It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

andan

Hey guys, not checked in for a while, its nice to hear people remaining upbeat and not allowing the media to get to them.

The lighter nights and warmer days are making a difference here and even my OH is managing to let us keep the heating off sometimes, he is very much a soft southerner!

Money continues to remain tight, but thanks to this thread i am doing better at keeping a store cupboard and as a result, i bought very little food in Feb. Currently i am experimenting with different meals as i have ran out of some staples but am trying different concoctions, all so that i don't have to visit the shops!! Amazing what gets eaten up though, have been using up quite a few things that have been lurking at the bottom of the freezer.

We are doing ok for the time being, however my OH is full time self employed and only has one week of work left, so who knows where we will be after that. I am part time self employed so i have a bit of money coming in from a steady job, but know where near enough to pay all the bills if it came to it. I am pretty money savvy though, so figure we will ride the storm. I have had money saving ways ingrained into me since birth, thanks to my lovely mum bringing six children up on here own, so will continue my money making and saving ways.

Thanks to everyone who posts on here though, i love reading all the posts even if i don't contribute as much.

Hardup_Hester

Hubby has 2 weeks work where I work, just as well, because he hasn't been paid for the 3 days he did with his brother. I'm starting to keep an exact count of how much of his wages he doesn't get for one reason & another & also how much his fares cost, he paid £24 to get to work with his brother for 3 days, so we ended up £24 down.
Hester

kidcat

It does smetimes feel that the harder you work the less you seem to get in, this week one car has been having MOT issues and then another problem on top, its still not fixed so we had to make a decision on whether to have DH get a lift to work meaning I pick him up at tea time with all four kids, leaving me dealing with mechanics and car parts and possible visit to scrap yards, all with a three year old in tow, alternatively we could ask my dad, whose response will likely be to just buy all new expensive as its far easier, but there is no way we can afford that. Alternatively he misses work tomorrow to sort car losing a days pay.
Sometimes the battle is all uphill.:-(

Patchwork_Quilt

Hi Jamtart and welcome. Good luck with the renovations. Over the weekend, I decided that if I never see the inside of another DIY store, it will be too soon! Anyway, you're in the best place for tips.

Charis

BigMummaF wrote: »

Hello folks....we're still plodding on & NOT looking forward to the annual price rises for the things for which we have no control I've told the offspring that they will have to increase their financial contributions to the family coffers, but sorting out who pays what is an absolute nightmare! I thought I'd got it sussed by saying "20% of your income please" but I haven't a clue what to ask for now

If it's any help, my mum used to charge me one third of my income back in the sixties, and I did the same with my kids. In reality it would take 100% and more of some youngsters' income to live in the kind of comfort they do at home.

Unless they have a struggle to live on the rest because they have high fares or debts to pay, you will be helping them more by charging enough to cover their share of the overheads than by cushioning them from reality. Otherwise it will be a real shock when the time comes for them to fend for themselves.

If you feel bad about it, you can always put a little away for them for the day when they want to set up their own home. If there isn't anything left to put away once the bills are paid then not to worry. The best kind of support we can give our kids is the kind that helps them to be capable of looking after themselves.

jamtart6

Patchwork_Quilt wrote: »

Hi Jamtart and welcome. Good luck with the renovations. Over the weekend, I decided that if I never see the inside of another DIY store, it will be too soon! Anyway, you're in the best place for tips.

:rotfl:we've waited 10 weeks for a bath that has the taps in the wrong place :eek: I am starting to not love B&Q :mad:

Anyway, yes I can't wait to start living frugally. We will really need to tighten our belt soon as we have just had a big bill through for water rates that we were not expecting. I bet the next 12 months will be full of awful suprises!

wigglebeena

B&Q 'installed' my sis's kitchen. Personally I would describe it as 'wrecked' rather than 'installed'.

thenanny2die4

Morning all.

Just written myself a "to-do" list in the hope it will motivate me! Feeling a bit down as I'm officially unemployed as of this morning. My last job was supposed to end last friday but I took a leap of faith and finished up a week early as someone had asked if I could care for their baby for 3 days last week whilst Mum was in hospital. It was a bit of a chance as she was in for a non-urgent NHS op which could have been cancelled at the last minute which would have meant I lost out on a week's money. As it turned out, the 3 days stretched to 4 and I made quite a bit extra. Thanks to all the tips I've been using from this board, I can manage for quite a while, thank goodness.

A page or two back, I noticed there was a conversation about storing essential bits of paper etc. A tip I heard recently was to scan all important documents and put them onto a couple of discs which you can leave with trustworthy family members for safe-keeping. Then, should the house burn down or something equally dramatic, everything can be easily retrieved. Really good for insurance details and things like that.

elizabunny

Hello all. Not posted for a bit as had DS2 staying for 4 days and it has been so manic here. He had to have a minor op, then he developed a really bad cold. Still no results from the x-ray on his injured foot ...even the GP hadn't received anything:mad: Anyway, he finally returned home Friday but is coming back this Friday for removal of stitches. He also managed to leave me with his cold which has now seems to have developed into a chest infection thingy -so feeling less than 100%

Our DGs managed to disengage our large hall mirror from the wall on Saturday which resulted in the miror shattering. Fortunately he wasn't injured though -just hope none of us is in for 7 years bad luck:eek:

Broke 3:eek: sewing machine needles yesterday trying to do a rush job and broke the 'power on' button on my computer which is now held precariously in place with parcel tape, but now only 'powers on' when it feels like it.:rolleyes:

Finally today, I managed to knock the kitchen utensil holder flying which in turn set my glass T-Pot flying which smashed on the kitchen tiles........lovely.

Otherwise, everything is fine. The sun is shining and the dogs are sunbathing in the garden. The washing is drying for FREE on the line and I'm not doing any more housework today because I don't feel like it;) Hope everyone else is well and coping. Have a nice day!

Austin_Allegro

Well we got the longed for sunny weather this weekend! Amazingly it coincided with a weekend away visiting a friend in south Wales. We enjoyed the OS pleasures of walks along the beach and a beer (or five) at a Wetherspoon's pub where they cost about £1.20 a pint! Had my first drink in a beer garden this year, yay!