Yes, I know raging. Most parents are hard-working and have it tough. And I can't imagine that child support/tax credits cover all that's needed for a child. I guess it's the parents that don't want to work (I'm not on about the ones that genuinely can't) that give all parents a bad name.

Don't ban Christmas hun. Christmas has been about greed for a long while now. I'm not religious perse, but  I do like Christmas and what it truly represents (not stuffing ourselves and buying loads of expensive stuff that we might have to pay off in the months to come).  Just be inventive. Go out in the wilds, get some twigs with or ...

''They will contribute to YOUR old age pension ... '' Can you guarantee this? The age old excuse of parents of course, but childless or childfree people that work, contribute towards the children that MIGHT (no guarantee here) fund their paltry state pension in  future. '' ... but what contribution have you made?'' I'm not sure which ...

Very true John. We've seen people wanting to keep up with the Jones's. They wanted the big house, the big cars, and whatever took their fancy, all on credit. Sensible people didn't go beyond their capability and bought something they could easily afford, not perhaps what they dreamt of, but feasible. Now the people that wanted to show off are ...