To think I am 'careful' and not 'cheap'

[goawaywillya]

Okay a bit of back ground story. My dd1 attends a sn school and recently became good friends with a new girl in the school. This little girl is from a quite well off family and wants for nothing.
Today at a social event I got chatting to this child's mother who told me about how they had recently spent £120 on a new princess bed for dd and how they have a planned holiday to NZ next year to visit family. She also described going to the cinema or local play centres each weekend and how the eldest dd has violin lessons etc
Then she asked about my own circumstances and I described what I do on a frequent basis to save money she looked shocked and said ' oh. We should be cheap too'. I was a bit 🙄 and when she said ' if you can ever afford to eat out as a family you should try Nando's, they're cheap 'I was like

I'm not jealous of this family. They have good jobs and deserve to spend their own money as they see fit, but AIBU to see myself as 'careful ' rather than 'cheap'. Some of what I do is-

. Dress dd2 in ds old trousers as boys clothes are tougher anyway and her dresses are worn again as tops with leggings.
.once a week I raid the fridge/ freezer and dinner is a mix of this ( I hate waste)
. I sew and darn clothes and can replace a zip
. I have made sardine heads into a pizza topping before
.i have invited family to dinner and kept their left over bones to make stock
. Do not eat out because it's not affordable and I would be shocked by the prices anyway.
I make my own laundry liquid/powder
.i make cake out of banana skins and also out of whole oranges and lemons including pips
.instead of paying huge fees for holiday activities I take the kids to chase the pigeons and feed them sausage roll crumbs outside our local Greggs 😳 or just to play at the park
Our local children's centre does nice low cost/ free activities also.
.i have bought cheap products from Asda and placed it into an empty box of 'posh' product.
. I regift unwanted presents for birthdays or Xmas
.i make vinegar from 🍏 cores
.i once made a homemade suncream when I could not afford a bottle of the real stuff
. I love charity shops and bought dds birthday gift there for under £10. Plus we have taken the kids there to spend their pocket money on toys and books.
.if something is over £5 I will struggle to buy it on principle
.. I grate used bars of soap to make new full bars
. I love summer, i don't have to use the heating 😁
. I buy clothes for ages older than the dcs are so they grow into them and I feel I'm getting my money's worth.
. I got rid of my tv licence and now just use Netflix and YouTube.

See, it's nothing extreme, just trying to save money as we go along. I'm sorry this post is so long , it's just hard to stop once started.

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Please tell me how exactly you score just crumbs?

Bin raiding? they tend to fall into the packets. if you train a small child well they can get right down to the bottom of the bin, even those with a flap lid.

Jeez I thought I was doing my bit with vegetarian meal planning but apparently I should be buying sardines for pizza and apples for vinegar.

Making stock from your relatives' bones is goth AF

Then she asked about my own circumstances and I described what I do on a frequent basis to save money

Unusual conversational opener, OP. Although if it's your first day/night on MN that might be why you think we are miserable.

I once made a very weird sounding but lovely tasting cake which called for whole boiled oranges and olive oil. I'm sure it had other ingredients too.

I make a mean beef bone broth but have never tried human bone broth. Does it taste like chicken?

@Reasonstobeearful

Ah but what do you do with their eyes pray tell? 👀

Hilarious 😂 I hope it's a wind up tho. Imagine the kids doing a food diary,
Monday, granny for tea, quite tasty, grilled.
Tuesday, granny bone gravy on sardines
Wednesday, sardine head pizza

I feel sorry for the relatives whose bones you use to make stock.

I don’t think u realise how many families are in difficulties - weird - perhaps you need to see what others have to do.
£120 on a bed wtf ridiculous

Does it taste like chicken?

Like beef (or venison). It is clearly a red meat and not a poultry.

instead of paying huge fees for holiday activities I take the kids to chase the pigeons and feed them sausage roll crumbs outside our local Greggs

This is the best bit. Your kids make the Four Yorkshiremen seem like they were living a Jay Z and Beyonce lifestyle.

😂😂😂 @ Reasons.

Oh dear. I'm sorry but you do sound a bit cheap.

You struggle to buy anything over 5quid... What like, ever???

Go out and live a little. Go wild. Put some pepperoni on a pizza. Live the dream.

Eyes are a bourgeoisie frivolity and therefore have no place in my post millenial utopia.

Reasonstobeearful I laugh snorted at your message!

OP do what you think is right for you but really unless someone has the same kind of outlook on life as you, I wouldn't share so much information about my lifestyle.

Bloody hell, your poor children..! Scrooge springs to mind

I think the OP is too cheap to punt for a side of fava beans and a nice chianti.

You could use the crumbs to lure the pigeons to eat them, pigeon would be more filling for the children than sausage roll crumbs.

I'm crying at the poor relatives bones!
Banana skin cake.. I'm retching... what does that taste of? Is that even safe to eat?
The rest.. I kind of admire (apart from sardine heads) as grew up in a household this thrifty

Eyes are a bourgeoisie frivolity and therefore have no place in my post millenial utopia.

Just what I hoped you'd say @Reasonstobeearful 😉

My word you'd all be horrified if I told you what i have put in my chocolate brownies ( don't worry they are vegan brownies)

Anyway I am way ahead of you. I make pasta out of sardine heads with a spiraliser and whenever any of my family come round I bash their fucking heads in, slice them very thinly and use them to darn holes in the 80 year old socks I got as a treat from the Cancer Research Shop.

I nearly choked trying to be quiet reading that !

Kin ell.

You're as tight as a duck's areshole and no mistake.

@alltoomuchrightnow well that was about 20 years ago and I have survived so yes I would say safe.