Memorygirl's SOA - do your magic!!

yellowduck_2

Hi Memorygirl, defo get an electric blanket if you can, I used to have my little one in bed with me (and the "wulectric sheet" as he used to call it) in the days when I could not afford to have the heating on. Hot water bottles and blankets on the settee too, but there is a part of me that is seething with anger on your behalf that you should have to take these measures in the 21st century. I am having to be very careful with my heating as skint at the moment due to being unable to work cos of health problems. Vowed not to put heating on til Dec, use my elec banket, early nights reading or watching t v in bed to keep warm, lots of layers etc. Do you have a slow cooker or could you get one from Freecycle, they are wonderful, really cheap to run, you can make great soups and stews etc in them. I love mine and its saved me a small fortune.

Memory_Girl

yellowduck wrote: »

Hi Memorygirl, defo get an electric blanket if you can, I used to have my little one in bed with me (and the "wulectric sheet" as he used to call it) in the days when I could not afford to have the heating on. Hot water bottles and blankets on the settee too, but there is a part of me that is seething with anger on your behalf that you should have to take these measures in the 21st century. I am having to be very careful with my heating as skint at the moment due to being unable to work cos of health problems. Vowed not to put heating on til Dec, use my elec banket, early nights reading or watching t v in bed to keep warm, lots of layers etc. Do you have a slow cooker or could you get one from Freecycle, they are wonderful, really cheap to run, you can make great soups and stews etc in them. I love mine and its saved me a small fortune.

Ooh Yellowduck - Acquired over the last few years a

slow-cooker (fabulous curries and pot roasts so tender they fall apart)

breadmaker (even learned to make other things than your basic white loaf - esp pizza bases)

Yogurt maker - we eat it plain with rice n curries as well as with fruit in it

Pressure cooker - fab for cooking really cheap pulses and "almost instant" veggie soups to stock the freezer.

Pasta maker (Lakeland on and only£2.99 from Charity Shop). With some flour and an egg I can make ravioli to feed us all from scraps in the fridge for pennies.

Burger maker (Lakeland and a pound from charity shop) Means I can really carefully portion control little amount of meat without us feeling too deprived. Take a cheap pack of mince and make 10 burgers for the freezer - MMMM!!!

Food flask - always feel better if you can have a something hot for lunch.


I am SOOOOOOOOOO sad. Used to love shopping for short skirts and high heels - now I scour charity shops for cooking utensils.

Mind you I did learn to cook in self defense - Mum wasn't exactly keen in the kitchen :rotfl:

Memorygirl

yellowduck_2

you sound so resourceful, I am full of admiration. In the long term it pays off in ways that are nothing to do with money. My son, now grown up, is a great cook, we have a really good friendly relationship which I am sure had something to do with going thru tough times together. You will come out the other side of this and hopefully be able to treat yourself to the short skirts and the high heels

QueenBeruthiel

MG, does your child attend his nearest school? Because if there is no nearer school, and it is miles away along dangerous roads, he might be entitled to free transport. Ring your local authority and inquire. Lots of kids in rural areas travel on taxis provided by the authority. If they refuse you - ask if they have an appeal system.

mrstreacle

Don't bother with the special film for windows, we use ordinary cling film attached with double sided tape and as long as you seal the joins it's fine, and we've done this every winter for years. As for heating we have 2 gas fires in our house and that's it, and I sit at the pc with fleece and woolly hat when it's cold as we don't put the fire on unless its zero. Kills of a lot of germs too which helps. No electric blankets but we do have a lot of cats that warm up our laps.

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Spare duvet on the sofa to cuddle under, kids love that! An electric blanket on the bed of anyone too cold really helps, even taking into consideration the purchase price it's cheaper than heating! You can buy special film which goes over windows and you hairdryer it flat to keep draughts out, brilliant for sash windows IMO or if you can get hold of bubble wrap put that over the glass. I heat my main living area if it's frozen out, just not on milder winter days, and my energy bills for a two bed flat are £34 a month. For food have you read Weezl74's 'Eat healthily on 50p per day' thread on the Old Style board?

Memory_Girl

yellowduck wrote: »

you sound so resourceful, I am full of admiration. In the long term it pays off in ways that are nothing to do with money. My son, now grown up, is a great cook, we have a really good friendly relationship which I am sure had something to do with going thru tough times together. You will come out the other side of this and hopefully be able to treat yourself to the short skirts and the high heels

You know - you are absolutely right. I am certain that the only reason I left college withour any debt was that I could cook for myself - even in tiny bedsits. From memory my budget was about £4.00 per week.

