From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

teapot2

Definitely not sack cloth vibes GP   I'm getting on in years but can still remember the joy and excitement of collecting [old] pennies in a jar to save for going on holiday.  I'm sure I scrounged them from various places and people and pounced on any that seemed to me to be ownerless, they were also endlessly counted up in case of a magical increase in the total.  Doing it that way made the money and its value seem more real to me.

beanielou

Such amazing skills to teach LG. 

badmemory

At least he won't be one of those teenagers I have been behind in the checkout at home bargains who says keep the change because they can't be a*****.  They can't even add up their purchases to make sure they have enough money.  We are not talking about it being over £20 when they thought just over £19 here.

Greying_Pilgrim

teapot2 said:

Definitely not sack cloth vibes GP   I'm getting on in years but can still remember the joy and excitement of collecting [old] pennies in a jar to save for going on holiday.  I'm sure I scrounged them from various places and people and pounced on any that seemed to me to be ownerless, they were also endlessly counted up in case of a magical increase in the total.  Doing it that way made the money and its value seem more real to me.

Yes, yes, YES!  teapot2 - you have triggered such a memory for me too.  Saving money to have ice-cream on holiday (or more likely a day trip to the seaside by bus with the Sunday school) - I can see the jar now.  It was a C0lman's English mustard jar - the small glass sort to go on the table (there's posh...) - with a yellow plastic lid.  It sat on the middle shelf in the pantry (the bottom shelf was slate and the top shelf too high to reach), and it must have been late 70's/very early 80's as I don't remember £1 or 20p's in there - but of course, 10p's and 5p's were much larger.  I seem to remember that we started collecting aaagggeeeeesss before the summer holidays and mum probably only had the grocery money to save anything from too in those days.  And YES - of course to the 'checking in case of a magical increase in the total' 🤣🤣🤣  I did that too!  

**Waves** to beanie

badmemory - we  have that in the HB in Greying town too.  There is also an FE establishment next to MrL and the young adults come in to purchase their snacks - although I have noticed that they are more likely to use their phones to pay now, so less opportunity for 'keep the change'.  Just makes me feel super-old 🤣

Greying X

rtandon27

Greying, I remember as a child wanting a very expensive toy more than anything in the world.  I saved up pocket money, easter money, glass bottle return money, newspaper by the kilo money & birthday money for an entire year.  By the time Christmas rolled around I still didn't have enough so I wrote a letter to Santa (who was my Gpa in reality) asking for the balance of the money so I could purchase said toy.

Christmas morning came round, and lo an behold, said toy was underneath the tree with a note on it from Santa that said all money collected during the year had to be given 50% to charity & 50% into the bank.  I was the happiest child on earth, was told the story of Saint Nicholas and that following January had a trip to the bank to open my first bank account.

Gpa/Santa instilled some very solid life lessons over that year, so don't underestimate what LG is learning from you!

Greying_Pilgrim

Oh, RT - that is such a darling memory! You made me think of the C S Lewis  J R R Tolkien book of 'Letters from Father Christmas'...... soooo funny.  Time will tell if anything 'sticks' with LG - the session with the bank staff is this half-term I think 🤔  They are already quite good at sharing - and spontaneously, not always having to be asked, so maybe they do listen....... 🤔

We thought we had died and gone to heaven if we found a returnable pop bottle - I think C0rona pop bottles were only something like tuppence or thruppence, but a c0ca-c0la bottle was 5p (I think it went up to 10p before the system was scrapped).  

So LG  has put the £2 coin in the jar (and counted once.... 🤣) so I can officially declare 'C4C' at £20 and alter the total in my signature 👍

I'm off to do some baking with LG.  Santa put a cake mix in LG's stocking, and as we have veg oil and eggs again, we can bake some cake - and (purely co-incidently) tick off a school suggested activity too 👍We don't normally use cake mixes, but I think Santa thought that the experience of making their 'own' cake would appeal to LG 😉🎅

Greying X

Pollie

With regards to teenagers and change, you can often find discarded coins by the bus stops they use and the local newsagent/convenience store where they go to buy rubbish for breakfast.

badmemory

I must say my DS, now in his early 40s, still shares much better than I have ever done.  Although I have done quite well this Christmas.  He buys me chocs (what would he do without Amazon as he hardly ever leaves the house) & couldn't get the normal ones (Lindt).  He had to buy me some different ones & they are fantastic.  I had to share them so that he would buy them again as they are really expensive @ 83p a piece.  So different & really to my taste.  Martins 30 weird & wonderful chocs.

redofromstart

I keep meaning to say thank you for the boiled fruit cake with pineapple suggestion. I tracked the recipe down as I had half a tin of pineapple to use, and it was spot on. I used molasses sugar (on offer a few weeks ago) and it made the best dark moist fruit cake, which we ate in wafer thin slices slathered with butter and cheese. I usually do the Bero Brack but this was much nicer.

Greying_Pilgrim

redofromstart said:

I keep meaning to say thank you for the boiled fruit cake with pineapple suggestion. I tracked the recipe down as I had half a tin of pineapple to use, and it was spot on. I used molasses sugar (on offer a few weeks ago) and it made the best dark moist fruit cake, which we ate in wafer thin slices slathered with butter and cheese. I usually do the Bero Brack but this was much nicer.

Oh hey, sweetie, you are soooooooooo welcome - it wasn't my recipe, so I claim absolutely no credit, but inspired by your comment, and for accuracy, I too set about tracking the recipe again (because whilst I was sure that it was from MSE, could I find it????...........)  Anyhoo, I found it.  Thank you auntyn - back in 2008 😮 [how i miss the blue shrieky smilie.........🤣]  

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/11464343/#Comment_11464343

HTH someone, because it is sooooo good a recipe.  And if you can't find crushed pineapple, never be scared to blitz up (even using a stick blender), pineapple chunks or pineapple slices (cut up first). If I am using chunks/slices a 340g (gross weight - but lightly drained) tin will work.  Also, I rarely have brown sugar, so I normally use granulated sugar and molasses, or at a push treacle to get a lovely colour.  

I have added the detail to my recipe card, as this was definitely the recipe I used, as it was in imperial measurements.  

Greying X