“Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”

Suffolk_lass

Most School PTA (Parent teacher Associations) do some fund-raising that includes a fund for Families who cannot afford to pay for these things. There should be a Pastoral Head in your children's School and a discreet enquiry in confidence may help. I know my DH's School also recycle uniform (donated and lost) and provide funding for trips (don't know about residential but certainly other trips) so the children don't feel different

WannabeFree

Morning

Thank you for all the replies and suggestions. School still haven't phoned me back :cool: Will chase them again later.

Youngest hasn't gone to school but is much better this morning and will be back on Monday. Other two have gone in non-uniform so £2 spent.

Have got all the beds to remake after my coffee and still need to hoover the stairs. Nothing much else to say as usual

Hope everyone has a good day

x

WannabeFree

Back again. Today has been spendy And on the credit card

£11 in Mr T on Xmas t-shirts for the smalls. Youngest needs hers 3 times next week and the other two need them for Wednesday. Had to be done. So annoyed at it though.

£22.36 on groceries :cool: All 'needs' and should see us through until the 7th.

I still need gas and electric but I'm sure this is a 'cash' transaction on the credit card so I'm a bit worried as the credit limit is 'only' £100.

Outlaws are coming tomorrow now. So have been panic cleaning and keeping busy. Always leaves me feeling anxious until it's done.

So a bit of a rubbish update. Failing at mse using the cc which I said I'd never do

And to make me feel better I looked at houses quite a distance away and dreaming 'what if' :cool:

Hope everyone is well

x

beanielou

Dont beat yourself up
Another MSE 'failure' here using the CC.
It is what it is.

Cherryfudge

I've been using mine too. Remember the overall trend is still in the right direction - that's important. And 7th is on its way.

WannabeFree

December Plans

Money
CT £0/£100
Rent £0/£100
Moving Fund £0/£1100

Budgeted Spends
£2 Stay and play workshop DD2
£15 DD2 School Trip
£7 DD2 Nativity
£7 DD1 Nativity
£7 DS Nativity
£9 School Christmas Lunch
£10 School Christmas Fayre
£9 School Santa's Grotto
£5 Birthday/anniversary cards/stamps
£20 Xmas Gifts (To finish the smalls off)
£3 Wrapping paper


Things To Do
4th Dec - Christmas Workshop DD2
5th Dec - DD2 School Trip
6th Dec - Pantomime (School)
6th Dec - SIL Birthday Card
7th Dec - DD Respiratory appointment
9th Dec - Pantomime
11th Dec - School Christmas Lunch
12th Dec - DD2 Nativity
13th Dec - School Christmas Fayre
17th Dec - Send Anniversary Card
18th Dec - DD1 Nativity
19th Dec - DS Nativity
19th Dec - Send Relatives Birthday Card

Make Xmas Cards
Send Xmas Cards
Make Xmas Gifts
Deliver Xmas Gifts

Unbudgeted Spends

WannabeFree

Cheated and copied last years list We will call it making our own traditions rather than laziness :rotfl:

December activity a day

1st - Paint Xmas pictures
2nd - Make Xmas decorations
3rd - Xmas movie & popcorn
4th - Make Xmas cards
5th - Read Xmas stories
6th - Finish Xmas cards/envelopes
7th - Winter walk & post cards
8th - Make photo frames for gifts
9th - Donate Xmas treats to food bank & Ice skating
10th - Decorate gingerbread house
11th - Make tree decorations
12th - Visit nursing home with cards and things
13th - Make Xmas cookies
14th - Make a snowman (Crafty)
15th - Christmas tree day
16th - Wrap gifts smalls got for each other
17th - Do Christmas photos and finish making gifts with them
18th - Make sweet cones, snowman soup and reindeer food
19th - Make a Snowglobe
20th - Donate list items to Foodbank
21st - Read an Xmas story with puppets
22nd - Make fudge/cakes and treats for gifts
23rd - Deliver gifts and cards and things to everyone
24th - Make Santa plate and food, hang stockings, Xmas movie with snowman soup and sweet things.

please-let-me-be-lucky

In awe of your making traditions list!! Your kids are so lucky to have you Xx

teafor2

Hi Wannabee. I'm a new poster on here but have been reading MSE for years and your diary is one I read every day. For what it's worth I think you're a remarkable lady and your little ones are lucky to have you.

Your December activity list is lovely and exactly the sort of thing I used to do with mine - I hate commercialism but sometimes it's hard not to get caught up in it, so I used to make sure we also did something family orientated and more grounded. Mine are teenagers now but they still talk about things we did - throwing reindeer food into the garden on Christmas Eve is something they both miss doing

Schools think parents are bottomless money pits. It used to annoy the living daylights out of me, but to be fair anything like non-uniform was done on a family basis, so it was only the eldest child that needed to take £1 in on those days which I think was a fair way of doing things.

Anyway, hope you have a lovely weekend and look forward to 'chatting' with you again.

Cherryfudge

teafor2 wrote: »

anything like non-uniform was done on a family basis, so it was only the eldest child that needed to take £1 in on those days which I think was a fair way of doing things.

That's a much fairer way of doing things. Perhaps it's worth suggesting it to the school, though you might meet witha bit fo resistance as the current system is obviously a money spinner!