It's STILL tough and not getting better - so how are we coping?

seasalt_2

Still trying to work out how I can get them to do their own washing - without tons of damp laundry draped untidily all round the house (no TD) because they've waited until nothing left to wear - or putting WM on with one thing in it because they want to wear it NOW! Anyone else get their teens to do their own? What are your rules?

ubamother

penelopedee wrote: »

I have a nightmare with teenagers clothes washing and am forever just folding it back up and putting it their rooms. Easily over half of it hasn't even been worn. It takes them over a week to realise they can't see their floors and need to bring their dirties downstairs.

The only thing I will venture in and collect is school uniform as they think if they don't have any clean on a Monday morning then they don't have to go to school :mad:

Was I really this bad when I was younger?:)

My ten yr old was awful - this is what I did - put a laundry basket in his room - anything in it got washed, anything on the floor got black bagged and would be thrown away if not put in the basket. Putting away clean clothes has to be done before something he really wants - so "tea will be ready as soon as your clean clothes have been put away" or "we'll read that book as soon as...." He hasn't yet got to the age when I'm not welcome in his room, so am hoping I've caught this early. Was I really this bad...? Er...oh yes!

bluebag

seasalt wrote: »

Still trying to work out how I can get them to do their own washing - without tons of damp laundry draped untidily all round the house (no TD) because they've waited until nothing left to wear - or putting WM on with one thing in it because they want to wear it NOW! Anyone else get their teens to do their own? What are your rules?

I sympathise totally, I stopped them doing thier own laundry because it was just too much faff, I insist on it being in the wash basket and point blank refuse to do items to order.

They are not allowed to put an 'item' in the washer or dryer, it's just tough.
I tell them if they want to do that they can get their own washer and the roof to put over it.

JulieGeorgiana

penelopedee wrote: »

I have a nightmare with teenagers clothes washing and am forever just folding it back up and putting it their rooms. Easily over half of it hasn't even been worn. It takes them over a week to realise they can't see their floors and need to bring their dirties downstairs.

I read on another board that one woman had teenagers who never put their washing away, and half was never worn when it was on the floor!! Anyway she would sniff it... and if it was fresh fold it and put it back into their rooms.... they thought it had been washed and she was a miracle worker!!

hellsbells45

Have just got to share something with you all. My nice nice brother has told me to go to DFS and choose a suite!!!!!! (We are desperate for one, furniture takes a hammering in this house due to DD1 constantly bouncing and rocking.)
Hasnt sunk in yet:T

sammy_kaye18

Morning - well the reality of it getting colder is starting to sink in now because I've been woken by Holly and we are in front room, its chilly but ok. Holly went to sleep with baby grow, long sleeved PJ top, trousers and scratch mittens as I find her hands get really cold, and have put a fleece blanket down on bottom of her cot but then once she's laid on it Im folding the bottom over onto her so she's in a fleece sort of sleeping baggy but the sides aren't sewn ---- does that description make any sense??? because her little feet were cold the other night and all her sleep suits are on radiators.

Also becoming very aware that our gas meter eats so much money its ridiculous! Cant wait till Friday or next week when I can put more on as I think we are down to £6 at the minute! although there is £5 emergency on there too. and the electric is on about £13 with a few pound emergency. It hit me though that once the cold weather hits it could be getting very chilly indeed so need to get some more money on those asap and build up a winter supply!

Fingers crossed my mum will bring the new curtains up on Saturday with her - big thick velvet ones so that will help in the living room somewhat and I think Ill get doubling up the curtains this week in ours and ben's room - need to find out the other curtains that are in the airing cupboard.

Also our car MOT is up and the car wont re-pass it without a few £100 of work on it so boyfriend is going to start cycling back and forth to work. Dreading it as the winter weather sets in, need to get something sorted asap. Although its £54 for a train ticket it will cut out a good chunk of his journey and save him about £100 in petrol a month, and no insurance, tax etc but welsh weather is no fun. Unless I find him some nice warm long johns.

Also he wants to borrow money from our savings with the credit union but he already took out a loan a few months back which he hasn't paid back any of yet so need to start that but it means because we have a loan already we cant take any of our savings out.
I havent told him that yet though.

Oh dear, fingers crossed this week will get better.

Annie56

Morning everyone from a dull and overcast and yes quite cold Staffordshire, well my part at least.

Yes Sammy Kaye I agree it is cold, and Im worried re the leccie like you...Im going to have to have a good old look at the past posts and see if Ive missed any other tips on how to keep warm
I need to switch the storage heaters on now as background heat, was hoping not havin to do that till middle of October but the mornings are so dampy cold feeling I need to get them fired up and see how much they cost daily and start budgeting with avengence or else Im not going to live up to my budget/meal planning projected future spends.

smileyt thanks for the nod re JSA and Jobcentre, last visit to them was fun, Ive only signed on for 8 weeks now and they are still harping on re my proof of job applications, they have suggested that I apply for Xmas work at the local A$DA, my friends daughter works there and she said where they getting there information on Xmas vacancies at there branch from as theres a high chance that there will be no Xmas temp vacancies this year due to cost cutting and that doesnt bode well for students who have temp work there ah well will wait and see how the land lies.

