Tips on getting through every day without spending a penny !

Up_the_Creek_4

This may sound really cheap, but upon going to the refuse disposal site to get rid of some old wood there was a girls bike in perfect condition sitting in the metal recycling container. I don't know if it is legal to take away such things, but at least keeping an eye on the charity shops helps. I have been really careful over the last 5 years and am about to pay off the mortgage. O.K. the kids have not had exotic holidays, but have been perfectly happy rolling around the tent in Cornwall, and now they are a little older we can face a long haul flight and they will appreciate the experience. So go for it, if you think the average family holiday abroad for 5 costs about £2,000, save this over 8 years and that is £16,000. We have never spend more than £300 camping. Don't forget to keep the milk in the fridge!

Quincejelly

Is it possible for your daughter to go to some people's parties and not others? Say, give her a limit of how many you'll let her go to in a year? Moderation in all things and all that.

I completely understand about the catty parents and bullying kids. I grew up in a small village and the snobbery and clique-iness is horrible. I have a London accent and got bullied for being a 'posho' because I didn't talk like a yokel. The proper local posho's f course all went to private school. :wall:

BUT just because you can't stand the parents doesn't mean you should let your daughter get more isolated by never letting her go to parties. If that had happened to me it would have been the last straw.

I definitely second the poster who said report the bully to the teacher. My nemesis was a little blonde accountant's daughter who used to wang on about how much she loved little bunny rabbits all the time. (Guess which one of us actually spent more time caring for the school pet rabbits though?) I sometimes wonder what would have happened if my mum hadn't been too scared of the social implications of annoying her mum to point the finger at her. Maybe she finally would've got taken down a peg or two instead of swanning through life, thinking the world owed her for being "so cute".:mad:

At the same time and by the same kids I also got bullied for wearing hand-me-down clothes, my parents old car, not having many toys, not having pocket money for sweets and snacks, not having loads of stickers or rubbers of whatever the latest collecting trend was... etc etc. ie all the stuff my parents were doing to save very nice sum they have now.

Do I resent the way they made me go through that so they could have their wodge in the bank? YES. They're not even spending it because they're so in the habit of living the low budget lifestyle. Do I REALLY resent the luxuries my dad allowed himself while we were living this way? Nightly trips to the pub and cigars in his case. YES YES YES. Especially since he had his stroke. OK I'm probably going to inherit that money so I've benefited too in the end but I'd rather inherit less, have had more fun as a kid and not be so p-d off with my tightwad parents.

I would be furious if my dad had used that money to gamble on the lottery. :eek: If you don't want to think about your numbers coming up after you stop playing, don't carry on checking them. What you don't know won't hurt you. This is how you stay hooked. The lottery is a tax on hope.

OK... and breathe.

I'm sorry to rant. And actually you've done something that I recommend to people when talking about saving money which is start by cutting down, not cutting out. We all have our vices.

This isn't about whether your a good or bad mum. I'm sure you're a good mum. You say you want the best for your kids and I believe you. But my parents paid the deposit for my flat and I'm still mad as anything about their stinginess when I was a kid. My friends don't own their homes, nor does my partner. It's no big deal. I'd be happy still renting. And if I wasn't then I have the smarts to make my own money.

It's just the story from the other side. The discussions about how money saving affects kids on these kind of boards always seem very theoretical to me. The 'oh kids don't mind they hardly notice' attitude that some posters will put forward is hopelessly naive. Kids notice. Other kids notice. It may teach your child not to be so materialistic in some ways but you betcha when they finally get their own cash they will go on the biggest spree you've ever seen. (And if they're a student and that spree involves credit cards......:eek:)

If you want to live somewhere where the parents aren't snotty morons move back home.

flower_72

Live and let live.
Did Lauren ask for advice on how to bring up her children? Nope.
Is she worried they might become resentful misfits? Nope.
Has she started a thread on how to avoid spending on what she sees as un-necessary? Yep.

