To ask why everything is so f**kin' expensive?!

[MummyStruggles]

Just that really?

And, also, there's ALWAYS "something" that needs to be bought or replenished i.e new pillows and duvets for the whole household! Grrrr!

Meant to be a lighthearted thread but you know, I get really bloody stressed about it!

Anyone else?

Numatic Henry eco vacuum cleaner £120, Currys PC World (saves on energy costs too!)

I hate these posts. I hate the sneery attitude some have. Replacing duvets for everyone can be expensive a new duvet for each bed even the cheap ones could be around fifty. Not everyone has it to drop. Even little things like the lasagne sheets I usually buy have gone up by about 13p the pasta too and other items. Even little amounts add up on a weekly shop.

I will spend decent money - but not silly money - on things that will get well used. And save where I can.

So while we do need sailing boots (DD sails with the sailing club, and is in a Sea Scout unit) - we tend to get them in places like Decathlon when we can as they are solid boots and work perfectly for the purpose. But if we can't get there when necessary (it is a couple of hours drive away from us - fine on occasion to do with other things locally there, but not just for 1 pair of boots in a hurry), we might need to order online (bit more expensive) or even get them in the local sailing shop (LOT more expensive). In fairness though, she will use them so much that she wears through them mostly, it's rare that she grows out of them.

The same with things like runners and hiking boots - they get well used, I will get decent pairs normally but not spend silly money on them (Mountain Warehouse boots are usually great - if I have time to order them as no shops locally to me).

But DD is very happy with plain green or navy basic wellies from Tesco or similar, and for the use they will get, I'm fine with that too.

And I know she does have a lot of footwear, but she uses them all thoroughly. And we can afford to send her to the various activities if we budget properly and make sensible savings (buying decent but not top quality gear that will last sufficiently well while she is growing, buying in sales, etc). But the activities are also significant for DD in helping her to manage her ADHD and ASD, and to learn social skills in a non-school setting. So I will sacrifice things I want to make sure she gets what she needs - as often times we have found that while paying for specific therapies may be somewhat useful, being careful about the types of other activities and letting the relevant leaders know her issues can actually be more helpful to her in learning to cope with the world around her and not mark her out as totally "different" to everyone else.

Meanwhile, as my feet stopped growing years ago, my local shoemaker knows me well from getting shoes and boots re-soled and re-heeled on multiple occasions!

People spend their money on different things. But there will always be something that needs repairing or replacing. Things are not made to last any more( old lady alert) I always try, don’t always succeed but I try not to just buy something because it’s new and nice and shiny. Buy what you need not what you want.
I need chocolate and cake tho.

Its always those that are well off on their high horses about not buying into consumerism too. Needing basics is not buying into consumerism.

RosaWaiting

What do you mean? She'll need a bedroom at some point.

Jingle

sorry, given the nature of this thread with the £100 trainers etc, when you said "nursery kitted out" I wasn't picturing a wee bedroom with a cot.

I thought you were doing some fancy pants creative nursery kitting out thingy from a TV decor show!

Cheap doesn't always mean shit or won't last long, but sometimes it does and it'll end up costing more money than if you'd bought the 'better' thing in the first place. Up to you whether you take that risk. Do your research first.

Ice "Needing basics is not buying into consumerism."

agree. But pp have said Disneyland is expensive. Well....yes it is.

cats need haircuts

Seriously? Cats need haircuts now? I thought the whole deal with cats was that you just had to offer them cat pate twice a day, let them sleep wherever they wanted and in return they graciously agreed to live in your house and did their own grooming and takeaways.

I do think people have really, really high expectations in terms of standards of living now. I suspect those moving to new properties years ago would not have expected to have all the electrical appliances and soft furnishings in from the get go - it would not have been seen as essential. I'm 41, and I started with an empty kitchen two decades ago. It took me 18 months to save for a washing machine, fridge and oven (during which time I had to spend my weekend afternoons going to the laundrette, and buying food that could be eaten cold). I used to walk around the supermarket with a calculator to make sure I didn't spend more than my very tight budget, which didn't extend to alcohol. I didn't feel especially poor, though, because I hadn't been raised to expect those things as a matter of course. Nowadays, I would probably miss them a lot more because, as they say in posh divorce cases, "Ah has become accustomed to a sartain standard of living, dahling". But really, I am just a bit spoiled.

