Family life in Leeds, one lunchbox at a time

Packed lunches, wash days, the school run and the household sums, written up honestly by a mum of two.

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Gemma Shaw

Real weeks, real receipts, from a Leeds semi

Two kids, one small kitchen, a postie husband who's home by two and a washing machine that runs nine times a week. This is where I write down how it all fits together, and what it costs.

You'll find costed packed lunches, laundry routines that work in a damp Leeds winter, family teas, school life, kids' clothes on a budget and the bills we compare every year.

No perfect routines here, just what worked for us and what didn't.

I'm Gemma

I spent eleven years behind the counter of a building society before the kids came along, and I still can't look at a receipt without adding it up.

Now I juggle three days a week in an office, two school bags, nine loads of washing and a bills sheet taped inside the kitchen cupboard, and I write down what it all really costs.

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