It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

Penelope_Penguin

Hi there! This couple was mentioned earlier thos week on the "Tougher" thread, so I'll add this one to that to keep ideas together

Penny. x

debtfreeoneday

taplady wrote: »

I bought a wind up torch the other day and am now re-reading my Tightwad gazette as we need to tighten our belts a bit I think! Its a great book to those of you who havent got one - it is American but lots of things can be adapted.

I recently got hold of this book and can't wait to start reading it.. Thanks to all who mentioned it!

Caterina

I love the Tightwad Gazette too, it is such a great read!

I have also recently finshed reading the Penny-Pincher revisited book, it is a list of tips, some very useful some downright silly and most are stuff that OSers are already doing. But it is written with humour and it makes easy reading.

Nitha

Sunnygirl wrote: »

So I can say we are coping very well considering. It did make me mad when I read an article in Glamour magazine about bankers wives whose husbands were concerned for their jobs so the wives had to give up their weekly blow dry at the hair salon and give up their personal trainer. Well boo hoo for them. I know I am lucky that myself, my husband and children have a nice warm house and 3 meals a day and we can afford the odd treat. Its a hard life when you're worrying about how you'll pay for your next manicure!!! Think they need to meet some people from the 'real' world.

Lol - I read that article - so funny!

I'm actually finding it easier now than Feb 06. Because I'd had some slaps in the face from financial institutions (including a very inflexible Amex requesting payments in excess of 201 pounds a month even as the debt reduced) I'm used to living on the breadline. After my DS was born I decided to sort out Amex and explain how unreasonable they were and got a better repayment plan. However because I'd got so used to living this life I've not changed so much and now have a decent disposible income.

I think not having a mortgage has also helped and I'm glad I didn't secumb to the pressure of owning a home during the boom. The rental market is flooded with low cost homes and landlords are incredibly flexible as they all want long term tennants.

I live a nice standard of life, but it's time-costly rather than money-costly. If I want a spa day then it's recreated at home. If we want to eat a restaurant quality meal then we stick on a pre recorded gordon ramsey cookalong and do it ourselves. We shop around for cheapest wines, clothes and presents on top of having an established list of cheap 'essentials' (working for a large retailer helps there as staff discount and the office shop save me a packet on baby stuff). I share my dad's car (we live close) so insurance is a pitance, plus I walk whenever I can. My big 'treat' is my Sky plus, which means I can record film 4 films to watch at the weekend (having a baby throws going out out of the window anyway!).

We're going to get married and I'm planning an OS wedding too!

:beer:

harib0uk

Just Ordered the Old Tightwad Gazette from Amazon for £2.76 delivered and the penny pincher's revisited book for £4.37 after so many recommendations! looking forward to some light reading!!

D&DD

Caterina I haven't managed to get to the P/O yet life kinda overtook last week (and xmas shopping lol) so will get it sent this week definately


I've been watching the news channels this week and I can't believe some of what I'm hearing abroad and over here concerning the huge job losses..it's so sad,at any time of the year but especially right before Xmas.
I opened our local paper which is usually full of jobs and there was only 2 sides :eek: there's normally at least 12!! I was really shocked.I'm starting to fret about DS1 now,who decided to work for a year before going to Uni and leaves school in June next year..

moanymoany

I LOVE the Tightwad Gazette. I know that it is American and that it is now quite old - but the items contain the germ of knowledge and inspiration that can be translated into the here and now.

An example - Amy gives a way to protect your mailbox from guys in cars with baseball bats. We don't have that problem here - but we are hoping to buy a bungalow and we worry about the bedroom window being open in the summer. What we have decided is not to change our minds and buy a house - but like Amy strengthening the box with concrete - we are going to plant a large bed of VERY prickly plants under the windows!

The idea of the book with prices in so that if you go into a new shop you can quickly check how much an item is in other shops you use, well worth doing. I only shop at Mr.T's so don't use it. However, there are a lot of people who regularly use several supermarkets and it would be useful for them.

Just watching Bloomberg and someone has just said it will be 14 quarters until we get back to the economic situation we had April-June this year. That is June 2012!

Caterina

moanymoany wrote: »

...we are hoping to buy a bungalow and we worry about the bedroom window being open in the summer.

Hi Moanymoany,

There are some window companies that make windows which you can lock open (enough for air to circulate but not for burglars to get in), I knew someone who moved to a basement flat in a council estate and she managed to have these windows installed, they were very good.

We also have a similar windows system in DD's & DS's bedrooms and bathroom , if you want I can ask DH to tell me the name of the company who makes them, it is some sort of really eco- place in Yorkshire that does double glazing etc, they cost us a bit more than regular windows but they are really great.

HTH

Caterina

cw18

Our double-glazing does that too -- but I don't know who fitted them as they were put in when the property was built. I shopped around and found a company that did them at our last property (so we could have bedroom windows open without fear of children climbing/falling out), but the company I used have since been taken over (and I did hear the new company had gone under).

elizabunny

Good Morning All. Up nice and early today 5.30am:eek: as I'm hoping to do some batch baking, but am not feeling too motivated by the pile of apples in front of me at the moment, also I really need to try and get a bit christmassy but struggling a little with this at the moment. However, I have been so lucky this weekend to manage an escape to the New Forest for a couple of days. we keep an old but comfy caravan down in the forest for holidays etc. (although we may have to re-think this, if things get much worse) So on Friday, we ransacked the freezer for homemade dinners etc, packed up the dogs (2), raided the petrol kitty and escaped with a spending budget of £10 -and we stuck to it! Saturday, we had a lovely day browsing the local market and managed to get 4 punnets of huge blackberries for £1 :j -unfortunately we never got to pick any wild ones this year. Still, now we can have blackberry and apple crumble instead of just apple crumble (We had pounds and pounds of homegrown apples this year) hence the pile in front of me now. "Woolies" up to 50% of all stock yielded a stocking filler for Grandson for 40p and 5 pairs of socks £1.60p for DH -What a bargain! A few bits and bobs and a nice half price bottle of red wine for the Saturday evening treat from Mr T's came to around a fiver. Finally £1.80 for parking gave us the grand total of around £10 -so not bad. We enjoyed some lovely winter walks with our 2 girls (dogs), collected cones for some Xmas Deco's and kept nice and cosy with our little gas heater by candle/battery light. We don't use electric while in the caravan as we like to keep it fairly basic. Although not sure DH was quite so keen on the basic bit when the gas bottle ran out at 2.30am and he had to go outside in his PJs, Woolly hat etc. with his miners style headlamp strapped to his head -what a sight! to change the bottle, it was free........zing:eek: . All in all though, a lovely, relaxing and ultra cheap weekend. So now it's back to the apples. if any one has a good recipe for Dorset Apple Cake -thanks in advance, it's so lovely.

Mummysaver -I noticed in a previous post that you were going to a flower arranging class. Do hope you enjoyed this, I am a florist -although not working at present and it's amazing what lovely things you can make and much cheaper than buying too. I am hoping to make some door garlands for ourselves and DS1 and some wreaths for the dear Dads graves over the next couple of days. Can't say I much enjoy working with Holly -ouch:eek: but we have quite alot growing in the garden, so that's what I'll use, although we don't have many berries this year. I'll probably wire in bundles of cinnamon sticks with strips of red ribbon around them and cones etc. for the door deco's. I like to be a bit different so I put all sorts in, anything that looks nice and I can get for free or already have in, that what it's all about. Good luck with your arrangements -be imaginative as well -you'll be amazed. Have a good day everyone -Im afraid it's back to the apples for me for now.