Spend Nowt, Buy Nowt, Owe Nowt

DD265

That's brill news about the bonus XSpender! :beer:

apple_muncher

:T:T And well done to you and dh for doing the walk in such inclement weather :T:T

XSpender

Some progress made today

1) Work to do list (not much progress here )
2) Buy euros
3) Print off tickets
4) Buy travel insurance
[STRIKE]5) Buy suntan lotion -[/STRIKE] done
[STRIKE]6) Take DS sandals back [/STRIKE] - local N3xt now closed so will go to big one when back off hols
[STRIKE]7) Buy waterproof trousers for DS school trip[/STRIKE] - done although I am sure he has some that I can't find
[STRIKE]8) Order fancy dress costume for DS for Halloween[/STRIKE] - done
[STRIKE]9) Drop off cash for taxis to FIL[/STRIKE] - change of plan at work means I will take him so didn't need to do
10) Pay change in - tried twice but no where to park
11) Buy shed roof felt for FIL to fit when we are away
12) Clear laundry mountain - 2 loads of washing left and sorted dry stuff
12) Wash our duvet
13) Change our sheets
14) Use up fresh stuff and clear out fridge
15) Suitcases out of loft
16) Sort our clothes, find various items, iron and pack - made a start on mine and DS
17) Buy sandwiches to eat on plane as arrive late (no GF ones at airport:()
18) Book taxi to airport
[STRIKE]19) Check I have enough reading material for holiday and download if not (personal spends)[/STRIKE] - done and treated myself to the new Robert Galbraith and another 2 cheapies as I have not spent any of my personal spends this month and only a little of last month's

XSpender

Not much progress on the list although I have completed most of my work to do list. I have had car problems this week which has been added to the stress and taken a lot of time to resolve but is now done. It has also cost me £50 I haven't budgeted for as it is a company car. Another thing the emergency fund would have covered if I had one.

I went to watch DS play sport yesterday and I am concerned that he appears to be piling the weight on. He has always been a bit chubby and is quite stocky but I thought he was really starting to look fat yesterday. It also appeared to be impacting his performance. I know it's a sensitive subject but I don't want to be giving him a lifetime of weight and health issues for not doing something about it now. I feel like I am letting him down:( He doesn't know we are worried about his weight.

DH and I agreed I would weigh and measure him this morning and he is coming up as very overweight on the NHS website. The main problem is my DPIL who feed him every day after school; massive portions, takeaway pizza or chippy, pub meals, never any veg or fruit and lots of puddings including sweets every day after school. They can't cook and eat out a lot themselves. He is not a greedy child and never helps himself to food. DS likes lots of fruit and vegetables and will eat most things (more than me actually) except baked beans and eggs. It's the responsibility of the adults (us and DPIL) who feed him as we make the choices for him.

DH is going to have a word with his parents and express our concerns and say that from November we will give him his dinner and they can give him a small after school snack with no sweets or cakes eg a small sandwich and a piece of fruit. I'm not sure how this will impact the budget as I pay them extra to feed him and now will be feeding him myself (which won't cost much) but we may not end up paying them any less.

DH is always in late so I will eat with DS and feed DH later (probably same as us, warmed up). I want to get in to the habit of taking the dog out for half an hour on an evening with DS to give him a bit more exercise. It's just trying to time it right between getting home at 6ish after picking him up, eating and then going out in the dark. DH is hopefully going to start running with DS again as he loved it and we may try park run. We will ensure we are active across the weekend. DH and I would benefit from more exercise and better food choices too.

Sorry, that wasn't very debt free focused was it?

DD265

It might not be debt focused but I suspect there's evidence somewhere that a healthier lifestyle correlates to a healthier attitude towards money as well. I know when I'm not focused on being healthy - for whatever reason - my weight increases but my spending habits, particularly on things like chocolate, also worsen.

How old is your son? I didn't pile the weight on until I was 21, but maybe some of the parents on here can give some advice of things that have worked for them.

Working_Mum

Hi XS, my son used to play a lot of sport and when he was due for a growth spurt he used to pile the pounds on around his middle and then used to shoot up in height not long afterwards.

Can you get out and exercise more with him? This combined with the healthier/smaller portions may help ingrain better habits. I used to walk with my son for "protection" on dark nights!!

HairyHandofDartmoor

DD265 wrote: »

It might not be debt focused but I suspect there's evidence somewhere that a healthier lifestyle correlates to a healthier attitude towards money as well. I know when I'm not focused on being healthy - for whatever reason - my weight increases but my spending habits, particularly on things like chocolate, also worsen.

How old is your son? I didn't pile the weight on until I was 21, but maybe some of the parents on here can give some advice of things that have worked for them.

That's very true. I think a healthy lifestyle and healthy spending habits are very interconnected.

It can be hard to control eating habits when DC are at secondary school. My DS2 got very overweight at fifteen, because he was depressed and comfort eating. He spent all his pocket money on chocolate. He's as thin as a rake now he's 23, eats broccoli like it's going out of fashion, runs and weight trains.

It does sound as though PIL are to blame in your case. Hopefully they will heed your instructions. I would pay them less, as they are then less likely to over feed him if they're spending their own money on it.

XSpender

DD265 wrote: »

How old is your son? I didn't pile the weight on until I was 21, but maybe some of the parents on here can give some advice of things that have worked for them.

He is only 8.

Working_Mum wrote: »

Hi XS, my son used to play a lot of sport and when he was due for a growth spurt he used to pile the pounds on around his middle and then used to shoot up in height not long afterwards.

Can you get out and exercise more with him? This combined with the healthier/smaller portions may help ingrain better habits. I used to walk with my son for "protection" on dark nights!!

It could be a growth spurt, I hadn't considered that, but even so he could lose a stone and still be overweight He does need to do more exercise. He plays one sport at a weekend and does swimming at school but could do with doing more. The PIL used to take him to the park nearly every day but they are getting on a bit.

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

It does sound as though PIL are to blame in your case. Hopefully they will heed your instructions. I would pay them less, as they are then less likely to over feed him if they're spending their own money on it.

MIL can be particularly difficult so I hope DH can convince them to do what we ask. I'm not convinced they will agree to reducing the money, they don't when we are off and they don't have him.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Bear in mind that losing weight is 80% diet and 20% exercise. But more exercise is always good for a multitude of reasons, including good mental health .

Honeysucklelou2

Does your DS's school have any after school clubs? My DD's school offer 3 different sporting clubs which are a good way to slip in exercise in a fun way.