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

northwest1965

Hippeechiq wrote: »

I also single freeze sausages for the same reason. Open freeze them first, and then chuck em in the freezer in bags of eight, then I can take out as few or many as I like at a time.

I used to have a local butcher when I lived in Suffolk - best sausage maker in the world! lol But I can't find anything even close in Dorset. Have tried a couple of local butchers, but don't like what I've bought from them. Cheap sausages make me feel sick, I can't help it, it doesn't matter what or how I cook them, they just make me feel sick.

Used to buy Walls, but they've gone up to like £2 + and I don't think they're particularly great either and most of the other packet sausages look like pink willies - ew!! :rotfl: and what is it they make them with?.....shredded rusks?/sawdust?....it ain't meat, that's for sure.

In desperation, I tried a pack of M & S Premium (98% Pork) a couple of years back, and they're quite nice. I wait till they have the offer of 3 double packs for £10 and then get 48 sausages for £10. Just under 21p a sausage - can't grumble at that eh?

I bought some from Aldi a few weeks ago, I think they were piri piri. Way too spicy to eat and i love my spicy food. I froze the remainder seperatly and I just chuck one in when making a caserole to give a kick.

I will probably be told right here but even though it says 98% pork, it just means it come from the pig, doesnt have to be good meat.

lambanana

I've got laundry and other housework type things to do when I get home, no fun after a full day at work! (well no fun even without work!) I'm not sleeping well and can't work out why (bed is comfy, not having caffiene after lunch time, relaxed before going to bed and there's nothing particular on my mind, I just can't sleep!)

DH is on a course in London in a few months and I got some very cheap train tickets so I can go with him and have a little day trip and a nosey, I will save what I can so I can treat myself in one of the nice knitting shops whilst we're there...assuming nothing happens in the meantime of course.

Hardup_Hester

I freeze my sausages singly as well, much easier to just grab what's needed rather than cooking extra, though hubby never complains, he's always happy to eat up the extras!

THIRZAH

I make a pasta sauce with sausages. Skin the sausages and dry fry the sausage meat in a heavy bottomed pan, breaking it up as it cooks. Then add tomato sauce. I've used chilli flavoured sausages which were too hot for me when grilled and they've made a nice spicy sauce

ceridwen

mardatha wrote: »

Ooooh that means I'm legal to drive a quad. :j:j:j
Em.
Anybody got a spare one they're not using ? The ones around here are covered in sheep poo and wet collies ..
EDITED- think I'll just wait till the torrential, heavy, soaking, cold, horrible, rain has gone off !!!

...ceridwen tiptoes VERY quietly off....before she gets in too much trouble for "peering through computer screens" ....:rotfl:

Well...now you've admitted that you're quad-legal Mardatha....we'll have to get us collective thinking caps on....:D

Christina_F

I never thought to freeze sausages separately - what a good idea - guess what I will be doing from now on!

lilac_lady

Lots of good funny posts here after hearing about the predicted petrol and food rises. I can picture Mardatha frightening the local crows (not parrots, too cold) as she whizzes along the country lanes on her quad bike complete with hand knitted hat, gloves and scarf, not forgetting the thermals and the hipflask to keep her warm.

greent

Phew! Finally caught up with the thread! Am de-lurking - occasionally read bits of the last one (usually BMF's posts, for some reason!) but don't think I ever posted.

downshifter wrote: »

I can really identify with that - unfortunately - and it shouldn't be - but we are so often classified by others, and by ourselves too, by what we do for a living. I see 'them' (the managers at the education centre I work at) going in to management meetings with their cakes and lovely coffee, and can't help thinking, I used to go to those, I used to chair those kind of meetings. Now they would see me as one of the lowest support workers, not knowing that I did all that in the past.They're very patronising if they even bother to talk to me! I also work in a shop, and people there only know me as a shop assistant with no other knowledge - and yet I have skills that could help them in areas where they flounder, - strategic planning and people management for example. I know that we should build up our self-esteem so that these kind of things don't matter and we shouldn't care what people think etc etc, but sometimes it's hard to do that, and as Needhelpsaving says, being looked down on is no great fun.

My daughter and her partner have just been made redundant - they worked for the same company. She went to sign on and the woman was totally horrible to her. My daughter was forced to say - Just because I have a 4 bedroomed house and a car (neither of which she can sell, not for want of trying!), I've still been made redundant - I haven't quite had time to move into a council house yet!! Very cheeky child I have, but surely the jobseekers woman must realise that she needs advice and help as much as anyone else. There but for the grace of whoever.........I don't understand how the economy is going to improve with so many redundancies around.

