It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

elona

If we ever get this house sold and move to one to spend the rest of our lives in, then I hope to get things that will save us money and energy in the long run.

Things like a wood burning stove, solar panels on the roof, maybe a heat pump, a pantry, raised garden beds to grow fruit and veg etc. etc.

Friend of DH has retired and got a Toyota Prius as it is less expensive to run, insure and tax.

Last time Christys had a sale I bought some bath sheets at a quarter of the normal price and hid them away as nothing looks as if it is ever going to get any cheaper.

Primrose

kittie - preserving our savings by making our day-to-day expenditure go further is a real problem for many of us now.

I can think of a couple of things - firstly by advance buying of items which you know are going to be subject to a price increase, such as stocking up on postage stamps before the April price rise, especially buying your Christmas card stamps.

Secondly, by reflecting on the imported grocery items that we buy which are going to be subject to currency fluctuations / and the falling price of the pound and for looking for UK sourced grocery goods. Even the lentils and pulses which many of us use to eke our menu planning are imported so trying to find imaginative UK sourced substitutes will help. Growing our own veg will help but most of our fruit is imported. How many of us would be prepared to eat only totally UK seasonal fruit, and have no oranges, bananas, grapes, tomatoes, etc. for much of the year?

I've read that many people are now looking to move some of their cash deposits into Corporate Bonds which are paying higher returns than interest rates on cash , but of course they do involve a higher risk. Seems to me that if you're retired and no longer able to earn, you're damned whatever you do.

catznine

The lower half of our garden is being rotovated as I type! Will grow potatoes and runner beans this year as they will be easier and will help to break down the soil. Tomatoes, salad leaves and courgettes in the greenhouse and the veg bed nearest the house.

It has cost us some of our savings to get the garden sorted but I consider it an investment for the future. We can hopefully be a little more independent veg wise at least! I hear that gold is a good investment if you can afford it! We can't!:(

Most of our savings are going towards paying down the mortgage (we are allowed to pay down 10% a year) but with 2 kids of "marriagable age" - eldest is getting married at the end of this year, we will have to keep some savings ready. They are not making much in interest now and are rapidly shrinking:eek: will just have to cut back even more!!!

Good luck Elona with dh's retirement, we are so glad Mr C managed to do this although he still needs to work to pay off the mortgage!

tru

catznine wrote: »

The lower half of our garden is being rotovated as I type!

If there's lots of weeds, then STOP! Right now! We have an area of about 20ft x 30ft on loan to us from next door, it was full of weeds and hadn't been dug over for ages. We borrowed a rotovator, thinking it was the best way to sort it out. It was great for the digging bit but it spread weed seeds everywhere and it's now worse than when we started :rotfl: I have to laugh or I'll cry

In the next couple of weeks, we're going to weed first, then rotovate

mummysaver

mandy.h wrote: »

hi all

not posted on here before but been on other threads, well today oh discovered he might be being made redundant hes not happy as he only got promoted to office worker from shop floor six months ago it took a lot for him to change as he is on autistic spectrum somewhere. and now only office workers are being made redundant he has asked for his old job back but not sure if this is allowed.

dont know how we stand as i am 7 months of finishing my nursing course and he claims tax credit for us all but i also get a bursery, they say he will get 3 months notice but last year the others did not

Hi there! I'm really sorry to hear your news, will keep my fingers crossed that they allow him to transfer back to the shop floor.

I'm sure that people on the benefits board would be able to offer some good advice, and I think there is a redundancy board now? Perhaps someone with a bit more technological ability (okay, its that I can't work out how to copy and paste on this bloomin laptop!) will be able to do you some linkys? Help - anyone?

[Deleted User]

doh: no garden as such here (ok 50 shared acres as it is leasehold) but can`t grow veg, I used to grow it all. Oh well!!! We can`t do anything to the house either as it is leasehold but it is very energy efficient. We downsized our car to a skoda greenline last week and we use our bikes as much as possible.

We are in the fortunate position of having savings but the unfortunate (we like it really) position of being retired so no prospect of extra income (the upside is that we aren`t worrying about our jobs). I want us to preserve the value of our savings and think that it is possible by buying stuff that we will need but which will cost more in the next couple of years. eg toilet rolls and tins of tomatoes. I`ll have to put my thinking cap on re value v size as we haven`t mush storage

Patchwork_Quilt

tru wrote: »

If there's lots of weeds, then STOP! Right now! We have an area of about 20ft x 30ft on loan to us from next door, it was full of weeds and hadn't been dug over for ages. We borrowed a rotovator, thinking it was the best way to sort it out. It was great for the digging bit but it spread weed seeds everywhere and it's now worse than when we started :rotfl: I have to laugh or I'll cry

In the next couple of weeks, we're going to weed first, then rotovate

I have to agree, but if the weeds do come up, all is not lost. We had some weedy bits on the allotment last year (our first year) and the veggies were all fine. In fact, I suspect that the weeds acted a bit like companion planting and distracted the pests from the edible stuff. Don't worry

[Deleted User]

I used to put old carpet down to supress weeds and eventally put the carpet bits on the compost heap It worked fine and I also tried weed suppressant on a roll, the type that goes under gravel and that worked too

ceridwen

Charis wrote: »

I have a strong feeling that I have seen this recipe for this financial success on MSE ages ago!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1141409/Porridge-pot-sisters-hilarious-diary-quest-make-oat-cuisine-hit.html

We're onto something, fellow OSers! What can we vamp up and pass off as original?

PS, if they had gone to the thread 'Does anyone here make their own clothes', they could have saved themselves the ridiculous cost of their designer chef's outfits. :rolleyes:

I have a strong feeling that I will continue to do my own somehow:
- put 50 grammes of organic jumbo oats in container
- pour sufficient milk over top to cover it (being M.S.E. - that means full-fat milk diluted a bit with water;) )
- put in fridge overnight to soften up a bit (and think thats supposed to make the nutrients in it more "available" or summat as well)
- plonk in saucepan in morning, adding however much extra milk seems like a good idea
- heat till thickened enough - takes about 2 minutes.

Bingo! How difficult is that:cool: ?

If I fancied some raisins with it - I'd plonk a few of them in at the "soak" stage overnight too. Sorted!

Next pick up spoon and eat.....errr...think I can manage that:D

Reverbe

and how much is Fleur and wotsits porridge??? probably about £2 a time.. and their website contains inaccuracies - you never ate a funny foot ice cream as they were called Funny feet