It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

mardatha

yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay well done!!

Bargain_Rzl

mummysaver - coconut milk is one of those products that tends to be stocked according to the local demand. I live in a very ethnically diverse area, so my nearest 2 Tesco stores tend to be quite well-stocked with exotic ingredients to cater to various tastes. It's still not as good as the variety on offer in Morrisons or some of the better local independent ethnic supermarkets, though.

oystercatcher

Wondering what on earth one does with coconut milk?
I remember drinking it as a child when we had whole coconuts and it was revolting.

Oystercatcher

Primrose

Oystercatcher - we use it in curries. It's also nice used as an ingredient in home made mango ice cream, or drizzled over a fresh fruit salad.

BB1984

What is that website that some of you use to record/monitor your electricity usage? I just checked my meter and found we've used 346 units in about 3 months...I have no idea if that's good or bad!

I read today that there is hope of a slight recovery in the mortgage market as some of the big lenders are starting to offer decent fixed rate deals again, with lower fees. Hopefully this will help some people... We are on a discounted variable so as our rates have reduced, we've been overpaying quite a bit. We have a big mortgage (nearly 90%) so would like to reduce that if we can before we finish our 2-year discounted deal. It's difficult though, knowing whether to overpay or not - I have the very real possibility of being made redundant this year and might need that money! However, I have put by 6 months-worth of mortgage payments from savings (that were going to be spent on the house). This money is in an Instant Access ISA, so can be got at easily if needed, although it's not earning much interest at the moment. The thing we've decided to do (and this is a hard one!) is put off booking our honeymoon. We're getting married in August and wanted to go on a holiday-of-a-lifetime, but have decided to hold off til nearer the time, and see if we can see how things are panning out...then we'll either bag a last-minute bargain, or postpone until things pick up.
Basically, I think if we can ride this out, and not lose our jobs, we'll come out of this in a financially better position - as we won't have spent all our savings, plus we'll have paid some of our mortgage off........However if I lose my job, things will be very very different....I am worried, but try not to let it affect me too much - after all, life goes on and there's no point in being miserable about something that might not happen!

helzbelz_57

i did the whole income /outgoings thing in a lengthy email, i separated it into his and mine to show him exactly how little i earned and hw much bills and groceries left me with each month ( it was in the minus figures) and how much he earns and after bill, what he should have left. got him to agree to sending a set amount of housekeeping. that was obstacle one, now i have to help him see that he is squandering a lot of money on a lot of rubbish. im not even going to mention spending diary, he would take me by the hand and tell me to have wee lie down. just dont know how to induce that LBM in him. tough love? tis going to be a long hard battle with this one

cw18

BB1984 wrote: »

What is that website that some of you use to record/monitor your electricity usage? I just checked my meter and found we've used 346 units in about 3 months...I have no idea if that's good or bad!

the site is i-measure

you don't say if you have gas as well (heating/water/cooking), and useage will depend on size of house, insulation, whether someone is home all the time or not, how many people in total etc.

I have gas for c/h and hob, electricity for everything else (but no fire of any description). The house is a modern (ie. supposedly well insulated) 4 bed detached, and there is someone home almost full time. In the last 13 weeks to today we've used 977 units (kWh). For about 10 weeks of this there have been 3 of us here, but we're now down to 2.

elizabunny

oystercatcher wrote: »

Wondering what on earth one does with coconut milk?
I remember drinking it as a child when we had whole coconuts and it was revolting.

Oystercatcher

Hi Oystercatcher -I use mine to make Tapicoca pudding (I bought half a dozen boxes of the stuff when it was about 7p a pkt at Mr Ts last year:eek: ) Now I knowTapioca strikes horror in the minds of many, but it can taste quite yum with the addition of Coconut milk and raisins.

Gigervamp

Coconut milk can also be used to make pina coladas! Just mix coconut milk, bacardi and pineapple juice together.

:beer:

Bargain_Rzl

Oystercatcher - coconut milk isn't the water inside the coconut (which I'm guessing is the thing you remember from your childhood), it's the ground white flesh of the coconut mixed with this water, and is therefore much more dense than the water on its own. Coconut cream is the same thing only made up with more of the solid matter and less of the liquid.

It's a main ingredient in loads of curry recipes including korma, tikka masala, and lots of Thai curries... among other things.