This thread has been prompted by the £1300 a month thread, and a request for more money.
My mum is retired and lives quite close to us. She has a full pension which I think is around £500 a month, some DLA of around £100 a month, a pension from my dad of £500 a month. So her income without us is around £1100 a month.
She owns her own small house. She collects the two DD's from school twice a week and feeds them and keeps them until we get home. This takes her around six hours a week. For this we pay her £225 per month. If she does any extra babysitting, we give her £25 a session. The DDs are old enough to occupy themselves and usually help their granny by walking the dog, cooking tea etc.
We gave her £1,000 at Christmas because she was complaining that she was finding it hard to make ends meet. In February DD1 asked me to give Granny some more money because she was in debt. So I duly coughed up another £500.
DD1 has come back to me and explained that Granny is in real financial trouble and the bank won't allow her to withdraw any more money. I've been round and found out that this is true and forked out another £500 just to unfreeze her account.
AIBU to be angry on three counts? Firstly, Granny shouldn't involve the DDs in her financial woes.
Secondly, I can't bloody afford to keep subsidising her. The money was enough for a holiday which we can't now go on, obviously.
Thirdly, my mum just spends loads of money on complete rubbish, so although I shouldn't be annoyed (the money was freely given and she is therefore entitled to flush it down the loo if she wants) I am irrationally irritated when I see her spending £50 a week on fags, and £££ setting up a craft room that she never ever uses.
I just have to stop giving her money, don't I?