It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

happytails

Only just caught up with this thread so sorry its late but congratulations WEndybird!!! When are you due? Im 30 wks today and my advice is get seconds at charity shops, freecycle, car boots and friends and family - saved us a fortune. Have you thought about breastfeeding and using reusable nappies - im going to give it a bash!

Well sorry ive not been on girls and guys, ive been mega busy and stressed to high hell. Still waiting on my write off money for my car crash 2 weeks ago And me and OH have decided to move back in with our respective parents while we can) to save up atleast 10k for a house next year or year after. The baby will be with me at my mum and dads and OH will be at his dads with 1 or 2 dogs. (we have 3 dogs so this decision hasnt been easy). At our current rented house we have no leftover money for savings and its full of mould and damp and we cant afford to heat it so we are doing this for our little girls future. The parents live 4 miles apart and i drive, dp has a scooter and the bus goes past both our parents streets so we can still see each other etc.
What do you guys think? I feel it is the best choice at the moment and we can save atleast £1000 a month by doing this and not have to worry about baby being cold etc.
Got a month to pack and tidy/repaint rented house aswell as sorting out xmas, baby arriving in Feb and this insurance lark for my car and injury claim

And the doctor wants me to take it easy HA piece of cake eh?

Sarah & bump
30wks today!

oystercatcher

Oh happytails,
I think it's very sad that you and DP have to live apart. It's not good for a relationship. Is there no way you could both live with one of the parents? I know times are really hard and it's not impossible to maintain a relationship apart but it's not going to be easy especially with a baby. If you're not careful he'll end up feeling pushed out and missing so much. You need him there for all those night feeds and sleepless nights, just for support.

It's good you want to save for a house , I just wouldn't want you to end up on your own. Whatever you do though...... no debt!!

Big hugs

Oystercatcher

ceridwen

Re workmen - Of course...you could try being the only darn person in the house....there aint no-one else when you're single:D .

Boy...have I got fed-up with being treated as ignorant/gullible/etc (delete as applicable) over the years. I think they might just have learnt by now;) - but officials/workmen arent nearly as bad as they were back when I first became a householder. I often used to wish I had some sorta "honorary man" around to start with and my father (give him his due) obviously realised I was going to get this sort of "treatment" so had a distinct tendency to "pop in" when he knew workmen were due..but these days...I think its some sorta combination of they've encountered a lot of single women by now + a hint of that ceridwen temper if need be (for the odd neanderthal) and they accept that I'm the one "in charge" without a quibble. Though I have had to learn over the years that when I find a firm that treats me as a "person" and accepts that I am the "head of the household" that its wise to stick with them. So - I guess its a combination of some firms have got more up-to-date attitudes these days/a few of the local firms now know me as a regular "customer" and the fact that I have had to learn to "stick up for myself" from decades of being single and I havent had a problem of that description recently. I dont like that I have had to learn to "fight my corner" over the years...its not an easy balance to strike between doing that on the one hand and going into "Grumpy Middle-Aged woman" territory on the other hand...I'm still working on that one.

nannaC

D&DD wrote: »

:rotfl: "You've got me" lol Love that one CW


Here you go mummysaver..beware this makes literally tons!!!

Ingredients
1 large egg, white only
255g/9oz icing sugar, sifted
double cream, for serving



Method
1. Mix the egg white and icing sugar in a medium bowl until it forms a fudge-like dough.
2. Divide the mixture into nine and roll each portion into a ball.
3. Place three balls at a time on to a piece of non-stick (greaseproof) paper on a microwave-proof plate.
4.Microwave on high for one minute 50 seconds.
5. Remove and set aside to set.
6. Once the meringues have hardened, remove and repeat step 3 twice more.
7. Serve piled up and drizzled with cream.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU have been looking for my old MW meringue recipe for ages now. Have just clicked edit as forgot to say, when making goodies that need only egg white, you can use the yolk to make real custard. Which is just what an old fashioned trifle needs

My recipe here

Place some sponge cake [victoria sponge is fine] spread with jam into the bottom of a big dish
Sprinkle with sherry [optional]
Add tin of manderins drain the juice into cup [or raspberries or whatever fruit you like]
then add a little of the juice [you dont need all or it makes the base too sloppy]
Next make custard 1 pt milk [powdered milk is fine] 2 egg yolks, 1 desert spoon cornflour, 2 teaspoons sugar.
put milk/cornflour/egg yolks into pan whisk well then heat gently stirring with wooden spoon until the custard coats the back of the spoon just under boiling [dont let it boil as this will make it grainy], add sugar to taste approx 2 tsps.
Leave to cool for a few mins than pour over the sponge base.
Leave to cool, cover with damp clean tea towel to prevent skin forming.
Meanwhile whisk 1/2pt of bouble cream until thick
Spread over the trifle
Decorate top with either almond flakes, cherries, raspberries, ratafia biscuits or whatever takes your fancy.

