First Steps to Solvency

getmore4less

We do thighs and wings and breast, not a fan of drumsticks.
If we do get whole chicken the OH get the leg bits.

Pork and Lamb prefer shoulder low and slow, pork  good to practice some smoking techniques on the BBQ

theoretica

Chicken thighs have so much more tasty skin - which is often even removed totally from the breast.

The ideal childhood is not something golden and magical to look back on from the misery of the responsibilities and restrictions of adulthood - but also a time to grow into a contented adult.  You know how important self control and not giving in to impulses or acquisitiveness is. I wonder if your PIL could help your wife see this?

Sun_Addict

A lot of my friends live in the nice villages several miles from the city and there’s still a drug problem as the dealers are prepared to travel to where the kids have more money. You just have to educate him to be aware of the dangers. 

Willowtree222

If your son is good for certain people then it shows he’s got his boundaries with all of them and knows who he can push and how far.

You know it needs to stop but if your wife doesn’t get stern with him then it will just continue. Sadly, I think she will continue to allow it which will mean he will continue to do it. Make sure he knows your boundaries are much firmer and then implement for her as much as you can too. 

Have a lovely bank holiday. Well over 12 weeks now. Amazing 

enthusiasticsaver

Normal is not a brand new up to date iphone worth hundreds of pounds for a 7 year old.  Yet again your wife shows how detached she is from reality. 

Chicken thighs marinated in honey, soy sauce and garlic are fantastic on the BBQ. 

dawnybabes

I live in a relatively affluent professional semi rural area with high performing schools all the way through.  We also have the biggest soft drug problem in our county, it’s cheap as chips and all of our kids have easy access to money.  As a general rule the kids do not go on to hard drugs (obv the exception). All the trouble we’ve been having recently is from kids from other areas coming in to terrorise our very unstreet wise teens.  

Incidentally we also have the highest female drinking problem too, the 1/2 glasses of wine soon adds up ! 

alt80

Day 87. Few ups and downs today got out for a decent walk just me and my dog ha and bit of time in the garden. Spent the evening working after my son went !!!!!! mental over me telling him I wasn't going to buy him a large £100 bonsai tree but could a. save up for it, b. ask for it for his birthday or c. buy a little one with the £20 he's got. He had the !!!!!! cheek to say he wasn't doing any of that because 'mummy's card will pay for it'. I actually don't mind him having one but think one of the £20 ones are fine, told him if it grows out of it's pot we can repot it together etc so he gets that but no he wants the big one now fml. Wife been !!!!!! pestering me about it all night what a !!!!!! scrooge I am and she likes the tree too !!!!!! my life. Come on here and first thing I read is your post @Kakiste your daughter about a year younger than my son I can't imagine she spends a 30 minute walk poking you as hard as she can in your back because you won't buy her a !!!!!! £100 bonsai tree. Tbh don't really know what to say other than I have families in likely a not too dissimilar situation renting some of my houses. Some of my staff don't earn particularly well spent my life trying to justify my own bs but I know I'm really !!!!!! fortunate to have what I do have. Can tell you as a landlord though there are very few days better than those when I find out a long term tenant is moving into their own home, always gives me a massive buzz. Decent units will always let but not everyday a tenant gets on the first rung.

@efes_shareholder sorry to hear about your relative's friends had to smile re the iPhone 8 but really makes me !!!!!! angry. Goes on everywhere I know but parts of Nottingham are and have always been properly rough. There are parts of this city I'll leave my watch at home / in the office and just have to be generally careful. 

Re my son he already wants the biggest / most expensive. Not all the time tbf but starting to get the preference over labels etc. Getting to that age and my wife is very into her clothing. I am to an extent so not pretending I'm some kind of saint either.

alt80

@RelievedSheff @getmore4less @enthusiasticsaver @theoretica ha sounds like I should have a go with the chicken thighs lol. I do roast a whole chicken and we eat it all tbf just I've never got why anyone would buy them separately idk possibly just being dumb. 

@getmore4less funny you should mention lamb/ pork on bbq have watched a couple of videos on cooking pulled pork said to Mrs I'm going to give it a go before bbq weather is over.

@theoretica I think you're right tbh I don't want him winding up struggling with self control. In-laws are brilliant with him always have been.

@Sun_Addict@dawnybabesit's not drugs as such - pains me to think about that tbh. I'm talking about crime and some of the characters idk I'm possibly just paranoid but @Sun_Addict you know how rough parts of the city are that are in walking distance.

@Willowtree222 yeah he knows who's buttons to press. My Mrs always been the same, he's her baby. Have a good bank hol yourself before you're back to the madhouse ha.

theoretica

Does anyone in your family have an idea of how to care for a bonsai tree? They need just the right environment and attention. Cruelty to plants to buy an big one, many years old, just to almost certainly kill it - and disrespect to the people who grew them and tended to them to that age.  Start with a cheap one until he gets good at keeping it alive in your location. Or better, do it properly and start with a seedling and it will truly be his bonsai.  Also, many from general garden centres are not healthy to start with and may be doomed to failure - even expensive ones.  If you are not aware, Greenwood, are I think near your area and would be worth a visit if you can all resist the trees at several thousand quid a time.  They also do courses but I am not sure if they are adult only.

enthusiasticsaver

Your son is set for financial failure in adulthood if he follows your wife’s example. She doesn’t work and just gets her card out which of course you pay for. In most marriages you are a team so I would not take issue with a SAHM but your wife has a sense of entitlement which really gets to me and if your son is the same life is going to be difficult. I like nice things too though and can afford them but I don’t like wasting money. £100 on a bonsai tree before he has shown he is responsible enough to look after it is misguided. Poking you in the back and kicking you is not on. You have to man up and parent him as your wife is spoiling him rotten.