Not Buying It- A Consumer Holiday 2016

milasavesmoney

:mad:I know that I know we bought 8 bottles of dish soap on sale and had points to get the price down to almost nothing. But I can't find them!! :mad: No idea where I put them!! I think I need a Hugh decluttering soon!!.

mavvymoo

Morning shipmates.
Still on board ship and not being suckered in to buying random stuff I dont need. Not even going in shops unless I have run out or need anything which for me is half the battle.
So petrol also lasting much longer (6 weeks) a tank rather than the 4 it used to be and I only have a little car which takes £35 to fill up if its really empty.So it does make so much difference planning jouneys and doing things at the same time.

Have a lovely bank holiday everyone
Mav x

Lynplatinum

Hiya all

An NSD on the food front today but some of my Happy Stash as I treated myself to a chilled coffee and a pack of hot + bunnies from a Toscos Express after a lovely free walkies with my friend. Earlier today I helped them move to a new gaff by driving 2 loads of bits over.

Tomorrow I have a lovely day all on my own so am going to do a load of reclaims and fleabaying - hopefully that will boost the finances!
Nite All

[Deleted User]

Good Morning all I'm am back from my ride up to Norwich to take Ben back to Uni.We got to his shared house and he went absolutely berserk.The house is shared by 5 other lads and Ben and two of them had gone home for the holidays leaving two behind.

Ben had impressed upon the other two that if they went home to make sure they left the place clean and tidy !!!

We walked in to a virtual bombsite.The kitchen was filthy none of the rubbish had been put out.The shower tray was disgusting along with the wash-hand basin and the loo.

He was furious and I was too.How young men can let the place get to that state in three weeks god only knows We imediately went to Adsas when Ben bought a bag of cleaning stuff and some food .

The washing up hadn't been touched and was just piled up in the kitchen so you can imagine how horrible it was.half eaten food in the fridge was almost walking out on its own.

Ben bless refused to let his Dad or I help, and said No he would sort it along with the other housemates when they got back.

He had gone back early because he had the chance of some extra shifts at his part-time job before Uni starts so as the weather isn't looking brilliant he thought at least he could stash some cash.Good job he did as I hate to think what it would look like.We left to drive home mid afternoon leaving him to clean up.He had to work last night so it was quite unfair as he is working overnight, but he texted me around 7 to say all the washing up is done and he had emptied and washed out the fridge I told him to make sure it was clean before putting any fresh food in there or he would end up in hospital.Now my DGS Ben is an ordinary lad and not houseproud he just couldn't believe how disgusting it was His room was clean and tidy aand we only had to make his bed up for him.
When he wakes up at lunchtime (he usually works until 4-5 in the morning) I think he will be having more than a few words with the two chaps he house shares with. One apparently is very lazy so he may be getting his marching orders.This lad comes from a very upper class home as well !!!
There is nowt so queer as folk, I guess perhaps this boy has been waited on hand and foot ,well ben won'r wait on him he will soon sort him out Ben is such a laid back easy going lad yet yesterday I think its the first time I've seen him lose the plot. He was livid, and I don't blame him.I will text him later to see how he has got on,I think there will be fireworks today :):)

Well I have a nice couple of days just pottering around This morning I want to make some leek and tattie soup, and maybe a cake for my DGS for tomorrow.Then its probably just a bit of R&R with feet up, my knitting and some catch-up tv this afternoon.
Hope every one has a good weekend No food shopping for me to get at all so no scrambling around the crowded shops.Large pot of coffee and relax for the day Weather isn't cold just very overcast and misty not much sign of the sun at all.
Cheers chums
JackieO xx

angela110660

Jackie O your story took me back a few years to when eldest was at uni in Bournemouth. He shared with 3 other lads he knew well as this was Year 4 of his course. However despite there being agreed rotas, the other 3 were total slobs and took no pride in keeping the place half decent - my son ended up coming home. This was before Easter but he still had to pay rent until the rental agreement ended in the July. However, he was fed up of being the only person trying to keep the place tidy and the other 3 just letting him get on with it! He said he could not study or write his thesis when the place was in a state so it was easier to come home and travel in on the odd occasions needed. He did amazingly well in his final exams and has a super job now which he loves. Hope your GS gets his housemates sorted out PdQ!

Lynplatinum

Hiya All

Jackie O and angela - I well remember this kind of incedent. DS1 shared a house and one Easter he was coming home and he was the last to leave the house. He worked late at night coming home at 4 am (he did sound tech for a club) and so just crashed out in his own room. I came over to pick him up about midday the next day to find him near to tears. All the others had left and the house was a filthy tip - they had held an end of term party and had bought intake away which was smeared everywhere (curry + pizza) and further more the kitchen had a long long counter (about 12 ft) for art students to do their art on in order to save the carpets as well as ordinary kitchen sides. Every surface was covered in washing up. :mad: It took us 3 hours - some of the dishes with mould on I literally threw in the bin ( you cant do that says my son - its X's mum's casserole dish and very expensive - oh yes I can I said ).

