I forgot to mention that my son had to leave home for boarding school when he was 16, because of my health. I was determined that he would have everything to the same standard that he would have at home, and have kept to that ever since.
As far as possible he has been involved in choosing everything in his flat, it's really lovely, the envy of many care staff.
However, I've always been very careful with money, so we are used to bargain hunting. He has Laura Ashley curtains both ends of his lounge. I'd bought these for my cottage several years previously, two huge pairs for £20, at the tip!
However, they didn't really suit the room I'd bought them for, so that sat in my drawer for several years. They were almost new, but the header tape was falling off. An easy fix for me as I make all my own curtains. They fitted his large windows perfectly!
His dining table would cost about £600 new, but we found it for £10, another great tip find! We live in one of the wealthiest towns in the UK, so our tip and charity shops have amazing bargains. His dining chair set cost about £3 from ebay.
He has Stellar saucepans, Worcester Herb china, same as mine at home, but most of his were heavily discounted when the company closed down.
He has my old dining table, but no one ever sees it, as he has an 8ftx4ft train board on it. His Hornby trains give him hours of pleasure.
His bedroom is enormous, so he has a double size bed with pocket sprung mattress.
All funded from his benefits, I saved them up for years so that when he had his own place, he could afford to buy lots of things new, like fridge, washing machine, tumble dryer etc.
It is so much better to move children away from home when there isn't a crisis, then mum is at hand to explain all their child's likes and dislikes, and you can have them home regularly, knowing that it's not all up to you, all the time.
