If things get tougher?

sammy_kaye18

Was just about to add - if allowed - that ive had a bit of experience making groups over on MSN (was manager of 3). Would be happy to set up an 'im a nonny mouse' group - where only MSErs could go to discuss mousey going ons and then it would stop the kind gestures being abused as there is the option of checking who is allowed as a member which would give us time to double check they are genuine and their MSE activity (so we dont get trolls etc).

FairyElephant_2

Count me in on the 'Mouse' thing too please!

I will need nice simple 'idiot proof' instructions on anything remotely techie though - I'm fine with Wp & Spreadsheets & surfing the 'net, but posting on these forums is about as involved as I usually get otherwise (and it's atken me a year or two to get the hang of adding smilies :rotfl: see! - LOL!!!!).

Agree we could do with a diff. thread though, as we've hijacked the 'things get tougher' a bit!

OK - back on track a bit.....;)

I've started to stockpile pasta & rice etc. by adding an extra bag to my weekly shopping - even if the predictions of price-rises are wrong, it has a long sell-by date on it and I know I will use it eventaully anyhow (NB - ASDA's Smartprice Pasta quills - not brill quality but OK smothered in 'bolognaise' sauce - on offer at 19p a packet on Sat :T - I bought 6!).

Challenged myself to reduce my 'work lunch' bill - I normally reckon on it costing me about £1 a day for lunch with about 50p of it for snacks (apple, banana & cereal bar for eg.) but reckon I can get lunch & snacks down to 50p day if I work at it (and remember to take it in with me - otherwise it's £2.00ish for a sarnie/roll/baguette:eek: ).

Really managed to max. my oven usage yesterday, and donations of homegrown fruit & veg - only used one oven (got all my timings just right this week!) and two rings to cook: Roast dinner for 6 - roast pork, potatoes, 4 sorts veg, stuffing, HM apple sauce, HM crumble, Fairy cakes, 'veg trimmings soup'.
Have enough cooked veg left over for tonight (no meat or spuddies though - greedy lot!). All veg except carrots & spuds came from mum's garden, fruit for apple sauce & rhubarb+apple crumble from Mil's garden.
Soup made from mostly bits of veg I would previously have composted.

Felt pretty pleased with myself!

Primrose

Fairyelephant - If you don't want people to have "seconds" for the meat course, you'll have to become all religious and say my granny's Grace before meals. (She had 8 children to feed). "For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful, and please God don't let anybody ask for seconds, otherwise there will be nothing on the table to eat tomorrow. Amen". :rotfl: I defy any greedy guest to dare ask for "seconds" after that !

katieowl_2

I have to confess that I've turned the Aga back on...it's just been too grim and wet to stand trying to cook stuff in the garden!

I'm also using every last leftover scrap...we had some cracking crostini yesterday:- ingredients: A Lidl long life walnut ciabatta WELL past it's best before, a jar of olive pate that had been at the back of the fridge for longer than I care to remember (not mouldy though!) and some Red Pepper Pate, which also needed using up...topped off with a few thin slices of a brie and some thin slices of cheddar - spritzed with olive oil, baked and then drizzled with balsamic vinegar!

I'm going to start baking our bread on a regular basis as OH bought me the "Artisan bread in five minutes a day " book - BTBH my own foolproof recipe is probably as quick. I heard on the lunchtime news that bread was set to rise again due to the poor harvest, and last weeks rain apparently added to the problems.

I was contempating letting my younger daughters room to EFL students when she heads off to uni later this month, but my older daughter and her BF are sick to the back teeth of their flatmate (Long, boring story, but if I use the words "lapdancers" and "£800" in the same sentance I'm sure you'll get the drift :eek: ) so I've thrown caution to the wind and offered the room to them...
I need to talk to the BF tonight and assure him that if they have an argument I won't throw him out :rolleyes: etc.... They are both pretty frugal and lots of the arguments with the flat mate have been over things like Saver toilet paper versus Andrex so I think we'll be fine. That would help them save a deposit and keep their cost down, as my daughter has only managed to find a part time job since she finished uni (she starts today) and it would move her BF a zone closer to work, so his fares would be cheaper.

I'm also going to try and get some bulk veggies in the house via the trade market...we'll split them with a couple of other families, and hopefully all benefit.

Regards

Kate

elona

DD(19) starts second year at uni this month and we take her back on Sunday.

DH has just driven us to Lidl and we stocked up on loads of cans of soup, dried goods like rice and pasta, pasta sauces and curry sauces etc. that she can store out of sight ready for emergencies like illness, bad weather etc.

Had to smile when she informed me Douwe Egberts was the best coffee, Yorkshire tea bags were the best and baked beans had to be Heinz!;)

lauren_1

We have just been informed that our rent is going up AGAIN by £60 this time, it only went up in feb:mad: !

However dp is changing his job 1st oct, will leave us short for a while but he can cycle to work as of then and save on the petrol costs rather than the 25 mile round trip every day. He will be £1 better off on his basic wage too (well every little helps :rotfl: )

I have also noted that i have been saving £3 a week by boiling a very full kettle and using a flask throughout the day rather than boiling several times a day:T

[Deleted User]

I think things are starting to bite already.You only have to look at the GC for September to see how many of us are tightening our belts.
Some things like Lauren_1 's tip above may only be smal,l but as the outrageously priced Mr T says 'every little helps .I can manage fairly comfortably on my income but am becoming qute squirrel-like at the moment as I am just hoping that we don't have a severe winter. I have osteo-arthritis and my joints need heat to keep working properly. I refuse to be cold so am conserving my extra cash 'just in case'. I think everyone will be doing whatever they can ,no matter how well off they are as fuel will be the biggest cost we all have to bear this year ,although I was in tescos today and they wanted 98p for 8 runner beans in a packet ,and that was on 'special offer' reduced from £1.48.
I bet the farmers don't get that sort of price for their food. I shall stick to the farm shops if I can

[Deleted User]

I empathise JackieO and I`m keeping out of my savings as much as possible too, so that the heating can be on when needed. It makes a big difference breathing in warm air too and I put the ch on last friday, well I was testing it l and it did make a big difference to the feeling of well being. I just hope that we have an indian summer now because we all need some sun to build us up for winter

I did start the ski-ers thread on the silver board but I have had a complete mindset change. Holiday catalogues are coming weekly in the post but I am not even looking at them. I want to safeguard our old age and you can`t have your cake and eat it, so we grab what we can when we can eg today my dh and I cycled 24 miles to asda and back and I bought 2 fleeces at £1.77 each. The upside is that I got the feel-good factor back

Something else that is contributing to the feelgood factor is seeing those wonderful sports people at the paralympics (301 on freeview) and then tonight hearing about the 3 year old little girl and her wonderful quick thinking dad who saved her life

zarazara

lauren1 tahnks for the flask tip. i've got lazy lately with this. know ing its around £3 a week makes it worthwhile, thats £156 a year, which I think is a lot. that would but duvets fleeces and so much more with which to keep warm.

ifonlyitwaseasier

i'd like to join the mouse gang!!!

ioiwe x