It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

mardatha wrote: »

Between him and the Sooty & Sweep show earlier I am now DEAD CRABBIT lol !

Oh hello Mardatha,wondered how you were.
Thought you may have been BLOWN away after your little wind problem the other day.
Hope everything's calmed down.

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

ceridwen wrote: »

It is worrying kittie - I was reading comment in yesterday's paper speculating that Britain is heading for bankruptcy as a nation - and yet still money is being given to the banks hand over fist:mad: . If any "bright spark" decides to spend yet more of our money on another darn War - I swear I'll go and strangle them myself personally (pacifist or no!). I am certainly aware right now that the British currency is rather weaker than we have been used to - and, presumably, if we go bankrupt will get a lot weaker yet (ie goods from abroad will be a lot dearer for us - like food for instance). Definitely worrying

I think it's inevitable that things will get worse.We're getting deeper in the do-dos daily.I certainly can't remember Britain being in such dire straits before.It's all got so complicated too.
They're just grasping at straws trying to save face now.If people like us can see it is'nt going to work,why can't the men in Whitehall.
I've got to the point now that I could'nt care less.I'm not going to worry about it anymore it only makes you miserable and that's not what life's about.
I'm going to make the best of what I have and what I don't have I'll do without.

grannytwice

Mrs Tittlemouse , I'm going to make the best of what I have and what I don't have I'll do without.

[EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com?subject=Reporting post http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=17869969"][/EMAIL] your last sentence i thik we could mke it an old style motto, good thought,

mummysaver

Mrs T, well said! Was listening to them going at it on radio 4 this morning, one saying we could be heading towards bankruptcy as a nation, another saying no, then someone saying it didn't matter - admittedly I haven't yet been to bed (worked last night) and dd3 was in and out, but by the end of it I had no idea who thought what or if there was any prevailing point of view! Like Ceridwen I shall attempt to be prepared and then just get on with life.

On a positive note, I have found 11 packs of seeds that I bought in the end of year sale at the garden centre, they were in the back of a box of printer paper, not quite sure why, I knew I had them, but it wasn't surprising that I couldn't find them lol! I was also having a browse through the Argos catalogue, and they have a greenhouse that's made of plastic and looks easy to assemble and take down again - does anyone have any experience of these? I don't want a glass one or a permanent one, aside from the expense, the kids and dog would be bound to damage it - and it's their garden too, so I don't want to stop them kicking balls around.

Naseby

I am sure it is inevitable that things will get worse. I don't think we know the half of it yet. Where I would disagree with you, Kittie is that this is not just a UK problem but a global problem. What I cannot understand is how the banks have been able to get away with this for so long. I worked in the financial services industry all my life and there is supposed to be so much regulation nowadays that I can't understand why this was not picked up sooner. For the Bank of England to say that they didn't realise how bad things were is quite astonishing. In addition, what were the FSA doing during all this. They have been noticeably quiet in their comments.

I am confident that we will get through this although at what cost is another matter. I think, however, it is going to take years rather than weeks for us to see any improvements. Isn't it funny too how "nationalisation" is becoming the new buzz word? I think we will all be adopting Mrs Tittlemouse's motto! At least us MSE's have got a bit of a head start!!

Primrose

Like many others of you, I believe things will continue to get a lot worse. I suspect that in many areas, we are still at the early stages of things unravelling and I'm trying to understand the complexities of it to be better prepared. I also realise that by not going out and spending our hard won savings, we are making the recession worse and possibly causing more jobs in the retail sector to be lost, but as retirees with our working days behind us, we also cannot rebuild our savings once they have gone. I simply cannot understand how the worldwide financial regulatory services have allowed all these highly paid bankers to get into so much debt using our savings and deal in financial instruments they didn't understand. We urgently need harsh regulation to rein in the power of the banks to act in this way in future. It just guts me that we've all been looking on with horror at the way Zimbabwe has been hurtled into bankruptcy by its leader, and we've all been here heading into the same state here.

fedupfreda

MRSTITTLEMOUSE wrote: »

I've got to the point now that I could'nt care less.I'm not going to worry about it anymore it only makes you miserable and that's not what life's about.
I'm going to make the best of what I have and what I don't have I'll do without.

Hear Hear Mrs T. Couldn't agree more. I gave up reading the paper because of all the doom and gloom mongers - saved a fortune :rotfl: Think I will also give up watching the news - or at least Mr Peston, who seems to take an inordinate amount of enjoyment in passing on bad news :mad: There's a reason we call him the Grim Reaper in this house.....

Personally I think the Government doesn't really have a clue and is just clutching at straws. I am just about old enough to remember Jim Callaghan/Dennis Healey going cap in hand to the IMF in the 1970's, and the winter of discontent which followed (I was about 10 years old at the time). I have a distinct sense of deja vu about this - probably why I am following in my Mum's footsteps and starting to stockpile staple foods. I am also keeping a price book (a' la Tightwad Gazette - great book thanks OS'ers!) and in the short space of time I have been using it (since Xmas) this has enabled me to keep my shopping bill at around the £50 a week mark - very helpful in a time of rising prices :j

Beki

We live with my parents, although me and OH pay the mortgage as my parents paid their share of the house in cash, and we needed a mortgage.

We share the bills equally, but we've had such a hard year that we've missed payments here and there and are now having to catch up on them.

Mine and the OH's mortgage is £600 a month (interest only, which inludes £87 a month which we're paying back in arrears).

The shared bills are £885 per month, so £442.50 for us.

My OH was made redundant in november '07 and then again in november '08. He's just been taken on permanently again in another job this month.

My mum was told she's being made redundant yesterday. Not sure when but it's imminent. She's hoping to find out more today.

My dad has a broken back and is on incapacity benefit at the moment, although appealing for disability living allowance as he got refused it last week

I don't work as i look after our little boy who's just 3.

So everyone's feeling a bit 'down in the dumps' here at the moment!

Fingers crossed for the OH's job. Goodness knows how we'd pay everything if anything happened to that

[Deleted User]

Beki wrote: »

We live with my parents, although me and OH pay the mortgage as my parents paid their share of the house in cash, and we needed a mortgage.

We share the bills equally, but we've had such a hard year that we've missed payments here and there and are now having to catch up on them.

Mine and the OH's mortgage is £600 a month (interest only, which inludes £87 a month which we're paying back in arrears).

The shared bills are £885 per month, so £442.50 for us.

My OH was made redundant in november '07 and then again in november '08. He's just been taken on permanently again in another job this month.

My mum was told she's being made redundant yesterday. Not sure when but it's imminent. She's hoping to find out more today.

My dad has a broken back and is on incapacity benefit at the moment, although appealing for disability living allowance as he got refused it last week

I don't work as i look after our little boy who's just 3.

So everyone's feeling a bit 'down in the dumps' here at the moment!

Fingers crossed for the OH's job. Goodness knows how we'd pay everything if anything happened to that

Hi Beki
Sorry to hear you're having a tough time - keeping my fingers crossed for you. x

Beki

Thank you Just having a bit of a moan really. Usually i'm quite cheery about things.

It's certainly true that things could be a LOT worse than they are. Plus, i figure there's not much point in worrying about things as it'll still happen regardless of whether i have sleepless nights over them or not!

I'm loving this thread though. Really giving me some food for thought xxxx