How much to live on per week

looby75

OMG I've just had a text convo with my daughter that has left me crying with laughter.

She knows about this thread, because I asked her at the start if it was ok that I posted about the kind of things she made, and then again once people started to doubt what I was posting was the truth. I've not mentioned it to her in a while, but she's just just text this

DD "Mam have you been telling everyone on the internet how little I spend on food again"

Me "thats a random question, why?"

DD "because someone posted a slice of bread through the flat letter box in the middle of the night and I was wondering if that mad lot you post with were worried about me starving and were trying to help feed me lol"

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

So own up who was it lol

rubytuesday

:rotfl: Make sure she slices it into soldiers to make it stretch further!

looby75

rubytuesday wrote: »

:rotfl: Make sure she slices it into soldiers to make it stretch further!

the case of the mysteriously posted bread has been solved.

Apparently one of her flatmates was out on the beer last night with some of the people on his course who live in a different flat but the same block as theirs. When they were on the way back home (drunk ) they were talking about what they were going to eat when they got back in as none of them had any money left for the end of night kebab. DD's flat mate can vaguely remember toast being talked about and he thinks he said he had no bread so couldn't even have that.

When they got back to the block they went their separate ways and he can only presume one of them from the other flat decided to help him out with his lack of bread situation :rotfl:

Dunroamin

looby75 wrote: »

the case of the mysteriously posted bread has been solved.

Apparently one of her flatmates was out on the beer last night with some of the people on his course who live in a different flat but the same block as theirs. When they were on the way back home (drunk ) they were talking about what they were going to eat when they got back in as none of them had any money left for the end of night kebab. DD's flat mate can vaguely remember toast being talked about and he thinks he said he had no bread so couldn't even have that.

When they got back to the block they went their separate ways and he can only presume one of them from the other flat decided to help him out with his lack of bread situation :rotfl:

Students getting drunk - whoever would've thought they'd do a thing like that!:rotfl:

mumps

looby75 wrote: »

I'm sorry if I've offended you, I didn't mean to imply you were a bad parent or anything like that just because you don't know what your kids spend/spent on shopping. I totally realise that to a lot of people the fact I know so much is a bit weird if not creepy

I don't memorise everything, as I've said she's chuffed to bits that she can cook cheaply and likes to tell me how much she's spent (or not lol ) on stuff. She's only at uni 25 miles away from home so we have pretty much the same kind of main shops, but she has the added advantage of having a really good cheap old fashioned market that sells fresh meat and veg as well as discount stores for for all the other stuff.

My daughter and I have free texts (both on o2) so she'll text me for anything and we have long rambling text conversations about all kinds and because she's close to home she comes back to do her washing every 3-4 weeks so we talk about all kinds of stuff.

Don't worry I wasn't offended. To be honest with you I started to post to try and inject a bit of lightheartedness (is that really such a long word) as I thought people were getting a bit intense about it. I have had three go through uni and one still there. My daughter and one son were frugal, one son was definitely not and son who is still there is a very good cook and careful with him money but is a long thin strip of a thing and feeding him is a thankless task, a bottomless pit and never looks like he has been properly fed. He manages his money well but could never feed himself on £15 a week, he probably needs at least double the calories of his sister.

It is nice for you that your daughter can get home so often, now that is priceless.

mumps

looby75 wrote: »

the case of the mysteriously posted bread has been solved.

Apparently one of her flatmates was out on the beer last night with some of the people on his course who live in a different flat but the same block as theirs. When they were on the way back home (drunk ) they were talking about what they were going to eat when they got back in as none of them had any money left for the end of night kebab. DD's flat mate can vaguely remember toast being talked about and he thinks he said he had no bread so couldn't even have that.

When they got back to the block they went their separate ways and he can only presume one of them from the other flat decided to help him out with his lack of bread situation :rotfl:

That is lovely, helping each other out even when drunk.

BACKFRMTHEEDGE

Lokolo wrote: »

To be fair it did happen when setmefree first came to the board. Although a lot of the time she was completely wrong, would always be backed up by friends from other boards.

However she has got a lot better recently unlike some of the others who also come here!

Is that setmefree2 from the mortgage free board? She paid off her mortgage in May. I guess she's off enjoying her mortgage freeness and now has much better things to do with her life.

..her son got A*A*A - clever boy;)

I always found setmefree2 one of the most lovely posters on MSE. So kind and helpful on the MFW board. I couldn't believe the way she was treated on this board. Who's to say she was wrong? Maybe her family fit into ML's scenario 3 - a high earner with a high earning child. But apparently that alone was enough to tear her to pieces - jealousy is a terrible thing - and there's only room on this board for those perceived as poor.

But hey ho that's MSE for you. I remember Edinvestor (RIP) from the pensions board being treated in the same way by a few trolls. After she died I discovered that Ed was an ex FT journalist. I did wonder if those trolls were even vaguely embarrassed by their behaviour? I guess and hope, however, that Ed enjoyed the banter.

Often the nicest of posters and those with money get chased away - who can blame them? Then we're just left with the trolls who know nothing but think they know it all - and those who can explain how to live quite nicely on £5 a week for a family of 4.

looby75

mumps wrote: »

It is nice for you that your daughter can get home so often, now that is priceless.

It's great, she gets the best of both worlds, independence but close enough to come home whenever she like. She's here now but won't be coming back for a while after this as she's got a lot of exams and controlled practicals coming up so will need to be seriously hitting the books. It looks like this will be her last visit until they finish for christmas.

Lokolo

BACKFRMTHEEDGE wrote: »

I always found setmefree2 one of the most lovely posters on MSE. So kind and helpful on the MFW board. I couldn't believe the way she was treated on this board. Who's to say she was wrong? Maybe her family fit into ML's scenario 3 - a high earner with a high earning child. But apparently that alone was enough to tear her to pieces - jealousy is a terrible thing - and there's only room on this board for those perceived as poor.

That is my point! You are judging the people that disagreed with her. Yes SMF is very nice but at the time was entirely wrong in her view and she refused she was wrong for a very long time.

I was one of those that tried to help her understand and I wasn't jealous at all. I am not quite sure how you could call people such as ONW jealous - what has she got to be jealous about exactly?

We have people on these boards who spend a lot of time helping, then there are a select few who don't actually come on here to help but instead read posts, thanks and try to argue. Which is exactly what you are doing isn't it?

rubytuesday

Half a thanks for you here Lokolo as I don't really understand what this is all about and can't comment on various posters being right or wrong.

What I can say though is that there are posters on this thread who are being deliberately obnoxious and antagonistic when this wasn't the intention of this thread nor was it warranted by the posts of those who felt it was possible to manage on smaller means than some have bandied about (if they don't think it's possible that can easily be expressed politely.)

To say that this forum is just catering for the poor is totally ridiculous.

My son is earning an incredible amount with a career as a chef under his belt, the profession he is currently working in and also his own succesful business on the go.

(Yes I can do boasting on behalf of my children too!)

My daughter is extremely capable academically and also loves life and has a wonderful personality so I have absolutely no qualms about her being extremely successful in later life.

She has already demonstrated great business acumen having already worked in event management and managing the VIP area of a high profile London night club aged eighteen and also some time gaining experience at a publishers. (not school work experience)

My own financial life has been up and down at times due to illness and I have been looking after myself since I was seventeen but I have had some very good periods and wouldn't begrudge that of anyone - it certainly makes life easier; I wouldn't be jealous of others doing well and that is what I want for my two.

However good money management is sensible for anyone and that is what is being put forward here.

There was absolutely no need for the silly spitefulness directed at those putting the ideas of managing in a more frugal way if neccessary forward.