If things get tougher?

[Deleted User]

I was thinking in bed last night about coping when things get very hard. It is not just about making do and scrimping but it is about staying cheerful and positive for the future. We all should make sure that we factor in some things that will help to turn the happy face on.

In my case it is going cycling with my dh, he is a lycra cyclist and can go fast and far but likes to go out with me too and is so considerate. Next stop will be sainsbury, which is 14 miles away and I saw him looking up all the back lanes last night to make the ride a nice one. I also like making my blanket, radio on. Such a simple pleasure

ceridwen

Tashja

Just a suggestion - why dont you start up a blog for this purpose now - whilst awaiting M.S.E. approval (as that wont need it) and people can visit over there and put their name down as a "mouse" (amending your "location" underneath your "name" on the lefthand side to "Noneemouse Co-ordinator Land - see my blog" - or, alternatively, start up a specific "mouse" thread and "bump" it occasionally if need be for that purpose.

This could take a whiles to get off the ground - or not happen at all - otherwise and 'twould be a shame for a good idea not to happen.:D

(PS: See what I mean about your "location" by looking underneath my "sun" piccie - "Location: looking towards the future").

Personally - I would do both - ie. start a specific mouse thread (there is one after all for "knit your square" and I'd do the blog and change my "location" to "Noneemouse Land Co-ordinator".)

THUS;
- if M.S.E. approve you have blog and thread and "location" and approved signature
- if M.S.E. dont approve you still have blog and "location"

I've taken the consensus of opinion from this thread - consider yourself officially appointed Mouse Co-ordinator as of today.<grin> Congratulations! and good on ya for volunteering.

P.S. re contact details - you might possibly consider putting a mobile phonenumber for people to phone/text on a blog - to save email addresses going out publicly and spammers taking advantage.? (as I said - I am willing to give what techno-illiterate help with queries I can re setting up a blog. I might also have a few organisational suggestions if we got our "heads together" - as I do have quite a bit of experience in organisational roles in various groups).

Tashja

Hi all

Ceri - Yes I think I will (Attempt) to start a blog though DH aid a small forum might be better and he has agreed to help me set it up. Also if it is a small forum I can have a couple of people help me run it. Luckily I am ok with forums having been an Admin and a moderator for 2 big forums. Your help would be appreciated as I thik this has the potential to be a bit bigger then we all thought.

I will aim to have this done today and then let people know.

I won't post more because I don't want to hijack this thread again.

T xx

ceridwen

Hi Tashja

Okay then - for any queries P.M. me. Thats why I'm suggesting the blog and/or thread....could be a forum of its own could be even better.

You thinking this could be bigger than we thought - my thoughts precisely!
Quick thought - once its going - I could put a "post" about it on my blog for starters - and I daresay other M.S.E.'ers with blogs might possibly like to volunteer a "start-up post" for you on theirs.?

EDIT: just noticed the location change - good one!

sammy_kaye18

Well I have to face dreaded Mr T today. I am not looking forward to it. We use to get by on our £100 a month for food shopping for the 3 (4 at weekends) and the pets (one jack russell and 3 terrapins - now 2 as one died) but lately we just cant do it.

We have been splitting the monthly shop into fortnightly and we are spening about £50 - £55 a fortnight on food now, but we try to pay £40 at Mr T and attempt to make that stretch a fortnight and then i pick up what few reduced bits i can in work (coop) with the £10 we keep back so we get alot of vegetables, bread, rolls reduced to nearly nothing and occassionally some meat.

The dog has a large bag of food (Wagg) which is 15kg and that cost us about £10 i think but he gets very ill during winter/cold weather and am happy to say he seems to be looking healthy still and maintaining weight nicely. The terrapins get a large tub of food which lasts them about 3 weeks but have some smaller tubs in store so they can have that the last week to keep them - jsut found out they can have a more natural diet too so things like cucumber etc so that may help too.

Think I may have to start baking bread by hand again for a while as bread seems so expensive lately and we seem to eat alot - hoping to start using things up in my freezer at some point so i have space to freeze things (my freezer is tiny - fridge freezer looks similiar to this http://www.24electric.com/detail.php?ProdID=89331392&referrer=wg&source=webgains&siteid=17143&utm_source=webgains&utm_medium=cpa&utm_content=All
proportion wise so it takes very little to fill the freezer

Am glad however that I seem to have converted boyfriend to the wonders of chicken thighs and he seems to be enjoying them so am going to pick a few packs of them up from Mr T today rather than chicken breasts or a whole chicken - hoping i will be able to make a reasonable chicken stock from the bones of the thighs and from the drumsticks too if i strip the meat off them. May have to attempt to mkae some veg trimmings soup too at some point - off to find a recipe. Will be making sure I am scouring the whoopsie section of Mr T today though.

