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

mardatha

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: how weird that looks ! I bet its too cold for them up here, pity cos they brighten things up eh ? You could imagine you were on holiday in Barbados !:D

gailey_2

Morning huys so much to catch up on here.

katie gizmo- I be lethal at choc tasting. chocs a valuable commodity and will go up and one person in londons brought 2 3rds of worlds cocoa beans so might bulk buy but would have to hide it.

Kezlou bless you boys buying in primark now as its cheaper.
My secret culinary shame I sometimes but at bbqs is the batchelors savoury rice and the pasta macaroni chese or chicken and mushroom they were 3 for 1.98 in lidls and always have it as back up food , same with tinned baked beans, spagetti hoops, supernoodles and princes sandwich pastes when we bombed out of all food they been good although trying to do more home by batchcooking sauces rather than buying a few jars.

Had nice lie in as feel shattered a lot latly but have been busy and school hols.
Woman dident turn up yesterday for buggy waited in all afternoon.
So dident have cash to pay some bills or go carboot today.
Rang mate see if she wanted to sell she cant be bothered since her bloke got better paid job and its too hard to do carboot with 2small kids.
Going to take daughter shoe shopping end of week might skip clarks as the useless service, not as good quality and what me and my mates call little lolita shoes the designs got too tacky and trendy.
So going to couple of small independant shoe shops to check out hush puppies as they do half sizes and startright. Its just for school shoes will get cheapy ugg from tesco.

Got 2.50 clubcard vouchers gutted not 5 as could have doubled up to 10 and brought more uniform.

Taking girls to local park its nether sunny or rain here very odd.
Eldest been driving hubby mad this morning and baby needs some sleep in car.


Re mobility fil got red cross chair. The large stores and supermarkets offer free use of mobility scooter when in there think tesco, morrisions and asda do that here.

I quite like idea of shopping trolley but would age me so wouldent plus luckily can pile up buggy with food shopping.
Catch everyone later hope you have great day.

Slinky

ubamother wrote: »

As a 'young' (early forties - that's young!) soon-to-be user of a mobility scooter my skin crawls at the idea - I so applaud those who have been sensible and accepted scooters as a positive tool, enabling them to have a more active involved life - I haven't yet been able to manage that level of emotional maturity! I'm only going down this line to try and stay involved in the plethora of physical activities that have always been central in our family life. I've got as far as agreeing to hire one for the day (in a town where I know no-one!) and see how it goes. Until I was the one who developed the disability I never ever realised how incredibly courageous people with disabilities are, in just trying to live a normal life. The process of acceptance is remarkable similar to that of bereavement and coping with loss which is interesting (academic third party thinking helps a lot!). I keep telling myself it's just my own vanity - some of it is, but most of it is fear - of not looking 'able', clearly not being physically competent and just being less than I was. All my usual rationalising abilities have flown out of the nearest window! Sorry - don't normally whinge as it's so boring but this thread edging onto scooters set me off!

If you do get a scooter of your own, could you make it a talking point - decorate it with go-faster stripes, show some of your own personality in the design, try and make it a positive thing rather than a negative thing, that it's giving you back some freedom, but showing that you're still young and with-it?

Spendless

I've seen it mentioned twice today in the paper that tomorrow marks the 3rd anniversary of the credit crunch. Am not sure what they are considering as the starting of it? Would it be the troubles at Northern Rock?

3 years ago, my youngest had finished nursery and was going to f-time school in September. As I mentioned previously I had no intention of finding paid employment at that time, I was continuing at college so I was off when the kids were and looking forward to time to sort the house out. The following summer I remember attending a jobs fayre and being told that the jobs just weren't out there anymore like there'd been 6 months previously. I became far more aware at Christmas time when woolworths and many other stores shut. I remember walking round our town on NYE 2008. It was bitterly cold and I literally could have cried at all the signs saying 'business now closed'. Last year how bad things were came closer to home, when I finally finished college and started on an 18 month job-hunt before finding anything and hubby took a pay-cut-now thankfully re-instated. Though things have picked up for us, I'm more aware than ever how quickly things can go downhill.

ubamother

Slinky wrote: »

If you do get a scooter of your own, could you make it a talking point - decorate it with go-faster stripes, show some of your own personality in the design, try and make it a positive thing rather than a negative thing, that it's giving you back some freedom, but showing that you're still young and with-it?