I give myself pocket money every Monday. That keeps me in check and I don't end up impulse buying.
I also take my own home made lunch at work so I don't go out to buy anything. That way I can't get carried away in the sweets aisle :rotfl:

pegginout

lauren565 wrote: »

hi all Another reason why i was not bothered about them going to parties was that the parents at my children's school are so snobby and are all catty with eachother, slagging each other off, back stabbing etc. so it was my choice to take a step back because i dont want to be involved in their gossip! So when they stopped talking to me because i wouldnt gossip about anyone, i got the cold shoulder.They dont even say hello to me anymore but then my children get a party invite and i think get stuffed! Maybe its because im a londoner now living in nottinghamshire? I dont know but ive never known a school with parents so gossipy. My husband totally agrees! Plus my daughter is getting bullied at the moment but we cant really do anything about it because it is by the daughter of a teaching assistant who is very well thought of. She might look like a little angel but she is a little devil. It really makes me mad. Her daughter says things like "my mum said your mum is stupid." and "my mum has got a photo of you at home (year photo of my daughter) and when we fall out, she smashes it". It really gets on my nerves so there you are. Cant be bothered with the fake nicesities of parties at the moment. Hope that makes sense !

sounds familiar!!!!!;) Where I live they gossip about anything!

This thread is very interesting, thanks to Lauren, she has some good ideas. I wouldn't do some of them but I live and let live.
I have no debt either, mostly because I shop around and only buy what I need, not what I want. Yeh I would love a fancy car, but don't really need one so drive a little corsa (cheap and good on fuel). The chelsea tractors on the school run are unbelievable! My friend has one, costs her £250 month petrol, my petrol bill is £30 and we drive the same distance to work! Makes me laugh when she moans about the cost but she wouldn't be seen dead in a little car like mine. Shame.

Spendless

Lauren - I love your thread :T

The one about your husband and his lunches made me giggle cos mine does the same, apart from he goes to sandwich shops not macdonalds. I read what you'd put out to him;) but he thinks it's my job to make his sandwiches:rolleyes:

Re the lottery do you have set numbers or could you get a lucky dip/random numbers once a week instead of twice?

How old are your children? I've found party going does drop off the older they get. My daughter started f-time school in Sept and has been invited to 6 parties already, her 8yo brother has only been to 1. My 2 were born in same month so I was able to do a joint party when it was their birthdays. Something I've seen on these boards before is to buy a pack of books from the book people and split them to use as birthday pressies for the parties you would like your children to attend. I've also been there with the little so and so who's other is a member of staff and got nowhere. The situation was only resolved when my child moved to the seperate junior school, so you have my sympathies over that one.

Casperthefriendlyghost

Hi everyone

When I first read this thread I thought, great that would be so useful, but have got bored reading it now as it seems to have become a thread about Lauren's children and birthday parties and nothing else. As I don't have children and no interest in birthday parties I suppose this is where I stop being interested as I'd hoped this would be an interesting read, but alas not what it says on the label. Rather misleading thread, should be called "Should children go to birthday parties" will be off to search for something new.

Cheers
Casper
x x x

savingmore

HI,
thought i would kick start off a new idea....

i used to love magazines and buy too many, but i did keep them to re-read so kinda justified it to myself...
then i went to the library the other day (i also love books) and discovered they now stock a whole range of up-to-date mags which you can borrow for free for a week!!! how cool is that???

so i just pop in once a week and read most of the mags i used to buy and i don't have to pay a penny!!!!! that is got to be good money saving....:beer: If your library don't do this, why don't you ask that they start?

karren

that would be so fab, i treat myself occasionaly but always feel guilty!

Kaz2904

What a good idea!
I'm on the grocery challenge now too. I pad things out- meat with cheaper stuff so I have a freezer portion. Every now and then we can eat from the freezer (not really it'd be too cold!).
I've cut down the wine too hehe- my liver thanks me.

groatie_queen

Our local library doesn't keep magazines, but the charity shops often have them for a tiny amount, 5p or 10p. maybe a little out of date but still a good read if you;re not a fashion victim!