It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

fedupfreda

ceridwen wrote: »

An article in todays papers of interest - re households are likely to suffer regular blackouts within 3 years:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1088778/Regular-blackouts-hit-Britain-years-shortage-new-power-stations-study-claims.html

Only amusing thought to that - being the Daily Mail's dicey terminology yet again - apparently only "families" will suffer this - so I'm okay then according to them???!!

signed
ceridwen

(who likes precise language!)

Scary article - but then everything in the Mail seems to be like that, one reason why we call it the Daily Wail ...It's also why I stopped buying it a couple of years ago - and therefore ended up saving £200 a year :rotfl:

On a more serious note, I think I am getting ready for a re-run of the power cuts I remember from my 1970's childhood - our boiler broke down this weekend, no heating, no hot water, never thought I would end up boiling water on the stove so the kids could have a bath, like I remember my my mum doing :eek: Goes to show, what goes around, comes around. Still, we got through it once before, so should be able to get through it this time!

mummysaver

Jasper - I think the writers were imagining that all homemade pressies are some kind of weird concoction or something knitted in a nasty colour, apologies to my Aunt Winnie, but she was guilty of this! I did giggle at the suggestion that by the time you'd bought all the ingredients you could have purchased the same gift in Harrods for less - yeah right!

Can't find the Style section of the times at the mo, but there were a couple of mentions about somewhere you could take the children where they could make something "homemade"! I told my kids about it, cos they wanted to know why I was snorting loudly, and they all said why couldn't these children just make the things in their own homes! dd3 wanted to know why they weren't making stuff at school! I would fall over if someone asked me to pay for my kids to make something from egg boxes or whatever lol!

I know that not everyone wants to or knows how to make homemade gifts, and that's fine, but paying for your children to make very simple stuff does seem very silly to me.

D&DD - bless your parents! How lovely that they still want to look after you. ds has made me promise him a lifetime of pickle, whilst dd2 has asked for my recipe book when she leaves home!

Fedupfreda - at least you knew what to do! I do seem to find myself doing stuff my nan did quite a lot, and it's like a lightbulb going on as I stand there thinking "ah so that's why she did that"! Hope you get your boiler mended soon.

katymags

Hi - could you please advise if you can cook chicken pies etc from frozen or do you have to de-frost them first? Sorry to ask such a daft question but keen not to poison the family and not a very good cook to start with. :rolleyes:

rosieben

mummysaver wrote: »

...
I was reading the Times yesterday and it had ideas for pressies for free and under various limits, I couldn't help but feel that some of the writers were rather disparaging about being frugal ...

And I've no doubt that the very Times writers and readers of that opinion are the same ones who will happily trot off to a craft fair and spend lots of money - where do they think hand-crafted things get made? :doh: for some reason making something at home is a bit infra dig, but put it on a table at a craft fair and it becomes a desirable commodity.

MRSMCAWBER

Hi Katymags

I freeze mine with raw pastry -so I can cook from frozen... as long as the filling is piping hot you should be fine... Using raw pastry means they aren't cooked on the outside before the filing is cooked through

katymags

Much appreciated MRSMCAWBER :T - your ideas are spurring me in to pre-prepare as much as possible for the freezer so am fully stocked up thus saving me money and not rushing out to buy things at the last minute.

Keep up the good tips!!!:D

MRSMCAWBER

Hi Katy

Thanks... I always make pies etc but Im due in the hospital at the begining of December -and Im planning on keeping hubby out of the take-away by giving him things he can stick in the remoska , and end up with a decent meal with little effort....plus when I get my "can't be bothered" to cook head on..we can still eat well

Ooops folks think I forgot to put that in the chicken pie this time -i added some chunks of steamed potato ..best go and amend

purpleivy

MRSMCAWBER wrote: »

Hi there



PurpleIvy.. its amazing just how many meals you realise you have the stuff in to make .....I could get through at least the next month just needing fruit, yoghurt and possibly more milk once I have used that up in the freezer..
and thats including having enough stuff in for breakfast stuff and stuff to make hubbies lunches for work (usually soups n stews with HM bread)

we have about 9" of snow now and its still going... I love winter -but knowing I don't HAVE to go out is brilliant

Well, I thought I was doing quite well on my list that I made at lunchtime, got to 145 servings on freezer stuff, though there are 2 legs of lamb and 4 x 1/2 shoulders in there, so it's a little Lamb biassed!

but just now was on another thread and realise that I don't have storecupboard stuff like corned beef hash, tuna pasta bake etc on the list. What else? Must have another think.

Yategirl

just been reading the news...

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20081124/tuk-vat-cut-in-bid-to-boost-economy-6323e80.html

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20081124/tuk-boosts-for-families-and-pensioners-6323e80.html

am a little shocked at the first link... VAT is being dropped to 15% but duties on petrol, alcohol and tobacco are going to be increased... My dh's office has just moved.. we have gone from having no fuel costs for him (he used to cycle to work) to having a £200 fuel 'bill' a month just for him to get to work AND a second car (car was a very grateful freebie - before anyone gets mega excited .. it is older than our current car and our current car is 10 years old!) as I need to get to hospital appts this year (though use it very little the rest of the time)... so now... we have decreased VAT on products but will see our fuel bill hike up some more.. dh can't cycle to work any more it is way too far

Yategirl

purpleivy wrote: »

but just now was on another thread and realise that I don't have storecupboard stuff like corned beef hash, tuna pasta bake etc on the list. What else? Must have another think.

i keep a couple of tins of tuna, corned beef, tinned fruit (peaches and pineapple) along with tinned tomatoes and baked beans in my store cupboard plus peas/sweetcorn in the freezer.