I used to buy 4oz of meat per week and make a stew with loads of "end of the day veg" from the local market. So with loads of potatoes that was Sunday. I then scooped what was left in to takeaway containers and froze them in the little bit at the top of the fridge you used to get.

A scoop of "meat" and a chopped up potato in Shorcrust pastry was my tea on Monday. I had one of these teeny table-top oven thingies.

Tuesday was another scoop of the veg with half a tin on tomatoes, some curry sauce for Tuesday.

The leftiovers from that with a half tin of kidney beans and lots of chilli was Wednesday dinner with loads of rice


Another wee pot left in the slow cooker all day with a couple of mugs of water and a handful of pearl barley - made loads of soup for Thursday night.

My last pot was made into an "Irish Stew" wwith loads of chopped cabbage and a microwave baked potato.

On Saturday I would blend up what was left from my Irish Stew with another baked potato to make "Tattie soup" on Sunday.

With loads of porridge breakfasts and veggie soups in flask for lunch I did 2 years of Drama College - Loooooonnnngggg hours (I did the Technical course so we worked all day preparing one show and crewed another in the evenings) BUT I WAS SOOOOOO FIT.

Mt girlfriends are arrriving in an hour with their Tesco cards - we are going shopping with all of our points to fill up my storecupboards with as much as possible to keep us going. Bless them all. So time to start thinking along the same lines as college again.

In exchange I have swapped babysitting, sewing, crocheting a bag and cooking Xmas sweets for their points.

Love my girlies.

Memorygirl

Memory_Girl

mrstreacle wrote: »

Don't bother with the special film for windows, we use ordinary cling film attached with double sided tape and as long as you seal the joins it's fine, and we've done this every winter for years. As for heating we have 2 gas fires in our house and that's it, and I sit at the pc with fleece and woolly hat when it's cold as we don't put the fire on unless its zero. Kills of a lot of germs too which helps. No electric blankets but we do have a lot of cats that warm up our laps.

Mrs Treacle - that is a stunning idea. My mission today is going to be to find someone who will lend me a calor gas fire. Then at least when it does get cold we can heat one room - and it can be paid for in advance so I won't be worrying about the bill later.

Dug out and old blanket that I've cut to use as another lining on the livingroon curtain. Some left over for draught excluders too I think. Pretty sure I have some clingfilm to get busy with too.

Got some random bits of double knitting that I will make into a hat for me - baby and DS have hats for outside already, but one for me inside is a good idea.

Thank you for all of your suggestions.

If you all only knew how much your positive suggestions are keeping me going - if only because they are keeping me very busy.

You are all officially my "Everyday Angels"

Memorygirl

Memory_Girl

QueenBeruthiel wrote: »

MG, does your child attend his nearest school? Because if there is no nearer school, and it is miles away along dangerous roads, he might be entitled to free transport. Ring your local authority and inquire. Lots of kids in rural areas travel on taxis provided by the authority. If they refuse you - ask if they have an appeal system.

Not the nearest school - the nearest school has over 300 kids in it and would be terrifiying for DS.

He is at a Charity run school that is outside the remit for the local authority - although we have to comply with all the Care Standards, Curriculum etc. It is a Montessori school and avery special place for my DS - they are being brilliantly supportive.

I will try again to get some travel assistance - but because the schoolis my choice (not theirs) I might struggle to get any financial help regarding travel or school dinners.

I will get it onto my Diary for Monday morning anyways.

Thank you

Memorygirl

nunnygirl

MemoryGirl, I didn't want to read and run.

I cannot offer you any advice but your determination is an inspiration to someone like me who has never been in such a situation like the bank has left you in. I think it's absolutely appalling that they left you with 71p!

I love your fantasy and could totally see it happening....and Gabriel Byrne....why not

Memory_Girl

nunnygirl wrote: »

MemoryGirl, I didn't want to read and run.

I love your fantasy and could totally see it happening....and Gabriel Byrne....why not

Erm!!!! cos I am pretty sure he's married:rotfl:

The reason I've picked on him - OK reasons!!!

1. The sexiest kiss in Film History - him and Bridgit Fonda in "The Assassin"

2. That gorgeous Irish lilt and dark dark eyes

3. Did you know he gave a up a career in Teaching in his thirties to go and follow a dream of being and actor. Now thats what I call inspiration - being so sure that are doing the right thing that you have all that conviction and take such action. Fabulous!!

4. Because if I named the other actor I quite fancy and admitted that I've fancied him since I was thirteen and we were at school together you might be able to work out who I am - :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Memorygirl