Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - Part 3.

flippin36

Thanks Sandrascarlett! I need to do the same this month - plus my laptop is on loan and has to go back this month so I need to buy a cheap one to replace it (roughly £180 which I will try and buffer by selling some clothes on ebay, being creative with the groceries, and walking more whilst the good weather is with us).

Frugal activities for today: Walk DS home from school, NSD, batch baking (carrot cake, flapjacks), start my recipe book with costings!

rubytuesday

Paidin I think if it's reciprocal it's no problem -if it's totally one sided then that's not really fair.

That said there is often a house everyone seems to gravitate to.

We allways seemed to have everyone staying over more than they went elsewhere.

tumptyteapot

rubytuesday wrote: »

Tumpty I think if it's reciprocal it's no problem -if it's totally one sided then that's not really fair.

It wasn't me but I agree :-) Isn't it usually the host child who asks their parents if it is ok? That means the parents don't feel put on the spot but it's ok if the visiting child asks the host child to ask the parents.

does that make any sense at all?

rubytuesday

Oops so sorry Tumpty I meant paid in!

In a bit of a rush - got appointment to have needles and pins stuck in me a nd keep losing my posts!

SandraScarlett

Absolute agree with others about vet bills and emotional blackmail. We were encouraged to buy some pricey stuff some years ago for our dog who had weeping and grotty eyes, and I bought Golden Eye ointment for babies instead, which worked fine.

Oh I did laugh paidin at visions of your LO going round to houses, asking if he could stay for tea! Using my vivid imagination, he seemed to resemble Mark Lester in Oliver, complete with raggedy costume, singing "Where is love?" and pleading for more!!!!

Sorry for laughing!

xx

redglass_2

tumptyteapot wrote: »

I emailed them - "No matter what my budget was I'd need to know what your prices are. You seem to be implying that I don't love my cat enough.Sorry but I really take offence at that."

and I got back

"you take offence extremely easily when none is meant and draw extraordinary conclusions in a quite reactionary way which is sad"

That's me all over, sad cat woman :-)

Well, I don't find you sad but their business skills are pretty tragic! :rotfl:!!!!!!! Their cue wasn't to psychoanalyse you or engage in a dingdong but to

1. apologise
2. assure you of their good intentions
3. give you the information you'd asked for.

All very basic stuff for a business, surely? As FlyingFresian said, you and your cat are best out of that one!
If you want to patronise them in return, you could reply telling them to look up the word 'reactionary' in the dictionary.

paidinchickens

Thats how I feel "please sir can I have some more?" whince. He asks the parents not even the child to ask his parents, and when they put cake or something out and tell him to help himself he eats the lot........umm maybe I should worm him as well as the cats:rotfl: It is so easy to make your own rules when you are the parent but being a step parent is flippin hard:eek: I love having peoples opinions so I know I am not a being a dragon:rotfl::rotfl:

Blinkin Eck Tumpty I can't believe they said that to you:eek::eek::eek:...........some people :mad:

It will be an eggy tea for us tonight as have some (food parcel eggs) to use up. I bet the boys all vote for scrumbled eggs (as they are called in our house)lol............mind you I could go knock on next door and ask if I could stay for tea as they both work full time and have take aways every night :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

tumptyteapot

paidinchickens wrote: »

Thats how I feel "please sir can I have some more?" whince. He asks the parents not even the child to ask his parents, and when they put cake or something out and tell him to help himself he eats the lot........

That is out of order and it won't make him any friends. Especially eating a whole cake, he would never be invited back to my house :-)

Does his other parent agree with you?

tumptyteapot

got the car back with a new MOT- £290 for new back brakes and all sorts of other things and £80 for new tyres. Still cheaper than a new car but I went to Mr S and got cheesecake and wine and a cd player and other stuff that came to £40 as a panic spend reaction. The car got through its MOT with nothing needing on it last year so overall it's still pretty good but somewhat ouchy! I'd budgeted £300.

paidinchickens

tumptyteapot wrote: »

That is out of order and it won't make him any friends. Especially eating a whole cake, he would never be invited back to my house :-)

Does his other parent agree with you?

The problem is that DH and his ex have fought through the courts for so many years that neither like to be the bad parent and tell them no so I become the wicked step mother. His mother has been to rehab and only has them in the hols. Different rules different houses. I know both the boys must feel rejected, upset and every other emotion under the sun HOWEVER I feel that sometimes you can pander too much and there are kids who are treated far worse. I feel quite bad as they were terrible when I first met them and have improved sooooooo much their teacher has said they are unrecognisable:T so sometimes I feel a little nit picky but I give them the rules my children have regarding manners, bedtimes and what time they have to be in (relevant to ages). I do feel like I am walking on egg shells and I am unsure if manners has become out of date??? There are many men that take on other peoples children but not many women and those I know that do only have them every other weekend and do not have them living with them as I do. DH is so soft no one listens to him. So we just muddle through and I ask peoples opinion on everything!!!

I really am going to stop putting too much personal stuff on and I am sorry again xxxxxxx only money saving talk for the next week promise :Dxxxx