From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

beanielou

I loathed that shop so blooming much when DS was at school. The end. 

Cheery_Daff

Big hugs Greying, sounds like a trying day xxx

For future reference, we've gone with Auto Aid for breakdown, which covers both of us in both our cars (which are both over 15 years old) for £95, although they do charge an extra £25 per callout if your car is over 10. Obviously if you call out twice in a year, it gets more expensive than what you're paying anyway (but it might be cheaper with just one car). Anyway, sounds like the decision is made this year.

Also sounds like the car insurance shouldn't be getting any repeat business!

Greying_Pilgrim

beanielou said:

I loathed that shop so blooming much when DS was at school. The end. 

Oh dearest beanie - you made me laugh out loud with your comment.  Just the tonic I needed.  Thank you.

Cheery - I am sure that we could get it cheaper than the 'big brands' charge, and now that they are 'limiting this and limiting that' I do wonder whether it is worth it.  

DH did get on it and get the card details swapped for the breakdown provider, so it shouldn't auto-renew on my card at least, next year.

He did also call the insurance company.  He spoke to someone in a call-centre.  He couldn't understand them (it was noisy where the handler was), and they assured him the address was correct, but then again he was told that when he renewed his car insurance last month.........  

So DH decided to take stuff to the dump, ahead of the changing to 'booking slots'.  This is all very well, but he didn't indicate that was what he was going to do, and I needed to make some decisions over stuff that is (actually) too good to scrap - even though I am unlikely to use them again.  So I made stew instead.  Stuff is going over and I'm not prepared to waste food just because I have been kept out of my own kitchen for the past week!  So he's taken some stuff, and had a general tidy-up.  

I have made stew for tea - will reheat with dumplings and I have just made a stew featuring the last 2 sweet potatoes, so frozen BNS and some of the chickpeas I cooked the other week.  It's a 'made-up' recipe, but that will provide 2 meals to be put in the freezer.  The other stew will do for tea tonight and there is a '2 person' portion for the freezer.  

I did the stews in the PC.  The first one involved some mushrooms - it already smells 'richer' than an ordinary vegetable stew.  I think tmv is right about vegetable stews (I think we were talking about making them in the SC) being 'better' if they have mushrooms in them - which of course is a pain if you don't like mushrooms or perhaps are allergic to them.  Time will tell whether a dumpling will be enough to tempt LG to polish off a plateful.......

Thank you for popping in, and I am sorry I am such a grump bucket.  I shall endeavour to do better.  

Greying X

themadvix

You feel free to grump away Greying - you certainly have had a trying day!

redofromstart

Auto aid miles the best for us (and very good the only time I called them out oh, 17 years ago)

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening MFW'rs

Well, I am pleased to report that i am less grumpy...... 🤣🤣🤣

Tea was brill.  I don't mean that to sound big-headed.  At all.  What i mean is, that the making of it was therapeutic.  I made enough for tonight and another tea for at least 2 people (depending on accompaniments).  I made dumplings which were light and flaky - not airy and pillowy, but neither did they sink/seem sticky or stodgy.  I made mash that was velvety and silky - for the most part, there was one rogue tattie in there that left some lumps 😕  But it wasn't lumpy mash, it was more velvety mash with a few grainy bits.....  Whisper it,  LG ate it ALL up, despite there being mushrooms in there - which didn't even raise comment....... 😱  We ended up with an ice-cream each. There were 3 left - one fakey strawberry c0rnettoey, and 2 fakey almond magnummi's.  

The other stew I cooked up - which made use of the 2 sweet potatoes that were from a MrL PoTW,  and which were well past their prime - yielded one large pot (think 2 clear portions) and 3 medium take-away trays that can variously feed 2 or 3 (at a push), depending on what you're matching it with.  

I enjoyed myself, fed us and have made food for another day - and frankly, which of us doesn't need a 'HM takeaway' now and again?

I'm hoping that the weekend will be a bit more family orientated.  Although I won't put it past DH to plough on with some DIY task or other that suddenly warrants lazer-focus...... 🙄I have just been told off for leaving the landing light on 🙄

Ho hum.

Today I am grateful that we have - at least - got the blooming stuff required by school, even if we paid over the odds.  School can't organise itself and let parents/carers know in advance what will be required, so they clearly don't recognise that some people have to budget.  Shame on them.  DH has worked hard this week, and things have moved on or moved out.  It all adds to progress, so I acknowledge that.  I started November out as I mean to carry on - being careful to marshal our grocery purchases, making best use of what we have, and striving to avoid waste.  I've never been profligate, nor wasteful, but I need to get back-to-centre regarding utilising everything to make the best use of every penny.  

Thanks for popping in.  I promise to moan - far less - for the month of November at least, and hopefully 'til at least the year end.

Greying X

badmemory

Is LGs school an academy?  This more & more stuff, more & more expensive sounds very like one.

