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

Fruball

kidcat wrote: »

It costs over £2.00 for school dinner here and if they have the hot option its more!!

:eek: MORE if its the hot option OMG :eek:

bluebag

kidcat wrote: »

I worked out that for the two eldest it costs me over £100 for school meals and all they end up with is a sandwich small cake and a drink. So I am now giving them packed lunch most days, it means i now make four packed lunches every day but the money I am saving (tbh is money I really didnt have any more as prices have risen).

I have three at home on packed lunches, the only way I can face it is to make them all at once and freeze them. I defrost the required number of butties the night before in the fridge.

A sharpie pen marks who's is who' so the OH doesn't gag on peanut butter.

I put up salad and/or fruit the night before in the little clip plastic box things, but I prepare all that once a week as well, wash tomatoes and lettuce just don't slice it up 'till the night before.

I find it much cheaper too as I can buy the 2 for whatever bread and the giant packs of corned beef, ham etc.

Home bargains/quality save is pretty good for choc biscuits, flaojacks and cereal bars for going in lunchboxes.

I switched to packed lunches for them all when the little'un only ate a slice of garlic bread at school because she didn't like what was on offer and no one was in the least bit bothered. She was underweight due to a bowel operation as it was. Pretty dire really.
bb

sammy_kaye18

parsonswife8 wrote: »

Lord, Sammy Kaye, I hope things will get better for you.

We've got the car in the garage, they have replaced some valve and say they need to place the throttle regulator or something:mad::mad:

Going to cost in excess of £420.:mad::mad::mad::mad:

Thank God the warning light only came on when we were almost home from Norfolk.:eek::eek:

The car has been in since Saturday and will only be ready on Wednesday, if we are lucky. Did I say lucky?????:rotfl::rotfl:

Yeah that sounds like our sort of luck parsons wife. Although the £10 Owen currently has in his wallet is through a glimmer of luck. Thought I would try my luck on a scratch card that my mother offered to pay for. Saw one then changed my mind but went with the initial one I had seen and won the £10. Then I had £10 in my purse and he had £10 but mine has gone on milk/bread etc.

Although stroke of luck is that the bike his dad is lending him has half a tank of petrol which will do him until pay day. :T

Also been checking the Virgin media sight and we are currently signed up on the XL package - which is £23 a month :eek::eek: for 160 channels, half of which we've never even heard of let alone ever watch. So just spoken to Owen and said about down grading it to the £11 a month deal and he has said as long as it still has extreme sports, eurosport and bravo then he was happy (which it does) and I said as long as it has MTV then Im happy (which it does) so that will save us £12!
so just looking now and I think we are on the talk unlimited phone offer which is almost £20 a month - stupid when we each have £15 contract mobiles with 100 free minutes and unlimited text messages but a lot of family contact us on this as its cheaper to ring a house phone so the cheapest deal is £15.44 for the phone line (£11.99) and an evenings/weekends tariff.
Our broadband however is used constantly but not sure what one we are on for that! might ring them tomorrow and change them and double check. Either way potential savings of £17! woohoo!

yikes ! just realised the time - im off to football training now!

penelopedee_2

DS's school lunches are £2.50 and its one of those bistro type things where 'he says' its all burgers or pasties. I can't imagine he'd go for the salad option though no matter how nice it looked

parsonswife8

Glad to hear there is petrol in the motorbike Sammy.:j

Look at all your outgoings when you have the time and I'm sure you will be able to downgrade a bit and save some dosh. Who needs 160 channels, especially when you have Ben and little Holly to take care of.

Sometimes, you get into such a flat spin, that you just don't realise it or think about things like that. And when you do, you realise how much you have been wasting, without realising it and how much you could be saving.

Good luck hon!:)

ceridwen

Annie56 wrote: »

..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..

:rotfl: Well - at this rate ex MIL might be deciding that perhaps you werent such a bad partner for her son to have after all....:rotfl:

Don't suppose she took along a video camera and put it up on YouTube?:rotfl:

Lindy_-_Loo

Sammy - if you pay Virgin via pay point you can fax them the reciept and your television will be turned on again. before we paid direct debit with them a few of years ago I forgot to pay the bill whilst visiting DS2 in special care, I rang up and they told me to fax the recipt from the shop and it was sorted. Our package is XL with sky sports so its high! We dont go out so its our treat, coudnt do without discovery home and help!

seasalt_2

School dinners here are £2.50 as well. Only DS has them but haven't noticed that he eats any less when he comes home!

My gripe today is that the school are starting a DofE award scheme and they are both being encouraged to do it. I am just thinking of the expense - walking boots, rucksacks, expedition costs etc all x2. They both already do things which count for the "service", "skills" and "PE" part of it and plenty of opportunities to do useful outdoor stuff here eg help OH on the croft or in the boat(!) so I can't really see the point - probably coloured by the fact that I always hated similar organised group activities when I was their age - though they might enjoy it. They both had/have holiday and Saturday jobs so are willing to contribute to the cost themselves but I was rather hoping they would have a little bit saved up for when/if they go to college as can't see us being able to help them much. Sorrry for rant -slinks off to the bad mothers' corner!

kidcat

DofE can run very expensive, some of DD15 friends are currently attempting it, some via school and others via sea cadets, army cadets etc. The school lot are paying a fortune for everything whereas the cadeys get it all for free!!

seasalt_2

That's what I'm afraid of!