the car will be hard to bear. Might end up having to chop it in for an older 1.9 td to bring down the cost of trips to Newcastle - currently in the region of an

[MikeF]

good luck mate, hope it all works out

Ive been with the missus since i was 16 - now 26, ive never raised an iron and i'm not sure what the washing machine does but i can cook - thats all i need

on reflection she never does my washing (unless i put it in the basket) and its damn rare i have an ironed t-shirt so things wouldnt change much there, except i wouldnt have to cook for four every night.

I'd say dont iron, women will take pitty and before you know it they'll come runnin!!!!

I have thought about what i'd do in your circumstances - if everything went tits up

Are you both pretty amicable then?

I suppose the most difficult thing for me would be the kids, i'd probably want joint custody straight down the middle and not pay a penny on support, what would be the point in paying for my ex to stay off work and look after my kids when i could be spending time with them. Thats my own personal view though. The company i work for are pretty flexible, i could move to longer hours over three days and suck it up and deal with the financial loss.

I say Beans on toast all the way, none of that warbies bread though - youll only be eating the cheap stuff from now on;)

[Makefish]

Employ a house maid to come in once a week to clear up, do the washing/ironing and anything else that might need attention , then sit back, relax and enjoy your new found freedom

[gadgetman]

Good Luck!

Lucky devil

*hides post from SWMBO*

[mattbeef]

Chin up mate no matter how bad you think it might be there is always someone else worse off.

Look on the brightside you wont have to watch all the soaps any more

[pixi]

Not if i give him any advice

You should hear the names i get called by my dear wife

I'm not surprised if what you've written under your username is true :P

[David 8]

You have obviously never seen apocalyspe now:)

Apocalypse Now (1979)

[MrkyMrk]

*megabump*

Not posted here for a while - everyone doing well I hope...

Big day is Saturday when I move out of the family home and in to a rented double room. Fortunately I've gotten an ace deal in a house owned by an ex-colleague - 5 mins walk from work (and centre of sunny Reading!) No longer bricking it as I know I can handle it and in some ways looking forward to it cos you gotta move forward, eh!

TTFN...

[Mouse]

Nice one mate. Always light at the end of the tunnel.

Best of Luck!

[VRStu]

Chin up Mark - There is light at the end of the tunnel I'm sure.

[Goochie]

Chin up Mark - There is light at the end of the tunnel I'm sure.

Or is it a man with a torch, walking towards you ?

[Johnnyc]

Been there and done that. At one stage a few months after I moved out, I found out I was losing my flat and my job all in one week! Anyway things do get better. Most important thing is to keep occupied. Going to the gym or maybe a night class etc keeps your mind active and is of benefit as well as distracting you from the situation.

For me it's my kids that make all the difference. They are still a huge part of my life.

Word of advice. Keep clear of women for a while. lol

Good Luck

J

[BobTHEDOG]

Thanks, people.

It's been a hell of a journey so far with some highs and some almost unbearable lows. I've been *very* close to the brink at times....

Right now I'm in the more positive frame of mind which is "interesting times ahead", not the "I can't live without my family around me". But it turns on a sixpence.

I suspect for a while I'll gonna be living on salads, tinned tuna, baked potatoes, beans and cooked/processed meat sarnies (not *that* far away from how I eat right now!) I can heat up, but I've never proper cooked, and I'm gonna have to do that to save money.

Don't want to fall into resorting to cheap junk food (and there's plenty of temptation where I'm moving to) as I've worked hard to get in better shape.

If it comes to it, losing the car will be hard to bear. Might end up having to chop it in for an older 1.9 td to bring down the cost of trips to Newcastle - currently in the region of an

[MrkyMrk]

Cheers peeps.

I joined a gym a few months back and I do think that's helped me get through. In the grand scheme, it's a pretty cheap way to spend time - certainly cheaper than the pub!

Mmmmm.... Stew....

[mdk1]

Good luck Mark

[Cupra_power]

Take a while but you will get into your own routine, you will survive and probably in 6 months time, be enjoying the new found freedom.

[vrswhite]

i've got a older mate in the same kind of boat, he's joined a dating style site and has not looked back, most important thing he still gets on with the ex.

Lifes to short for hard feelings.