Nic1

After, between four of us, flying to UK 18 times in 2008 (with all the added costs that incurs) due to family ill health and funerals we had already decided that 2009 had to be the year of the budget! We've managed to nearly halve our weekly shopping bill (good tip - don't take the kids to the supermarket with you), no longer throw away food at the end of the week, and are seeing money we spent on flights and car hire slowly being replaced. With the global recession we don't expect to be out of Saudi as soon as we thought so have decided we should just stash as much money away as possible, while still having an OK life. I think as we are approaching old age we are more aware of the need to save and invest, and prepare for retirement - which of course includes pushing the kids hard so they get highly paid jobs and can look after us in our old age!!

N

Blue Cat

I have never understood how people can part with 350 dhs for lunch? how much food can you eat and drink! It's just no my thing, I would rather spend it on a nice cut of beef and home made dinner with a bottle of fizz

Grace O Malley

I am not in to buffet lunches/dinners either, but when you add up the costs of cooking at home, all the little extras, it adds up.

Nic1

Agree BC, I eat very little and only drink a couple of glasses of wine at one time, so for us it was a huge waste of money and we never went. But lots of people get sucked into the whole Dubai thing and that's part of it I guess. Friday lunch for us was always at DOSC - great VFM.

N

Madam Medusa

some of the brunches here are great though...personal thing i guess...

MM, xx

NorthernLad

I think Friday brunches will see a drastic decline now - most people seem to be awaking to the fact that they are not value for money anymore.

We did succumb to Al Qasr for Christmas lunch (being lazy) and it was noticeably quieter than last year.

A lot of our friends here are now starting to save rather than go out on weekends and pay around 35dh+ for a drink...we spent NYE at a friends house party which only cost a parking ticket and some booze from RAK, was one of best NYEs we've had.

Friends who were back in Ireland at Christmas could not believe how quiet the bars were.

Grace O Malley

Its prob cheaper to go out for xmas lunch! and less hassle!

Think a lot of people are starting to think about how they spend their money. No more handbags for me!

Ireland's pub trend ended a long time ago, smoking ban, opening up of Offie's, the guards are very hot on drink driving now, lack of taxis, people tend to drink at home.

Blue Cat

we went to the Atlantis, was empty! we had dinner with our ex boss

I made a turkey dinner here the other night it cost me 100 dhs for the three of us then we had turkey left overs for the rest of the week turkey's aren't just for Christmas

Grace O Malley

OMG I couldn't turkey more than once per year, 3 hours to cook, no, no, no.

100 dibs, thats cheap! I paid nearly 400 at Christmas!

Squirty Cream

Taking it a step further, it would be interesting to know if, due to the fall of the GBP and the increase in expenses, if former non-working wives (or partners) have had to go to work to 'top up' the family income, or if things haven't got to that point.

Grace O Malley

I doubt it Squirty as a lot of companies have got a recruitment freeze.

Blue Cat

you can get some nice small turkeys 3 kg take a few hours, well worth it ! bang it in the oven and leave it

Blue Cat

I am doing more relocation work, believe it or not, expecting it to dry up shortly though

commander

a little AED income would be nice to make up for the GBP deficit, however my good lady is fully employed right now being a mum.

I could get a little sideline though come to think of it....Cheers squirty, you have just planted a seed....

(now how do you do short circuit calculations again??)

Squirty Cream

I had to work when my children were lilttle, so I used to work nights once the youngest was sleeping through the night and didn't need a night feed (none of them accepted bottle feeding). I think it must be lovely to be a full time Mum.

Good luck with your 'sideline'