To think you don't need 4 eggs and 7 slices of ham to make an omelette for one person???

[PenguinBear]

This seems excessive to me... No-one needs that much in one omelette... Surely 2 eggs and 2 slices of ham would be fine?

Lidl are £1.39 for a box of 12 eggs but as I said up thread £1 can be an awful lot of money if you don't actually have that pound.

grumpyoldbat - don't take any notice. Some people are just incapable of understanding that not everyone has an identical set of circumstances to their own.

*aero mousses!!

It's also only in very recent years that the price of food has really soared. It all adds up at the end of a week's shop.

Co- eggs for us are £2. From Waitrose also but organic ones as mentioned. I also mentioned that a 4 egg omelette is fine if that's what someone wants. I have no problem paying these prices. About 30p an egg, anything else is virtually stealing from the farmers IMO.

I do find it sad however that people on this thread are going hungry so men can eat! Wtf?. In our house children eat first, then anything else would be shared equally between adults.

expatinscotland, I was paying a babysitter!

grumpyoldbat, how can I be looking down on you when I said I was a single mother working long hours as a waitress or a cleaner! The only ones I would have been able to look down on would be the lazy bastards and junkies. Everyone else was above me!

Same here, the children eat first - since they are the ones most in need.

Val - you must have been earning a lot more than it cost to pay a babysitter then mustn't you - otherwise it would not have been worth your while. Many people are not in this position - childcare costs cancel out the benefits of working. You really should be able to understand that surely?

You post suggests you look down on those who struggle to feed everyone. I am included in that group. ATM I have to budget every penny but previously I was in a situation of zero income, trying to live off dwindling savings the only food I had was the scraps dd left on her plate to the point I was ill. It took a while to get to the point of eating properly even once I started earning again because we lost everything including our house but still owed the bank.

That's a very expensive breakfast. Wholemeal toast with a egg or two, porridge way to go if on a budget.

Dc do eat first the rest is decided 66/33 between me and DH. With DH getting more off my plate if he moans it's not enough. Dh is a lot taller than me plus male metabolism I figure he needs more.

He shouldn't be taking food of your plate grumpy - that shows a real lack of respect.

I asked a neighbour to keep my child and was paying her nearly 1/2 of my daily wage! As I said, I was receiving an average wage for a waitress and a cleaner. I sometimes had 3 jobs at a time (after my child started school, so less childcare costs) - one full time and two part time. Plus I was studying for my exams. I sometimes slept only 4 hours a day. Of course, I don't recommend it, but all I am saying is that if one has needs and children, they really must work hard to meet those needs, not cut on food. Maybe cut on cigarettes, alcohol, holidays, nights out? But food? No-no-no. My opinion.

A few more calories maybe, but adults need protein for repair. Children need it for repair and growth, hence parents filling up on carbs.

Well done Val, some people do not have the luxury of good health, you should be thankful and hope it continues

Val - you gave her half your wage - ie you still had half left. Some people would have their entire wage swallowed by childcare if it's not very well paid.

'Maybe cut on cigarettes, alcohol, holidays, nights out? But food? No-no-no. My opinion.'

There you go, folks! You are blowing it all on booze, fags and nights out.

Val, it is illegal for people to do paid childcare on a regular basis and not be registered child minders.

Sounds like you were in the US, where 9 times out of 10, the cost of living is far cheaper than here.

But hey, it's easier to pull the ol', 'I could do it' (years ago, in another country, 'so if you can't, it is because you are feckless,' (spend money on booze and fags).

Tosh.

I would not eggspect my DH to go hungry because I insisted on organic free range eggs I could not afford. That is unreasonable. OP if that is your stance then YABU. If it's not and you just don't know where to buy cheaper eggs then PM me. I have an encyclopedic knowledge of supermarket prices leftover from my broke years (can't help logging it all in my brain somehow, still).

If my husband tried to restrict my eating in this way I would be so angry, so upset. Oh my goodness! Over eggs! Eggs! 4 eggs comes to 33p in Iceland.

Maybe cut on cigarettes, alcohol, holidays, nights out

What!? do you really think people would prioritise those things over food? I need a lie down.

and 50% of wages on childcare is very good - not sure why the exclamation mark. A lot of people in that situation would be paying 80-120% on childcare.

Ok I'm lazy I only have one job. In 6 weeks time I'll also be a student nurse. 70-80 hrs a week plus self study plus looking after DC and the house. How very lazy and irresponsible of me.

Tell me this though genius how exactly does someone cut back on spending on cigarettes, alcohol, holidays and nights out when the yearly total spend on these is zero pounds and zero pence. Stop making assumptions about how I spend my money.

Ok, I give up.

I just want to ask the people who claim they cannot afford to buy eggs, if they smoke and drink? Just for the record, ok?

I said I asked a neighbour for help precisely because it would have been cheaper. And who cares about the childcare law, if you are trying to survive? Would you ask your mum or friend to register as a child care provider, if they were helping you out? I didn't think so!

If there is a will, there is a way.

Apologies to all disabled people - I thought it was apparent that all I said concerns healthy adult individuals. Obvously you must be crazy to think I put people with disabilities in the same category, come on!

I care about my ds's safety over everything else.

Mum wouldn't need to register. But yes i would ask a friend. (so unsure about your righteous 'didn't think so' comment).

If i couldn't afford enough food (eggs or anything) then i couldn't afford booze. Don't smoke.

"Dc do eat first the rest is decided 66/33 between me and DH. With DH getting more off my plate if he moans it's not enough. Dh is a lot taller than me plus male metabolism I figure he needs more."

I can't bear to read this. How dare he! How dare he take food off your plate!!!!

val there are legal exceptions for families helping with child care.

I'm in a job that requires advanced PVG. If I was caught involved in any crime I would be sacked. Not exactly financially prudent.

I've already listed what our money is spent on. We can't cut back on rent. Cheapest 2 bed in town, council tax is band A again can't get cheaper. Dd2 gets hand me downs where possible and 'new' stuff is from charity shops and supermarkets. We shop around for deals on utilities and keep the internet because its needed for studying and allows us to get money saving deals.

Last night out was my hen night and at that point it had been over 2 years since my last night out. Don't drink, never have, don't smoke never have, don't use illegal drugs never have and don't use so called legal highs. Last sunshine holiday was 1993. Just in case you also want to know we have no Sky Tv or any of those movie streaming services you pay for.

Really there is nothing else to give. That is part of the reason I'll be doing 80hr weeks, so that one day hopefully I can earn more.

Any other part of my existence I need to apologise for or defend?

Grumpy - why 66/33? Why? It's what's available and should be split 50/50. If someone is Hungry after a fair split then they can eat some porridge/ toast/ banana. But in no way should one person be hungry because another is taking their food. I'm sorry but to me that's abuse