He had already done the bathrooms and nearly been sick. When he left there they would not pay their part of the gas and electricity bill as well, so Jackie O, tell him to beware and get the money for same up front!! In cash! We had a five year battle to clear his name of debt - even although their names were on the bill and he paid his portion of it! :mad:

It was the same with DS2 and a house he shared - the others were total slobs - until either I or his ex-army mate visited and made them clean and tidy up. When DS2 went back to uni he managed to get a tiny 1 bedroom flat to himself - it was always immaculate! As was his brother 's house - sometimes the odd bit of washing up when they had come home late!!

I really dont know how/why people bring their kids up to be so unhygienic - talking to them it seemed either that a) they never had to do chores at home and expected to earn enough to pay someone to do that sort of thing OR b) they were so busy having a good time that they could not be bothered and knew that my sons would do it anyway so why bother!! :mad:

NSD for me today but I have had a really lazy day. Apart from cooking a jacket spud; washing up; putting one load of washing on the line and getting it in before it rained I have done nothing and ended up telly gawping - most Inspector Linley Mysteries (well the eye candy is good as are the plots!) I always feel guilty when I do this - does anyone else??
Nite all

angela110660

Your sons situation sounds awful too Lynplatinum. I agree with you - how can these people be such slobs unless they never lifted a finger at home before they came away. Sad for them as everyone needs basic life skills before they move out of home. Thankfully my three have this in abundance as I am sure yours did.
Just remembered another uni story from DS1 at uni - in halls in his first year, there was a very wealthy girl in their shared flats who only ate M&S prepared meals. However, she didnt eat many of what she bought and binned loads. My son and another lad had great meals on the back of her lack of cooking skills / frugalness. She left uni at the end of that year and went home to live and attend uni locally I believe! Couldn't cope on her own.

shandyclover

My DD studied for a year in Oxford. She opted to share a house with 2 lads who were 'professionals' thinking they would be over the partying scene. She spent so much time picking up after them her studies suffered. We went to visit her and take her out for the day on her birthday, while she was getting ready I cleaned the kitchen and washed up. We went out for about 4 hours, when we got back the kitchen was a tip again - it was exactly like it was before I cleaned up! Later that year she fell and broke her leg, and was in a wheelchair. She could no longer do anything and the house went downhill. One of the lads called his mum to come and clean the house! My DD said she was so embarrassed! She came home shortly after. Like you said, you wonder how they never learned life skills or maybe they were comfortable with other people doing everything. I was disgusted by the state of the house but DD informed me the worst place she had ever seen was a house shared by 3 very well to do girls, apparently they never washed up the frying pan, and when it got too bad they would just toss it out and buy a new one!

greengoblin

Yep, I can sympathise. I am in my mid twenties living in a shared house with friends - but after 9 months together I now use that term loosely! - all 3 of them think that they deserve some kind of medal when they've done the washing up (and not wiped down the sides) but fail to notice the bathroom, the bins and the floors in general. The thirty year old didn't even know how to use a washing machine or defrost bread when we first moved in :eek: We all work full time but apparently their time off is more precious than mine and not to be wasted on housework. No joke i've not seen either of the 2 lads touch the hoover since we moved in. They're not party animals or anything but they just seem to have no concept of when things are grim and need doing which I find mind boggling. Safe to say it's been an interesting year but I'm looking forward to the tennancy being up in July and finding somewhere on my own even though the budget will be squeezed - to me that is worth it!

Lynplatinum

Hiya

My house is not immaculate but clean - especially the kitchen and bathroom. As part of NBI I wont over clean - as well as being kind to the environment - using loads of chemicals and electricity just adds to the big companies profits (which we are all trying NOT to do on here!!

So while their is probably dust behind large furniture in my place it is not disgusting! Mine is a 3 bed house - my routine is:

Friday night: put on clothes wash ready to go out on line Sat am
Sat Am: dust and hoover downstairs - wash kitchen and bathroom floor (time taken 1 and 1/2 hours)
Sunday: Dust and Hoover upstairs in used areas - change bedding once a fortnight and put on to wash and hang out on line (sometimes this waits for a sunny day that week!) - about 1/2 hr
Each Day: Washing up + take out food peelings and recyling (done while the kettle boils!!)

At Easter bank hols I do a deeper clean - move large furniture and hoover behind and move the fridge freezer and stove and washing machine and clean behind it! Also do this in October half term.

Also do half hours gardening each weekend (small garden)

So none of this is onerous and folks always come back to mine so it cant be too unclean. When the boys were at home they were allocated part of these chores - especially the washing up each day and to do their own washing and cleaning their own rooms. They were also trained never to leave a room without taking rubbish/coffee cups/plates with them.

So if I can keep a reasonable home on 2 and 1/2 hours a week + about 20 mins per day - then why do folks end up in the sorts of pickles described above??

Good luck with finding a place of your own Green goblin - my son had less money but much greater peace of mind which helped him save money cos he wasnt out all the time (to get away from being angry at state of the place) and he was able to pass his degree with less stress!! Let us know how it goes.:D