It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

lauren_1

The announcement from the government makes me quite nervous, Im actually thinking about making some nappies for the new arrival! i have a totsbot nappy as a template, 35 weeks to go, might have made a few by then.

ginnyknit

Thats the spirit Lauren_1 every bit helps. I found with Dgs the muslin squares from one of the cheap shops were a great investment and I have just pinched one from him to make ricotta cheese! You have 35 weeks to stockpile all you need for new baby.

sammy_kaye18

lauren_1 wrote: »

35 weeks to go, might have made a few by then.

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

I've got 3 weeks left until my due date - people were asking me what I want/need for babe but instead of telling them clothes etc for her I have asked for practical gifts like a pack of nappies, liners, etc so have quite a few people who have made me baby bundles up with similar items in them.

Also I am not planning on using wipes with her as her skin may be too sensitive at birth so using cotton wool instead.

Plus signing up for baby clubs on line is always a good idea too as they offer money off vouchers/samples etc.

I do have to plan a batch cooking day i think at some point - haven't had one in a while but need to make some space in the freezer and get it defrosted i think. also need to find a few cheap tupperware tubs or tins as if I have a baking day and things get left to cool on the side then they never survive the night! and i think this will save me a small fortune with boyfriend and Ben taking packed lunch boxes each day (Ben 5 times a week, and boyfriend 6 days a week!). Hoping it would bring my shopping list down but I'm not so sure now!

I've got £40 to shop with today to stretch as far as I can so will see how well I manage to get on with that. Going to go and scour the recipe books now to see what I fancy batch cooking - got plenty of tubs for that, but think i need to have a gander at what exactly is in my cupboards and tiny freezer - its a small box top one on top of a fridge. Both looking very bare at the minute I must say so £40 is going to be a hard stretch to fill them but luckily I have access to a Tesco, Poundland, B&M, Home Bargains, Wilkinsons and Iceland so between them I should be able to get a fair few offers if I nose about a bit!

Memory_Girl

lauren_1 wrote: »

The announcement from the government makes me quite nervous, Im actually thinking about making some nappies for the new arrival! i have a totsbot nappy as a template, 35 weeks to go, might have made a few by then.

It's your lucky day Lauren - I've got a whole box of washables that were given to me by some really kind ladies on here for the birth of my DS 2 years 2 months ago.

They have all been realy well cleaned and re-lanolinised??? Ithink thats how it was explained to me. It would be great if they could be passed on to another MSE'r.

DS is in the very biggest size (3 in rotation cos he's mostly dry through the day) - but if you'd like the others I would be delighted to send them to you. I jutst talked myslef into the fact that if my kids had been born closer together then DS2 would have been in DS1's nappies anyway - so a "MSE cousin" wasn't any different.

In fact I spotted 4 rolls of nappy liners for 50p inthe charity shop yesterday - I will go and get those too because that will do you for about the first 1000 nappy changes. Cut them in half when the bubs is teeny and they go even further.

Might have to wait a couple of weeks before I can send them - (still recoverring from car bill) but with 35 weeks to go - thats another thing you could tick off your list:D

PM me if you're interested

Memorygirl

BigMummaF

charlies-aunt wrote: »

Hhhmmm... prices rising all round over here too and our local Sainsburys are gradually phasing out their Value range....trying to stash non-perishables away to tide us over if the worst should happen

Thought it was me shopping at "the wrong time" & that was why I couldn't find our usual--& very much preferred taste-wise!--value products :mad: so I'm kind of relieved that it's not a problem with my eyesight

It's bad enough the prices are rising but it's the amount they are going up by that is so :eek: this time! 13p on the value butter on Friday, 24p cornflakes the week before & so it goes on, six of our regular items have added £1:17 onto the bill alone & they're not even branded! I was trying to say in an earlier post that I'm just so thankful I found you guys early & have been able to make subtle changes to our lifestyle, that are now accepted as normal practice. Just a bit of a worry as to how to make further 'economies' when you do so many already--bit like the famous 'drop a brand challenge' when you buy value anyway

As to storing things; there's a wobbly stack of those plastic boxes with tins & packets, & a huge cardboard box with even more stuff while I wait for someone to mend the shelf in the cupboard. It does mean moving around the kitchen is rather like one of those puzzles where you have to move the squares around the board one at a time..the box has to move from in front of the freezer door, then the bread flour can slide across to access the crockery Perhaps I should offer my kitchen to the next series of The Krypton Factor :rotfl:

mardatha

WOTIF we all contacted Sainsburys and asked why they are reducing Basics range ? We need to stop this or we will be a lot worse off ! If we mass-emailed them then just possibly they might take notice ...?

Primrose

I remember my mother mixing butter with Stork margarine at one point to stretch the budget and putting it secretly back into the butter dish so my Dad wouldn't realise as he always said he'd rather starve than eat margarine. She always left an old butter wrapper lying around to fool him and I don't think he ever realised.

Mardatha - good idea for a mass mailing. I've always found that being vocal can be an effective way of using your consumer influence. A mention that Waitrose seem to be increasing their range of Basics might put some pressure on them. Anyone wanting to email them can do so via their website at:
http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/sol/index.jsp There's a "Contact Us" email section under the "Useful Information" section on the left hand side.

Reverbe

Our local Tescos is cutting back on the small range of basics stuff they already stock. I have complained but suspect this is a deliberate ploy by Manager so we have to buy other stuff. The deodrant alone is double the price for the next cheapest alternative and some things that were only available in Value now have no alternative at all at any price.Such as cream cheese with garlic and herbs. Where I live there are a lot of ppl who have no car -old folk, students and just plain ppl who dont feel the need to own a car in London who cannot get to the local superstores who due to where they are placed mean at least 4 bus rides (2 there 2 back)

I commented recently that even the most basic food is becoming a luxury and thisseems to be getting worse. With govt talking about cutbacks they arementioning benefits and pensions as possible targets. This will lead to genuinely starving ppl (not all benefit ppl drink/smoke/holiday.have sky) I will be suggesting where to make cuts if public isasked.It's not that hard. Child benefit costs over 11 billion and is paidmostly to ppl who dont need it.There are MPS who say they can't live on 60K. Cut that cos they can- most I ever earned for a full ime job in London area was 15k scale. There are ppl in my council on well over 100K. You can live quite well round here on 40 k or so. Nobody needs that amount of money to live on

cheerfulness4

I noticed this week that our small local Asda has cut right back on their Smartprice range - mainly just a few ready meals and pizzas now.
All the cereal, chicken breasts, cleaning products in the smartprice range have gone. Really annoying as its a trek to the big one in another town.
Our Tescos value range is lessening, too and the prices are erratic in that line to say the least. Huge rises one week to be dropped a couple of weeks later but no where near to original.

mardatha

We need to be a bit bloody minded and strong here, and shop online from a major store where they do keep Smartprice/Basics/whatever.
TY Primrose, I have emailed them.
I have moved up a notch in my war against TPTB .. from this month's money I am buying a pressure cooker, to make my gas last longer. Also can you still get those sets of three wee triangular pots that all fit on one gas? I dont know what they're called or where to look for them...if anybody can point me to them please:)