The Lockdown Saving and Spending Continues! May Frugaleers continued

[LaneBoy]

New thread!

Sorry for the crappy title I was in a rush :o

Just pasting the reply that I couldn’t post...

Camden I’m intrigued (and jealous of the free books!) what job do you do? (If you don’t mind me asking)

Born I understand your worry re the masks and false sense of security!

Em hope all is ok. If you all kept your distance it’s so unlikely your parents will be affected.

I have 2 hours ahead of trying to get the Caglets motivated, especially the eldest, she has loads of war poetry studies to do. We had the conversation yesterday where I finally said she will have to give up her phone while doing work - I feel horrible as she misses her friends so much but it’s taking hours to do simple work because she gets so distracted.

Then therapy at 11 via zoom (the others will go on their walk) which I’m excited about as we will hopefully be discussing career plans :o

Thanks all. life snuggly no not working this week - I kept my annual leave dates as we were meant to be In mexico. Kept them so I could spend more time with the kiddos. Lucky that!!

If he’s no better by next week then I’ll let work know.

He’s gone for testing now. I’ve made a bleach spray and have sprayed and wipes all things in our room we’ve both touched.

I’m not moving my clothes out of the room as nowhere to put them. Have moved laundry basket. Will wash his clothes separately for the moment.

He has a seperate towel. And will change bedding when I’m allowed back in to sleep.

I’ve already mentioned to work that I’m effectively solo parenting because of this and not to expect any emails being flicked on. I’ve turned them off for now so don’t get tempted to look. My out of office is on directing people to the right places so in theory clients should contact colleagues.

Just spent £40 on a salad box and a fruit box. For delivery on Friday. So that’ll keep us going for a bit. We have enough to last until then.

Thanks wolf for new thread. I’d just typed that on the old one so copied and pasted across.

Camden - I am also lazy I think! Eek. I'm also trying to start doing some exercise now as I am sooo out of shape it's ridiculous. And I mean just unhealthy low levels of stamina/cardiac fitness as I get out of breath and I have chronic back pain, which doctor and physio both said it was just cos of lack of core strength. And I proceeded to do basically nothing about it. I often start exercising and my problem is that I lose interest quickly and then give up basically. Books - I'm reading How to Argue with a Racist by Adam Rutherford, it's about genetics and racism basically. DH bought me it for mother's day it's a bit complicated the science aspect for me but super interesting.

Hope DH soon recovers Em, covid or otherwise. I feel for you, must be so tough looking after the two little ones alone and not being able to leave the house!

I won't wear a face covering unless it is mandatory, but I'm concerned bus companies might make their own rules and require you to wear one even if the law doesn't change iyswim. I might stop volunteering to go into the office if that happens. I don't think I could have my face covered for more than a few mins without freaking out due to sensory issues with my autism. I'm also really not convinced they will make any noticeable difference in transmission of covid, I might try and look into the evidence base for it if I get time sometime. Because symptomatic people shouldn't be on the bus anyway and asymptomatic people shouldn't be spreading it if they have good hygiene and if everyone else has good hygiene. Like you won't be coughing it out if you don't have a cough. And if you touch something and shed it, nobody else will get it by touching the thing you touched unless they then don't wash their hand and put their hand in their mouth or something which we shouldn't be doing normally never mind just due to covid hah.

Nocuts can't see masks being mandatory for early years staff. My DD has been at nursery throughout and the staff don't wear them. She is moving back to her usual nursery next week and the staff there are also not wearing them

I’ve not tried wearing one myself yet but I struggle with other people wearing masks - my actual hearing is fine but I heavily rely on lip reading to understand people! It was tricky in the pharmacy. Normally DH is going to town and the supermarket though.

Thanks meadow it’s not going to be easy that’s for sure!!! But we’ll manage. We have to! Thank god we have a garden. Ds is currently out there on his bike. Just pootling round.

It astounds me that so many people just don’t wash their hands. I washed mine normally before eating after eating after going to the bathroom and when coming in from outside.

Shit. lane thanks for the new thread. Gave wolf the credit....

:o no worries em :o

Jeeez getting DD1 to do English is like getting blood from a stone. She used to love it (she went into her new school excited to do Shakespeare FFS) now she is really struggling

Ahhh in so confused about childcare costs. I've just done the childcare calculator and it's said we are much better off staying on tax credits and that we'd reciece X figure and can get up to 70 per cent of childcare costs paid. And the figure is over a grand more than we would get if we come off TCs and claim tax free childcare. However I've just had my renewal in for TCs for this year and it says we are getting way way less money and that we aren't entitled to anything for childcare costs. Even though the figures ive used for both are exactly the same?!

Thanks for new fred lane I thought about starting one but couldn't think of a title!!

Em ime the results come back pretty quickly within 48-36 hours.

I'm wfh and loosing the will with it a bit 😬

There's no way I would wear a face mask and I can't see how they would make it mandatory?! I have to wear one for patient contact visits at work and it's awful, so hot and claustrophobic. You definitely end up touching your face a lot more anyway.

