From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

badmemory

You would probably find that the bully's parents are ones that don't pay but could.  It always used to be the case that schools did not let others in the class know if someone wasn't paying.

Greying_Pilgrim

badmemory said:

You would probably find that the bully's parents are ones that don't pay but could.  It always used to be the case that schools did not let others in the class know if someone wasn't paying.

I think it is still the case badmemory, although I wouldn't at all be suprised if the bully's parents were non-payers.  Could pay, but refuse to. More than happy to let others mop up the slack, and stand back laughing at us 😞

I don't want to know anyway.  I mean there will always be people genuinely struggling, who require support, but increasingly there are people who get to chose what they want, and won't entertain any expense that they don't deem 'essential' to them.  And then take to social meedja to sneer at the folks who do pay - irrespective of whether it's a struggle for those families.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

I was delighted last night that the choice of soup was "just right", and both DH and LG ate it up and said appreciative things.  I used a recipe from C0v3nt Garden S0upco's book...... 'Soup&beyond'.  It was a version of spiced butternut squash, sweet potato and chickpea.  There are plenty of variations of the soup - I can't find a link for the 'actual' recipe.  But it was full of 'good things', to zap inflammation and I blitzed the soup smooth to make eating easier.  I used some of the YS'd white baps I got in MrL the other day to accompany, as the bread is so soft.  

DH did manage to get a little bit of extra sleep when he came home early, and did manage to get some sleep overnight.  The anti B's seem to be starting to have an effect, as certainly this morning his face is less swollen.  He's ventured back into work, anyway.  

I stash busted to knit DH a new beanie for work, and have enough of the ball of yarn left over to knit a second one.  DH is follically challenged, and wears a beanie for much of the year, but new brooms at work have made it known that they must be in 'corporate colours' 🙄 It t'ain't like DH had any say in the corporate colours changing on a whim, and it t'ain't like his previous beanies were sky-blue-pink with lime green dots on 'em 🙄 Blessed new brooms and their heated corner offices................I managed to do the crown using the 'magic loop' technique - never tried before - and it worked, so that has emboldened my knitting.  I have every appreciation for people who can knit on 4 DPNS, it has never been my forte, and acrylic yarn and metal needles isn't the best approach anyway. 

I'm unlikely to get a wash on today, it's grey and overcast.  Although there is a breeze.  I'm glad that yesterday's light things did dry - and I won't be needing the uniform piece today, thankfully.  But y'all know it would have been needed if it was unwashed/damp 🙄

I got soaking wet on the school run yesterday afternoon.  Literally right down to my underwear 🙁 My waterproof coat is good enough, but stops a mid-hip height.  Naturally the kids were late coming out of class, and the heavens opened, only for 20 minutes or so, but typical, eh?

Right, I can't think of owt else MSE relevant for the mo, so will push orf.

Ta for popping in.  Appreciated.

Greying X

EssexHebridean

That's a sensible approach on the paying for the trip thing Greying - as you say, kids can be cruel, and yes, it's brutal to be bullied at school for a perception of being "poor" - even if that is true. Ironically it is indeed very likely other kids whose parents take the "nah - we're not paying for that" approach who do the most bullying on this too, as you say! 

I recently bought a brand new waterproof - same style but different colour to my previous one. It's first wearing was on one of those "cloudburst" days when I promptly remembered just HOW efficient a brand new one was - as the rain ran straight down it and onto my legs! 

badmemory

One massive advantage of being retired. You do not have to leave the house if it is raining & certainly not if it is chucking it down.

Greying_Pilgrim

£26.61 spent in MrS.  We were running a bit low on salady-type bits and LG's lunch sarnies were getting a bit "samey", which isn't a major problem, but you just never know if the "packed lunch police" are going to swoop 🙄 to be fair, there has never been mention of over-zealous monitoring of packed lunches at school (well, not by staff - other nosey, opinionated kids, yes). 

I noticed our store has changed over it's SEL's.  My eyesight is 'alright', but I thought the labels difficult to read (print v v small), and I'm surprised - seems a bit of a retrograde move, but what do I know.  I do know I knocked one off as I was trying to get a product from the vveeerrrrryyyyyy back of the shelf.... 🙄  There were two products I had to scramble to the very back to get hold of 🙁  Still, I did my bit and pulled all the remaining jars/packets to the front so that others could at least get hold of them.  If you ever need to find me, I am usually on my knees in a supermarket, scrabbling for the last.one.at.the.back.of.the.shelf.......  🙄

Nowt terribly spiffy on offer (from the aisles I went along - didn't spend any time in the 'non-food' bit of the store), but did get a kilo of onions for 90p (N*ctar price), which I think is cheaper than MrL.  I also bought 2 boxes of MrS own brand icecreams - the c0rnetto choc & nut lookey likeys and the almond chocolate mAgnummy lookey likeys.  

