It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

Pippad

Thank you for the new thread Kittie, it has taken me this long to catch up reading it... The old thread was one of my favourites for finding ways to be a better OS'er!

I will eventually post more, but just now I have too much to do, I just wanted to express my appreciation!

freebiequennie

my husbands whole week of lunchboxes prob cost about £3!!! (he has a sandwich ham, cheese, marmite, sometimes jam!!, a packet of crisps, a piece of fruit, 4 cherry tomatoes and then either a piece of cheese, a small cake or a small choc bar)

i dont eat bread due to a yeast intolerance but take left over dinners to work for my lunches and again prob cost no more than £3.

cbsexec

For those who have been through previous hard times it is like deja vu
In a previous recession my children were small and we survived on very little money but certainly didn't starve! I also remember the same spate of beat the recession books, mags, tv progs etc. People were encouraged to grow, freeze, batch bake, brew their own etc. We can survive!!
ps Does anyone remember Shirley Goode (I have her cookbook from those times - lots of frugal recipes)

jennyjelly

cbsexec wrote: »

ps Does anyone remember Shirley Goode (I have her cookbook from those times - lots of frugal recipes)

I remember being given one of her books in the early 80s when we had just bought out first house and had an outrageous mortgage. Reading her book was a revelation and I learned that however broke you are you don't have to have a baked potato EVERY night!

Sadly none of her books are still in print, but there are old ones on Amazon. She also has a website which is worth a browse:

http://shirleygoode.blogspot.com/

I agree it is really funny seeing people publish books full of all these "new" ways of saving money that we have all been doing for years!

lilac_lady

Shirley Goode has a website (google to find it) and is still on the OS trail. I have given Martin's book to my daughter and it definitely changed some of her money ways. I try to stop preaching about money to my family but worry as they have long term mortgages and jobs that may be at risk. I guess I'll keep MSE-ing because I hope I'll be able to help them if they need it. No pockets in a shroud!

[Deleted User]

I still have the Shirley Goode Kitchen and Cas Clarke's 'Grub on a Grant' from 1986 which I paid about 30p each for at an old second-hand book shop in 1990.I bought them as I have a terrible habit of browsing through old book shops for little gems. I just can't resist having a little 'peek' and I always end up buying something .I love old cookery books anyway I have a pre-war W.I cook book that was my late ma-in-laws and its facinating to see what folk ate in 1934.
I had a wander over to my butchers this morning, and he had a piece of 'boiling bacon' around 1.5 kgs for 1.99 reduced from 3.99. Its use by date is Dec 12th so that's going into my SC next week.
That will do me for several days, and the last of it will make a nice 'pea and ham soup' as I got a kilo of dried peas reduced to 49p from Mr T's at the same time.

Barneysmom

:cool:

MRSMCAWBER wrote: »

abaxas

I have an electric mincer/sausage maker and it has more than paid for its self :T -not that im encouraging you to spend
It only comes out every couple of months or so as I make a couple of big batches at a time;) ..I use all meat n seasonings, no filler, rusk etc..and the last lot worked out at about 4p a sausage

www.designasausage.co.uk do the skins etc -in case you want a peek

Barneysmom.... remoskas are nothing like a slow cooker I have had mine nearly 3 months now -and not put the oven on once since :T and I cook every day -quite often more than once -It is my fave bit of kitchen kit..closely followed by my sausage machine

Sorry for interupting the thread everybody!
Thanks Mrs. M, I'd have never comsidered making my own sausages before, I just realised there's a sausage maker attachment on my Gourmet Magic machine, but I have no recipes?


I'll have to look at the Remoska thread, maybe the kids (grown up) can get me one between them for Christmas :T

zarazara

I do alot of what other people have alredy posted. Also, I paid off a loan and set up a DD for the same amount to go into a savings account each month.

MRSMCAWBER

Barneys mom

I have a book of recipes -including moose, squirrel etc :eek: yes its an american book :rotfl:
I can let you have some basic recipes... will PM you.. I have posted them on a thread somewhere before...
off to hunt

ceridwen

Caterina wrote: »

I meet loads of people who whinge and cry misery and poverty and then when you go scratch down you find that they buy brand names, fly all over the place for hols, "can't resist" this or that treat, hey that's their problem!

To which we could add....deliberately going out shopping as a pastime (not even with anything particular in mind) but just intending to buy anything that takes their fancy. There is also the one about eating "treat" type food just because it's there. To me - one eats if food is necessary (ie one is hungry), occasionally one does so because it's the sociable thing to do (ie invited for a meal), errrrr....and occasionally a bit of food is there that really does constitute a "treat"....ie. something one hasn't tried before or has a particular liking for, but rarely gets the chance of having. Just chomping away on bog-standard biscuits/cakes/etc just because they're "there" ....errrr....that sorta defeats me as to why one would do so! I'm not perfect.....far from.....a glass or two of wine after a bad day at work is not exactly unknown;) - but some things I don't understand. I'm now going round looking at food at unrealistically high prices (ie £3 odd for readymade soup that is only enough for 2 people anyway) repeating to myself "Moany Moany would go 'how much?'":D