Just heard our local garden centre is opening this week, am almost tearful I'm so happy about this!!

Meadow I've been claiming tax credits for 14 years and they still confuse me no end!

My guess is you would definitely be better off claiming tax credits then just claiming tax free childcare. Can you ring them to double check the figures? Even though I don't claim any childcare anymore and I earn more I still get around £80 a month for the child aspect in tax credits.

DD was tested for covid ages ago and they had the results in 48hrs but at the time they don't contact you if it's negative, they only make contact in positives and just tell everyone to isolate. We called the hospital to check, although they were going to contact us eventually anyway as DH was about to start his job there, so he needed to know if he could start or not!

Girlie I spoke to the online advisor and they said the calculator was completely wrong and confirmed we aren't entitled to childcare element. As it stands we are going to get around £75 a month in CTC, a bit less for the next few months due to an overpayment from last year. The calculator said we could get about £1400 on tax free childcare. But it also said we'd be getting £2788 of tax credits which they confirmed is completely wrong. How absurd that the calculator can give me such a huge wrong figure! I'm not sure what to do now...we should be better off using tax free childcare but not by much. Plus we are hoping to have a second child in a year or two maybe and I'm wondering whether tax credits would be more generous in the year that we both take parental leave when we have reduced incomes? But then I know we might just get chucked off it before then anyway (although that seems unlikely now with covid). Or if something happens to any of us and our income reduces, it's a much more generous safety net than if we had to suddenly claim UC.

Thanks for the new thread lane

I hope it’s negative em

Fell off last thread but as now on 80% wages need to rejoin.
Girlie i was talking to a friend I used to go clubbing with. We were both v excited that the garden centre is reopening.
Em fingers crossed.

Hi all

Bit overwhelmed - school agreed DD1 can attend due to her needs. I think it’s for the best (mental health wise) but my head is spinning a bit. Our support worker emailed them to back up my request and they said yes (schools can “use their discretion” in certain circumstances, I looked through various policies before I emailed)

She’s going Thursday, off again Friday as we have an assessment (autism support charity that we’ve been waiting on for 9 months) over video link, then full time from Monday. Yikes

Great news Lane, I know it's a bit scary, but in the long term going back to school sounds like it's the best option for your dd.

I work for a huge luxury fashion company, so there's loads of different departments etc, it's all very Ugly Betty if you remember that show? A handful of the people there are lovely though.

Another boring day today, did some housework and sorting out, I've been fixating on my 'healthy eating' to try and pass the time.

Good to see you back icy and accidental

Dd2 is being a massive pain recently, she just wants to argue with everyone, it's exhausting having to deal with the fall out, we've had a letter today from her school which says they aren't expecting to be back for years 7-9 before September. I think that's added to her anxiety because she's very sociable and is really missing her friends.

Hope everyone else is having a good day!

lane . But it is right according to the guidance, some children should go to school to best meet their needs. Still tricky to reconcile as a parent though with all the other messages

Mine are going in tomorrow to school as both DP and I know have to go in to work on the same day.

I couldn't work out why I couldn't post in the other thread

Thank you Lane for the new Fred

Em how is dh and how are you holding up

I can understand the stress lane, it’s such a difficult time but it seems like it’s the best thing for her. And the school should be following strict measures to keep her safe.

Sorry to hear about your DD camden. It’s such a difficult time, I’d hate to be her age with this going on.

Aww a shiny new Fred!
NSD here.
Have a few expenses tomorrow going to be ordering a friend a gift need some shopping bits.. I'm going to be naughty tomorrow I've got to go shopping for my mum and dad the tesco has a Costa drive through so my shopping may take extra long and my kindle may accidentally come with me!

Thanks lane

The guidance today says no facemasks for teachers and early years. In a nut shell. They're is a lot for education providers to try and implement and for parents to get their heads around.

Absolutely children who need to be in school can and should be. Sounds like it's right for dd1 lane. Best now so she can settle again before more children come in. Scary though but keep precautions up and she should be ok.

I decided as we can't social distance to not have my cleaner beck. £50 sounds a lot. I pay £24 a week for the equivalent of 2 hours.
£34 the range, £18 home bargains.

Evening.

Thanks for Fred Lane Hope DD gets settled at school. It is a difficult time for everybody.

Em that must be such a scary time. Hope he is OK. I would deffo call work and tell them what is happening. We don't have to use out holiday entitlement if we are isolating, even if it turns out on testing it was for nothing.

Face coverings aren't compulsory, and are there to protect others form you potentially from having The Virus, not you catching it from someone else. If wearing one means that it is even marginally less likely that I am spreading it to someone else then that is good. So I am not bothered by people touching their own faces to readjust them - if they want to catch it fair does. What worries me is people touching their faces(with or without a face covering), touching the packet on the shelf and then putting it back.

Sorry that sounds really grumpy and up my own arse. Apologies