If things get tougher?

nicki_2

mumoftwo wrote: »

That is one advantage we have then My OH is blind and he is much better in the dark than I am, He was the one getting up to find dummy for DD when they were babies as he was quiet, didn' t trip up and was better at finding the dummy on the floor in the dark. If we have a powercut we will just all hold onto him and sent him for the torch and candles

We were in a big shopping centre yesterday and it was mobbed. DD had birthday money to spend and I tried to persuade her to spend it wisely but her and her pal had their hearts set on a bear from the Bear factory, where you personalise them, add sounds and outfits, all way over priced,if you ask me, but that is what they wanted.

You should have seen the queue!! It was so busy, My DD and friend choose the cheapest bear etc but there were parents there buying £20 bears, a £4 heartbeat and outfits, all because it had Hannah Montana written on it.

It seems that some people still have money to spend. I like the feeling of knowing I can pay my bills, love a bargain and sales and have a bit in reserve if there is an emergency or tough times ahead

Are you sure you weren't in the new one in Liverpool? It was heaving to the point of the queue was nearly out the door :eek::eek: My DD loves it, but I make her look at price tickets first We've still not bought any accessories (just basic bears) in the 3 years or so we've been going

mumoftwo

nicki wrote: »

Are you sure you weren't in the new one in Liverpool? It was heaving to the point of the queue was nearly out the door :eek::eek: My DD loves it, but I make her look at price tickets first We've still not bought any accessories (just basic bears) in the 3 years or so we've been going

No, it was in Glasgow and yes, the queue was out of the door, I just couldn't believe it, people had baskets full of outfits, halloween costume very popular, but they are so expensive, my dd bought dungarees £8 and a £8 bear, the cheapest there was, it was her birthday money. I just couldn't get over how busy it was and how much adults were spending on these things.

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

carriebradshaw wrote: »

I remember the shortages and power cuts in the seventies.When things like potatoes were short we would often have rice instead or *shudders* tinned potatoes if they were in the shops,but sugar was short as well and my dad used to take 3 sugars in his many cups of tea and he would not cut down.When bread and sugar were short,very often in the shops there would be a sign on the door like in war time saying 'one pack per person' so us four kids would be despatched to town with a shopping trolley and go round all the shops that had any and buy a pack of sugar in each one and some bread and bread mixes to stock up just in case.Sometimes we could only get caster, or loaf sugar so we get that anyway,I liked having sugar cubes in my tea. The power cuts were great for me being a kid, we played more cards & board games together as a family.I loved having my own candle stuck down in a big jar to make a lantern to read in bed with,and the coal fire got called back into play again,lovely and toasty after being used to a one bar electric fire Must have been a nightmare for parents though.

We get a fair few power cuts here when the Winter comes too but we're not too bothered about them,we've got coal fire so we have heat and can make tea and heat stuff up on there and make toast and we've got candles stored in every room so we don't get caught out in the dark Not much fun when power goes off when you're in the shower at night and have just put your shampoo on though :eek:[/quote

One of my most vivid memories as a young newly married woman back in the very early 70s was watching two women fight over a bag of sugar in my local co-op.I did'nt want my "ration" of sugar and the woman behind me and the woman infront who was busy packing her bag began to argue over the bag I refused,bringing me into the arguement saying I could of bought it and offered it to them.They actually ended up slapping each other and I never went into the co-op for ages after.
I've never looked at a bag of sugar without thinking of that incident since.

dubgirl

Hi I have been following this thread with interest and I am really impressed with what everyone is doing to cope with the increase in everything. This weekend we recieved a letter from our gas/electric supplier telling us that the gas is going up 30% and electric 20%!!!! Just sat for 5 minutes with my head in my hands. Dont know how we are going to cope. We had only changed our supplier very recently through a comparison site and it was the then best deal around. As it is our heating doesnt work at the mo, boiler playing up and we have not money to get it fixed. Looks like we are going to need to invest in some thermals.

sb44

I remember the power cuts too in the 70's.

Just think what it is going to be like if the power keeps going on and off now.

Most people have burglar alarms and they always go off when there has been a power cut and they seem to go on for ages.

I just hope they come back on during the day and not during the night.

sb44

Does anyone have a list of what food items would be best to stock up on if preparing for power cuts?

We all know that we need torches, candles, matches, flasks etc but what about food?

I am assuming the best things would be simple things that can be warmed up easily and eaten straight away ie beans, stew, minced beef, stewing steak, tinned veg etc.

Jacks_xxx

sb44 wrote: »

Does anyone have a list of what food items would be best to stock up on if preparing for power cuts?

We all know that we need torches, candles, matches, flasks etc but what about food?

I am assuming the best things would be simple things that can be warmed up easily and eaten straight away ie beans, stew, minced beef, stewing steak, tinned veg etc.

That's pretty much the kind of stuff I've got packed away honey. plus some tinned bean salad, tinned veggies and tinned fish that could be eaten cold in a pinch.

Lidl has a great range of tinned food I find. They do some pasta and dishes in a tin - and I adore their lentil and sausage soup! I've tried to go for a bit of a variety, and a decent quantity - just in case!

We've also got crackers and biscuits and bottled water, but probably not enough of the latter. (but I figure that we live in England so a sky full of water is never far away!)

Love Jacks xxx

taplady

mardatha wrote: »

Yes - I think if blind people can learn then so can I. they have no option and just have to get on with it so I can do the same. I'm just terrified I put my hand or bare feet on a PIDER . Argggh !

I work with the blind and when we've had power cuts it quite funny to see us support workers struggling while they just carry on as normal!:D

parsonswife8

sb44 wrote: »

Does anyone have a list of what food items would be best to stock up on if preparing for power cuts?

We all know that we need torches, candles, matches, flasks etc but what about food?

I am assuming the best things would be simple things that can be warmed up easily and eaten straight away ie beans, stew, minced beef, stewing steak, tinned veg etc.

______________________________________________________
Tinned soup and Cup of Soup sachets, instant noodles, biscuits and savoury biscuits.

BARGAINHUNTER!

dubgirl wrote: »

Hi I have been following this thread with interest and I am really impressed with what everyone is doing to cope with the increase in everything. This weekend we recieved a letter from our gas/electric supplier telling us that the gas is going up 30% and electric 20%!!!! Just sat for 5 minutes with my head in my hands. Dont know how we are going to cope. We had only changed our supplier very recently through a comparison site and it was the then best deal around. As it is our heating doesnt work at the mo, boiler playing up and we have not money to get it fixed. Looks like we are going to need to invest in some thermals.

Have you looked at the Warmfront scheme to see if you would qualify? If not, it might be worth ringing your local council and speaking to someone in the grants section. My council has lots of different types of grants available, including one for urgent property repairs. They basically 'loan' you the money, putting a charge on the house. You only need to pay it back when you sell the house. Well worth asking!!