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baddad

First day back...

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After half term...

£30.00 for after school football club

£30.00 for school trip

£70.00 final payment for school activity week later in month (total cost £250 + spending money)

 

No cinema or climbing club for you this term, matey... :rolleyes:

 

and on Friday it's final payment £50.00 for scout's summer camp (total £180)... He had to miss out on trip to HMS Belfast and the various water sports options at local reservoir, poor little hard done by thing...

 

Not to mention the prescription swimming goggles he (really) really does need for both scout and school activity weeks and our summer hol 'cos he's like a blind fish out of water in the water and he's going to be doing some serious wet stuff on all three... And his scrips changed again, so he needs new glasses, and it actually works out almost as expensive to get his existing frames 're-glazed' as to buy new ones but he doesn't like the frames and then there's the bogof deal etc etc etc etc...

 

Meanwhile, I'm now living on porridge and water (oats is cheaper than bread), and having robbed Peter to pay Paul I am now robbing Percy to pay Peter back 'cos he's getting a bit antsy, and still wondering where the hell our holiday spending money is gonna come from :pray::pray:

 

And, I'm not complaining really, 'cos I know even if I'm having to juggle desperately we're still just in the black and will probably make it to Christmas without having to sell our furniture, but I do sometimes wonder what life would be like if I actually wanted a life too! And I do think, even though it makes me sound like an old man that kids get offered too much these days and the guilt/pressure on parents to fund all these brilliant ideas for trips and activity weeks and after school clubs that people keep coming up with is completely unfair on us and them.

 

When I were a lad I had one day at the seaside a year on the Kahnsil estate outing to Hastings. We ate samwidges and hard boiled eggs on the beach and threw pebbles at seagulls. One year I hit one and killed it and cried all the way home and had nightmares for weeks, but it was still the best 'holiday' I ever had because my brother got sunstroke sick and didn't want his boiled egg so I got two :thumbs:

And at secondary school they did have 'activity week' but this also included the free option of 'art activities' for the likes of me, which was basically a week throwing modelling clay at 'Cat' Felix and flicking paint at Kevin Kibby when we caught him picking his nose and eating it.

Kid's today, don't know they're born, do they? Poverty was real poverty back then - not like poverty now with it's flat screen TV's an X-Boxes and Mobile phones... Mind you, if I was a kid now I'd trade all of them for a days pug-whanging up the twitten, but there are no twittens anymore more and no pugholes to whang pug from even if there were...

God, I've depressed myself now, and I wasn't feeling that great to start with...

 

Ho bl00dy hum...

 

L&P

 

BD

 

(oh - can you lend me a fiver for a couple of weeks? I'll see you alright when I get my new glasses? Honest, I've got a cheque coming in the post... etc etc etc...)

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Kid's today, don't know they're born, do they? Poverty was real poverty back then - not like poverty now with it's flat screen TV's an X-Boxes and Mobile phones...

 

3 channels in my day and only two of those had programmes for kids for about one hour(ish) a day at tea-time. Mind you, I used to love watching the test card. Seriously. Which just might have been an aspie thing...?!

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MIne go back today - I'm sending in his trip permission with an IOU :tearful:

 

The bonus of livng on the wrong side of the tracks is that the school isusually pretty understanding :thumbs:

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I know the feeling. The requests for money from school are relentless - we have to pay the balance on the German exchange trip next year. I'm probably going to be out of a job at the end of June too.

 

Help, now I'm depressed too...

 

K x :crying:

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Prom financial crippler here!!

 

And work have jigged around with our rotas rather than make someone redundant, which is good...but it means there will be no more over-time from Sept, which means I will be down £200-300 a month :ph34r::ph34r:

 

Don't know about anyone else, but I'm at a loss to know where else to make cut-backs during this credit crunch...only running one car now, swapped everything I could for cheaper deals, swapped Tesco for ALDI...but every bit of saving seems to disappear with the ever-increasing fuel costs! :tearful:

 

Well, now I'm really depressed... :lol:

 

Hope you have good news on the job front soon Kathryn >:D<<'>

 

Bid :wacko:

Edited by bid

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Prom financial crippler here!!

 

Hope you have good news on the job front soon Kathryn >:D<<'>

 

Bid :wacko:

 

 

I thought you'd found a bargain dress, already oi vay!

 

Tesco for Aldi? Have you tried Lidl or......... Iceland! You can get anyfing in there for a pahnd! And it's a day out for the whole family too (at least that's how it always looks from the outside - 2 or 3 generations of mums, the youngest one with spotty herb boyfriend/father of smallest, snottiest kid in tow, and a small tribe of snarling offspring (their snarling pitbulls chained to the bike rack outside) endlessly circling the frozen dessert section looking for something with more choklitt than the death by choklitt because the death by choklitt hasn't got enough choklitt on it)... Mind you, I like their 'prawn ring' because the prawns have so much ice in them they don't set off my seafood allergy (though I do get an ice-cream headache!)... :whistle:

 

Hope you have good news on the job front soon Kathryn >:D<<'>

 

Ditto.

 

Oh - and talking of Ditto, I think I spotted Beth circling the frozen dessert section too......

 

:D

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I thought you'd found a bargain dress, already oi vay!

 

Tesco for Aldi? Have you tried Lidl or......... Iceland! You can get anyfing in there for a pahnd! And it's a day out for the whole family too (at least that's how it always looks from the outside - 2 or 3 generations of mums, the youngest one with spotty herb boyfriend/father of smallest, snottiest kid in tow, and a small tribe of snarling offspring (their snarling pitbulls chained to the bike rack outside) endlessly circling the frozen dessert section looking for something with more choklitt than the death by choklitt because the death by choklitt hasn't got enough choklitt on it)... Mind you, I like their 'prawn ring' because the prawns have so much ice in them they don't set off my seafood allergy (though I do get an ice-cream headache!)... :whistle:

 

 

All prom 'bargains', but still adds up (dress, shoes, hair, nails, share in limo - and restorative chocolate for the upset following the argument with all her friends over the fact they chose a white one...)!

 

And I'll have you know that Aldi is fab :P ...really nice stuff, and anything from a third to even half less than a Tesco shop!! :o My latest find has been 'pretend' Pimms at just over a fiver a bottle...tastes exactly like the real thing :wine::dance:

 

Bid :)

Edited by bid

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£5 beats £14 for a bottle of the real Pimms, I must say. But sod the taste- does it have the same alcoholic content?? :)

 

Kx

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£5 beats £14 for a bottle of the real Pimms, I must say. But sod the taste- does it have the same alcoholic content?? :)

 

Kx

 

21.9%...compared to 25%, but just mix it a bit stronger!! :D

 

Bid :lol:

Edited by bid

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£5 beats £14 for a bottle of the real Pimms, I must say. But sod the taste- does it have the same alcoholic content?? :)

 

Kx

 

 

I posted the recipe for faux pimms last summer -

cheapest gin you can get and cheapest red vermouth, and that's about it. Mix the two together to taste (50/50 is a good starting point) and top up with lemonade! Okay, you should really have a bit of Orange Curacao in there, but that's the expensive bit, so just splash O/J and don't worry about the colour!

Go easy with the gin, though, a strong 'un tastes good but it does creep up on ya!

 

:D

 

White Prom dresses? It'll look like Barbie's wedding! I'm sure when she gets there being a different colour to all her mates will make her stand out in the right way, and just think how those white dresses are gonna look by the time they've brushed up against the dusty ol' stage curtains a couple of times...

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White Prom dresses? It'll look like Barbie's wedding! I'm sure when she gets there being a different colour to all her mates will make her stand out in the right way, and just think how those white dresses are gonna look by the time they've brushed up against the dusty ol' stage curtains a couple of times...

 

:P

 

You have no idea how easy you've got it with a lad!!

 

Big A's 'prom' (old mates from mainstream bought him a ticket, ahhh): dad's DJ and bow tie (which were actually grandad's so about 50 years old), dad's white shirt, black school trousers and school shoes...job done!! And then make yourself sick by drinking too much and smoking a cigar! :sick::clap:

 

Bid :)

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Easy!!!!!!

