To think that something's wrong if u can't afford breakfast for your children

[Blossum123]

A friends neighbour constantly says she can't afford her childrens breakfast - the school have started a breakfast club and the children attend for free . Which is good.
Iv been on benifits but how can you not afford breakfast - it's surely the cheapest and easiest meal ? I know some children won't have breakfast but this isn't the case - she claims she can't afford it - makes u wonder what they get for tea

[ILoveCoreyHaim]

My DM was the same ad you doin and I have done the opposite which I think has been wrong. We ate out meals and got treats if we ate our meals. There was a not a fridge stocked with yogurts and fruit or a cupboard with chocolate and crisps. My kids come in and walk out with 2 bags of crisps for them and her friends the other one will come in and get 2 apples. I've had kids look in awe into a fridge packed with food the kids can get when they want..

I am really regretting doing it now tbh. I remember going to my friends house as a kid and she could help herself and I think that's why I ended up doing it.

[ILoveCoreyHaim]

Sorry my do was like you make me happy, I'm the same as Doin

[D0oinMeCleanin]

Why do you regret it? Mine self manage okay, they went a bit mad the first week we moved, but once they realised that the ice pops wouldn't magically reappear every time they ran out, they calmed down. Dd1 is very protective of her Kit Kats. She hides them if we start running out because she likes them in her packed lunch.

I only buy what's on offer when it's on offer and if we can't afford to restock, we don't.

Most of it's from Iceland/Home Bargains etc. The only thing I will restock mid week is milk and fruit.

[ILoveCoreyHaim]

Mainly because when I worked I always had a stocked up fridge and cupboards they cod help themselves to. When I was on the dole and had to cut back there were frequent outbursts about not having any food which to them meant there were no luxury yogurts or crisps left although I had main meals and a pudding. They were so used to helping themselves to what was there if they were hungry or wanted a snack so would say im starvung heres no food in this house. Also taking stuff out for their friends now I'm working again is starting to get a bit silly. Since Tue they have gone through...

A punnet of strawberries
A Box of grapes
A punnet of nectarines
A punnet of peaches
Half the apples and a few pears
Half a watermelon
A bag if sugar snap peas

Looks like whilst I was at work yesterday their dad who i dont live with was lettig them take what they want and they have been in and out and probably been taking stuff out for their friends.

My friends DD came in yesterday went up to the fruit bowl on the table, picked up and apple and walked out with it. Last week she asked me for some crisps as well.

[ILoveCoreyHaim]

The fruit really doesn't cost that much as I get it at the market so can get a big bag for about £10 but now it's running low I'm going to have to go and get another bag. I really don't rink they ate all that themselves. I think maybe their friends say get me a peach if your getting one.

[D0oinMeCleanin]

Ah, we live right by a very reasonable grocers, so that wouldn't bother me so much strawberries are only a £1 a punnet and if you go first thing on a morning yesterdays strawberries are often 50p, peaches, melons and things like that would only be bought once a week, apples and bananas are restocked for less than a £1 a bunch/per 6 and we don't buy luxury yoghurts. Our luxury yoghurts are illuminous pink things with whipped cream on top from Iceland £1 for 6

[ILoveCoreyHaim]

They get whatever nice yogurts are half price in tesco BMW, that's the problem really they know value fromage fraise are not munch bunch mini puddings iyswim.

[ILoveCoreyHaim]

BMW=BTW

[myusernameis]

If you have genuine concerns that the children will go hungry over summer then I think reporting this to the school is the right thing to do. I know people are saying they will already be in the system but you don't know that for sure and I'd hate to think of them going hungry.

When I was younger my mum called the SS because a little boy we knew from school was left home alone a lot with his younger siblings. We are talking hours at a time here. There were signs that they weren't getting fed properly either. He was 5yo and the younger were 2yo and a baby. This was about 16 years ago and back then they wouldn't do anything and I know my mum was worried sick about them.

I'm glad to hear things have changed now and they have things like breakfast club etc. I know some people genuinely can't afford food and it is disgraceful but it is naive to think that is the only reason children go hungry. There are some bad parents out there. I'm not saying that is the case here but either way it's good to know that someone is looking out for them.

Unless I have been taken in and this is a made up story to get a reaction... In which case I'm the naive one!

[YouMakeMeHappy]

You are all very generous. I wouldn't be happy handing over food to other peoples children!

[ILoveCoreyHaim]

I think that's why I can see what's probably happening with this woman ops on about as I know for a fact DDs friends eat they just can't help themselves and your right it is getting a bit silly now after yesterday

[D0oinMeCleanin]

We never much in in the way of snack with ex, he was very financially controlling. Even when we had a fridge full of food, he wouldn't let them eat it, which I always thought was odd. He'd buy all of this nice food and then it would all go off because he wouldn't let anyone eat it

Now we've moved and have a proper food budget, they are just happy that we have yoghurts they are allowed to eat. They don't care if they are branded or not. Crisps can be a bit of a bone of contention for dd1, she only likes a few kinds but I can normally find ones she does like for cheap enough from somewhere and she'll hide them leaving the ones she's not keen on out for dd2 and friends if she thinks she's running out.

I shop about for bargains. We do our Iceland shop for frozen foods and ice cream/ice pops. Sometimes crisps are from Iceland if they have an offer on. One the way home from Iceland I call into Home Bargains for offers on crisps, biscuits, tinned puddings and we do our "big shop" for store cupboard/packed lunch things from Asda. I buy fruit, veg, meat and fish locally from farm shops or butchers.

[ILoveCoreyHaim]

See I think I am the way I am because if you went in my dms cupboards you would think we didn't get fed but everything was made from scratch including baking stuff. She made lovely meals from scratch and we were well fed on a budget but no crisps and child collate bars. We went to grannies and she had a snack bench just laden with crisps chocolate and sweets. I think I ended up going a bit OTT filling the fridge and cupboards allowing them to get what they want as I didn't want my kids to look in the cupboards and not be able to grab something if they were hungry or just fancied something.

[D0oinMeCleanin]

I'm probably somewhere between you and your DM. If you looked in our cupboards you'd think we lived off nought but tinned hotdogs, biscuits and crisps but our evening meals are always made from scratch and I am very lucky in where I live. I have a grocers, the allotments, a butcher, a fish mongers and a village style farm shop all within walking distance so I am able to buy what I need for dinner on the day I need it, in the quantity I need. I don't need to go to Tesco and buy a bag of over priced peppers if I need 1 pepper I can go to the grocer and buy just 1 pepper and 1 onion etc. Eggs are bought as and when from the allotments. I also work in a food place and can add on some stuff for us to the shop's order from wholesalers, so I can pick up 20 chicken breasts for £25 and freeze them to defrost as and when I need them.

Our food budget is relatively small because of the way I can shop, so we have enough left over for biscuits from Home Bargains.

[HaroldLloyd]

Got to love a home bargain deal Doin. Have you moved? That's brilliant news.

[cindydog]

I hope this woman is not a smoker/drinker.

[D0oinMeCleanin]

Why cindy?

[LuisSuarezTeeth]

D0in don't bite...

[LEMmingaround]

Maybe cindy was being sarcastic

[LEMmingaround]

Maybe cindy was being sarcastic

[D0oinMeCleanin]

Luis

[LuisSuarezTeeth]

Impossible to tell LEM

[HaroldLloyd]

I would like to think so but I fear not.