EssexHebridean

It’s such a rotten situation with the way schools behave with ever more expectations on parents - and of course it does set a good example at all for the children either, this constant pattern of “this is needed, and it shall be produced immediately” gives the impression that anything which is wanted can just be magicked up like a rabbit from a hat. And let’s be honest, what are parents to do? Not “giving in” (for want of a better phrase) to these requirements leads to a child potentially being picked out as lacking, bullied by peers or excluded from activities by teachers. As a non parent even it makes me cross - and is something that I would  love to see someone really take on and challenge, although by what means I’m not sure - via a forward thinking MP maybe? 

rtandon27

GP - I so do feel for you in regard to the 'please magic up some money' mentality of LG's school!  I remember my own Mom blowing her top every time my own school decided how she was to spend her own hard earned dollars!

The mentality seems to be prevalent in all parts of life these days!  I've recently felt guilty about not putting some pounds into the veteran's box last week, but after discussing with OH we both agreed that it was not in October's budget but we would make sure it was in November's.

OH also feels badly when we go to the free choral concerts at our local church and they pass round the hat for this cause or that cause.  I've said to him that if they stated in the adverts that they were passing round the hat, we would have considered ahead of time if this was an option for us. 

To make it a round threesome, I was rather annoyed at work earlier this month when someone came round to ask for donations for 'so-and-so's' baby shower present!  Now I'm not particularly fond of said person so I'm most certainly not supplying anything for their off-spring, but I was more annoyed that when I stated I'm sorry but this is not an expense I've budgeted for, the reply was 'oh but at your salary I'm sure you can spare a few pounds'.  I retorted 'which meal would you like my partner and I to skip so that you can buy plastic toot that will contribute to the demise of our planet'.  A few people overheard and felt it necessary to comment both for and against my stance.  The whole situation was awkward and upsetting!

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Thank you for all your kind comments.  

I do think that it is the way of education now - since children have become 'cost centres' and everything is 'measured' and 'league tabled', you are pressured into providing X, Y, or Z.  I think it's the lack of notice that I resent the most.  But yes, RT your phrase about 'dictating how I spend my hard-earned cash' hits the nail on the head.  And, as you go on to describe, it's not limited to schools, it's in the workplace, it's in the home, it's endemic in society in general.  You have to pay to participate 😕 To a certain extent I can ignore the pressure to 'conform' (for conformity's sake), but EH is right, when it's someone else (my child) that will endure the mickey-taking, bullying or teasing if they don't have X, Y or Z, then it becomes harder.  

Greying Town always has been a very "keep up with the Jones" type of place, and I am sure that many a household finances 'glitter' over practicalities.  I don't think the school is taking heed of changing circumstances though.  

I'm going to have to re-visit my household budgeting pots.  I sorted out October's pay this morning, and we've (yet again) not been able to put as much into the replacement windows pot as I had hoped.  But I looked at the monthly breakdown of amounts going into the 'virtual' pots - so eg car repairs or house insurance or whatever, and there are several items that are not accruing enough to meet the (revised) annual costs 🙄

The daft thing is, is that we are in a much better position than we were this time last year.  Rental costs ate so much of our household income that we didn't (in reality) have budget pots for things.  We had to do a 'raid peter to pay paul' approach, when a bill came in.  At least that has diminished, and we can meet car repairs etc.  But then we're way behind with saving for a 'new' (to us) car and DH is already talking in terms of us going down to one car again.  Of course, it makes sense, (and is a very first world problem, I appreciate), but we're having to cut things.  Which is why I get ****** off when someone says "it'll be £20/£10/£50 by the end of the month, because of course if not enough people pay, we won't go and your child's education will suffer........" Especially when you've to fund clothing or equipment on top of the cold, hard cash.  Plus school isn't the b-all and end-all.  What if your child does gymnastics/swimming/scouts/cadets/piano/football/drama/DofE type activities outside of the school day?  They usually require subs/equipment purchase/hire and sometimes clothing.  

By the way, I don't think any of these issues are new - I'm sure my parents had the same struggles. 

Anyhoo, DH and LG have gone out on the bikes together.  I have put out a wash, and I'm now up to date (for a nano-second) with clean clothes.  It is another dreich day here, but it is forecast to stay dry and there was enough breeze forecast to (hopefully) dry what I have pegged out.  None of it is particularly heavy fabric.  

I am planning on making curry and dhal for tonight's tea and possibly pizza for tea tomorrow.  Buoyed up by yesterday's cooking session, I want to maintain my cooking mojo and really focus on having sufficient meals without breaking the bank.  My mind is turning to Christmas, and although we don't need/want/choose to have traditional feasts (in the Turkey and trimmings sense of feasting), I do like to have something for the solstice, and something 'easy to prep/cook' for Christmas Eve.  Luckily after a day or two of indulgence, we get bored and want to return to 'pizza and pasta' or 'curry & dhal' or 'cheese and biscuits' or sandwiches.  So I've no need to go to a small, nordic volcanic island shop to fill my freezer with platters of anything.  Gosh, we're boring...... 🤣  

Right, I best shift-a-tail-feather. DH and LG will be back soon.

Greying X