I like it - you are quite right - my family and friends (who are such a tremendous support) have a great time planning it - giving it a Tardis theme apparently! My husband is threatening to make me a wooden bogie (apparently a Geordie name for a kid's go cart to pull me around on) My (and their) determination to maintain my usual energetic silliness is still there - just have to dig deeper at the moment to find it. What complete strangers think of me was never ever something that has concerned me before but does at the moment which I know in my head is silly and I WILL get over it! No longer being able to canoe, sail, climb, dance etc. is a challenge, but I know I can find other ways to be me - eventually! Sorry to unload - self-pity is not my usual indulgence - that would be red wine!

Lindy_-_Loo

gailey wrote: »

Had nice lie in as feel shattered a lot latly but have been busy and school hols.
Woman dident turn up yesterday for buggy waited in all afternoon.
So diddent have cash to pay some bills or go carboot today.

Have you tried ebay to sell your prams?

Loads of prams at the car boot today, went on my own and managed to get a board game thats £12.99 in argos for £1 and it not opened. Have put away for xmas, DS1 asked for it last year.
Got 3 books for boys for 60p and a frame that holds 4 photos for 60p. Its been sanded and put up, looks great!

gailey_2

Lindy_-_Loo wrote: »

Have you tried ebay to sell your prams?

Loads of prams at the car boot today, went on my own and managed to get a board game thats £12.99 in argos for £1 and it not opened. Have put away for xmas, DS1 asked for it last year.
Got 3 books for boys for 60p and a frame that holds 4 photos for 60p. Its been sanded and put up, looks great!

I sold my last 2 on ebay and had 23quid of listing fees for selling each pram plus 8quid of paypal fees.

I advertised on netmums as free and put ad in paper 4quid each.
Just ate being messed about.

will ring tax credits monday see whats going on.

Been to totally new park in neearby town was nice picked some blackberries.
Just doing late lunch and pondering idea of blackberry picking alone this afternoon as kids get bored and its time consuming to pick quantity I will need for jams and stuff. Plus some peace be nice.

Need to get motivated top do more decluttering too.

Re credit crunch I finished fulltime just before crunch happened thinking I get part time job, tonnes of applications but sadly no job.
Then fell pregnant with 2nd whos now nearly a year old and tried to find part time supermarket or nightjob last 6months but no luck.
Jobs still hard to come by as so much competion and as a mum im not fully flexible as need childcare so even harder.

I survived through cutbacks , selling ebay, carboots ect but been very hard .

jan -2009 hubby got paycut and we removed daughter from daynursury dec 2009 as just couldent afford it luckily she was settled in free precshool by then.

We switched everything we could probably needs another look buy not sure switching we will make huge savings.
Rent and council tax rises been out of our control.
Energy bill over last winter was awful so last few months had to pay more.
Our car has really screwed us over but we couldent afford to change but most of our credit card debt is car.

We have rarly gone out, havent gone on foreign hols, brought latest gadgets , netbooks and phones.
We havent gone mad at birthdays and xmas.
We rarly go out or treat ourselves to bottle of wine.
Clothes wise me and hubby rarly buy if we do its from supermarket, sale and second hand I estimate we easily spend less than 100 a year on clothes and shoes between us.
Kids get mostly 2nd hand stuff sometimes nanny buys her new stuff and brought her summer shoes.

I read paper saying economys on the up but we feel as broke as ever perhaps worse.Everything seems to be going up but wages havent been.

Food wise and oldstyle think we pretty much where we need to be I will bring food bill down to 200 if it kills me but will mean lots of shopping around and cooking.

my mate said she spent 40quid a month on food as her hubby works away im shocked.I think with familes its harder and doubt she included household and toiltries in that and think she eats lunch at work and often goes out.

Unless hubby gets better paid job or I can bring in more income I find it hard how things will get better.
It does baffle me how more people dont appear to be struggling unless they have lots of debt.
Feel we tried to be responsible and keep to tight budget so very frustrating to be in same position.

The_Thrilla

As well as looking out for Number One (And that's me!), I have been looking at the buying habits of other people. And frankly I am a little worried.

Yesterday and today, I have been in the co-op, Lidl and Asda. In Asda I was the only one at the reduced counter. People were stacking their trolleys as they had always done, and running up bills running into three figures.

As well as noting how much they are buying, I was also noting what they were buying. There does not seem to be any difference. The Brits were buying chocolate biscuits (The staple diet in this town.), lager, potato crisps, that ghastly Chorleywood method bread, sweetmeats and Nurofen. The Russians, whenever I am behind them in the checkout queue, always seem to buy nothing but a whole salami and a couple of cartons of vitamin pills. I don't know what the Poles buy, because they all seem to be working at the checkout these days. So no changes there.

I have seen no evidence of panic buying at the bread or the flour sections in any of the supermarkets. So there is still plenty of opportunity to get stocked up for the forthcoming famine.

