If things get tougher?

Primrose

I see somebody has mentioned Hovel in the Hills. I LOVE that book, and Garden in the Hills, its successor by Elizabeth West. She and her husband were doing self-sufficiency and living outside the system long before it became fashionable today. My paperback copy is almost falling apart now after all the times I've read it. For anybody interested, the author has written several other books, Suffer Little Children, Insufferable Little Children, and A Patch in the Forest - all sadly out of print now, but probably available from Amazon.

Sarahsaver

My MIL thinks its all doom and gloom yet OH and I don't feel half as worried.
I think its because she reads the Daily Mail.
I feel positive too, we are being careful and not wasteful and that feels GOOD

moanymoany

mardatha wrote: »

I agree Owl. Even at our advanced stage of life when you've plotted & schemed & planned, things pop out of the woodwork and ruin everything. I think you have to keep a bit of "one day at a time" in order to stay sane.
I'm having a horrible black day and I dono why. Using all my spare money to stock up at Costco seems stupid;buying my remoska & camp stove seems a huge waste of money; trying to cook after a lifetime of hating it seems futile; I need a hard OS shake I think !

I know just how you feel. I don't know what it is buy my house is bursting at the seams with food. I've bought so many books on frugal cooking lately....!

Tashja

Not good news for British Gas customers Elec up by 9% and gas up by 35%.

I think I need a kick up the backside too and I need to stop watching the news because that always worries me !!!

T xx

mary43

unixgirluk - you're right. We all learn something from experiences, good and bad and I think if you go through sticky times it helps towards a better understanding of people who are in the same or worse situation. Those who never have a financial 'hiccup' can quickly form the opinion that the homeless, jobless etc.have only themselves to blame and more often than not it's not so.
If I could live my life over again, I'm not sure I'd actually chance anything but just might deal with it a lot better than I have done if you know what I mean.

OH has stopped worrying about gas and electric and general cost of living,plus banks, overdrafts etc. Solves nothing in the end. We;re doing what we can to get through it all and it helps a lot having sites like this to get advice and tips, plus the very valuable support.
(Big thanks to Martin :T )

Sarahsaver - tell your Mum to have a look at the Daily Express........lol doom and gloom its full of but it does have a jolly good couple of crosswords that I can just about get my head around................lol

Tashja - the whole gas and electric thing had me really baffled and I was constantly checking different companies and tarriffs.........rang the company I'm with last week and the chap said I'm already on the cheapest tarriff and best to stay put so I'm doing just that. So at least now my brain isn't befuddled by it all. It'll still cost us more, that can't be avoided but I'm not going to freeze this winter. There''s always something else I can cut back on I'm sure and thankfully, the mortgage will be got rid of by then.
Made me chuckle that OH got a letter via Age Concern this morning (I'm the pensioner in the household, he's got a few years to go yet) offering him all sorts with one fuel supplier..................lol
And yes, the news is frightening it really is...........in fact thats the time I get the crossword out to do................lol

katieowl_2

Primrose wrote: »

I see somebody has mentioned Hovel in the Hills. I LOVE that book, and Garden in the Hills, its successor by Elizabeth West. She and her husband were doing self-sufficiency and living outside the system long before it became fashionable today. My paperback copy is almost falling apart now after all the times I've read it. For anybody interested, the author has written several other books, Suffer Little Children, Insufferable Little Children, and A Patch in the Forest - all sadly out of print now, but probably available from Amazon.

Ahh! I've read Garden in the hills, as well as Hovel in the hills, and I have Patch in the forest on my wish list...not heard of the other two....Off to Amazon

Regards

Kate

[Deleted User]

It IS the news that is making people feel down and panicky, as though they can do nothing to help themselves. Everyone should come on this thread, it is so uplifting.

I have also decided to stop listening to the news. Its not just financial news thats depressing but the knives and now that awful end to a lovely newly married couple`s lives. Us ordinary folk have to stick together like in a commune

and I have treated myself to hovel in the hills. I blame mardatha, she sounded so happy when she got the book and its catching

Uniscots97

kittie wrote: »

It IS the news that is making people feel down and panicky, as though they can do nothing to help themselves. Everyone should come on this thread, it is so uplifting.

I have also decided to stop listening to the news. Its not just financial news thats depressing but the knives and now that awful end to a lovely newly married couple`s lives. Us ordinary folk have to stick together like in a commune

and I have treated myself to hovel in the hills. I blame mardatha, she sounded so happy when she got the book and its catching

My great grandmother apprarently always said (she passed away when I was a toddler) society would go back on itself, by that she meant that in the end people would be appalled by the violence and the waste and in the end we'd return to a simpler time, doing more for ourselves and treating each other with respect. Who knows, maybe we're the start of it?

katieowl_2

I dont watch the news anymore - I don't need pictures! But I do have radio 4 on in the morning, which is just as depressing and the homepage on my PC is the BBC news....

I do think there is an element of 'talking it up' but I also don't really trust that we are getting the full dreadful picture in the news either. I've certainly read in various 'new age' publications that one should avoid filling one's head/conciousness with negativity!

It's hard to avoid bad news though...we had a dreadful thing happen in this street a couple of days ago, and I doubt it would even make the papers, let alone the news. An elderly blind lady had a ring on her intercom at 4am, and it was a couple of WOMEN who said they were police, and could they please come in and check out the back, as there had been a burglary a couple of doors down. You know what comes next...they weren't police and they emptied her purse and took all her jewellry! It has to have been planned, they must have know she was home alone, blind and vunerable! Scum!

We've had a series of incidents around here in the last week with opportunist break in's. So as times get hard, make sure that you do remind anyone who you know who is vunerable to be extra especially careful please....

Regards

Kate

taurusgb

Primrose wrote: »

I see somebody has mentioned Hovel in the Hills. I LOVE that book, and Garden in the Hills, its successor by Elizabeth West. She and her husband were doing self-sufficiency and living outside the system long before it became fashionable today. My paperback copy is almost falling apart now after all the times I've read it. For anybody interested, the author has written several other books, Suffer Little Children, Insufferable Little Children, and A Patch in the Forest - all sadly out of print now, but probably available from Amazon.

Another Elizabeth West book addict here - does anyone know if she and Alan are still alive? I've tried finding out on the internet but drawn a blank. Odd thing is I only ordered the Suffer Little Children and Insufferable Little children books yesterday ! Have read Hovel in the Hills and Garden in the Hills over and over again - wish I could find a copy of Patch in the Forest and Kitchen in the Hills though

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I'd (almost) sell my soul for them. :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: