Renovations and Repayments.

A_Frayed_Knot

[FONT=&quot]"I thought you lived on your own"[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I do, I meant 4 owner/occupiers, any bills/repairs are split between us.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]They obviously don't know what they are talking about on the other diaries, don't mind them.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Hope you get a good sleep tonight, it's already late, try and go earlier than the other nights.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]And I do hope Little LK settles down very soon.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]My brother used to work in a school, and used to take his son (who hadn't started school yet) and let him play in the gym once the school was finished, I said to my brother, you better watch, as when he starts school, I could just imagine my nephew saying to the teacher, I'm away to play in the gym [/FONT]:eek: and just leave :rotfl: the classroom.

AlexLK

edinburgher wrote: »

Have you ever checked how much power your fridge freezer consumes? If it's as old as you say, there could be real savings to be made switching to something more energy efficient. I can appreciate the logic of not buying something new for the sake of it, but if you're losing food sooner than you should be, it's costing you more than just the electricity.

Thanks Ed. I think I ought to speak to my wife about possibly replacing it. No idea how to check how much power it consumes though? I suppose I'm reluctant as while I appreciate a new one will consume less electricity, I'm sure it would take it's whole lifetime to pay for itself? Happy to be proven wrong. As we are careful not to buy a lot of food, I don't think we lose too much to the fridge. It is a pain when I'm busy, though.

maman wrote: »

I'm puzzled by that strange post too Alex. Maybe something was removed before any of us saw it. I'm not aware of anyone being other than helpful (or at least trying to be:o).

I think you seem to have done rather well from buying old cars, enjoying them for a while and then selling them on. That seems like a good hobby assuming it works out cost neutral or profitable. If it means you're just splashing out on expensive (to buy and run) cars because they're a weakness then I don't think that's a position you're in at the moment. The cash you have really isn't spare. OK so you've budgeted for the roof but what about the bathroom and definitely a new fridge freezer is needed PDQ!!

In the interests of helping you to 'Eat Well for Less', this is the chilli recipe I use.
http://www.hairybikers.com/recipes/view/chilli-con-carne#MmTySuLmVHpRZpTg.97
It's certainly not bland. I've adapted it a bit in that I don't add wine (what a waste!:eek:) and I add diced carrots, peppers and mushrooms because it makes the recipe go further but mainly because I like us to eat loads of veg. I use the best quality mince but the other ingredients are cheap enough. I never eat it on the day I cook it as I think it tastes even better after it's had a chance to marinade. I portion it up and freeze for a home made ready meal.


Hope LittleK settles soon:).

Thanks, maman.

Clarified in AFKs reply.

I enjoy and do well out of the cars. They are very cheap to run (not counting petrol as that comes out of day to day money). We've accounted for the roof, so there's no chance of me spending that money on a car. The bathroom happens when it happens, we've lived with it for nigh on a decade so a few more months isn't going to be a problem.

:rotfl: Re. the wine. I use wine in my cooking all the time. I buy a £5 bottle from the supermarket for cooking. Will definitely have a look at the recipe. I think a lot of the problem with chilli / curries I've made in the past is due to me not being generous enough with the spices. My wife is also convinced that such meals are better the day after.

Debsnewbudget wrote: »

We had a new kitchen installed a few years ago, along with a new fridge.
I could not believe the length of time we can keep fresh veg in there now.
It still amazes me now that stuff we bought ages ago can still be OK to use.

Thanks, Debs.

AlexLK

Apologies to all about the standard of my writing tonight.

A_Frayed_Knot wrote: »

[FONT=&quot]"I thought you lived on your own"[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I do, I meant 4 owner/occupiers, any bills/repairs are split between us.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]They obviously don't know what they are talking about on the other diaries, don't mind them.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Hope you get a good sleep tonight, it's already late, try and go earlier than the other nights.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]And I do hope Little LK settles down very soon.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]My brother used to work in a school, and used to take his son (who hadn't started school yet) and let him play in the gym once the school was finished, I said to my brother, you better watch, as when he starts school, I could just imagine my nephew saying to the teacher, I'm away to play in the gym [/FONT]:eek: and just leave :rotfl: the classroom.

