It's STILL tough and not getting better - so how are we coping?

Happy new thread, seven pages already???? Just goes to show the amount of increasing interest in reducing our costs of living. I make crab apple jelly every year, and the tree in the garden looks like there will be a fantastic harvest this year. I am also nursing along a couple of tomato plants (flowers and small fruits already showing), some runner bean plants that are already in flower, some pepper plants which show no signs yet of fruiting, a load of raspberry bushes which are showing the odd berry here and there, and a few troughs of salad leaves that I use for all salad meals. There are even a few potato plants resurrected from last year which are in full leaf. Every morning I check out all the plants, like Ebeneezer Scrooge checking out his bank balance! Must get round to making the laundry liquid, it sounds really nice.

I used to run my own business up until I got divorced, the people at work are often surprised when I make an intelligent comment, just because a trained monkey could do my job they think that's what I am.
I often make hampers for Christmas gifts, this year I shall put lemon curd in them as well as other things as I made some earlier this week & it was yummy.

I can't believe how many like minded people there are on here - also kind and supportive. Why is real life not the same. What don't other people understand about not wanting (or be able) to be shopping all the time as a hobby? Why don't they realise that things don't stay the same? If it wasn't for this thread and the preceding ones, I'd start to believe I was going daft.

Another lurker as last thread was so long.

Anyone been watching money watch togh times programme on bbc2recently.
They said whats weird as during credit crunch lots of families had more money especially if on tracker morgages, interests rates stayed low and cost of living went down but now we on recovery people feeling pinch and cutting back.
I guess unemployment increasing, job uncertainties and and paycuts has made some people cautious.

Been tough 2years for our family I quit fulltime job in july 2008 as couldent afford childcare/commute costs and was so stressful hardly saw family.

Then credit crunch hit hubby luckily kept is job but lost is bonus and had pay freeze.
petrol went up and car kept going wrong.
cars plunged us into about 4greand of debt last few years cant afford to replace it, we only run one car cant afford to run 2.

Have done what we can to stay afloat switched things, ebayed, carboots,nct sales te lot.

we down!!!!!d brands and started shopping at discounters
i now cook most things from scratcheat less meat
rarly go out
mostly buy 2nd hand clothes for me and kids.
went on cheap uk holidays did sun 15quid deal this year.

I have tried to find part time job applied for tonnes I eiter

never hear back
they want fully flexible which I need set shifts for childcare.
im overqualified have alvels, business and legal degree and lots of managerial experience.

Feels hopeless at times hubbys trying to find better paid job even tried looking for 2nd job but had no luck.

i have tried making and selling on ebay plus buying and selling for profits but ebay fees so vast now and some ebayers nitemare just not as good as it used to be.
havent been sent any surbeys or mystery shops in last 6months.

Going to try setting up dog walking business and see if that brings money in as will focus locally no commute and low overheads.

we now have 2kids baby nearly a year dont rget it have 2girls so reused stuff from 1st, breastfed, made own baby food and used cloth.

eldest costs me a bit as has gym plus uniform as starts school in september.
she needs new casual clothes and lunchclub in preschool each term and she wants to do school dinners which is 10quid a week.

from next april I think we may lose tax credits 40quid a month.

constantly looking at ways to cut back.
making lots of stuff and giving people food hampers this year with part stuff i forgaed but I love cooking and trying new things.

heating we in arrears due to very cold winter so need to catch up and switch.
changing to pay as you go mobile in septemeber when contract ends.

Im hoping dont get much tougher as we already skint few days before payday.

want to prepare for xmas as been quite down last 2xmases as couldent afford turkey.

Hubbys been good and takes packed lunch, has cut down on choc/drinks in shop ect, we rarly go out as hard to get babysiter we use coupons, vouchers and discount codes, search round for best price.

whats hard is my best freind and hubby are well off go on 3hols a year, active social life but they dont have kids.

family dont seem to understand dads naturally frugal but mum just lost her job and she says shes cutting back which makes me laugh and when people like bil say they broke they dont know meaning of the word all they mean is they not saving as much money.
I must admit I look at other parents at school gate and wonder how they do it all.
when im shopping especially city centre and everyones loaded with shopping bags I think its not tough for them.

we rent privatly cant afford to buy but too rich for sociall housing, people we know who have brought had family help with deposit of brought during boom and struggled/neg equity.

council tax huge hike this year, wondering how budget will affect us.

we try to stay positive but is hard gets us down a lot scrmping and saving with basics like food but thanks to my resourcefulness and cooking skills we eat well.

For those who are thinking of making up "hampers" this year with home made Christmas gifts, charity shops and car boot sales are ideal places to find the wicker baskets in which flower arrangements are put in. These baskets can often be bought for a few pence and it's worth stocking up with a few of them. A selection of jars of home-made products esting on crumpled tissue paper and wrapped up in cellophane can make a very attractive and inexpensive gift.