It's STILL tough and not getting better - so how are we coping?

Butterfly_Brain

Culpepper sorry to hear of your loss ((((((Hugs)))))

crickett1234

Culpepper, so very sorry to hear of the loss of your cat. xx

Princess_kate

So sorry about your moggy Culpepper. They are such characters & massive members of the family arn't they!

katholicos

Culpepper, so sorry (((hugs)))

Ceridwen, thanks so much :-)

I'm off to get ready in a min, it's my mothers birthday and we are going to go and visit them and then go out for a meal. We've (daughter and I) made Mum a mega calorific birthday cake (yum yum) and the present i made for her is a hamper made up of Body Shop toiletries that i bought at extremely silly prices using online offers and discount codes! Looks terrifically expensive though :-)

gailey_2

Rummer-hope your bloke gets jobs soon mines looking at moment but he still has ajob so slightly different.

culpepper-sorry about cat.

jediteacher-great news about hols sounds like just what you need.

Will hunt out hot chilli sauce recipie later and post.

When I was little I did think you work hard you get everything your parents had guess its part of growing up, materialistic things part of trappings of adulthood.

But im 30 dont own a house, a car and have debts yes at times I get frustrated as we not frivalous people sometimes tiring has definatly conspired against us in terms of pay rises,bonus , hubbys car of doom , rising costs ect , kids have had huge impact but wouldent change them for world they make me so happy dont think theres ever a good time to have kids keep telling my mate that.

I think no matter what your income you can fall into difficulties.
I guess the more rich you are the higher you got to fall ect.
I feel sorry for most people genuinally struggling.

I do get mad when i see people go bankrupt on news then run up debts and have 2nd bankrupcy I guess its the people who dont learn, appreciate others financial situation and and deliberatly run up debts they no intentiopn of paying back wind me up.

I think money management and managing a household budget is trickier for younger generations they dont always have the tools to cope in terms of budgeting, restraint and cooking ect they wnat everything right now sky tv, car, plasma, foreign hols ect.

I think the world is changing hubbys says theres the haves and have nots.

Those who brought at right time brought cheap, have equity and often cheaper than rents.

Those who brought at boom struggling with morgage payments petrhaps because they overstetched themselves to by ie 6times salary ect and maybe in negative equity, trying to sell but cant.

Those who dident buy in boom as were cautious or perhaps waiting prices to drop in high priavate rentals who cant raise 25percent deposits or have clean enough credit history banks now require.
But as they have roof over head chance of cheaper ha housing not realistic when supply outstrips demand.

Thats us we trapped in private rental for near future , we happy here though, hubby earns high gross salary but once car of doom paid, rent, increasingbills/food, debts theres nothing left, we considered too wealthy to eligable for benefits but tis has made us much more finacially independant I do carboots/ebay , we live very oldstyle life these days and try stay positive and dwell on what might have been.

People in ha some lucky if they fortunate to live somewhere nice but theres some awful estates, yes granted they have a place for life, can do more to the property, cheaper rents but personal security, quality of life if thet overcrowded or live in huge tower block no garden might not be as nice.
Most council/ha tennanst n salary lower than 19grand gross and many in recipt of various benefits just to survive they trapped in the prision that is the state.

Well last nites dinner hubby liked apart from yogurt dip but baby liked it.
The flat breads dident turn out as hoped they quite tricky wish I could use grill but its smokes house out every time I use it.
Its landlords oven and its rubbish one of rings has collapsed, grills smokes, very small and door keeps not shutting properly.

Got annoyed with hubby as we have faulty sofa from homebase and we needed to exchange it but we couldent agree and hes picked one im not keen on and im not convinvced it be practical with kids, have same fault as last ones but hubbys all style over substance im getting very practical in old age.

Bad news is a year ago was trying to keep grocery challange to 150 which for us is unrealistics I commend famies that do manage it.

Within last year i have cooked even more from scratch, done bulk of shopping in lidls, brought more reduced and baked this has helped.

I want to spend 200 a month on all food, drink, toilitries and household but struggling and then feel rubbsih.


So I meal planned several meals that we like that I batch cook and freeze shep pie, lasagane,spag bol, fish pies, casseroles, currys, chilli ect.

Now babys 1 its getting harder as she eats more than elder sister and has started drinking cows milk has to be fresh blue top.
we get through 4pints semi a day at cheapest cost 1.09 at lidls thats 8quid a week and now need to add maybe 2 4pints bluetop to so think accurate figure would be 35quid a month.
We dont buy much meat if we do its cheaper cuts or reduced eat mostly veggies.
Now im baking more having to buy more spread, flour and sugar.
we already by one of cheaper brands of coffee.
We buy double concentrate squash.
bread- hubby prefers shop brough so do mix of cheap/reduced bread and some homemade to try keep bread costs down.
I try give girls 5fruit and veg a aday its hellped we grown some, foraged much more this year plus I have lots of frozen frfuit and veg might start buying more tinned but even thats expensive.


