From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Greying_Pilgrim

Oh rt - I feel you pain.  Good on you for pointing out that your time is valuable!   I shall have to keep a beady eye out when the DD goes out, as mysteriously I have had 2 emails (3 hours apart) with the DD confirmation - hope that means they're telling me twice that they are only going to take the amount once...... 🙄

School have got the begging bowl out again, and have signed the pupils up to a scheme that involves fundraising - and yet again, there are 'prizes' for those that raise the most 🙄 I wonder why this hasn't yet been declared 'bad form'.  I mean, plenty of people raise oodles of cash - or do worthwhile endeavours for others - without a prize incentive. 

I bumped into a parent of a child who'd left LG's school (they were in the same year), when I was in hB today.  They waxed extremely lyrically about their new school placement.......  I think they had moved, and that was a school catchment area that they were now in, rather than still living here and commuting to that school.  Ho hum, difficult to know what to do for the best.  They did mention something about always looking for ways to increase the NoR - but I don't think their school is in danger of closing - significant housing development  in the area has secured it's future, I would have thought. There's certainly been a primary school in that area for as long as I can remember - and that's a long time....... 🤣 

I spoke to DH at lunchtime, and asked him to see if the boxstation was still available from his colleague - and we'll go from there.  

Greying X  

badmemory

Not what anyone wants to hear I know but I wondered if they were anticipating price increases every quarter now.

greenbee

Gaming is now taken very seriously (google 'Esports'). But importantly, it gives kids tech skills early on without it all being teaching. And while some people make the choice to live without tech, it's important that it is a choice, so providing access to gaming to allow LG to develop these skills is important. Just make sure you up your own skills to a. be able to play with them and b. know how to keep them safe. There are lots of resources for parents and carers to help them with online safety (which includes setting parental controls on wifi/devices etc), so make sure you do your research and are prepared. 

Greying_Pilgrim

greenbee said:

Gaming is now taken very seriously (google 'Esports'). But importantly, it gives kids tech skills early on without it all being teaching. And while some people make the choice to live without tech, it's important that it is a choice, so providing access to gaming to allow LG to develop these skills is important. Just make sure you up your own skills to a. be able to play with them and b. know how to keep them safe. There are lots of resources for parents and carers to help them with online safety (which includes setting parental controls on wifi/devices etc), so make sure you do your research and are prepared. 

That's the approach I'm trying to take greenbee - interesting that (apparently) a kid said at school the other day that their ambition was to be a professional gamer when they left school, so times are changing.  I'm happy to try to keep abreast of parental controls, etc, but I have no interest in playing these games, never have ☹️  Heck, I can't even fathom; taco,cheese, piece of goat (😉).

badmemory - I wouldn't be surprised, unfortunately.

Greying X

greenbee

There's definitely money in it... https://esportsworldcup.com/en 

badmemory

I remember years ago DS telling me that he could get up to a certain level in a game & sell his progress.  If I remember rightly he said most on the site were British, German or American.  Two nationalities did the selling & one did the buying.  Need I say more.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Sunny with us.  Washing is out on the line.  

I've just been to MrL (no boxes).  We were all out of bread, so I've done the shopping today rather than tomorrow.  Ideally, I won't need to go shopping again this week.  I would have liked to have gone to the market town across the way, as they have a nice MrL store, and I like the town as a whole, but there are engineering works on the side of town the store is, and it causes jams and delays that aren't pleasant at the best of times, but not in stifling heat, so I'm giving it a miss.  

I spent £13.41 in total and have already adjusted my siggie figgie.  I'm reasonably sure I am not going to be able to stick to my £200 grocery budget this month ☹️I only purchased one item that wasn't on my list, and that was a net of avocados.  They were on special at £1.49 - I think there are 6 in my net.  I had tomatoes on my list, but I ended up plumping for the cocktail tommies that were in the S6 (presumably last week's S6?), as they looked as thought they were ripe.  So I think I spent a bit more on tomatoes than I expected, but then I think they are possibly going to be a better result for what i want to use them for.  

The list is open for the school summer play scheme.  The cost per child with a meal provided is £30 for a day - which for something like 8hrs care, is quite cost effective.  I'm not sure if you have to book a week at a time, or whether you could pick days or something.  £150 a week is a lot of money to find, even if you're working - having wider family able to care for children is such an asset. Poor LG is stuck with me and DH, as we've never had the older generation to assist us.  Don't miss what you've never known though, I guess.  I love to see the grandparents, or aunts & uncles who are willing (and able) to do the school run - the look of delight on the faces of kids and adults alike is a picture.  

Ta for popping by.

Greying X

edinburgher

£30 a day is very good value. We pay £35, DD1 takes her own lunch and there are smaller fees for registration etc. Granted, that includes a raft of fun outings, activities and a heck of a lot of hours of childcare. Once it goes through Tax Free Childcare it's not too bad, costs me less than 2 hours of working for a day. Most importantly, it's great fun 

rtandon27

@Greying_Pilgrim - is there an option to pick and choose days, or does it have to be a week at a time? - I'm wondering if for instance LG likes crafting and crafting is on a Thursday if LG can go every Thursday and play with like-minded children?

Greying_Pilgrim

rtandon27 said:

@Greying_Pilgrim - is there an option to pick and choose days, or does it have to be a week at a time? - I'm wondering if for instance LG likes crafting and crafting is on a Thursday if LG can go every Thursday and play with like-minded children?

I admit I don't know the answer to that question rt - but I get the point you are making.  Previous clubs have offered a mix of activities, each day, rather that focusing on activites within (say) a genre, each day.  I suppose as they have to cater for mixed ages, abilities, interests and motivations.  Certainly - in previous years - all the activities have been based on-site, there have been no visits/outings - I'm envious of ed's provision 😁

Before I forget, we had a version of a salad that I will link here, just in case anyone is looking for salad ideas in the warm weather, or ways to use up red cabbage.......  I saw a picture of this salad on a blog I was reading, and managed to track it down online, as unfortunately, the book it comes from is not currently stocked in our library system ☹️ It is the Kew Garden Salads book by Jenny Linford - and this salad is red cabbage and beetroot chopped salad with mustard dressing.  Please note there is an error in this recipe - the (dressing) recipe calls for wholegrain mustard, and yet horseradish is referred to in the text - but if you can work around that.... I didn't have any red cabbage nor radishes or gherkins, and used ordinary onion (marinated in salt first) rather than spring onions, but I made the salad as specified and used the dressing over the whole of the meal (not just over this salad), and added in peanut butter to it as well - I used dijon as I hadn't wholegrain mustard.  It was a lovely refreshing salad, and I would make it again.  

Greying X