4 owner occupiers? Sorry, I'm really confused.

I hope he settles too, also. I can't help but wonder if his want for attention from the teacher all the time is my fault. A lot of the time he apparently doesn't even want to speak to his peers.

:rotfl: Re. your nephew.

gallygirl

AlexLK wrote: »

To be honest, I'm dreading the roof job.

Why - you're not doing it yourself are you :eek::eek::eek:.

AlexLK wrote: »

The bathroom happens when it happens, we've lived with it for nigh on a decade so a few more months isn't going to be a problem.

:rotfl: Re. the wine. I use wine in my cooking all the time. I buy a £5 bottle from the supermarket for cooking. Will definitely have a look at the recipe. I think a lot of the problem with chilli / curries I've made in the past is due to me not being generous enough with the spices. My wife is also convinced that such meals are better the day after.

Didn't you want a Victorian style bathroom? Leave it much longer and it won't be Victorian but it will be vintage - very retro

Re cooking, another issue is that spices and herbs 'go off' and lose their pungency if not used quickly. And your wife is correct about things tasting better the next day, many dishes do. My mum used to collect insurance money door-to-door. One cold, wet day she went to a house where there was a lovely smell coming from the kitchen. The lady asked if my mum liked 'second day soup'. My mum replied 'yes', having visions of being sat down in a nice warm kitchen to a bowl of hot soup. 'Come back tomorrow then' she was told :rotfl:.

AlexLK wrote: »

4 owner occupiers? Sorry, I'm really confused.

Am guessing it's a four flat or maisonette block?

maman

Alex, if you had a new bathroom you could luxuriate with your lavender bath salts of an evening an then you'd sleep like a top!:D


More seriously, it would make your home far more comfortable and I'm sure MrsK would love it.


As for the fridge freezer, it would pay for itself in terms of the cost of your time. I don't think you'll convince anyone on the mse threads that daily shopping is an effective use of your time (or fuel) and you'll be increasingly short of that when you start your PGCE. Plus it's all part of making your home more pleasant to live in.


You said the right thing to LittleK about school being different to home. I'm sure he's capable of understanding that he's one of one at home whereas his teacher has to share her attention across the class. He's unlikely ever to be in such a small class as he is now so he really has to get used to it. Of course we want all our children to know they're special but 'special snowflake' syndrome isn't attractive to others. I'm sure you take all opportunities to praise his school, his teachers, other pupils etc to give him a perspective.

misscousinitt

Hi Alex

Just catching up after being a bit AWOL.

The fridge freezer issue is one I think you really should consider. The money you will save by planning your meals even for a week at a time will be made much easier by having the mechanism to store the fresh food effectively for the time required.

I meal plan most of the time and although I make a list of meals for the week (at the moment) or the month - I chop and change based on what we fancy on that day - getting meat and fish out of the freezer in the morning ready for the evening meal. In your case it could be a case of just choosing something out of a nice fresh fridge

Cheaper food need not be boring and some of the discount supermarkets have high quality products that you could use to bring your bill down. I must admit that I was sceptical at first - but I can buy luxury products (often produced in the UK) for a fraction of the price at the discounters. eg smoked salmon, feta cheese, parma ham, orange juice, free range eggs - give it a go - you might be surprised. If not, I stand corrected. You can still eat nice food, but why pay more for it?

Maybe a combination will work for you - some things delivered, some things bought from your usual places and some things bought from the supermarket - you will be amazed as to what a little planning and a good fridge can save you.

Hope everything improves regarding LittleK and school - I am sure it will - you sound like you are encouraging him the right way to take this new approach on board.

