If things get tougher?

DdraigGoch

I'm fortunate in that I've been through the 17% inflation years and can recall the position I was in then - I've made sure I'm never going to be there again, so I can sympathise with the situation many people are going through and due to go through. Our motto now is, if we don't have the money for it, we can't have it - but that doesn't include basic food :eek: We live 6 miles from our nearest town/shops and the children seem to want to be in and out 3 or 4 times a day. Nowadays they have to accept that either they get a lift in and out once a day or find their own way. I feel that I should be ferrying them, but then I look at the bank balance and stick to my guns. They have bikes, there are buses ..... and they can walk.

We are going back to proper food preparation these days - back to old-fashioned food instead of whatever everyone wants whenever they want it. In fact, I'm enjoying it! I'm not too sure everyone else is happy with me cooking so much again :rotfl:

and Kate, I don't hold out much hope on the HIPs front - the planning rules do not allow for all sorts of sensible, ordinary stuff to be done, so, to some extent, their hands are tied.

katieowl_2

Did anyone see this??

http://money.uk.msn.com/guides/raising-a-family/article.aspx?cp-documentid=8894003

Apparently we are all dipping into the kids savings to pay the day to day stuff!

Regards

Kate

RE

sammy_kaye18

katieowl wrote: »

Did anyone see this??

http://money.uk.msn.com/guides/raising-a-family/article.aspx?cp-documentid=8894003

Apparently we are all dipping into the kids savings to pay the day to day stuff!

Regards

Kate

RE

I will shamefully admit that i have had to dip into bens savings this month and borrowing £40 (it will be paid back on my pay day though which is tomorrow) but it was to do a food shop with because althoguh all our bills are being tackled to get them lower they are still bills at the end of the day.

knittingnelly

sammy "I will shamefully admit that i have had to dip into bens savings this month and borrowing £40 (it will be paid back on my pay day though which is tomorrow) but it was to do a food shop with because althoguh all our bills are being tackled to get them lower they are still bills at the end of the day."

Don't you worry about that hon, what he doesn't know won't hurt him and he'll get it back and plenty more besides as he grows up. You have to pay the bills to keep your home going so he benefits anyway. My eldest has a new summer job and now has far more disposable income than his dad and I ever do! Now we borrow money from each other but, blimey, don't expect him to write off my debts the way I've written his off over the years :rotfl:

Off topic - just looking at your sig, do you use the Xmas thread on here? If so does it help? I always get scared as to how I'll pay for Xmas and would like to get a bit done early this year.

knittingnelly

Oh and Happy Birthday Sammy for tomorrow in case I forget - got a busy few days. xxx

moanymoany

When we buy our retirement house we are going to get a solid fuel stove. If the house already has a back boiler we will get a stove with a boiler but otherwise we will get a straight forward stove.

We will also insulate the place to the max. As it will be newish it should have double glazing.

In our rented house there is no heating other than the central heating.

sammy_kaye18

knitting nelly - i started one called crafty for christmas 2008 over on the thread nad the locals on that board are fab - there is hundreds fo gift ideas going and some very talented people i might add - think i have everyone planned for christmas now and its jsut executing the gifts i want to give basically. im getting little bits as and wen i can afford to which is going well and so i should be able to really sit down come september and get craftign like mad wen little one starts full tiem school - im also hoping to pick up a few extra shifts then too so we have more income ready for christmas.

The only problem with my crafty thread is that you have your list of to do things , then someone else comes along and links to/shows you a link/shows you a picture of soemthign they've made - and then you end up another 30 things you want to make that you haent gifted to anyone but they look nice so you find a way to fit it in.

(i should add watch out for sethsgran she is the main culprit! )

but your more than welcome - you should pop over and say hello. They are all lovely and friendly jsut like the OS bunch

mary43

knitting nelly - Ditto what sammy kaye said.............there are loads of ideas on the Special Occassions board on how to do Christmas a lot cheaper........which shops to go to for cheapest items, ideas for hampers and loads of other stuff.
Trouble is, with coming on here and on that board I pick up all these ideas and my list of 'stuff to do' gets longer.................lol

Tashja

Ohhhh ok - I have been convinced to pop over to the Special Occassions Board for a nosey !!!!

I need to get on top of Christmas this year as I don't think we will have much money either.

T xx

katieowl_2

sammy_kaye18 wrote: »

I will shamefully admit that i have had to dip into bens savings this month and borrowing £40 (it will be paid back on my pay day though which is tomorrow) but it was to do a food shop with because althoguh all our bills are being tackled to get them lower they are still bills at the end of the day.

Nothing shameful about it!!!!....our son (16) offered to pay the mortgage (or contribute towards it) this month, when he heard us trying to scrape it together....We didn't take him up on it - but I might well have to some other time! I'm quite happily going to take the cost of Broadband and the TV license of him in September too - when he gets his EMA (he has a part time job too)

You do what you have to do - and pull together as a family... even if you are only little like Ben!

My kids haven't had any pocket money off me in years! That's not to say I don't treat them occassionally, but there is no cash sum which changes hands on a regular basis.

I was just amazed to see 'out in the open' so to speak that people are admitting they are struggling...

Regards


Kate