From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Greying_Pilgrim

Thanks Blackcats - it isn't as though we don't want LG to have things - they have things. But maybe they don't have a £10 thing just because it's a 'Thursday', or have the whole set of X 'because they must'. With "I've got this, I've got that" we're up against indulgence (for indulgence sake), and for attention. Obsessive, constant distraction is their modus operandi, to reel people in…. 🙄

I haven't booked anything for HT, but we're going to be busy and spend time together, hopefully we can crowbar a ton of fun, laughs and engagement in. We're not in competition with anyone, and yes, I'm hopeful that our family values will prevail. LG is learning, developing and growing - it is the natural way of the world that those growing will move away from those that are content to stay where they are.

We're already planning to do something on Friday night on a 'sort of' Valentines vibe for us all. I know the 14th is the actual date, but the rugger is on, and yet again the England match is the teatime competition, so I won't want to be prepping something elaborate, and missing the game.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Grey start with us. Its not currently very breezy, but I've got a wash on, and hope to peg it out. I may have to resort to using the dehu, but I'll try the line first.

Tea today will be soup&pud - but I've not thought about varieties and 'what' flavours/cooking methods etc.

I used one of the nectarines for snap. It was a bit 'clingstone', but overall I managed to slice it nicely. It was actually a white-fleshed nectarine, although I don't think it was billed as such on the label. LG has some for snap, and I tried a piece - very nice, especially given the time of year.

LG has a token for World Book Day - gosh, I wish school would knock this on the head for the older kids. Of the 'free' books, only one is for independent readers - one is in Welsh and one is in Irish Gaelic (which notionally is a good thing) - but they are both for beginner readers. If they can't afford, or can't attract the authors to participate, it ought to be let go. And whilst I suppose the school will still do it, they could do with knocking the 'dressing up' bit of it on the head too.

Right, snap is done, uniform set out. Best shift-a-tail-feather.

Greying X

Watty1

Have never really understood the dressing up part. It must cause so much stress for parents, fine for those with crafty mums but for the others???

Jellytotts

I’d never come across “snap” as a lunch term before reading your diary, every time I read it now I picture a little beaded purse I had as a little girl with a very distinct “snap” fastening (that used to pinch my skin if I wasn’t careful)….and imagine trying to fit my lunch inside it 😁

Greying_Pilgrim

Watty - it is stressful, and it just means everyone grabs whatever is left on the 'costume' shelf at MrA - irrespective of whether their kiddo likes/has read the book. The competition for HM seems to be amongst several of the dads at LG's school 🙄 Everyone else just trots out their H. Potter outfit 🙄 I just don't think it encourages reading - and whilst yes, some book characters can be inspiring - how many closet "George's" are there on this thread ??? 🤣 I'm not always sure you want to dress up as them - and if the character wears jeans and a sweatshirt, how are you supposed to know who it is?

Jellytotts - you've got to have your scram, snap or piece - otherwise you'll go hungry come midday - you mark my words 😁

Right, the wash is pegged out, so lets see what happens 🤞

I've still not had a brainwave ref what's for tea/dinner, so I think a second coffee is in order.

Greying X

EssexHebridean

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81877604#Comment_81877604

That's a really good point about it being a tough gig even for adults - and we have the nuance to understand that generally speaking, the "stuff" is compensating for something if there is that much of it don't we! It's something we see a lot on here isn't it - people getting into debt buying stuff because they're trying to keep up - in fact that was the original route that a certain well known Cornish ex blogger went down that got her into debt, although she removed the posts detailing that aspect towards the end of her time blogging as I recall - and it underlined to me at the time when I was relatively new here quite how powerful that keeping up with the Jones's thing could be. Thinking back now, it's not an avenue I've ever been particularly tempted by, and I wonder how much of that was because of my Mum's careful explanation of why some people had "all the things" when I was very little. It really focused my mind on the fact that perhaps those folk weren't actually as "well off" in all ways as they liked to make out.

Greying_Pilgrim

Phew, I walked into Greying Town - that is definitely my exercise done for today! I read an article the other day about 'Japanese Walking'. In essence it's 3 minutes fast pace, 3 minutes slow pace, and YOU determine what fast looks like and what slow looks like. Couch to 5k for walkers if you will. I'm not bothering with any system, but I was thinking to myself that undulating routes are good - and the equivalent of fast (flat) and slow (uphill), plus you've the advantage of 'downhill' workouts on the way back!

I have spent some money - in hB and M&$ (tv mag), so I will adjust my siggie figgie just now. I was very surprised in m&$ to see a pizza, I'm going to say it was a child's pizza - about….5 or 6 inches round. It was yellow-stickered, but original price was…. £1.78 (or thereabouts), and it was now…. £1.39 or something. It was a cheese and tomato pizza. I couldn't see any obvious 'GF' or 'DF' or any thing other than it was a base, some tommie spread and cheese sprinkled on top. My gabber was flasted.

I looked into the highstreet newsagents (name change), but couldn't see a WBD display - which was just as well, as I had actually forgotten to bring along LG's tokens anyway, but silly me, I walked right past stonewater booksellers, and didn't take a peek in there 🙄 I did glance at the food waste place, but they didn't appear to have much, except for some longlife bakery products that I rarely if ever buy, so I left them there. There might have been more inside the building, but one of their volunteers is a bit….. ott at shaking the collection tin at you - irrespective of whether there is anything you can usefully use. On the other hand, perhaps they've let that volunteer go, as the one who was on the stall is the one that won't let you leave without taking something (and repeatedly tells you it's free), and made me take a loaf of bread one time, that I didn't want and didn't need, and which was blue with mould when we got it home 🤮

EH, wanting to keep up with…. or jealousy around the actual "stuff" is, thankfully, not the issue we've got. LG could, if they wanted, purchase some of the toys themselves - and currently, they don't see the need to purchase anymore than they have - but they do have a passing interest in the subject matter (but it's an interest amongst many interests LG holds), and the other child (and family) are prone to use "stuff" they have to reel people into a friendship group. They're not a family that we wish to form a relationship with - there's much more to this that is not about finance or debt - so I'll just say that the "I've got this, I've got that" kiddo isn't making LG jealous or feeling inferior on a 'possessions' level, but it is disruptive to the school day, and LG is feeling pressurised to ignore all of it, because they don't particularly want to get involved with this child/family - once bitten…….. I think an (wholly made up) example would be - your kiddo being horsey mad, and a child at school having a horse. Child and family say "do come and ride Dobbin in the school hols" - so you turn up there, and all of a sudden, you've got to muck out the horse before you get a ride on it it, and the parents are going away for a few days, so could you actually baby-sit your child's classmate, and their 3 siblings, and oh, if you want a cherry tomato, do help yourself to one out of the greenhouse, but could you just run the mower around the lawns for that free tomato………You and your kiddo just thought you were getting a ride on a pony……..

Right, I've still no soup inspiration.

Greying X

lucielle

hi GP after a bit of advice and I thought I’d shake my tail feather at you. I’m cooking Dahl and it needs 420g wet weight of lentils. I’ve got dry lentils would I use half the amount?

Thanks in advance

L

Greying_Pilgrim

OK, Lucielle - I'm going to say that less dry weight would probably yield you more wet weight - I've never done it that way around before - is the dhal part of something else, or is it because you need 420g to serve X amount of portions?

My dilemma is whether lentils definitely 'double' on cooking 🤔 If you were asking me how much dry weight of chickpeas would yield you 400g to cook, I would say confidently '200g'. But never having presoaked lentils, I honestly wouldn't know how they react.

How critical is your recipe? If you weighed 200g dry lentils, and it came to 300g 'wet' weight' would that ruin your recipe? Do you only have a set amount of lentils, or could you get 300g dry weight, and cook them, and say it yields 475g 'wet' weight, could you freeze the 55g of leftover dhal.

I'm sorry to be of so little help, I honestly have not done reverse engineering on cooked dhal to dry weight lentils before. Sorry ☹️ If it were me, and no-one was waiting at the table to be fed, I would go with 200g dry weight. And cross my fingers……..

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

PS - is it a straight dhal - you're not using oily toor are you?

Greying X