I'll let you all know how I get on - I have about £40 to spend so we'll see what I manage to get. I do have £10.50 in vouchers but Im hoping to save these for christmas to help out with christmas bits and bobs - plus im paid thursday but I dont want the urge to splurge on everything with the cars MOT still fresh we need to be saving and scrimping.

Also anyone got any good filling meals? My boyfriend is on steroids after his eye operation last year and his appetite lately has been through the roof - if you shop in the coop they have a pack of chicken portions in garlic and herbs - I got one reduced to a £1 lastnight and there was easily 5 breasts, 4 drumsticks and he ate the lot by himself:eek: , and mashed potato:eek: :eek: , and roasted new potatoes :eek: :eek: :eek: (they were passed best so bunged them in oven so they could absorb the herby juices) and then he had a bowl of popcorn afterwards! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: You'd think he was a huge guy with that appetite but hes 5'11, possibly 12 and a half stone and not overweight at all (maybe weight wise but not size wise as you look at him and he even had the nerve after eating all that at about 6pm, the popcorn about 7pm to at 8pm ask me for a bowl of porridge!!!!!!!!!:eek: No wonder my £40 doesnt go far thinking about it.

sammy_kaye18

also wanted to quickly offer my services over to Tashja if you need help with the forum etc

Pipkin

Sammy, I don't know if you have a Sainsburys near you but I noticed on Sunday that they had packs of chicken drumsticks/thighs on offer at £1.25 (half price), which worked out even cheaper than A's (2 for £4) and Lidl's (£1.99).

moanymoany

Getting fun and pleasure from the small things in life is much more beneficial for overall happiness than concentrating on the big things. That is obvious to many of us because there are a myriad of small things that happens to us ever day - big things are once or twice a year things.

I have known people who HAVE to have the 5* holidays. They spend a huge amount on them - more than they can afford - and the holidays can never live up to expectations.

One person I know who is like this doesn't even see the things that are just there that are lovely. When we go for a walk the birds aren't heard, flowers aren't seen. They don't hear the funny things their children say, they don't read - only OK etc. - magazines.

I suspect that most of us frugal livers are already used to a 'scaled' down life where the small things are important for our dayto day happiness. The people who will suffer most from the 'tougher' times Alistair Darling says are waiting for us are those who find their pleasure in shopping and holidays etc, who buy ready meals, go out several times a week and have large personal debt.

Well, that's what I think............ I'll go now! :whistle:

carriebradshaw

Tashja wrote: »

Hi all

Ceri - Yes I think I will (Attempt) to start a blog though DH aid a small forum might be better and he has agreed to help me set it up. Also if it is a small forum I can have a couple of people help me run it. Luckily I am ok with forums having been an Admin and a moderator for 2 big forums. Your help would be appreciated as I thik this has the potential to be a bit bigger then we all thought.

I will aim to have this done today and then let people know.

I won't post more because I don't want to hijack this thread again.

T xx

ah great minds lol :T I said yesterday I though a forum might be a good idea,I think it would keep the friendly community thing going better wouldn't it.I'd like to be added to the nonny mouse list too please

bellaquidsin

I agree with kittie. We have to keep our spirits up to be able to survive the tough times. I do think true happiness comes from being content with what we have and not always yearning for more. For me true happiness it having what I need to get by and just a teeny weeny bit left over to share.

I once parted company with a young man because I told him if I had tuppence I was happy (it was a long time ago), a penny bun for me and a penny bun for the other guy. He just did not understand that concept at all. How could he, we had just come back from a holiday for which he had offered to pay for me and then half way through the week asked if I could pay for myself as he had bought himself something he wanted and spent the money.

Well, I was well rid of him and have been happily sharing my penny buns ever since.

Yesterday I had the family round for a meal unexpectedly. At first I was at a loss to know what to give them then remembered the reduced 500g pack of mince I had bought last week and put in the freezer. It fed six of us last night with spag bol and I took enough out for a cottage pie for me and dh tonight. That followed by a flan case made in the Remoska and filled with Mr. S basics tin of orange portions and a jel was very cheap and enough to share.

Sheer delight!

I would also like my name adding to the mouse list please.

Bella.