It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

Realy sorry for everyone having bad news at the moment.
We've been there and know how awful it is.
Just want to say thinking of you all.
Take care xxx.

mardatha

We were talking about all this today and I thought why the h*ll didnt they, instead of handing out £2500 per head to fat greedy bosses ( like sainsbury who just announced payoffs today and will miraculaously announce new jobs in a few months when this scheme is up & running )why didnt they just use that money to take on squads of unemployed people in the building trade, and build new housing association/council houses ?? There's thousands on the waiting lists plus all the repossessed. Or is that too much like commonsense for downing st ?

furndire

competitionscafe wrote: »

I am puzzled by media reports of companies who are doing well in the recession.

For example: Dominos Pizza are suppossed to be doing really well at the moment -
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/a-slice-of-good-fortune-amid-the-economic-gloom-1232084.html
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4fa180fc-dd25-11dd-a2a9-000077b07658.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7815604.stm

hmmm, money is a bit tight so why not order a takeaway from somewhere that charges between £10 and £14 for one large pizza of poor quality when for that money you could feast on good quality steak (which takes a lot less time to cook than it will take for your pizza to arrive) and still have plenty of money left over for a bottle of decent wine to go with it. Or for the £14 they are charging for a greasy pizza you could buy a really good organic free-range chicken and spuds for roasties which will serve 4 people and provide the carcass for stock. Or just make homemade pizza - for £14 you could make enough pizza to feed lots of people!

I know they are saying that people are 'trading down' from going out for a meal but if I wanted a takeaway as a treat I would use a local takeaway who do decent pizzas for half the price of Dominos (which also means the money goes to a local small business rather than to a masssive multinational chain) or a decent local Chinese or Indian. However my first choice would be to buy some decent ingredients for a quick and easy meal and cook at home for a fraction of the cost of those overpriced pizzas.

The above attitde is part the reason a lot of people are in such a mess.

[Deleted User]

This is a definition of scaremongering from a dictionary

"One who spreads frightening rumors; an alarmist"

what rumors? What is happening now is fact and the majority on this thread and the previous `tougher` thread have lived with their heads well above the sand. We are well prepared and hunkered down, after all we have had 2 1/2 years to get ready . We have helped each other in numerous ways and we are realistic enough to know that this isn`t finished. Ok we all get that pit in the stomach scared feeling from time to time but we are too strong to hide under the duvet. We get sorting or cleaning or stockpiling and then the optimism appears again

Hehe, I have been sorting and cleaning this morning. Cleared out a good built in wardrobe that held bits plus grandchildren things and made enough room for my huge cotton fabric stash. The grandchildren are babies and at one time I was going to look after one full time, hence the baby hoard, which is now going to be passed onto someone else via the local community shop

While doing that I resurrected my aldi steamer and did the shower room. Blimey what a good machine it is and dare I say it but what a load of gunk hides away around a shower, in spite of cleaning thoroughly. That aldi machine is now at the front of the cupboard

If anyone is interested in ftse etc than look out for 3900 as this will signal the potental turn. It will be bumpy but optimism will start to come back. Maybe 2 1/2 to 3 weeks, fingers crossed

elizabunny

Maxjessdru wrote: »

Well, it just got worse at my employers - yesterday we had our email from the big boss to say that there would be redundancies. I have a 1 in 8 chance of going at the end of February but not quite as bad as my boss - she has a 1 in 2 chance of going!!! Am going to try not to worry about it (easier said than done and as superviser, everyone is asking me - and I only know the same as them) because we won't find out until at the earliest 23 February.

Hugs to everyone

Morning everyone!

Maxjessdru -Sorry to hear your worrying news. Do try not to worry -although I agree that is much easier said than done. In some ways it would be better to find out now wouldn't it -because waiting is always worse and you go round in circles wondering what if.......At least here, you are amongst friends, I'm sure we're all keeping each other going.

Hugs to everyone else too, experiencing worries at this time.

Where are my mushrooms??? Started my kit of indoors 12 days ago and they should be coming up about now -but not a sign yet Does anyone have experience of these? Perhaps I've done something wrong. Maybe I'm just too impatient.

mummysaver -You could try growing a variety of Tomato called 'Tumbling Tom' -you may have already. I grow these every year outdoors in a sunny spot in hanging baskets. They crop really well and produce lots of lovely cherry size tomatoes.

Think I'll make a start on really building up a good stock cupboard next month (when I get new GC budget). I've always kept a modest one, but by the looks of things, this is going to be needed even more in the future. I believe there could be a possibility that the price of imports could become really expensive (I can hardly bare to listen to the news anymore:mad: ) and we seem to import so much food in this country. Do we really need umpteen varieties of Apples etc. I know there are things that do need to be imported, but I feel there is just not enough emphasis placed on buying British/local and probably not that much encouragement either. I don't want to get political here, but it seems to me that this country has lost its individuality and we've become just a little part of a much bigger picture. Is that a good thing?

Perhaps I'm too much stuck in the old ways, ie -I liked my old blue passport -I even liked pounds, shillings and pennies -they seemed to go much further, I loved the sunday afternoon picnics that Mum and Dad used to take us out on, into countryside and have to admit I'm not a fan of Sunday shopping. It was normal during my childhood to have a good part of your garden turned over to fruit and veggies. Mum and Dad grew all our veg. and alot of our fruit as well. Our meat was delivered by a local butcher who called everyday and left it in a tin by the front door if Mum was out. We never had a telephone and it was years before we had a colour tv because Dad thought the colours looked unnatural:rotfl: If it snowed in the winter -we walked to school if the bus didn't turn up -even though it was 3 miles:eek:

How things have changed. Was I any worse off or deprived? Most definately Not! I know there has to be progress, times have to change and we all have to move with the times, but some of the progress made has not always been for the better -or so I believe......or maybe I'm just getting old.

[Deleted User]

:j :j :j :j :j :j :j :j :j :j

pathetic really but that`s how I feel!!!! I found a little bar of cadburys just now when I was sorting. Oh the little pleasures.

rosieben

Just wanted to say I'm thinking of all of you affected by redundancies or worrying about jobs, its a horrible situation to be in. Sending positive thoughts to all of you. We will get through this and we OS'ers have a head start.

What's really heartwarming is to read posts about how OS'ers are helping others to get to grips with food spends and budgets etc (although its sad that we should need to do this of course).

catznine

:rotfl:Treasure indeed Kittie! Don't you find that living a simpler lifestyle you actually really do appreciate the little things in life? I felt just the same when I found some free samples of shampoo and conditioners that I had stashed away!
Got to say that you really remind me of Nella Last (it's a great compliment btw)

Primrose

Kittie - I've just been vacuuming the cushions under the sofa and guess what - found a lonely salted peanut under them which must have slipped between the cushions. Popped it quickly in my mouth while nobody was watching !!

Beki

Well, we've just recieved a letter from the council tax department Bad news

We defaulted last year so agreed to start paying the arrears on top of the normal council tax. We've now missed one payment of that arrangement and now they want the full £1400-odd in full or they're either taking us to court, threatening the bailiffs, and in the letter it even mentions a warrant for arrest!!! I have NO idea how we're going to deal with this one