I'm going to do deconstructed shepherds pie for tea, using veggie mince and lots of (small) veg with mash on the side.  Nothing too onerous to munch, and something we've not had in a goodly long while.  

Off to update siggie.

Greying X

badmemory

If you ever need to find me I am usually standing on the bottom shelf trying to reach something at the back of the top one.  As for labelling it is definitely all getting worse & I keep a magnifying glass in the kitchen & I'm considering taking one shopping with me.  The various things with changing labelling always make me feel like they are trying to con me.

rtandon27

@badmemory - my OH is retired from the print trade and is constantly livid about labels in 3point and 4point!  I pull out my phone and take a photo and then enlarge on the screen just to check ingredients and allergens!

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Shopping done.

Some boxes in MrL today, but they didn't represent VFM.  They were full of 'well dead' herbage, yellowed veg and wrinkled stone fruit with 'doubling up' of items.  I did wonder if I was starting to get a speck too particular, but interestingly, a couple who I see regularly in the shop who would possibly fit into the 'marshalling our retirement finances resourcefully' category - looked at the boxes and also passed, so I felt somewhat vindicated.  However, interestingly enough, the boxes all got bought by one person who was behind me somewhere in the queue, as only one till was open, and most of the customers were from the local tertiary college buying baked goods. The boxes had all gone as I left.   So they must have represented value to someone.  Which is just as well - for MrL - I guess.  

I spent £32.67 on food, and £4.38 on 'non-food' items today in MrL and hB.  I did stock up on the veggie cheese and onion 'sausage' rolls that were YS'd in MrL.  Only 30% off, but I have put them in the freezer and we use them for packed lunches/picnics etc, so they will get used, and will represent a saving over time.  

Is it just our MrL or is anyone else finding that the range of products is shrinking, and stuff isn't in stock for weeks on end.  No olive oil spreads or sultanas today.  They haven't had sultanas for weeks, and appear to have stopped stocking the 'simply' tinned peaches too.  There are going to be roadworks in this part of Greying Town by the end of the month, and they are scheduled to be going on for weeks.  I think it will pay to do my shopping either at the other MrL (smaller/older store, serving a much different socio-economic grouping, but the staff are lovely), or pop to the market town along the way.  Maybe I need a rest from MrL........

Oh, I did notice that the packaging has changed on MrL's 10kg bags of basmati.  It was another item that 'disappeared' and I assumed they had stopped stocking it.  But there were bags today.  They appeared to be in the style of the more 'metalicised' rice bags that some brands use....

Washing is out on the line.  Sunshine has appeared and we do have a light breeze.  Whether that, in combination with me deciding late on to do a wash, will mean I have limited my chances of a reasonable shot at getting it mostly dry will remain to be seen.  Fingers crossed we get to 'mostly dry'.

I'm just about to start the crown shaping on a second work hat for DH.  I've some sewing to get done too.  

DH is feeling a bit better.  I don't think he slept as well last night, but the facial swelling is now much reduced.  The dentist had said they would extract the tooth next week, but that apparently is dependent on their being a cancellation...... all a bit too vague for me, but still, it's DH's business.  It's all kicking off at his work with the 'new broom' putting their foot down with a firm hand, so I hope there is no issue with time off for 'emergency' treatment.  Surely the dentist has got to have the swelling/inflammation/infection under control before they attempt to remove the molar.  

Anyhoo, best update siggie and crack on.  Crowns won't decrease themselves.

Greying X

rtandon27

Morning (just) GP - we gave up on MrL some months ago!  We found it no longer represented value for money and that the quality of what we were buying had gone downhill - and the weekly cultural specials were not competitively priced - for similar quality vs price reasons we have also stopped shopping at MrS - our current default is MrA for the standard weekly bits & super6 specials and online MrO delivery for our stock-up shop. 

We go to Mr A on a Monday when I get back from the city - it is mid-evening by then and no parentals & children in the entire store.  We do however have to dodge the staff shelving stock and also brave the assult course of boxes & cages in the aisles!  It is relatively calm at that time, there is at least one staff member on a till, even if we do have to queue before being served.