RosaWaiting

No, I just mean she's still in our bedroom in her side crib which she is fast outgrowing and we don't have any nursery furniture.

Food still seems cheaper than most places abroad; surprising as so much is imported. Its certainly much cheaper relatively than when I was a kid, as are things like clothes and shoes.

Housing is obviously much more though. When I was a student in the eighties, my rent was the same as my fairly frugal food budget, around £12.

When I first lived in London after uni I was bringing home £500 a month and my half share of our tiny zone 2 flat was about £140. We were always out spending money.

I think it's the phrase "kitting out a nursery". That can mean different things for different people. For some it's a newly decorated room with matching child sized furniture, for others it's moving the cot into the spare room and emptying the existing chest of drawers.

hippermiddleton

They're ragdolls with long hair which gets knotted around their bums and armpit area and they won't let us near them with scissors or a comb. You can feel free to come over and try if you like.

Alternatively, you could understand that some people's lives involve different things, such as pets that need maintenance, and they aren't lying for the sake of it.

I hate the sneery attitude some have. Replacing duvets for everyone can be expensive a new duvet for each bed even the cheap ones could be around fifty. Not everyone has it to drop

But why would you replace duvet covers, bedding etc, if you didn't have the money spare? They last for years and don't suddenly wear out or break so unless you have a fire, you're not going to have a bedding emergency.

So you can leave them for a while and replace them when you see a sale, or one at a time. If you're in the mindset that the whole house of bedding needs replacing 'now' chances are that you're spending unnecessarily.

Its always those that are well off on their high horses about not buying into consumerism too

But how do you know who is well off? Some people appear well off because they don't waste their money. They save for 'emergencies' that are often simply routine irregular expenses. If you have a car, house, or pet, it will need money spending on it sooner or later, so it makes sense to save some money each month to cover such an expense and if you don't have the money available, but have spent on other luxuries like phone upgrades or all manner of other spends, maybe it's poor budgeting not lack of money that's the problem?

I do think, especially for young people, there is an expectation to have all the mod cons and "shiney new things" in your home nowadays. And with expectations comes pressure to keep up appearances.

You only have to look at house pages on Instagram to feel inadequate and feel like we don't have "enough". I'm no longer on there thank god!

I don't have a lot of things people do and by that I mean, a laptop, an iPad, a bloody Alexa - ha! I just buy what I need but now and again it'd be nice to be able to buy some things I "want" instead.

For us it was an IKEA cot and a spare chest of drawers from mum's house. We were able to scrape along on one modest salary though so I could be a SAHM, hardly anyone can do that nowadays. Expectations have changed.

Ahh and before you have a go at me for having pedigree cats, they're rescues from Battersea and we did not buy them.

Jingle genuinely not nitpicking but if the cats won’t let you near them with scissors or a comb how does the vet/groomer do it-do they have to be sedated?

When I responded above I wasn’t talking about £100 trainers or anything like that.
For example, our fence blew down at the weekend. We’ve tried to repair it but it’s a lost cause, so we’ve got to replace it. Our built in freezer (came with the house when we bought it) has died. Our guttering needs replacing. Both DD’s need new shoes as their feet have grown. We’ve had three requests for money for various things at DD1’s school this week. Yes, obviously all things that come with home ownership/basic living/being a parent and are budgeted for, but it’s still a lot of money and is still more regular than I’d like!

JessieMcJessie

I don't know, last time I went it was done in another room so I didn't see. I assume it takes several people, especially for the big one who is about 8kg

A basic Alexa is only about 30 quid so not in the same league as a laptop or iPad.

Jinglejanglefish No need to get defensive! I've genuinely never heard of cats that need grooming before, or seen it advertised - you learn something every day...

Cheap doesn't always mean shit or won't last long, but sometimes it does and it'll end up costing more money than if you'd bought the 'better' thing in the first place. Up to you whether you take that risk. Do your research first.

^
This. Its about spending your money wisely. More expensive doesn't automatically mean better

This whole subscription world seems crackers to me, £5 for netflix, £79 amazon prime, spotify, etc etc. It all adds up, I tried to buy just office word for my eldest laptop and they kept trying to sell me the subscription one. I don't want a monthly cost (i can't afford it!) I just want to buy it and pay for it at that point.