Getting to know you........

shopndrop

Hi, I have been using this site for quite some time now and had lots of hints and tips. I am 50 tomorrow and decided that this year I want more time for us as a family and less work related stress so decided to reduce working to 2 days per week. This now gives me lots of time for meals prepared from scratch. I am also going to try and grow some vegetables this summer and have just bought some seed potatoes. I live with DH and we have 1 son who is away at uni but we visit him once per month and take lots of home made goodies for him. I got one of the Panasonic breadmakers from Amazon when they were cheap before Christmas and have never bought a loaf since.
Thanks to all who post on these forums and offer their help. Hope I will be able to reciprocate.

madmittens

Hi

I'm a just-registered newbie, although I've been lurking for a few weeks now. I can't believe how much I've learnt from you all in such a short time! So, thank you :beer:

madmittens x

sazziecee

Hello.

I am Sarah. I am 27 and have two little boys aged 4 and 6. I have a wonderful OH and a stepdaughter who is also 4.

I work part time in a shop but I hate it. I have a degree but there is nothing around here to allow me to use it.

So possibly when my OH has sold his house (been on market a while) and we aren't paying for 2 mortgages I will leave work. It's not only the hating my job thing, it's the stress of finding childcare in the holidays, and the guilt of hardly seeing them at holidays (this half term I only saw them the weekend as usual due to them either being at their dads or me being at work)

So even with no mortgage to pay,things are still going to be tight if I leave work, so I am practicing now and getting myself into the OS way. I bought a slow cooker and OH now takes leftovers to work rather than them being binned or us having MASSIVE portions so not to waste it! lol

managed to get my shopping bill down from £75 a week to £50 and want to get it even lower. Started using stardrops and bought washer and dryer balls Even made some twinks hobnobs, success on second attempt as first time it ended up like flapjack as I used brown sugar, ooops.

OH does seem to spend money without thinking though and buys luxuries such as a new sound system for his car for £400 even though he has loans and credit cards to pay. I am slowly getting him to think ahead more though

Sarah

sarah_26_2

Hi, I've been posting elsewhere without having introduced myself - very rude of me!

I'm Sarah, I'm 26, and I bought my first flat in August so money is still a bit tight. I live in Hampshire, at the end that's closer to London, so it's not a very cheap place! OH lives about 40 miles away and his children are down every other weekend so I don't spend as much time in my own home as I'd like. I work full time as a civil servant and I do enjoy my job... sometimes...

I'm here to pick up some tips on how to save money on things that you have to have (food, transport, etc.) so that I sometimes have some for things I want to have (the occasional meal out, holidays, the odd treat for the kids). Thanks to everyone who is willing to share their tips, it makes it much more bearable.

ubamother

not very bright - didn't see this thread til after I'd started posting! I live in the north east at the coast, have daughter 22 (I started early!), son 7 and husband 40. One dog, one cat, one kitten. I'm a charity shop junkie and a passionate make-from-scratch- from-local-producers/shops cook. By far the majority of the shops in my highstreet are individual, locally owned still in my highstreet. I work part-time right next to the shops so picking up fresh meat/veg is really easy. Yes, i know how lucky I am!! My current aim in life is to get some flavour into polenta without using huge amounts of salt!

just_mini_mad

I'm Kate, 48, married and mother of two sons 22 and 16 both still at home. We've two dogs and a cat, and I work part time 3 days a week.

It's been lovely to find like minded folk. I'm looking forward to finding out tips on stretching the budget and saving some money. My grocery bills are just awful. I've already tried the rubber chicken and it's been brillant. The family have enjoyed all the meals

I went out this morning and on the advice from these forums bought myself a Panasonic Bread Maker. Bit worried that it might be "another one of those gadgets" like my juicer and steamer, but I really dislike shop bought bread. As I type I have my first loaf baking ... fingers crossed it turns out ok.

Kate

ishbel76

Goodness this is the first time I've ever posted on a forum ever. I'm Mary, I'm 31 with a lovely husband, a wee girl whose 2 next month and am pregnant, due on the 17th of March. Oh and we also have a tiny Jack Russell.
This site is brilliant, totally addictive and has saved us loads, which means that I can stay at home to be a full time mum.
Mary

niklepic

Just realised that i've been using all your tips and ideas but haven't introduced myself - how rude of me. Im 27 and a full time working mum of two - DD is 10 and ds is 2. Would love to give up work and go completely OS including little farm house in the country where i would have to shoo geese out of the kitchen because they're getting too close to the Aga. :j

Benthosboy

Apologies for posting without introducing .

Here goes: I'm 21 with 23 years' experience (think about it!!) I live in an area I can't take to, doing a job I'm not bothered about, I haven't had a decent nights' sleep in 3 years and my wife is leaving me. Other than that, life is fantastic

Seriously (?) I live in Dorset which is a gorgeous area, but after living up there for 5 years, my heart is in the west coast of Scotland. I work at a caravan park so I can get straight out into the forest with my two dogs, Mollie the Springer, aka "The Witch", and Finn the Border Collie, arguably the most intelligent creature I have ever met :cool: I found my way onto the forum as a result of the wife leaving me. I'm in a spot of debt but it will be sorted and as I'll soon be back living in my motorhome, I'm looking forward to living a simpler life.

I've got a lot to learn but hopefully you good folks can help me out when I get stuck because, let's face it :A :A :A

Martyn.

mama67

I've posting on here approx 6 weeks but haven't done an intro... so here goes

I'm Maisie a SAHM to 2 boys DS1 (12) & DS2 (9) I live with my DH/SO/OH/partner of 17 years.

We live in a small village approx half way between Grimsby and Louth in Lincolnshire.

The boys both go to the closest schools to us getting either free or susidised transport as we are outside the distance limits.

I cook, bake all or 99% of our meals from scratch and have done loads of the OS things for as long as I can remember without even thinking about them.

I am a keen recycler and am very interestred in the environment and organic foods etc as well.

We had our LB moment in April 2007 and luckily were able to do a remortgage to clear our debts of approx £30k.
This has meant a bigger mortgage payment and having to tighten our belts but at least we got things sorted.

Now we do not have cc/dc/od etc just a basic bank account which dd/so can come out of and a cheque book account with no od facility to be able to send cheques in the post by paying cash in first. Pay cash for everything really.

We do also have a couple of savings accounts which have minimal amounts in but hopefully with the measures taken by following the threads on here we will be able to put more in.