I added everythinig we use per month with quanities so 4jars of coffee as use a jar a week on average ect.
Comes to 250 thats without any luxuries and some serious shopping around as might have to so 5-6places to keep costs down with rising food cost as reckon russias wheat will hike up cereals.

So plan for august.

shop bulk at lidls
co-op have genrous reductiosn but be restined as everything else super pricey
do morrisions as well as sainsbury reallt dont think mr t much cheaper on lots of things and asda bit out of our way.
visit market see if can get cheaper veg after somewhere that sells huge bag of potatoes as works out cheaper than supermarket.
milk-lidls or iceland only.
We have a mobile butcher called bristol meat machine in pub carpark might try some beef from him as only buy freedom poultry.

Hubbys missing the choc and biscuits he usually buys
plus im restraining him on crisps.

I do feel on food issue its getting much tougher.

im not sure a set figure for each month is realistic as every 3months buy washing powder.

getting some cheap booze from france just for cooking as love using redwine to cook.

I want to stockpile a bit and start buying tiny bits for xmas now so blooming hard.

Top tip got new hand chese grater ikea which means we using much less cheese than the big one.
Also in sadwiches always greate chese dont cut it as you use less that way.

Right best go rescue baby from exited sister and plan our day.

elona

Culpepper

gentle hug - so sorry about your much loved cat.

Mardatha- going to check on today's news now and your verbal fisticuffs if I can find them. Reporters really need to get out more - round here bread is £1.35 a loaf!!!! And has been for ages. Would suggest they buy a clue but their "lifestyle" probably means they could not afford one;)

Need to do some research on beds as have talked DH into buying a new superking size once we move into new house. I don't want to be a mug and just march into B******, D*****, S********** etc- point at a name I recognise because it has been advertised on telly and I like the colour and order it!!!!

I am desperate to get moved in, organise stores and equipment and get hunkered down. Have warned DH we will need to spend some money but only on good quality stuff that we really need, have researched and get a good deal on.

kezlou

culpepper wrote: »

Just a quick update...poor puss died during the night we are all very upset .
We would have given any amount of money for him to be alright but he was an old boy and had had enough stress.

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss, we thought we would to put our little lucy-kin, to sleep but luckily she pulled through. You have my deepest sympathies. ((hugs)))

ceridwen -the tangine sounds lovely, my mouths watering looking at the recipe x
plum thanks for the recipe, will have a go tomorrow.


THe fires in Russia are still birning, 23 villages were saved last night alone. Cattle are being slaughtered as they won't be enough feed for them. So awful, but i think putin's doing the right thing by banning the export of wheat. Me i personally cannot stand the murderous, blackmailing,thieving swine.
Looks like the price of wheat will double, its 79p now for 1.5kg of white bread flour, imagine what it will be like in October. I shudder at the thought.

Kath have a good day hun x
jedi your family sound amazing x enjoy your hols!

Gailey i agree it is hard keeping to £150 a month, that's my target as well. I end buying ton's of reduced cheese and freezing it. My boys love goats cheese which is sky high so i buy it when its reduced, luckily where i live generally available reduced.

I looked in my cupboards, i seriously need to do some stocking up. We have no self raising flour, 1 bag of plain flour, 1 bag of white bread flour, 1/2 brown and 1 bag of wholemeal. Oh and need some yeast badly, or its hand baking time. Which i'm hampered with as i can't stand for a length of time:(.

Made some wholemeal buns yesterday and they look fab. First time i've made them when they've actually worked ! Normally they don't rise and are far too doughy.

Been shopping from the freezer again so i shouldn't need to go shopping yet. Its mince mix so think i might change it into chilli and have some rice with it. We've got another meals worth of macaroni cheese so we'll have that on Saturday. DS2 (snips) made it with me, so we used up all the off cheese and he really enjoyed making it. He was so proud of himself. Then i need to think of something for those lunches/teas. Going to try and see how far we can go, will get milk from the corner shop as it £1 for 4 pints.

babychick

Sorry if this has been posted already but I was in Farmf00ds yesterday and they have bread on 2 for £1 (h0vis) and milk on 2 for £1.50 (4 pts x 2). Hope this helps someone.;)

katiegizmo

gailey wrote: »

Hubbys missing the choc and biscuits he usually buys
plus im restraining him on crisps.

I bet this is a harder job than any of the baking, shopping for bargains etc:rotfl:

mardatha

I think Gailey, that its up to parents to teach kids how life really is, what matters & what doesn't. So all the children of mums in here will grow up knowing how to cope
I knew nothing at all, eloped at 16 with a biker, couldn't cook and didnt want to learn either. I thought all coal was free cos my dad was a miner But I was lucky that we were sound together and had a few years without kids- that gave us time to get ourselves sorted.
I've sort of got him trained now....but there's room for improvement