I have applied for a community midwifes post in Aberystwyth area, have already had an informal chat with the HR folkies there, lovley lady said I was over qualified for the job but was most welcome to apply, she hinted that it might be a job share maybe, told her thats fine by me, Id soon fill in my spare time down on the beach etc.
Im not making any plans till I know for definate that I have an interview, fingers crossed for me ....

Twenty odd years in the NHSand just chucked on the scrap heap, Ive plenty of working life in me yet just over 20 years if I have to work till Im 65...the hospital that made me and some fellow nurses redundant are now short staffed and recruiting through agencies at some awful hourly rates, makes me so angry, they had the chance to reduce our hours but chose to chuck all there training efforts we had onto the scrapheap, local name for the hospital I worked at is the rapid life exit hotel, its always in the papers/TV for !!!! ups, blunders and bad management must be said I was glad to get the heck out of it...

Meal planning sorted, just storecupboard to finalise and Ithink Im ready for winter.
Asked exOH for the Xmas tree and decorations, found them dumped on the back door step when I came home yesterday...what a plonker....cant wait for divorce to be sorted out oooh a bit of gossip ex mother in law from hell has cornered blonde floozie re pregnancy, seems there has been ructions and some swearing along the lines of her darling son bieng a deluded idiot if he thinks its his and what do you think it is the immaculate conception...local priest has been on his doorstep ( were Catholic) about divorce and rumours etc he can go straight past my door if he thinks hes coming to lecture moi about the woes of divorce......need a peephole installing on my front door..

Todays plans are some washing then down the allotment with my flask and sarnies, cheaper than a gym any day
Till laters

Annie56

jackieglasgow

Morning Annie, good luck about the job, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Lol about your OH and the MIL/priest, he's certainly reaping what he sowed!

Tightening my belt another notch this week, I have totally battered my GC budget and don't know how, well I do really, OH has been at home this month and I didn't put the budget up to include him, I has really hoped it would be OK. I need to find other ways of reducing my food spends, think as the weather is getting yuck, the soup consumption needs to rise to meet it. I am finding the house cooler as well, but am refusing to put any heating on, I will be looking for new blinds for the livingroom this week, as the old one has no heat retaining properties whatsoever, its just a cheap roller blind. So more money out,l but hopefully it well help me hold off on the heating going on, so a long term benefit really.

Nargleblast

Good morning everyone, yes, winter draws on etc etc! Gave in and put central heating back on last week. We have it on from about 6 till 9 in the morning then about 5 till 10 in the evening, just on a low setting (around 19 degrees C at present , just enough to take the chill out of the place during those times.) I regularly read the meters and input my readings online so there will be no nasty estimated bills. Washer dryer died a death last week, had it just coming up to eleven years, so emergency funds had to be raided to buy a new one. We now have a Samsung washer dryer that has an Air refresh programme - if you have a jacket or pair of trousers that are not really dirty but you would probably dry clean, you just shove the item on this programme and it circulates air through the garment to refresh it. Worked a treat on DS's school trousers, so will bear that in mind.

Getting low on food budget, still a week to go till payday but have planned to visit Home bargains and Aldis today. Mr T's doing small blankets/throws for about a fiver at present, handy for installing yourself on the sofa.

Good luck with the job application, Annie56, a change in surroundings might do you good. Of course, you'll miss your allotment gang if you do go. Had to laugh about your OH's circumstances - who needs the fires of hell when they have a MIL like that!

lambanana

We haven't had our heating on yet but it has felt a lot colder over the weekend. We have 8 radiators in our house and 4 of them don't even work so it seems pretty pointless to bother putting the heating on until we can get someone out from our letting agents to fix the ones that don't heat up at all. The biggest problem temp wise in our house though is the useless old utility area thing on the back which is single glazed, has a gap under the wooden door (I've packed it with newspaper and a draught excluder but the cold still gets through) and has a window that doesn't shut at all which the letting agents didn't fix properly when we complained. It makes downstairs so much colder! Still at least the radiators that do work are three of the downstairs one and the one in our bedroom. We have no shame though, we'll sit on the sofa in sleeping bags and I wear fleece PJs. I was looking at the (admittedly pretty hideous) adult all in one fleece sleep suits at Primarni but you need to unzip and pull off the whole top part to go to the loo which makes me think maybe not such a good idea...unless I wore a t-shirt under it as well.