Weezl and friends Phase 2 -giving it a whirl for Shirl! Testing meal plan for a month

Lesley_Gaye

SusanC wrote: »

No worries - I'm just weird. My mum tells me that when I was little and people asked what I wanted for Christmas, all the other children would reel off huge lists based on all the adverts and I would say I didn't know. I remember one year wanting a Christmas tree and another time wanting writing paper for writing my thank you letters.

oh that is so sweet to want a tree and writing paper, how simply adorable

I think my DGD 2.5 would like anything that's pink and/or sparkly. Although having said that, when I visited on Tuesday, there was a massive cardboard box in the sitting room with cushions and blankets inside and a curtain draped over it - yes, a camp, My girls loved camps, and their favourite toy all one summer was a tepee that I constructed from calico and bamboo poles and that we painted on with fabric paints

Allegra

weezl74 wrote: »

I'm gonna guess it as books Allegra

Oh yes. Especially cookbooks - and books on thrift :rotfl:

Allegra

artybear wrote: »

Well I think you are all very virtuous, I love clothes, shoes, books, pretty things but do try and get the best possible deal when I buy them.:(

That's what I was trying to say though, Arty - frugality does not equal virtue. It just is And I would never underestimate the sheer lifting power of a pretty yet useless bauble - I have stuff all round the house that's no earthly use, just ornament. Life would be pretty drab otherwise, wouldn't it ? Even for someone living mostly inside their head

I think I got to point out that the main reason why I'd never spend oodles of money on a bauble, though, is that I'd get no pleasure from it cos I'd be terrified of breaking or otherwise ruining it !

Regarding kids and present requests, Susan - my mother-in-common-law often regales us with the tale when !!!!!! was little and went to see Santa Claus.... And requested a bottle of Matey bubble bath as his present. (He's gonna kill me for sharing this, lol). And DD, when she was about 4, when asked what she wanted for Christmas, requested a cold.... She'd never ever had one, you see !

SusanC_2

artybear wrote: »

Oh I think I am very materialistic compared to you all:(

I was looking at engagement rings that were thousands of pounds (from Tiffany's:eek:)

Off to open wine now

That's okay, I did say that it's personal preference and not that one is "right" and the other "wrong".

weezl74

Also arty, I don't think a 'materialistic' person would have gravitated towards this thread, let alone taken the plunge to be an MSE poster for the first time in order to join in

SusanC_2

artybear wrote: »

Well I think you are all very virtuous, I love clothes, shoes, books, pretty things but do try and get the best possible deal when I buy them.:(

As long as you have the means to pay for them there is nothing wrong with wanting, buying and enjoying those things. I'm just a person who doesn't feel comfortable spending large amounts of money on certain things (e.g. food, clothes, shoes) which other people wouldn't think anything of.

I once told my friend she'd been ripped off when she showed me a jumper she'd bought for £25. She then got really worried that she was being really extravagant and wasteful but I said that if you added together expenditure on clothes and stamps then I was probably spending more than her - it just depends on your preferences.

Just because I'd rather spend money on stamps and books than clothes and expensive food doesn't make me virtuous.

SusanC_2

artybear wrote: »

Ok well you have made me feel much better now:D

Just so you know I would never spend £350 on a chocolate leg, have worked since I was 13 (slightly illegal I know), had three jobs through uni and always pay rent etc...before lovely things.

Also books are my weakness too Allegra, I have over 500 at my mums and lots here too......my dream is to have a house with a library.

Me too - if we had two reception rooms I would choose a library over a dining room.

weezl74

Mr Weezl and I had a really interesting conversation the other day about the way that people define themselves and create an identity through spending.


We talked about the different identities our friends have created in this way, and how attractive a lot of those choices seem to us

We also talked about how 'not spending' is probably perceived as an identity too, and yet it is something we sometimes both feel a little bit lost because of.

DH is a dentist (currently doing a PhD) so frequently meets up with peers from uni who are defining themselves with boats and cars and skiing.

Mostly he feels fine, but sometimes he wonders who he is.

Not really making any point here... just musing

Allegra

Oh, and before I forget again - Shanks, we are having tarka dal for dinner tonight. I am still trying to run down my food stocks, which is why I've not been testing many of Kitty's recipes.

Arty, a house with a library used to be one of my dreams, too.... Alas, no room here for one ! I have kinda managed to strike a compromise of sorts by using readitswapit a lot, which at least means that the book stocks are not completely out of control....

SusanC_2

weezl74 wrote: »

Mr Weezl and I had a really interesting conversation the other day about the way that people define themselves and create an identity through spending.

That's very interesting because I would never have thought of my identity as being connected with the way I spend my money. I think of my identity being defined mainly by the things I do and my (hopefully positive) personality/characteristics.