It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

COOLTRIKERCHICK

i did find the 'farmers' markets where very expensive,

i am not sticking up for them, as to be honest i have never bought much from them as they were way out of my budget,

but just a thought, maybe in reality these are the proper prices that should be charged for these foods? maybe we have got soooo used to the cheap food, and hte lose leaders etc, that the profit that the british farmers are actually making on their field of carrots is practically zilch!!!! all because the way the supermarkets have locked them into a situation where its take it or leave it with their prices...

Icemaiden i am proud of you ....lol..:T i must admit i do shop in supermarkets but i also shop in my local shops as much as i can too,

since our supermarket challenge, the food prices have gone through the roof, so i wonder if its worth seeing if it could work again:rolleyes:

would love to find out the supermarkets 'loss leaders' every week, so i could just buy them..lol.. so i know hat at least they wernt making money
from me:p

sammy_kaye18

Well I think I will be back on our budget shopping list and lifestyle from now on.

I have little one in school now too so need to account for his packed lunch which isn't too bad although he has requested dinners twice a week now which will be another £3.40 out the window a week! and I have his brother here regularly overnight from Saturday to Sunday so need to take him into account too. Also need to make sure there is either a meal to heat or reheat for Sunday otherwise my little one seems to get cereal or waffles as his dinner as his father is very anti kitchen.

figure I have my wages in yesterday which was £257 and have £70 in savings and need to use £190 for bills but then all bills are paid and done with so have £137 left over to last until the 21st January but hoping with the freezer full of chicken thighs, mince and sausages that i have a fair few meals i can make there and i have three punnet s for frozen raspberries that need using up soon. Need to make a list of what i have in and store cupboard challenge will work round that i think. Oh just remembered i have a £20 tesco gift card so this can be used for top up stocks i think. So im hoping the £37 can be used on food if need be and the £100 can be put into savings as back up.

have found out some seeds i meant to grow last year so hoping i can give them a go this year too. Will try and get myself to trying tomatoes again - never liked them as a child and have been given a diagnosis by the doctor recently that makes a tonne of sense so will get myself up to trying one again soon then can hopefully add them to my seed growing attempts too. so that should take care of a lot of our salad/veg stuff i hope which should reduce our bill again hopefully. Plus the fact im going on a diet can only help as all the sweet/junk food wont be coming in the house so should be good.

Also need to get myself back in a routine too with little one being off school it has gone right out the window and have been overspending so need to get the reigns back in and saving again. BF is getting debt free finally and so we are sorted there so want to start attempting to get some savings together as I haven't had any since i was about 18 so whether its for a rainy day or to actually go on holiday/buy something new - will be nice.

[Deleted User]

another good post from you SK, it`ll remind people to work out their finances through january, which can be an awfully long month. I used to do frozen raspberries in jelly, very popular too

I am still in hibernating mood so am nibbling on crafting jobs and they eventually get done eg I simply threaded up my sewing machine last night. lol but that made me see the wood for the trees and I sewed up a lovely tablecloth while still in my dressing gown this morning. I have cut out a chef cover but that needs the overlocker and I have some complicated threading so too much while in hibernation. I will be making a template for place mats today out of brown paper and I`ll be using the LA linen that I made the tablecloth and kitchen curtains from. A quick whizz on the sewing machine and then some fancy stepped zig zag around the edges as a trim and I know they will look nice. Sigh!!! in hibernation mode I calculate 3 days of nibbling at this but normally just a few hours

We are so appreciating the flannel sheet and duvet cover this week. I had a crisp cotton set on before the weather turned cold and I worked out that the crisp rustling when I turned over was what was waking me. I`ll have to bash the cotton and use fabric conditioner for early spring as I am sleeping very well now and so is dh. I am sure it is the silent sheets as well as being cosy

Yategirl

just a quickie pop on - Happy New Year everyone!

Sammy - good for you with trying new foods... I remember reading your food 'story' before. Just a point about tomatoes - the ones you get in the shops are insipid in comparision to the ones you grow - seriously - there is a world of difference. So my suggestion is.. if you try a "shop" tomato and don't like it.. then still grow a tomato plant - it worth growing one just to show your ds... but you have the added advantage of being able to try "real" tomatoes too

mardatha

I tried tomatoes on the windowsill in summer, and they tasted SO different and so good that this year I am planting a veg patch in the garden to try and get some taste back into my cooking. Plus loads more tomatoes on all windowsills .

cw18

Yategirl wrote: »

Sammy - good for you with trying new foods... I remember reading your food 'story' before. Just a point about tomatoes - the ones you get in the shops are insipid in comparision to the ones you grow - seriously - there is a world of difference.

No kidding! I can't grow any (ATM), but am always over the moon when I find the Organic ones on a good offer -- or Whoopsied -- as they remind me of a what a tomato should be like :T

Burp_2

2009 is carrying on much the same for us it looks like ... day 2 in and the temporary contract that my OH has been on was due to be extended at the end of this month but looks like the company didn't win the contract they wanted so he'll be back to unemployed in a few weeks ... he's been looking for a job since July now ... but there are so many other people looking competition is high engineering is a crumbling trade in the UK it seems

rosieben

Burp wrote: »

2009 is carrying on much the same for us it looks like ... day 2 in and the temporary contract that my OH has been on was due to be extended at the end of this month but looks like the company didn't win the contract they wanted so he'll be back to unemployed in a few weeks ... he's been looking for a job since July now ... but there are so many other people looking competition is high engineering is a crumbling trade in the UK it seems

Sorry to hear that Burp, unfortunately our engineering and manufacturing were abandoned by Thatcher and by every subsequent government labour and tory alike - apparently the growing financial sector was going to make us all so rich that we wouldn't need to make anything ourselves, we'd just import! :doh:

After privatisation even our water, gas etc are foreign owned and it would be a long haul for us to become self sufficient in anything.

I hope your oh finds something soon.

elona

Phone has just rung and the estate agent wants to book a viewing of our house.!!!!

We have been up for sale for two years now and had no viewings for ages.

It did not help that next door's sale fell through and we perhaps niavely stood back a bit so they could sell!

Taking DD back to uni tomorrow and have a family funeral on Monday so have provisionally arrranged for Sunday around three! EEK!!!

Fingers crossed but trying not to get my hopes up.

angelite_2

Hi Asda are away to bring down a lot of their products to £1. It was on the news, and they think it will start a price war between supermarkets. Hopefully this will help some family budgets but it wont do a lot for small local retailers