If things get tougher?

windowshopper100

katieowl wrote: »

make jam, do rubber chickens etc.
kate

What's one of them then? Should I be able to do one too?

Sorry Kate, I don't mean to be flippant but I'm rather curious.
I fully empathise with your plight and I'm sorry that you're worrying about this. I don't know what to suggest, you seem to have bases covered. I do hope you have a lovely Christmas though since I think most of us who use this site know that it's not about how much you spend.

I believe the term is.... (hugs).:D

WS100

Hardup_Hester

Rubber chicken is what I cooked last weekend, roast on Sunday, then stripped all the chicken off the carcase & made chicken ham & mushroom in a white sauce, made it into a pie on Tuesday, served with pasta on Wednesday, made into risotto on thursday & made soup with the carcase to make a weeks worth of lunches

katieowl_2

windowshopper100 wrote: »

What's one of them then? Should I be able to do one too?

Sorry Kate, I don't mean to be flippant but I'm rather curious.
I fully empathise with your plight and I'm sorry that you're worrying about this. I don't know what to suggest, you seem to have bases covered. I do hope you have a lovely Christmas though since I think most of us who use this site know that it's not about how much you spend.

I believe the term is.... (hugs).:D

WS100

Thank you......for the hugs

Rubber chicken, also known as elastic chicken is where you roast a chicken and have that for one meal, use leftovers for a second meal (a curry perhaps) and maybe stretch a few sandwiches, then cook up the carcass for soup stock...in this house as well, after the stock is cooked and strained off I pick every last scrap of meat off the bones to get a bowl of dog food too!

Regards

Kate

[Deleted User]

big hugs Kate

we downsized 2 1/2 years ago to release some money and I put it into ns&i certs as quickly as possible so it didn`t get frittered away. What used to really help me when times were very very hard was doing a timeline and getting cash out once a month and putting it into labelled envelopes

Downsizing works but it`s so important to keep a very tight watch on the money that is released, Good luck Kate

windowshopper100

Thanks HH and Kate. I get the picture, don't know why I couldn't guess that. I'm pleased to say that I do that anyway, though we don't have a dog so I do it for next door's instead.

Don't which term I prefer - elastic because you can stretch it or rubber because it keeps bouncing back....:D

Cheers, keep smiling all.
WS100

celyn90

I'm not sure we can cut back much more TBH, we don't run a car or have a TV or a phone line/broad band connected at home. Both of us are on PAYG mobile tariffs and top up when needed and if the money isn't there we don't do it. We both cycle to work and I'm struggling on my food budget now because of the price rises - I was cutting it fine when butter was cheap! Can't save much more on water, gas or electric. I'm still a student and my funding expired in September, so we took a 12.5K drop in household income straight off - worse because I was expecting to be funded this year; and I'm not allowed to leave before the end of the year. OH works, but although I have no debt, he has quite a lot left for him to pay off by his stb ex-wife and the legal fees for the divorce are crippling us at the moment, sickening because it should be so simple (no property, money or kids) so it's just money for nothing. I saved enough to cover the rent for the year when I was funded, so that's not a problem, but I do worry a little bit.

But even through all of it I'm happier than I've ever been.

katieowl_2

kittie wrote: »

What used to really help me when times were very very hard was doing a timeline and getting cash out once a month and putting it into labelled envelopes

I've just been having a war council with OH and I've come to that conclusion. I've got Jan and Feb Council Tax and water rates 'free' because of the way you pay over 10 months. So we were wondering if we could get through Jan on £146!???

I thought I'd take out cash and see how it went. I used to do this years ago, and you are so right - it does help... It all began to go pear shaped when the Abbey couldn't manage to sort out the Tax Credits payments cos' they had stupid numbers, and I had to have it paid into my main bank account! It's too easy to pay more than you budget for when you just get a card swiped!

Trouble is everything is SO expensive now! Not Just Food! My DS takes man sized clothes and extra man sized shoes and socks, and he eats like a horse! LOL! He's only 15!!!

I've signed up for classes to learn Welsh (we are hoping to move to Wales) and even though I got an unwaged concession on the fees, it costs me nearly a fiver a week to get there! Transport costs are a real bug bear of mine. I pay £25 every half term to get DS to school on the train, it's only three stops, but it'd take him ages on the bus as he'd have to change twice.

Not sure I understand what you mean by doing a 'timeline'? Could you explain?

Regards

Kate

Gingham_Ribbon

kittie wrote: »

Could we cope?

I see that gas is due to go up another 25% in a matter of weeks (starting with BG but we know they will all follow). Our council tax will go up 6% this year. Gas going up will cause electricity to go up and so will many of the things that are manufactured and of course inflation will rise

We have to cope, there are no two ways about it. But how?

Most of us OSers already batch bake and use the SC and we economise on soap powder and cleaning materials

I`ll start the ball rolling:
I would stop buying meat
cycle to the shops

What would you do to cut back further?

I will probably have to give up on organic dairy and eggs.
I'll probably try to use the car less (which I should be doing anyway.)
I should start shopping at Netto and Wilkos again instead of buying things from Morrisons that I know I can get cheaper elsewhere.
Shorter showers.

Sarahsaver

JoeyEmma wrote: »

The drop in the interest rate means the money saved on the mortgage (all £30) will be swallowed up on food, gas and electricity!

...if indeed they pass the drop onto customers ! alliance and leicester are only too quick to hike up the mortgage as soon as a rate increase happens but since they have gone down I have had no letter saying my bill will be less.

I am cross that I want to impart the work ethic to my kids and I have a part time job to help pay off debts early. hubbys income just takes us into a bracket where they think we do not need help with childcare costs, so they are fine during the school term, when i do not need childcare. Else all thats available is one that is £15 a DAY EACH!!! We COuld manage on one income if Dh could sell his house (HIPs, railway reconstruction near his old house, people now fearing getting a mortgage???).

I also pay 22% tax :eek: because i get an occupational pension which is measly(just under 8 years' service) , because i was a teacher now i do comparatively menial work as that is what I can cope with since a stroke in 2001. i sympathise with people who think they are getting a rough deal. I feel the same way. I would not get paid if I did not do a good job but the govt. gets my tax regardless.

We are stingy with fuel, charity shops provided the boys with lovely winter coats, and if it isn't reduced in price it 'ain't happenin!

taplady

Hi! we are in a similar predicament ot a lot of you in that we are struggling ATM. We were doing fine but Dh needed time off work sick and then we have had to bail out DS1 due to his car accident so now we are skint! thanks to all the tips here we are getting by but if a disaster happens I dont know what we'd do.
Things I am doing to cut down are

cooking from scratch and freezing portions
using up all leftovers
eating with family if offered!
walking everywhere to save petrol
menu planning
sticking to the shopping list
being inventive with the storecupboard supplies!;)
Not using the TD
washing at 30 degrees
growing veggies
turning thermostat down
sharing the bath
use charity shops and carboots

there's lots of others plus you've given me some ideas.:T