 

My darling lad is on prom committee - endless traipsing round looking at prospective venues, artwork for invites, shopping for decorations, shopping for smart suit - not easy with 6ft 6inch son, hair bleaching and dying!!!!!!!! Will be so glad when term ends.

 

Also had email from school charging me £42 for week work experience which I arranged and for which he will get no pay, and I will be paying transport, etc. Aaaarrrgh!

 

Kathryn, hope you find new job - hopefully just after Wimbledon ends.

 

barefoot

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:P

 

You have no idea how easy you've got it with a lad!!

 

Big A's 'prom' (old mates from mainstream bought him a ticket, ahhh): dad's DJ and bow tie (which were actually grandad's so about 50 years old), dad's white shirt, black school trousers and school shoes...job done!! And then make yourself sick by drinking too much and smoking a cigar! :sick::clap:

 

Bid :)

 

 

Ben will probably go for t-shirt and jeans... I'm guessing he might do the drinking too much thing, but he HATES tobacco.

 

As for boys being easier I think I'm just lucky - most of them these days seem the same way about 'gadgets' that gurls are about dresses and all things sparkly, same cr*p, different shops. :rolleyes:

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Easy!!!!!!

 

My darling lad is on prom committee - endless traipsing round looking at prospective venues, artwork for invites, shopping for decorations, shopping for smart suit - not easy with 6ft 6inch son, hair bleaching and dying!!!!!!!! Will be so glad when term ends.

 

Also had email from school charging me £42 for week work experience which I arranged and for which he will get no pay, and I will be paying transport, etc. Aaaarrrgh!

 

Kathryn, hope you find new job - hopefully just after Wimbledon ends.

 

barefoot

 

Oh poor you!! >:D<<'>

 

TBH, it's actually been pretty painless and she's saved money towards things herself too :wub: ...I've enjoyed all of it really, but unfortunately this big upset over the limo has cast a bit of a downer over everything. I'm hoping it will be like the usual teenage girlie rows and all be forgotten soon :pray:

 

Hope your DS enjoys the big night!

 

Bid :)

Edited by bid

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Kathryn, hope you find new job - hopefully just after Wimbledon ends.

 

Thaks Barefoot - and thanks to you Bid and Baddad too. >:D<<'> Actually I hadn't thought of the benefits of being unemployed during Wimbledon - definitely will take the opportinuity to lounge in frount of the telly for a while if I can! :)

 

Going back to the original topic - we live in a fairly affluent area and I think the school take the mickey. My son in y9 came home with details of a Drama/music trip to Verona and Venice over 4 days next year costing about £600 and including drama and music workshops (he's opted for GCSE drama). I ask myself - we live about 45 mins drive from Central London: could the school not take advantage of the wealth of arts expertise and opportunities available in the capital instead and provide much the same thing for much less money?? And in the process provide work for struggling arts organisations in this country which have had their government funding cut?

 

Ah well, I didn't clock the deadline and forgot to hand the form in on time so he didn't get in. Which is just as well as I don't know how we would have funded the trip!

 

K x

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Bid

 

Hope all goes well for your dd and she enjoys her night.

 

Don't know about you but all we got was a rubbish disco in the school hall.

 

Barefoot x

 

Luxury!! :o

 

We got absolutely nothing at all! Although I do believe there might have been something of a pub crawl with the boys' school in our own time...

 

Bid :D

Edited by bid

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Oh soo know how you feel, this year for first time ever have 3 all at diiferent schools!!!! as DD now moved to secondary school, DS3 still at primary, and DS2 at special school. nightmare. not only the money but the school run!!! and parents night, the school fete and on and on and on and on............

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Ouch... just watched a documentary about childhood poverty in the UK, and feeling rather guilty about my real poverty /kids don't know they've been born schtick... :tearful:

 

Something really, really wrong when a country with this much wealth is happy to share it out so unequally. I could recognise the kind of poverty being talked about in the programme from my own childhood, but the social context of that poverty - the enormity of difference between the haves and have nots and the impossibility of closing that gap in the current political climate - really shook me. :(

 

Ho bl00dy hum...

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