purpleivy

Ah well, got a result on utilities front. First time I rang there was a 7 min phone queue (it takes a minute on the line till you find this out!) the second it was 9 mins, the third 5 mins. Stuck with that. If I want to stay on budget plan the only thing they will do is to reduce monthly payments not repay anything. So gas has gone from 93 down to 54 and electricity from 87 down to 50. total of £189 down to £104. That's a bit of a difference, isn't it? in fact those payments don't include VAT, that's added elsewhere on the account. Will be interesting to see how it goes on this year, as we now have underfloor in the new bit of the house and radiators in the rest. We have gone through almost a year, so will now be able to start and compare this year with last and try and make some savings. My dh spends most of his time turning the heating up! He thought the underfloor heating would be dearer to run, but in fact on sunny days it doesn't click on in the day and if I'm in during the day the main heating isn't on in the rest of the house.

Am now going to request monthly bills with readings so that I can gauge an accurate picture of the pattern of use. Impossible to do on estimated readings. WHy haven't I done this before? You might well ask, but it's one thing at a time. I have been working on the food this year. I've always cooked pretty much OS, but not followed it through with the shopping. That's pretty well under control now, so it's another thing to work on.

cw18

I'm currently reading my gas and electricity meters on a weekly basis (this next Tuesday means the end of 13 weeks of doing so). A couple of weeks ago I also started to read my water meter at the same time.

I'm determined to stay in control of my "variable" bills during 2009 -- and hopefully start pulling them down......

nannaC

bellaquidsin wrote: »

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH am so jealous knitting wool is very expensive around here. Have taken to pulling back some hand knitted garments I got from a jumble sale to keep me going.

I always watch out for the sales and stock up. I was talking to an old lady of 90 whom I know. She was widowed 41 years ago and soon after as a diversion her DIL took her to a jumble sale. She had never been to one before and didn't know what to buy then her eyes lighted upon a knitted garment and she thought she would take it home and unravel it. This started a life long hobby but like most of us with a stash she has not managed to knit it all and has a big cupboard full and her knitting days are over. I shall be seeing her again in January and she is going to bring me some (all wool apparently) so it should be interesting.

Sorry you can't source the yarn locally nannaC but have you thought of the internet. Kempswoolshop is very good and have some good offers.

Bella.[/quote]

Hi Bella, thank you so much for that link, have just clicked on and it is already saved to my favs. Will study properly over christmas, they certainly have a good selection and very reasonable p&p too.

happytails

We will be moving on 20th ish of Jan to live with our Parents and im wondering which is the best way to go about informing the council and tv licence people etc etc.

All my DDs come out in the first week of the month for that month so i will have paid for the 31 days when im only going to be there for 20 days. Do i ring up before i move and cancel DD and just pay what i will owe for the 20 days in Jan or pay everything for that month and get a rebate?

Help appreciated TA x

cw18

If you're paying your TV License the same way as me, then you may 6 months in advance and 6 months in arrears. If this is the case, then you should have money due back from them -- but not a part month for January as you pay a full month even if you only need it for one day (same as road tax). Only time I've had a refund since paying this way they processed it really quickly -- so you could do it after you move, but cancel the direct debit at your bank no later than 31st.....

Council? As in Council Tax? Again the least complicated way is to pay a month and claim a rebate.

Gas & Electricity (if these are on your list) will need final meter readings to work out who owes who -- and how much.

Don't forget to notify the Electoral Register people for your area. Forgetting to take yourself off makes it much easier for people to use your details against that address for fraudulent reasons!!

pagangirl

rosieben wrote: »

The only malt extract I ever saw was in big jars labelled 'Cod Liver Oil and Malt' or Virol, and my mum used to force feed us a BIG spoonfull each every friday night, eugh! one of my sisters used to queue up for a second spoonful _pale_so I suppose I would put malt extract under the label 'vaguely medicinal' :rotfl:

yuck - I can still taste the malt my mum used to give me once a week - hated the stuff - she had to chase me round the house and practically pin me down to get that spoonful inside me - how can something that awful be good for you?????:eek:

More news on the cereal hunt folks - went to Mr T's tonight - they have large 750g boxes of Nestle Mini Shreddies for £1.05, due date 7/09. Stocked up on them as well !:D They had lots in our branch so good luck tomorrow !

Thanks for all the microwave recipes, would love a microwave thread as all I seem to do is defrost / reheat, apart from from heating mugs of water for cuppas.

Happytails - sorry you two will have to live apart for a while, can understand why, but hope you manage to find a way to stay together coz he will miss out on so much once the baby arrives.