Great 'Recession Survival Tips' Hunt

Sue-UU

steerpike wrote: »

Reduce
Repair
Recycle

In my neck of the woods (S!!!!horpe) its often cheaper to buy new tshirts from Matalan rather than from charity shops - pays to shop around.

Rewards! 3 good ones to remember there steerpike, well done!

Sue

LenaElizabeth

People often say they can't cook but we all can with a little help. Asking a friend or relative is the easiest way to learn the simple things.
I cooked for my son even after he started work but when his salary was reasonable I suggested he should pay me housekeeping. He decided he would buy his own food !! His sister is a vegetarian so she already organised her own meals.
He asked how to prepare something, and kept on asking, so he learnt a meal at a time. When he left home and shared a flat he asked his girlfriend over for Sunday lunch and they went shopping then cooked a meal together.

Grandmothers too are a wealth of information with "family" recipes and can write them out in detail if required!

Stews and casseroles have always been the basis of my cooking because I can prepare and cook one at the weekend (or 2 if it is raining) ready for Monday. I cook larger quantities so 2 extra meals go into the freezer. (Carrots tend to go soggy but mash up to make an extra tasty gravy or put aside and whizz up with the remaining liquid and make a hearty soup.) I also have a pressure cooker so boiled ham takes about 20 mins depending on the weight and then there is cold for another day and slices for the sandwiches.

Lena Elizabeth

Errata

steerpike wrote: »

Reduce
Repair
Recycle

In my neck of the woods (S!!!!horpe) its often cheaper to buy new tshirts from Matalan rather than from charity shops - pays to shop around.

It can be even more cost effective to buy decent ones from M&S which will still be wearable years after the Matalan ones have fallen to pieces.

Buy on quality and price, not price alone.

steerpike

I take your point but its horses for courses....children grow out of their clothes so fast, I find cheap and cheerful the best buy.

rb1

Having lived through the recession of the early nineties with a husband in the building industry who was suddenly bounced around a number of jobs in quick succession and a very young family I recognise the feelings we've got now. When you are used to feeling secure about money you develop spending habits which are hard to break in times like this. What makes it worse is that when we're feeling fed up in a gloomy recession we like to spend on something to cheer ourselves up but know we shouldn't.
I've learned that when I need to I can stop myself before buying anything and think about whether I a) actually need it or b) really want it. It usually means I can cut back on things I may have bought in the past that were probably impulse buys.
The ones who are really struggling are the younger people who don't remember the last recession and who gained a false sense of security over the last few years where money is concerned and have spending habits they need to curb now. It will be a hard lesson for them but a good one for the long term.

Sue-UU

Errata wrote: »

It can be even more cost effective to buy decent ones from M&S which will still be wearable years after the Matalan ones have fallen to pieces.

Buy on quality and price, not price alone.

Though I see your point Errata, it isn't always possible to buy in quantities of more than 1 at a time at M & S, whereas if you need a couple of t shirts, or other items of clothing, it's economical (at the time) to get all at the price you can afford.

A debatable one though I grant you.

Sue

cozmic_power

great tips .Thank you ver much for it

ceridwen

cozmic is a spammer. Ignore.

Squish_21

Couple tips which may not be helpful to everyone...

Ditch your 2nd car if at all possible. (me and my bf are in the process of doing this, we work in the same town but not the same place)

We also NEVER EVER use the homephone to call anyone and just use the free mins on our mobiles.

candygirl

ceridwen wrote: »

cozmic is a spammer. Ignore.

I thought it said "spanner" for a min there :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: