Where do we go from basics?

ceridwen

I must admit that I hadnt realised ingredients would ever get provided these days - as, back in my schooldays, I had to take in the necessary ingredients from home (and that was back before children were the "personal choice" they are these days - ie apres the Pill coming along).

I certainly agree wholeheartedly with ANYONE being taught how to cook "the basics" - but if they are the one that wants to know, then the corollary is they are the one who pays (same as happened in my generation). Otherwise - someone else somewhere will be paying instead for something that was not of their choosing...

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Howsomever - I am hoping peeps arent going to start a "Other people SHOULD pay for us" debate at this juncture - or I foresee another round of "fighting" on this thread starting up.

I dont think any of us want "fighting" to break out again - so can it just be accepted please that those of us not wishing to pay other peoples expenses do have a valid viewpoint and go back onto our Hard Times theme.:)

MaggieBaking

My Auntie is a secondary school teacher and I have heard some horrific things about how some children are raised. And even if you didn't have that 'insider' knowledge a few Jamie Oliver shows would teach you that some families don't have decent food in the house - like the mother who gave her 3 year old a donner kebab every night.

My Auntie knows children who have never seen an egg, and don't even know what one is - they thought it was like milk. Unfortunately some children don't have parents who are happy to buy them a bag of apples, or some mince for cooking.

It would make you weep to hear it. It shouldn't be the school's job to teach home economics but someone must.

I'm delighted that my taxes to go towards educating and improving the lives of the next generation, including teaching them how to feed themselves properly.

*Edit - sorry ceridwen, I'm not arguing with you personally - but I had this open to reply, went and answered the phone, so our posts crossed paths.

ceridwen

This is a subject on which there will be differences of opinion and those of us who are childless DO indeed feel very strongly about our taxes going on other peoples choices (because we notice that other peoples taxes dont go on OUR choices in reverse).

I was watching a Superscrimpers episode recently where an 18 year old man and 20 year old woman had got pregnant despite being so young/still living in her fathers house/etc/etc - and it hit me for one "smack between the eyes" that though this couple had been going out spending thousands of £s a year on magazines/fashionable clothing/meals out/etc and continued to do so even on becoming pregnant - that they were being advised by the woman concerned that they should claim all "family" benefits and they were proposing to do just that. Hmmm....in other words straight out of everyone elses pocket into theirs to compensate them for having just blown their own money on "personal" spending. Ultimately the parents of a child are the ones who chose to have that child/or couldnt be bothered whether they had it or no (so "fell pregnant" by accident rather than design) and its not other peoples' responsibility to pay to pick up the pieces if parents havent got their financial priorities worked out properly. They wouldnt pick up the pieces for us after all..

sb44

A tip for anyone who buys basics but would like can't really stretch to a whole fresh chicken, pork loin steaks etc.

Tesco take Sainsburys minimum spend vouchers ie spend £20 and get £4 off.

Tesco very often have their fresh meat on special offer, buy 3 items for £10 instead of £12.

If you get yourself a Sainsbuyrs Nectar card and spend a small amount on the odd occasion, they sometimes send you the vouchers as mentioned above, save the voucher and use at Tesco.

So, this morning I bought 3 x 1.45kg fresh chickens (the ones with the British Tractor on the packaging) for £10 - £4 voucher so £2 per fresh chicken.

Basically I spent £10 on the chicken, £3.50 dog biscuits, £2 on bread and £4.50 on other stuff, so £16 to pay.

MaggieBaking

Ceridwen, I'll ignoring the argument about what benefits parents get to spend - because I'm talking about children worse off than those who's parents spend benefits on a magazine, I'm talking about those whose parents spend benefits on drugs, or on anything other than their children.

This is about teaching kids, independently of their parents, to understand what a vegetable is, how to cook it, and how nice it tastes. About how to manage your life, diet and home. It's horrible and it's sad but some parents can't/wont/don't teach them about healthy eating and taking care of yourself - and if we don't want children to fall into the culture that this generation has then we've got to do something different.

This isn't about how some people get more money than you do, it's about helping those kids who have no one to teach them the basics.

Edit - that's all I'll say on that matter.

bramble1

Sainsburys do 3 for £10 as well and you get more nectar points therefore more chance of getting money off...I'm totally confused by your post SB44 - can you explain it to me?

patchwork_cat

mrsmortenharket wrote: »

god forbid your precious taxes might go towards some families improving what they eat. :huh:

I don't have a problem with the time and facilities that is excellent, but I do have a problem with them not paying for the ingredients. I am not childless and have an issue with it. We have to provide the ingredients for cookery lessons in school for our children, so why should somebody with 9 children get their ingredients for free at my expense?

sb44

bramble1 wrote: »

Sainsburys do 3 for £10 as well and you get more nectar points therefore more chance of getting money off...I'm totally confused by your post SB44 - can you explain it to me?

Sorry, it was directed to people who do shop at Tesco rather than Sainsburys.

Some don't like Sainsburys, others can't stand Tesco so it is swings and roundabouts.

It does give you the option of spending your £4 voucher at Tesco if you don't fancy the Sainsbury offers.

FatVonD

The last time i was at our local chippie I noticed they were selling large, catering-sized sacks of spuds for around a fiver. I don't know if they'd over ordered or whether they can make a profit on them. There are only three of us here most of the time so we'd not get through them before they started sprouting (and don't have anyone nearby who could split a bag) but for anyone with a bigger family and no farm shop nearby it might be worth speaking to the local chip shop to ask them to order you a sack.

I have a question re chest freezers and how much electricity they use... I don't have room in my freezer to stock up on bogofs as much as I'd like, for instance Mr T had their ready meal Chicken Tikka Masala half price recently which I buy for DH to eat when DS and I are having something he won't eat (namely anything with mince or cheese in it), would it be a false economy to run another freezer? I hate to see a bargain end and go back up to full price

Bambywamby

When I was brought up in the 70s and mum ran out of money for the electric meter she told us we were going to have a story night. We would all sit in candle light, eating jam sandwiches, taking turns to tell spooky stories. We then went off to bed, with the curtains open to let the street light in (there was no way we were going to sleep in the dark after talking about spooks and the such like.) We never knew cash was so short at the time but my siblings and I thought it was fantastic fun. Those were even tougher times for folks with all the national strikes than things are now - as were the 40s, 50s and 60s that proceeded it. I think even though times are quite difficult now it tends to bring out your imagination, your sense of community and for a lot of younger people their first taste of appreciating rather than taking things for granted.

A boom always follows a bust and vice versa - so it is just a case of holding on, finding joy in the simpler/cheaper things and waiting until things start to get better again. x