MY husband was made redundant twice last year within 7 months. The first time he went straight into a full time 'permanent' role - more basic salary but no company car, further away so more fuel costs, no 'benefits' such as health insurance etc. MAssive overspend and he was made redundant - found out about it 2 days after we bought a brand new car (my old car was 11 years old and the cost of repairs to get it back on the road were at least twice it's value - so we went for a car under the scrappage scheme - never had a new car before but used some of the previous redundancy money) Thankfully he had a couple of month's notice. Could find nothing. Had to claim contrib JSA for 13 weeks (all we were allowed for a family of 6 - and that was taxable, because we hadn't blown all the redundancy (actually kept some for a tax bill) He is a senior HR manager and the job centre had literally nothing in for him ever. He did apply for lower paid jobs (lots), but they wouldn't even interview him - the reason being that they said he would leave as soon as he had a better offer.

The job centre were most unhelpful. It wasn't until OH mentioned that he had an interview in London (where most of his interviews are) and the train fare was over £100 that they said that he could claim travel allowance for interviews - it was just a chance remark on his part that led to this - thankfully, as he had about 9 interviews in London - and that would have cost us £1000!! They looked at his CV and everything and just weren't very nice. Yes, we live in a nice house and have 2 cars, 4 children etc - but the chap had been made redundant twice in a short period, with all that that entails (and actually has a history of severe clinical depression)

Argh - enough of my moaning!! Anyway, OH is now self employed and currently working 300 miles away for the next 3 months. That leaves me, DD (12), DS1 (10), DS2 (4) and DS3 (14months) here

I have a reasonable stock of food here and whoopsie shop a lot. We grow some veggies and get things like hedgerow apples and blackberries. I'm plannig on Xmas presents including a lot of HM chutnies and soap (like mardatha I used to have a soap business - except mine was the cold process/ lye method)

4 children isn't cheap (not complaining - my choice) - but things get handed down from DS1 - DS2 - DS3. With DD (my first) I wouldn't have anything 2nd hand (although I wasn't a label snob or anything - supermarket and primark were where her clothes came from!). It's changed now - she has some clothes from friends daughters (although we recycle as much as we keep) and DS1-3 have clothes from friends, too. I've bought toys etc at NCT sales and ebay (I don't *do* carboots - not from snobbery, but from the sheer hassle factor of coping with them and 4 children and that many people - it harrasses me too much!!)

DS3 is still b/fed but I use disposables with him. I did use reusables with DS2 - but freegled them , not expecting to have another child:o I'm not a fan of expensive cleaning products - I'll happily make laundry gloop and use vinegar, bicarb etc for cleaning - from an environmental and personal health point as much as £.

I've been ebaying recently with a vengeance - and using the money to make OPs on the mortgage. I'm lucky in that I can use the money for this rather than need it to live, I know. The mortgage is our only debt and I'd love to reduce it as much as possible - it would mean less stress for OH (has 'man= provider' mentality, bless him!)

We have tightened our belts considerably - our income has dropped lots, so we've had to. Outwardly it probably doesn't look like it. However, we both come from poor backgrounds, so know how to cope (although I've had to educate OH more) We use c/b sites, have changed energy suppliers, shop around for insurances etc. We've also never been part of the 'must have this' crowd, nor ones for spending lots going out (even pre children)

Ooh - I've written heaps - sorry! There was more, but I think I've said enough:o Sorry for the length of the post!


ETA: urgh - have just done State pension Age calc thingy - 67!!!

lilac_lady

greent - your post is inspiring and will give a lot of comfort to those who are struggling to get back into work. You could teach us all a thing or two, so keep posting here.

kezlou

crickett1234 wrote: »

Kezlou, sweetie, I think you misread my post (or I wasn't clear...probably the latter! Feel like an extra in a zombie flick at the mo!) Hubby and I firmly together. It is both of us who will be moving, not just him (though there are times when I would quite happily bury him under the patio!). Thanks for your concern though!

sorry about that crickett it was misreading yours, been so doped up on painkillers i reading things wrong . Glad you are together, and yes i could bury my OH under a patio now if i had one. hmm maybe i could just shove him in the drain, then it would be all good. Yes mine's been a twit all day and stil well annoyed with him.

gailey i tend to buy cooking bacon or bacon bits and freeze it into portions. I just then take out what i need and cook it direct from frozen in the pan.
greent your awe inspiring coping with everything x hope to see you on the thread xx

on the sausage front has anyone tried the rachel organic sausages. They're normally on offer in asda 3 packs for £6, all the sausages are between 86 - 99% meat. Its not that i'm snobby i just prefer to buy meat filled sausages and freeze them, so i know what's in them.

Well been plowing on with the cleaning spree today still doing coddy's room arghhh he's doing my head in with it.Took him two days to do one box :mad:.But i took snips to the park and left him to it, as we really needed a break.

Well i'm off to bed night all x