In this current credit crunch recession hit Britain, I have decided to "ban" christmas in my household this year.Unfortunately,I now regard it as a "luxury" I cannot afford and as such has got to go.Fortunately tho,I have no children to worry about,just me and the other half. To reduce expenditure even further,Easter next year has also got to"go".(this one will be a real tuffy for me cos I am a self confessed chocaholic!!)

Since it seems that this goverment is hell bent on the low income(benefit or otherwise) populace not enjoying life anymore,so in order not to do  this half heartedly,intend to go the wholehog! To do this,I need ideas,so I ask,"what would you ban?"

jdbabe:

In this current credit crunch recession hit Britain, I have decided to "ban" christmas in my household this year.Unfortunately,I now regard it as a "luxury" I cannot afford and as such has got to go.Fortunately tho,I have no children to worry about,just me and the other half. To reduce expenditure even further,Easter next year has also got to"go".(this one will be a real tuffy for me cos I am a self confessed chocaholic!!)

Since it seems that this goverment is hell bent on the low income(benefit or otherwise) populace not enjoying life anymore,so in order not to do  this half heartedly,intend to go the wholehog! To do this,I need ideas,so I ask,"what would you ban?"

I could never ban xmas or easter as i have young children.When i move to Birmingham I will be cutting back on using my car as the new school is in with walking distance and the food bill 2! the amount of food i buy! and half of it goes in the bin. I think i will be banning the out of school activites like swimming etc. until i know i am once again financially secure after the move. When i say it i feel really guilty as these activties are part of a child's childhood and am i taking that away from them, maybe i should just live for today and not tomorrow, if its expensive o well it will be well worth it when they look back in later life?!?

As a father i could not with clear conscience ban either Christmas or after school activities. My kids need this and do not deserve to lose out.

What i can stop though is going to the pub, smoking and using the canteen at work (i take sandwiches to work now). That saves me loads over a month.

raging:

As a father i could not with clear conscience ban either Christmas or after school activities. My kids need this and do not deserve to lose out.

What i can stop though is going to the pub, smoking and using the canteen at work (i take sandwiches to work now). That saves me loads over a month.

I know what you mean about saving with sandwiches. I used to pop out to the shop and it would be 3 or 4 pound everyday for a sandwich crisps and drink!

what about holidays??Would you not go abroad and holiday in this country or completly "ban" them altogether??

Christmas seems to be the only thing left to ban - except perhaps for eating & drinking.   I suppose I could get rid of the cats but I love them too much.  Holidays went years ago and I already make my own butties.   I could scrap the odd day out, along with the TV, radio and internet but then that means there's absolutely nothing to look forward except the daily graft of hand to mouth work work work.   

 

Too true Rosie and what would be the point? We all need something to get us through the day.

I already holiday at home, taking the kids camping in the Highlands in August, haven't been abroad for years. Anyway I prefer camping here (if we get the weather, otherwise it is turgid!)

And some of us don't have that much to give up/ban anyway.  Some people don't even have a roof over their heads and yet we're supposedly a "rich" country!

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 without berries (hawthorn, holly, pine) to cheer your house up. Switch all the lights off and light candles or tea lights instead to make it truly romantic for you and your other half. And secretly laugh at the greedy gas companies not making a pence out of you whilst you light them ;-)

Make eachother gifts, anything: write a poem, pimp up an old t-shirt, a massage gift voucher. Just use your imagination and make it special. So much better than the latest game console because so much more thought went into it.

 Make a special dinner. You can do it without turkey! Use your imagination. Nobody needs a poor maltreated turkey and all the trimmings, but make it special anyway. Just have a great time with your other half, enjoy eachother and make the most of it, and remember what really matters.

~xcolette mariex~:

jdbabe:

In this current credit crunch recession hit Britain, I have decided to "ban" christmas in my household this year.Unfortunately,I now regard it as a "luxury" I cannot afford and as such has got to go.Fortunately tho,I have no children to worry about,just me and the other half. To reduce expenditure even further,Easter next year has also got to"go".(this one will be a real tuffy for me cos I am a self confessed chocaholic!!)

Since it seems that this goverment is hell bent on the low income(benefit or otherwise) populace not enjoying life anymore,so in order not to do  this half heartedly,intend to go the wholehog! To do this,I need ideas,so I ask,"what would you ban?"

would never ban christmas, easter , whitsun  .... other groups are trying to do this to stop offending visitors..!!!!!  doesnt have to mean loads of pressies , true meaning was lost  years ago, its all about money and want want want.............spent one christmas in malta and what a difference..... families getting together and the true meaning of christmas, it was wonderful....

 

 

 

I could never ban xmas or easter as i have young children.When i move to Birmingham I will be cutting back on using my car as the new school is in with walking distance and the food bill 2! the amount of food i buy! and half of it goes in the bin. I think i will be banning the out of school activites like swimming etc. until i know i am once again financially secure after the move. When i say it i feel really guilty as these activties are part of a child's childhood and am i taking that away from them, maybe i should just live for today and not tomorrow, if its expensive o well it will be well worth it when they look back in later life?!?

Chicken breast fillets at nearly £3.00 for 6 minute portions.

New knickers (make my own)

Sunday paper at £1.90 unless of course I buy that incredibly informative newspaper The Sun.

And charity shop clothes, Primark is cheaper. 

 

I would like to know what luxuries we ban when we have always been on a tight budget!!

I have never been abroad, haven't had a holiday in this country for 6 or 7 years, and the last one was a camping trip. I don't drive so can't get rid of a car. I don't drink or smoke, and I can't even remember the last time I ate out, and by that I mean at some where like Pizza Hut as I'm not into anything fancy! I don't even have central heating to cut back on and I can only put the gas fire on for a couple of hours a day. Money seems to be getting tighter by the day.

My kids are grown up now, so they don't expect to have all the latest things for Christmas. But they are home for Christmas dinner, which means it will be beans on toast for the next couple of weeks just so that we can afford a roast dinner (something we never have on a Sunday anymore) and a cake on Christmas Day 

 

Eating!!!!!  Well, I think that's what they want, don't they, its the roofs over our heads first and then eating.  Must be cos I can't think how they think most people will manage to carry on.

omg you scrooge!! how can you ban christmas.

Well i think you have to keep warm eat sensible and other luxurys can be ousted .I think the councils and those who spend our taxes should be bought to account for wasteage and stop putting extra burdens on us.And i am not a great fan of Christmas at all its just one massive spend extra work for women and stress and what for ?? one over blown sunday lunch as thats all it is.

I dont have a car paying the mortgage and keeping a roof over our heads is more important i do have a bike though and shall enjoy myself cycling around cant afford holidays unless you rob peter to pay paul..