There is supposed to be the mother of all recessions imminent, and no one seems to be getting ready for it.

ceridwen

ubamother wrote: »

As a 'young' (early forties - that's young!) soon-to-be user of a mobility scooter my skin crawls at the idea - I so applaud those who have been sensible and accepted scooters as a positive tool, enabling them to have a more active involved life - I haven't yet been able to manage that level of emotional maturity! I'm only going down this line to try and stay involved in the plethora of physical activities that have always been central in our family life. I've got as far as agreeing to hire one for the day (in a town where I know no-one!) and see how it goes. Until I was the one who developed the disability I never ever realised how incredibly courageous people with disabilities are, in just trying to live a normal life. The process of acceptance is remarkable similar to that of bereavement and coping with loss which is interesting (academic third party thinking helps a lot!). I keep telling myself it's just my own vanity - some of it is, but most of it is fear - of not looking 'able', clearly not being physically competent and just being less than I was. All my usual rationalising abilities have flown out of the nearest window! Sorry - don't normally whinge as it's so boring but this thread edging onto scooters set me off!

YOu're entitled to a whinge about this - I'm sure anyone/everyone else would "whinge" as well. Cut yourself some slack - you're human - of course you mind - you wouldnt be human if you didnt mind.

Hope your "trial" goes well.

You're right about the level of "courage" it takes. The person with the worst disability I'm aware of at present is fortunately someone who obviously likes a challenge in life - and he still sets himself challenges that would daunt people a lot more able-bodied than he is - and I can turn round on the other hand and see people who don't appear to have any health problems AFAIK and they arent actually trying to do anything with their lives - they have no plans/no hopes/nothing and I look at them and think "But you don't have any particular problems - and you could be doing all sorts - and you aren't <puzzled smilie>" and think all the higher of the aforementioned guy for how much he still does and plans to do in the future (compared with the ablebodied people I'm comparing him with). Guess who gets my vote as someone I admire..

gailey_2

The_Thrilla wrote: »

As well as looking out for Number One (And that's me!), I have been looking at the buying habits of other people. And frankly I am a little worried.

Yesterday and today, I have been in the co-op, Lidl and Asda. In Asda I was the only one at the reduced counter. People were stacking their trolleys as they had always done, and running up bills running into three figures.

As well as noting how much they are buying, I was also noting what they were buying. There does not seem to be any difference. The Brits were buying chocolate biscuits (The staple diet in this town.), lager, potato crisps, that ghastly Chorleywood method bread, sweetmeats and Nurofen. The Russians, whenever I am behind them in the checkout queue, always seem to buy nothing but a whole salami and a couple of cartons of vitamin pills. I don't know what

the Poles buy, because they all seem to be working at the checkout these days. So no changes there.

I have seen no evidence of panic buying at the bread or the flour sections in any of the supermarkets. So there is still plenty of opportunity to get stocked up for the forthcoming famine.

There is supposed to be the mother of all recessions imminent, and no one seems to be getting ready for it.

I agree its baffling really how some people havent canged that included my mam.

Im nosy and sometimes observe especially people in queue next to me some people buy entirly all organic.

Larger stores are deceptive as such a mix of people those who buy finest/taste the difference and spend hundered per shop and those who go and buy own brand or value find some value better vale than lidls or adlis if you know what your looking for.

Iceland predominantly low income shoppers but iceland very pricey when you compare to other retailers.

Polish here have some of their own shops, They always shopping at local carboot and poundland think they very thrifty hard working nation to be honest and cook more themselves.

I dod work at inner city supemarket with greater ethnic ranges and its interesting to see the patterns of buying.

Somalis always brought tonnes of milk alwasy blue top stange as most people drink semi but think its about gaining weight and big women highly in demand but male somalis look tiny in comparision they also buy tonnes of choc and norishment drinks in cans.

Jamaicans always cleared out all the chicken, brought gungo beans and couldent keep tropical juice on sale.

Asians used to buy tonnes of rice and other things got impression they do more cooking at home as its big part of their culture.

Xmas my fave time to observe everyone goes mad sepnds tonned buys lots and shops only shut for 2days.
They even buy readymade pigs on blankets and other really simple stuff.

Hubby says we time and cash poor.

I think flour-not many people use it if they never bake or make bread guess they wouldent.
As a nation we not bog cookers.
realsied that in corfo their supermarkets dont have same amount of readymeals and convieniance food here biscuits and chocs seem quite expensive but meal at local taverna muc cheaper and nicer than some of chains here.

If there a double dip recession on way then.
Im trying my best to prepare for winter maybe stockpile a bit and be organised for xmas.