Ah perfect thank you@Y0H0 to answer your question on knock off oodies:
I have just bought a primark one to keep at my nannies house and it’s lovely and soft (got the Disney ones paid €16 in Ireland) but as I’ve just bought it I can’t say if it holds up well.
I had a real one in 2020 which was lovely but I left it in australia when I left. BUT I got the Dunnes one in Ireland last year and it was just as good if not warmer than the real thing tbh. They ship to the UK and have kids ones too. It’s also bigger than the oodie - I’m 5’11 and it was down to my knees. i will probably buy the Dunnes one again this year. They ship to the UK and it’s £17
Adults Hooded Blanket
<p> The ultimate in comfort and cosiness, this blanket is designed with a hood, side pockets and a sherpa lining. It's the perfect choice for luxurious lounging at home. </p>www.dunnesstores.com
I'll get some ordered. Got my daughter one for Xmas from amazon and its too thin. Im not one for being tight with the heating but I think everyone is going to be this year 
just need some nice slippers and teddy bedding for the youngest and were all set. Thanks again xThe primark one is definitely thin! But the Dunnes one is teddy material inside so it’s super warm!Ah perfect thank you
Apparently primark do different ones. The double layered fabric are better
I’ll have a look. The Disney one I got there was so soft I love it , but I’d use it more for being cozy than warm if that makes sense.
. With taxes, it would have been closer to 150€, but still would have been nice to get that. that is, if I remember to claim it and figure out how to do it, I'm tit at taxes and really should get a consultant to do it for me. I used to look forward to pay day and now I just feel deflated and depressed when it arrives because it's getting tougher and tougher each month to make it stretch.I'm exactly the same and being left with a similar budget and feel exactly the same about it.I've been paid this morning, after transferring my bill money to the joint account, and my usual direct debits going out I've about £300 to last me the month - and with that I've got to get food shops as well so really I've closer to £0. It just makes me feel really sad as it feels like there's no room for enjoyment anymore
I don't want to sound ungrateful because I know that I'm lucky enough to be employed with regular wages coming in, some people don't even have that and I do understand that from that perspective I'm in a better position but it still feels like an awful situation
Just to add, this is my current set upI didnt realise there was a new thread.
Re oodie chat, I have a fake amazon one and a real one. Id say the real one is thinner and less bulky but still very warm. Its also a lot longer. Im about 5ft 7 and its past my knees
Also noticed the previous thread discussed PT workers and UC in. If you do need wraparound childcare for school aged kids its such a long day for them. Thankfully due to hybrid working its not required for us now but both my kids did 8-6 nursery days prior to school which they managed ok as they could nap there etc. 8-6 days with school 9-3 is much longer for them. Theyre exhausted when they come in, still need to get dinner and home work done. Some of the kids are just turned 4. This sort of childcare isnt always easily accessible either even if UC pay a huge chunk of it.
I've bought something similar for my 2yo who is too short for an Oodie. My eldest loves a onesie too so guess I've saved money in that respect (OH has no interest in one and usually wears T-shirts all year round, regardless of the cold).
I'm in a similar situation expect I'm in the last few couple months of maternity leave and not being paid at all. I've saved enough to give myself a little wage for these months but when I saved it things weren't so bad costs wise and our food bill has gone up alot since then. Not to mention energy aswell of course! It will be a very tough couple of months with no luxuries like meat (what a time to be alive I'm calling a bit of bloody beef mince a luxury) or buying anything that isn't totally nessesary.I've been paid this morning, after transferring my bill money to the joint account, and my usual direct debits going out I've about £300 to last me the month - and with that I've got to get food shops as well so really I've closer to £0. It just makes me feel really sad as it feels like there's no room for enjoyment anymore
I don't want to sound ungrateful because I know that I'm lucky enough to be employed with regular wages coming in, some people don't even have that and I do understand that from that perspective I'm in a better position but it still feels like an awful situation
Really worrying to hear the last few bullet points re dropping environmental assessments for new build homes & “liberalised planning rules”. Firstly no one should be forced to live in a home that hasn’t had adequate environmental checks on it, but secondly we shouldn’t be developing on sites of scientific/environmental or heritage significance! Appalling.
I would like to know the details behind some of these planning changes when announced. I'm not sure I trust either the government or environmental groups with what they say it'll lead to.
I know development has always been a contentious subject full of NIMBYism but I worry we’ll get into a situation like in the US with environmental racism where the poorest communities with v little social capital have no choice but to live in inappropriate accommodation with unsafe water, or tit air quality, or all the other bad things that these environmental regs ensure no one need endure. I worry they’d be shoved in those shitholes then the government turn around and shrug a bit like the cladding scandal. I just don’t trust them to do right by people or planet.I would like to know the details behind some of these planning changes when announced. I'm not sure I trust either the government or environmental groups with what they say it'll lead to.
I know from around here they've been building on green land for several new developments over the recent years and other sites disused concrete sites that you'd assume are grea areas rope for development they've not been permitted to build on as supposedly they're green.
I'm not sure what will happen with house builders with the mess that is the housing market. In similar conditions they stopped building and sat on their landbanks.