Hope the Q&A session went well.

Best Wishes

MCI

Debsnewbudget

Re Little K and school friends
When you think about it he will not have much in common with the other children to be able to join in their conversations.
He is used to adult company, adult food and no childrens television.
The only thing I can suggest is you try and find a suitable little friend from his classmates and do things with the two of them. So for example take them to your cousins horses or take the dogs for a walk.
This would give him a link and something to discuss in school.
He has a very different life to most 5 year olds and will unfortunately always be seen as the "odd" child until he has something in common with at least a couple of them.
This is no criticism of your parenting as I think you do a wonderful job but children can be very cruel to any percieved differences.
Deb

AlexLK

gallygirl wrote: »

Why - you're not doing it yourself are you :eek::eek::eek:.

No, I'm not. For a time I did look into having a go but decided against it.

gallygirl wrote: »

Didn't you want a Victorian style bathroom? Leave it much longer and it won't be Victorian but it will be vintage - very retro

I do indeed. My wife has other ideas and wants a standalone shower unit, something I think will spoil it.

:rotfl: The bathroom hasn't been touched since the late 1950s / early 1960s so is "vintage".

gallygirl wrote: »

Re cooking, another issue is that spices and herbs 'go off' and lose their pungency if not used quickly. And your wife is correct about things tasting better the next day, many dishes do. My mum used to collect insurance money door-to-door. One cold, wet day she went to a house where there was a lovely smell coming from the kitchen. The lady asked if my mum liked 'second day soup'. My mum replied 'yes', having visions of being sat down in a nice warm kitchen to a bowl of hot soup. 'Come back tomorrow then' she was told :rotfl:.


Am guessing it's a four flat or maisonette block?

:rotfl: Re. the "second day soup".

I didn't realise that about herbs and spices.

I perhaps ought to try cooking a few stews in the slow cooker this winter.

maman wrote: »

Alex, if you had a new bathroom you could luxuriate with your lavender bath salts of an evening an then you'd sleep like a top!:D


More seriously, it would make your home far more comfortable and I'm sure MrsK would love it.

:rotfl: Very amusing, maman.

My wife is very keen for the bathroom to be renewed. The other day she told me she'd like to see it completed by Christmas. :eek: I'm not going to deny that it would make the house a nicer place.

maman wrote: »

As for the fridge freezer, it would pay for itself in terms of the cost of your time. I don't think you'll convince anyone on the mse threads that daily shopping is an effective use of your time (or fuel) and you'll be increasingly short of that when you start your PGCE. Plus it's all part of making your home more pleasant to live in.

I don't think shopping daily is good from a money or time point of view. It's a habit I've got into.

I suppose it would be nice to make the house more pleasant to live in.

As the PGCE course draws closer and I must start making decisions I wonder if it's the right time. I really want to do it but my son will only be in Year 2 when I start and I don't think he would cope too well with me being busy throughout school terms and having some work things to do during the holidays. At the moment he can get quite angry about me doing work; I had two music pupils this evening and he was absolutely livid that my wife took him to his orchestra. However, I don't really want to leave this until he goes to senior school as I'll be well into my 40s by the time that happens and could be nearly 8 years into my career rather than just starting out.

maman wrote: »

You said the right thing to LittleK about school being different to home. I'm sure he's capable of understanding that he's one of one at home whereas his teacher has to share her attention across the class. He's unlikely ever to be in such a small class as he is now so he really has to get used to it. Of course we want all our children to know they're special but 'special snowflake' syndrome isn't attractive to others. I'm sure you take all opportunities to praise his school, his teachers, other pupils etc to give him a perspective.

The school are generally very good and I agree re. class sizes. Not sure where else he'd get through the school day and I'm quite glad we chose to send him to the village school because I don't think he'd cope at all in classes any larger.

misscousinitt wrote: »

Hi Alex

Just catching up after being a bit AWOL.

