It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

mummysaver

LOL! No there is sadly no secret supermarket that old stylers all use!

Primrose

Tiddy Widdly - am glad that your OH is going to get this breathing space. Sounds like his employers are reasonable people. When my OH went self-employed years ago after redundancy, he started to discover there are all sorts of issues which creep out of the woodwork that you don't necessarily know about so hopefully with your self-employed knowledge as well, and a borrowed library book on the topic to fill any gaps, he can get himself 'genned up". Am sure we'll all be keeping our fingers crossed for you that it works out.

Caterina

mummysaver wrote: »

Caterina - I keep on about MSE and economising and stretching resources and I can feel people internally rolling their eyes at me lol! But not only has a lady I work with started to freeze and reuse leftovers instead of binning them, last night I got asked for details of how to stretch mince into several meals, the lady was last seen heading homewards with a pack of mince, a bag of lentils and one of oats lol! Oh, and my friend told me yesterday that she has just bought a remoska, after me going on about how wonderful they are! Even more money saving she got it reduced to half price as it had a dent, full marks to Lakeland though, she was at the till with a full priced one and the lady told her that she'd just reduced one and did she want to swap! Slowly I'm getting through to people I think, one convert at a time!

Whoa, I can just see the placards "CONVERT NOW! COME AND HEAR THE WORD OF MUMMYSAVER, THE BILLY GRAHAM OF OS!"

Jokes apart, well done! I think that we are doing the economy a great favour by leading by example!

Yesterday at my crafts class I made a pair of felt shoe-liners, just two layers of felt, like an insole, stitched together to make them a bit thicker. All the women around me were oooohing and ahhhhing and one said "what a good idea, if I had needed a warm insole I would have gone and bought it in John Lewis!". I feel I did a little "leading by example" there and felt a small warm glow !

Tiddly Widdly, I am really glad to hear that there is some respite re. your DH's work situation, best wishes for his self employed business too!

mummysaver

LOL you've seen my placards and my sandwich board then Caterina! Don't think I'm the most OS person, but there are some great bits that everyone can use, and most people could do with saving a few pennies, and we all have to eat, so food stretching is great!

Love the idea of the felt insoles, I've promised the girls we'll make some things from the Cath Kidson book I got for Christmas, so I need to get some felt for that. I'm thinking that we could put insoles in all our wellies, will be a nice simple project that dd3 can work on, it'll make dog walking much quicker as I won't be hunting around for extra pairs of socks all the time! Thanks for the idea!

I wish there was a craft group round here, I like making things but I do lack imagination, and ability!

Caterina

mummysaver wrote: »

LOL you've seen my placards and my sandwich board then Caterina! Don't think I'm the most OS person, but there are some great bits that everyone can use, and most people could do with saving a few pennies, and we all have to eat, so food stretching is great!

Love the idea of the felt insoles, I've promised the girls we'll make some things from the Cath Kidson book I got for Christmas, so I need to get some felt for that. I'm thinking that we could put insoles in all our wellies, will be a nice simple project that dd3 can work on, it'll make dog walking much quicker as I won't be hunting around for extra pairs of socks all the time! Thanks for the idea!

I wish there was a craft group round here, I like making things but I do lack imagination, and ability!

Start a craft group! Wherever you live, there always be other people (well, let's be honest, women mainly ) who want to do crafts with other people and share their skill, I am sure that if you advertise in community centre or local shops, school noticeboard, post office window etc. you will find people.

For wellies, if you can knit socks, chunky long socks are the BEST! Unfortunately I cannot knit on the four needles, or I would have made those for myself, but if you like making socks this is a good project to tackle.

The felt insoles are ever so simple, and I am sure your DD can hand-stitch them herself. I only machined them because the machine was there and it was quicker, but a nice contrasting colour and blanket stitch would look great I think. Let me know how she gets along!

EDITED to say: NOBODY lacks imagination and ability! Imagination comes when you start doing things, ability grows as you do more! If I can do these things, believe me, anyone can!

Gigervamp

Regarding imagination for crafting, I find that I get loads of inspiration looking at craft blogs and flickr. I can easily spend hours looking at those sites!

elizabunny

Morning all!

I was just chatting to my DS1 (redundant) and he was explaining the positive side of being a 'house husband' as he calls it. Amongst his achievements for the day was a HM loaf. At this point I said 'You need a beadmaker' His reply was quick, 'Mum we don't need a breadmaker, you can make it just as well without'. Well that told me I thought and as I was thinking ......'Well this is amazing..... he's even more OS than me..... he makes bread by hand.....all that kneading!!!' his OH added, 'Yes it's so easy, he just uses the dough hook'. The image bubble of him standing there dutifully kneading the dough, burst. :rotfl:

However, I do think it's great that he's doing these things, whether by machine, dough hook or hand -what does it matter. Sometimes I really do think they both, are more OS than me, they seem to have none of the desires for dishwashers, tumble driers etc. and are quite happy lugging buckets of coal in for their small open fire(no central heating). I'm sure being like this will help them through their present difficulties.

It strikes me that they both, must have learned much in their Uni days, when funds were low and perhaps they learned alot more than we give them credit for.

Gigervamp

Your son sounds very level headed, and of course, he's right!

I had a breadmaker but once I started to make bread by hand (mostly, I too use the dough hook!) I never used it so gave it to a friend.

It's actually quicker to make it by hand, the breadmaker took hours.

Bargain_Rzl

elizabunny wrote: »

It strikes me that they both, must have learned much in their Uni days, when funds were low and perhaps they learned alot more than we give them credit for.

I definitely agree with this. Somebody who always lives within their means, and who starts their adult life on a student income or minimum wage job, will surely find it far easier in the future - first to continue living within their means and putting money aside when they have a better income, and secondly, going back to basics when times are hard.

In my first year as a student I had £3k for the year (1996-7, living in York, no essential outgoings during the holidays) and although I wouldn't want to go back to living on that amount now (well, I literally couldn't, especially in London!) I do have a clear memory that my means at the time were more than adequate.

I have the same theory about people who have children when they're young and skint. If you can bring up a child when you've got no money, no expectations of the high life, and aren't yet set in your ways as regards luxuries, a lot of people must find it just get easier and easier to manage as the years go on.

Of course, then there are the people who never consider it necessary to learn to live within their means to begin with - then somewhere down the line it comes back to bite them!

Penelope_Penguin

Bargain_Rzl wrote: »

In my first year as a student I had £3k for the year (1996-7, living in York, no essential outgoings during the holidays) and although I wouldn't want to go back to living on that amount now (well, I literally couldn't, especially in London!) I do have a clear memory that my means at the time were more than adequate.

Do you mind my asking, did you have a grant or was it loans by then DH and I left university in the mid '80s without debt, but we had free tuition, grants topped up by contribution from our parents which completely covered our costs. Living frugally, we didn't need to work during term time (working wasn't common then) just in the holidays.

I've brought our children up to be wary of credit and debt, but I feel for young people who leave university and necessarily start their adult life in debt. It appears to "normalise" a life of borrowing. We've been trying to save so that the Small Penguins can at least have some contribution to their uni costs, and no leave with huge debts

Penny. x