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It is tough NOW. So how are we coping
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Hi All
Thought I'd finally join you and start posting on this thread as I normally read it, to curb some of my excesses.
2009 will be a complete change for me as I have finsihed work (contract came to and end and can't get a new one). I have two LO's who will be starting in the local pre-school so that removes the nursery costs.
I had always planned to give up work when the eldest starts school in April (have been trying to work part-time but that didn't work out). So bit of s shock to the system and I can get all the jobs done around the house.
We are having an extension built which is almost finished so once that is finished our finances should be clearer.
Our finances seem to have been in right muddle recently - but we have paid off the mortgage and got some savings so should be OK - I just want to get them back on track so we understand what we spend.
On a positive note I got given a kenwood chef for Xmas and my new kitchen will be operational soon. At the moment I have loads of ideas but as the LO's are only at pre-school 2 hours a day I'm not sure how much I am going to get done.
Plans include
Re-painting Lo's bedrooms
Sorting the garden out - front and back
Finish knitting jumper
Full declutter
Sort out the finances
Start cooking - 12 weeks of no kitchen is starting to get anoying.
Well - I've waffled enough - I'm off to join the grocery challenge
hels0 -
COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »what i can make out the us are smelling of roses because they sold their bad debt to us:eek: well british banks... just be3fore the bubble burst out there...
as for things made in britain... you still got to watch even if it says made in britain, as my mother went to a famous retailer, and bought a writting beauru a few years back which they said was made in britain, but it wasnt it was put together and finished in britain, so it could be then classed as made in britain..:eek: and it wasnt cheap either..
best palce to start really is buy british proudce and try and buy it from local shops owned by local people..
about 2 years ago i starte a challenge not to buy from supermarkets... and to be honest it did open my eyes to what i could buy cheaply without going to a supermarket..
ok there were things that were alot more expensive too, but it was swings and roundabouts.. so overall i stayed in budget.. and my money was spent with local people and not going into multi-national/global companies who dont really give a toss about locals
I still have my rebel number:D and PROUD to suport local independent retailers. This challenge changed my shopping habits forever :j
How rude of me, Happy New Year Everyone:beer:
Ice
xRebel No 220 -
mummysaver wrote: »
I giggled earlier, was flicking through one of their dad's mags, Men's Health I think, and there was a recipe for meat loaf, it included an awful lot of oats and wheatgerm and tom sauce! Very OS! Will have to investigate wheatgerm as I don't currently use it - D&DD any tips?
Hi Mummysaver
I don't really use wheatgerm much to be honest as my older boys tums get a bit erm... upset with it for some reason 
DS3 can't have it as its off diet..
Linseeds seem ok here though so not sure why it does 'that' to them??
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL :j
Been a bit busy trying to get on top of the house before the boys go back to school Monday as DS2 goes back into hospital on the 7th Jan :eek:
Things are starting to come together here at long last though..2 more payments to go... on Valentines day we are officially debtfree :j for the first time since we met!!!!
Been redrafting the finances and I can't believe we'll have spare cash!I plan to save like a demon,our bank manager will think he's looking at the wrong account :rotfl:
Picked the mobility car up yesterday too so we won't be praying all the way when he goes in this time!!0 -
I would dearly love to source more of our food locally but I fear we are in that horrible situation where the dreaded Mr T/Mr S have put paid to any local competition.
Our small town now has virtually no food shops. It's all estate agents (for now!) and charity shops. There are a couple of butchers shops but they are VERY gourmet-style and hellish expensive. Sadly out of my budget, even though I pay for organic meat at the supermarket.
The only local greengrocer is actually a market stall and I tried them out a little while ago, hoping to support local business, local growers etc. I was really disappointed to find that most of their produce was imported, was quite expensive and didn't stay fresh for more than 2 days so I ended up throwing a bit away.
Perhaps I am expecting too much. I do wonder if I have got too used to the "freshness" of Mr T's veg and now have unrealistic expectations (or has it all been treated with something horrid to make it keep, I don't know, maybe someone who knows more could enlighten me?).
I also tried our local farmer's market, which is held monthly but, again, everything seemed terribly overpriced.
I really don't want to sound negative and would genuinely appreciate other's thoughts on this. Am I being unrealistic in expecting to find local produce at price not enormously different to the supermarkets? I hate the thought that Mr T and the like are screwing some poor farmer somewhere into the ground for my cheap food but should I really expect to pay a 75%-100% premium for the pleasure of supporting local producers?0 -
Bobbikins I've had the same experiences in some of our local 'farm' shops and farmers markets.
It's very hard now to shop completely locally without a lot of waste I find so I have to strike a balance..Things like strawberries I buy in Tesco or Sainsburys (I find even Asda ones go off too quickly!) When I haven't got homegrown salad and veg I buy
potatoes
beetroot
peppers
carrots and roots from the farm shop as these all keep ok
Salad stuffs I buy from MrT..
I think I detest waste MORE than I do giving my cash to Tesco etc.I do buy british fruit and veg or fairtrade(bananas) where possible and it works this way for us 0 -
I have to agree with you here. We have a local market where the fruit and veg is "served from the back". All the nice stuff at the front but what you get in your bag is quite often manky. I have tried asking for the stuff at the front and get refused - often quite rudely! My husband is partially sighted and has given up getting any shopping from the market as he was always bring rotten veg home that they sold him.:mad:
We also have a bi-monthly market - unbelievably high prices ie £4.00 for a medium sized celariac!!:eek:
I often read in the forums about farm shops and markets on here being cheaper but I certainly have not found that to be the case. There are a couple of farm shops around here but their stock is all imported and more expensive than Tesco When life hands you lemons, ask for tequilla and salt and give me a call!!!0 -
Within walking distance I have C00p (x2, though I only use one), S'flds, A!di, L!dl, a couple of barbers, half a dozen hairdressers, a bookie, a wool shop (open 4 hours twice a week), a PO, 3 paper shops, an off-licence, 2 card shops, 2 computer shops, 1 car sales room/servicing place, 3 car servicing MOT centres, 2 pasty shops, a bank, a model shop, a couple of (not very good) discount shops, half a dozen take-aways, at least half a dozen pubs, 2 florists, 3 (or is it 4 now?) nail salons, the library, a pet shop, 2 charity shops, 2 double glazing firms,3 estate agents, a 'mobility aid' place, and a f&v shop I tend to stay away from as nothing I've had from there has kept for more than 24 hours!!! We used to have a butcher, but he disappeared overnight around Easter 2007 (open one day with no signs up or anything, and closed the next)
The closest farm shop I've found is further away than about 4 large supermarkets (Mr T/Mr A stores), and would cost me more in fuel and wear and tear on the car than it would have any chance of saving me. I've asked around several times to try and find one more local, but everyone looks at me as if I'm nuts
So it has to be supermarkets all the way for me too
Cheryl0 -
I'm realy lucky in that I have two greengrocers within 50 yards of me.I've stopped supermarket shopping for fruit and veg as these two shops are both so cheap and the produce is always realy fresh.One of them also sells fresh milk,4 pints for 95p,so the 12 pts I use weekly costs me just £2.85 instead of £4.50 at the supermarket.His eggs are only £1.90 for a dozen large free range too.
I get the satisfaction of saving money and supporting my local shops.
It makes you realise the supermarkets are just ripping us off,bigtime.0 -
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Thanks for that -- but the only things it shows closer to me than the farm shop I know about are 3 butchers..... and I've got a couple in the next town that are closer than those Cheryl0
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