The fridge freezer issue is one I think you really should consider. The money you will save by planning your meals even for a week at a time will be made much easier by having the mechanism to store the fresh food effectively for the time required.

I meal plan most of the time and although I make a list of meals for the week (at the moment) or the month - I chop and change based on what we fancy on that day - getting meat and fish out of the freezer in the morning ready for the evening meal. In your case it could be a case of just choosing something out of a nice fresh fridge

Cheaper food need not be boring and some of the discount supermarkets have high quality products that you could use to bring your bill down. I must admit that I was sceptical at first - but I can buy luxury products (often produced in the UK) for a fraction of the price at the discounters. eg smoked salmon, feta cheese, parma ham, orange juice, free range eggs - give it a go - you might be surprised. If not, I stand corrected. You can still eat nice food, but why pay more for it?

Maybe a combination will work for you - some things delivered, some things bought from your usual places and some things bought from the supermarket - you will be amazed as to what a little planning and a good fridge can save you.

Hope everything improves regarding LittleK and school - I am sure it will - you sound like you are encouraging him the right way to take this new approach on board.

Hope the Q&A session went well.

Best Wishes

MCI

Thank you, MCI.

Re. fridge: on the occasions I have got things out of the freezer to defrost it's taken until the day after for it to be ready for cooking. Is something going wrong?

I do think having a plan would save us money but it is sticking to it and being sensible that is a different matter.

There are some discount supermarkets c.12/13 miles away. I have tried them before and like some things they sell.

My son has had a difficult time at school since he started in Reception. He's now in Year 1 and after spending the summer at home he doesn't like being back.

Q and A session was OK but despite a real push from school, not many pupils seemed particularly interested.

AlexLK

Debsnewbudget wrote: »

Re Little K and school friends
When you think about it he will not have much in common with the other children to be able to join in their conversations.
He is used to adult company, adult food and no childrens television.
The only thing I can suggest is you try and find a suitable little friend from his classmates and do things with the two of them. So for example take them to your cousins horses or take the dogs for a walk.
This would give him a link and something to discuss in school.
He has a very different life to most 5 year olds and will unfortunately always be seen as the "odd" child until he has something in common with at least a couple of them.
This is no criticism of your parenting as I think you do a wonderful job but children can be very cruel to any percieved differences.
Deb

Thanks, Deb.

He has a friend at school who likes horses and he went to the show one day this year with but he tells me they don't play together. I think my son has plenty to talk to others about: horses, wildlife, nature, animals, baking, music are all things my son likes and will talk about at home. He likes being active and playing football / cricket / tennis type games with me at home but apparently joins in with nothing at school.

Unfortunately, you're right about children being very cruel and a lot of them seem to want to do little else than spend time in front of a screen. A lot of the time I do think it would be good to homeschool him; he doesn't really get on with other children and I think I could get him to make academic progress much quicker but my wife wouldn't be happy with me.

newgirly

As the PGCE course draws closer and I must start making decisions I wonder if it's the right time. I really want to do it but my son will only be in Year 2 when I start and I don't think he would cope too well with me being busy throughout school terms and having some work things to do during the holidays. At the moment he can get quite angry about me doing work; I had two music pupils this evening and he was absolutely livid that my wife took him to his orchestra.

Sorry Alex this will sound harsh but what why does your choice of career have anything to do with your very young son? he is a child, you are the adult, work is something that most of us have to do. If it's because you don't feel ready then that different.

He is not alone in not wanting to go back to school, as long as the reason is not bullying or anything else untoward, he will settle back in eventually. If he feels excluded from making friendships (or you think he is) then could you not include some of the thngs that the others are doing it. Tv or gaming? This will become way more of an issue as he gets older and he will stand out as different, which is not a nice thing at school. I know you don't like those things but personally if it meant things were happier for him at school it may be worth it, plus lots of games are creative - minecraft is one I am thinking may be good.

All the best