Super Scrimpers sashay, save & --squander-- their way through September

[lilacclery]

Thought I'd start us off!

Lilac no idea sorry. How about some music from when she was young on a cd?

I've just prepped dinner ready to go in the slow cooker before I leave for work at 6:15 tomorrow

Congrats Collie

lilac could you do a "on this day..." for each of her birthdays and see what happened?

Wow Collie, that's wonderful.
Mummy, congrats, what a great prize
Glad you're feeling better Em
£2.75 bus fare today
Lilac, yes, pictures, photos and old newspaper cuttings from when she was young. You can usually get old replica newspapers from the newspapers website. We have done it with the Times for my elderly uncle in ROI. You could get one for the day she was born. I think you can also get mock up personalised ones

AGenie, I've been thinking about your school's voucher scheme. It does sound a good idea to me if you have the time and interest. It could be a win win situation. If there are things you can get vouchers for that you would be interested in then I think it's a great swap for time.

But I think most schools get a lot of volunteers anyway and this scheme must cost the school money. Perhaps they just need more volunteers or they can't afford to pay staff.
I would ask them the reasoning behind it.

Trying They need more staff really. We have a lot of kids with English as a second language and a lot whose families don't read with them at home and the school needs people to come in from the community and help these kids to keep progressing.

To me the scheme just sounds like more work, for very little gain.

Great news collie!

Will be a nsd today as I have no money. Dh due to be paid today who wants to take bets on when he will actually get it?!

Just about to put dinner in the slow cooker hopefully Dh will remember to switch it on before he leaves...

The school thing sounds ok in principle genie as a way to get parents to engage especially if you are in a sociochallenged area. However would it encourage helper for the right reasons or for a freebie and would the kids benefit.

Where does nan live (as in home/ care home/ support living) and how mobile is she? Afternoon tea/ nice cafe and cake trip? Tea dance? Something from the era she was a teen?

Good luck collie, your might need to be ruthless and you will be knackered but it WILL be worth it.

Didn't do the touchan boxes sorry. I've been looking at est fresh to try and get ideas. Dd is becoming even more fussy if that's possible. She announced last night she is a beige eater. Fgs

Last night I took DS's phone from him, as he was on it after he wasn't supposed to be, after a warning. He didn't take it lying down. He followed me into my room and was shouting and swearing at me and grabbing at my arms and trying to prise it from my grasp. He left, but came back, accusing me of theft, telling me he hates me and why should he have any respect for me or my authority as I'm a thief. He was like a drug addict who's had his drugs taken away.

He's gone to school without his phone, but I'm not sure what to do. He's crossed a line and I'm still in shock. If his dad lived closer, I'd be tempted to send him away for a few days, but I can't.

Just needed to vent.

Oh crème that's a toughy. ((Hugs)) maybe he will be OK tonight and you can talk to him. You did the right thing by following through. Phones are addictive

creme I can imagine the shock you're in, especially as ds is getting stronger physically now too. Has he a relationship with his dad/grandad/someone else whose opinion he would respect that could talk it through with him?

My nan has dementia but lives in a granny flat beside my uncles house and is not as able bodied as she once was. She attends a day care centre once per week. As you can imagine over the years we've bought almost everything there is to buy her and she's not materialistic in the slightest. My mother is already doing pictures of her from each decade of her life.

For christmas other years, her carer my uncles wife has suggested talc and shower gel as they get used. She has lots of clothes etc.

I'm debating a voucher for shoe shop so that my aunt can buy her some comfortable shoes/slippers. She is a total homebird since my grandad died and wouldn't enjoy going out for afternoon tea anymore

wreck I was smiling at your mention of prepping for slow cooker last night as I did the same thing. I put mine on at 6.30 before I left the house because I couldn't depend on anyone else to do it. Beef stew in it today, a joint of ham yesterday

creme that's awful behaviour and a very tricky situation. is his anger fear of losing control? Or fear that you might read something on his phone? We had an aggressive teen in our family but they are the loveliest adult.

LSD on saffron buns.

lilac I bought my nan a gorgeous vase for her 97th birthday. She loved it because colourful flowers help with dementia (like a sensory thing). Often her usual vases weren't big / tall enough. Every time we visited her we would pick some wild flowers and take them in.

Or a luxury bath towel. Nothing beats a luxury fluffy towel!

(Wild flowers from our garden )

collie they are both lovely ideas, I like the thoughts of something that will add comfort to her life. I thought about slippers but when she's not that good on her feet.

I've been browsing on ebay Wooden Advent Calendars thinking that investing in one of these would save buying a lot of rubbish down through the years. Would need to put something in for both children

Was reading this thread Expensive Beauty Advent Calendars in shock!

AGenie, I get what you mean about a lot of work but realistically they are unlikely to get more staff. I can't see the cuts being reversed but you never know( looks out of window to see if pigs are flying by).
But with the kids you mention I think they have to try everything and if even some kids gain then it is worth it.
Yes, some people might do it for the wrong reasons but if they try reading to the kids, well they might get to like it and some kids might benefit.
It does sound like desperate measures though.

Lila: we have often gotten a pro photographer to take pics of my great grandparents with their great great grandchildren or pics with them the kids alone. The love it...

Creme for you. No advice, I only have small kids... But hope you can get a really good chat with him about why his behavior is not appropriate

I've done that already italian
I'm thinking of a blanket for snuggling under watching tv with Nan 90 years young & a logo that says established 1926.

Creme that really does sound tricky. How old is your ds again?

£1 in charity shop on a small toy lion. Millie was crying again last night. Mum suggested maybe she's pining for her kittens. So stuffed lion will be pooped in her bed tonight. To see if it makes any difference. He's about the size of a kitten. I think.

Do you think a Ewan the dream sheep like. Babies have might help or white noise?

Filled out YNAB and realised I need to be more proactive with it. I'm going to have to make my food budget last and I'm not sure how. Having a big family BBQ and g's first birthday and garden work done has made it an expensive month.

Lilac we've got chicken and chorizo casserole! Someone at work bought their mum a doll and she loves it and cuddles it all the time (she has dementia)

God creme how horrible for you I don't know what to suggest but he has to know that is totally unacceptable.

Nsd successful. I'm feeling really tired today must be the weather.

That sounds yummy wreck, love it! Do you find that chicken takes less time in slow cooker than red meat?

She's still at the good stage of dementia I guess, been this way for a long time, my uncle's wife is her carer and so gets her up and dresses her etc and brings her all her meals, but she can manage away herself a bit too by day.

mummy the food budget is one that really gets me with ynab too, but maybe it's good because it shows us that we either need to budget more to that category or to rein things in a bit