CURLY AND CANDID

It’s not often I use shouty capitals but I’m feeling shouty about this issue.

No doubt if you are a blog reader, or a newspaper reader or well breathing.. this week you’ll have heard about the whole breastfeeding/weaning carry on. I haven’t read it. I heard there was an issue, I believe it has something to do with a study about breastfeeding exclusively for six months being bad, early weaning good? If I’m wrong I apologise but I have purposely avoided reading about it because to be honest, people’s attitudes to emotive subjects like this annoy me. Don’t get me wrong – I am all for free speech, completely understand and respect the fact that different people will have different opinions to things, and whether I agree with them or not is besides the point. What I do dislike is that when there is any kind of uproar about a parenting issue, people get on their high horses and start telling other people that what they do or have done is wrong. Their opinion isn’t asked for. They are most often not professionals in health or social care, and to be honest, can be quite rude!

I have had many blunt and sometime downright bloody mean comments thrown my way since I fell pregnant with my first son and I really do wish that people would think before opening their mouths. I don’t like my decisions being criticised, especially when opinions aren’t sought, so I’m damn sure that other people don’t deserve that from me.

I get sick of justifying myself, and too often I have seen Mums and Dads almost apologising for choices they’ve made and it’s unfair.

So now I don’t apologise for my decisions!

Yes- I bottle fed Kieran and have bottle fed Taylor from birth – this was by choice. I am certainly not anti-breastfeeding but it was a decision my husband and I made and we are happy with it.
Yes I use disposable nappies – I am aware of the environmental issues surround this, yet I still get my Huggies with the weekly shop.
No, I do not now and haven’t in the past demand fed, my choice and it has worked well for us. End of story on that one.
Yes I decided to go back to work after Kieran was born, and yes I was aware that I was planning on letting someone else “raise” my child all day.
Yes I changed my mind and decided to stay at home and not return to work, and yes I am aware that this then meant I wasn’t giving my children the best start financially or teaching them a proper work ethic (have to say on this one… poo! I work ten times harder working from home AND being Mummy than I ever did in my previous demanding job!).

These are just some of the things I heard myself having to apologise about in the past, particularly as a first time Mum. Now – well gawd help anyone who tried – but how sad, and awful that people felt the need to comment so negatively on my decisions.

Parenting is the most difficult job you will ever have. There is no manual, you aren’t taken aside for special classes at school on how to raise children the “right” way and I’m pretty sure antenatal classes don’t get close to covering the choices that we will have to make between now and when our kids turn 18, so finding the way can be a rollercoaster but one worth queueing for!

So please, neighbours, other parents, fellow shoppers in tescos, politicians… let us raise our kids without your prejudices.

Is it just me who gets really mad with this?

Nowadays many of us are trying to be more savvy with our money and I have taken being more frugal/cautious/money-saving as a challenge that I actually quite enjoy and get a kick out of!

I hate waste of any kind anyway and it seems ridiculous to me now wasting money especially (it didn’t bother me so much before having kids) when there are so many easy ways you can save money! Every Friday I take an hour to go over the past week’s spends, and set myself up for the next week by doing a few basic jobs. Here is my list for today – do you have a frugal friday list or similar?

Check internet banking (I actually do it more often than once a week but a good nosy at what has gone out etc keeps me in check as I know straight away what money we have in, and whether or not it’s been a frivolous week rather than a frugal one!)
Book and checkout a weekly shop for Sunday. I do my grocery shop online and switch between two stores depending on offers and which one I can get a free delivery code for! By doing this I can meal plan, ensure I have everything I need for packed lunches, and avoid impulse buys! Quite often I find supermarkets have some great “online exclusives” so extra savings. I have extra bread and milk delivered each week that I freeze to try and avoid those costly top-up shops.
Fridge and freezer clear-out. I have the food shop coming Sunday so I sort the fridge and freezer and we eat up anything left over that will be getting replaced with the shop. That way items aren’t wasted after being left too long, I get a lovely fridge/cupboard full of fresh stuff to start the week, and by doing the “use up” I’m not popping to Tescos and spending the usual £20 on “bits” that we really didn’t need.
Purse and wallet clear-out. I have a terramundi and copper jar. At the end of the week any copper goes in the jar and any larger coins go into the terramundi. I also check through any receipts to make sure that clubcards/advantage cards were used (and if not I take these in to get the points added) and check the valid to date of any vouchers I have to use up.
Get cleaning! Friday I have a good housework splurge – a couple of “power hours” with my scrubbing brush is great for the soul, and an all over general tidy helps and you me organised! The more organised, the less likely to lapse into lazy/wasteful habits. It’s all in the mind you see!
Plan ahead. We live by our calendar, it really does keep me organised! Five minutes with the calendar and I can check for upcoming birthdays, anniversaries, school birthday parties etc and can buy in advance, meaning no last minute rush buy (which costs twice as much and you’re never as happy with) and that I have time to shop around online, using cashback and find something just that bit more interesting.

So – what do you to to keep yourself on the straight and narrow moneysaving-wise and within budget?

They are our kids, we aren't idiots…LEAVE US ALONE!

Frugal Friday