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

jamanda

Well I took the lady at work a bag of stuff out of the garden and waited in the car park for her. Told her it was surplus and she'd be doing me a favour. She seemed quite excited but hasn't said anything else. Anyway, I can eat my own food now without it choking me if I've at least tried.

I am still stunned that someone should have no food in the house. Bearing in mind most on here have a very full storecupboard whenever possible, makes you wonder how it comes to that.

charlies-aunt

Hi everyone - just popped in to say 'hello..remember me?'.

Still following the thread but not done much posting recently as its now 99.9% certain that my job will finish in November and most of my spare time is spent trawling job sites and completing application forms!

It did make me smile this morning listening to BBC breakfast show that an 'expert' was explaining that food prices - especially wheat based products, chocolate and coffee - are rising rapidly. . . . Huh! all us 'non-experts' here could have told them that back in June!!

I wonder if this mornings news will panic shoppers in buying everything on the shelves in the next few weeks? I am trying to build a good store cupboard but having to stick to a budget makes it very hard - although I have a freezer half full of bread - courtsey of Farm Foods selling Hovis at 50p a loaf for the last few weeks

Yep...things are tough and set to toughen a bit more...but we plod on and keep in mind that we still have an abundance of things that money can't buy

Take care all! x

Lindy_-_Loo

Had to take one of the cats to the vets at 6pm, she had shallow breathing and was lying down in places that she doesnt normally go. Vet says she has temperature and has given 2 needles, if she improves overnight we are to give her tablets if not she goes back tomorrow evening. Vet says as she old and has such a temperature this could be the start of the end.... Its very sad and the boys are asking alot of questions. They still ask if my dad will be at nannies occasionaly (he died in Jan) so we dread having to go back to vets tomorrow.

I am ashamed to say that I even thought about the cost of the vets when we paid on a credit card - weve started paying tham back on a five year loan from barclays and this plus school shoes/coats has put us over budget and using it again this week.

What a day!

Patchwork_Quilt

jamanda wrote: »

Well I took the lady at work a bag of stuff out of the garden and waited in the car park for her. Told her it was surplus and she'd be doing me a favour. She seemed quite excited but hasn't said anything else. Anyway, I can eat my own food now without it choking me if I've at least tried.

I am still stunned that someone should have no food in the house. Bearing in mind most on here have a very full storecupboard whenever possible, makes you wonder how it comes to that.

Don't want to interfere but Christians Against Poverty help people get out of situations like this.

Apparently, it happens more often than we think, mostly due to people taking out loans.

As a society, we should be ashamed. Meanwhile, you've done a great deal for her. I'm sure she feels much better knowing that somebody cares enough to help.

parsonswife8

jamanda wrote: »

Well I took the lady at work a bag of stuff out of the garden and waited in the car park for her. Told her it was surplus and she'd be doing me a favour. She seemed quite excited but hasn't said anything else. Anyway, I can eat my own food now without it choking me if I've at least tried.

I am still stunned that someone should have no food in the house. Bearing in mind most on here have a very full storecupboard whenever possible, makes you wonder how it comes to that.

Jamanda, very well done you. I would do the same, if I knew anyone in need.
:T
We are going to sort out a lot of clothing in the next few months, especially warm clothing that is a bit old and that we no longer wear, due to size etc, but is still wearable and donate it to the Salvation army. The streets are freezing in London in the winter.


When I lived in an African country and the women were working, building louses in the winter, I used to make a huge pot of soup for them to eat at lunchtime and give them bread. I couldn't bear to watch them in the cold, working without something hot in their bellies.

kidcat

Patchwork_Quilt wrote: »

Don't want to interfere but Christians Against Poverty help people get out of situations like this.

Apparently, it happens more often than we think, mostly due to people taking out loans.

As a society, we should be ashamed. Meanwhile, you've done a great deal for her. I'm sure she feels much better knowing that somebody cares enough to help.

Christians against poverty can be great - however they advised a friend of mine to take a DMP/IVA for a £300 overdraft when she was paranoid that she had an overdraft. I spent weeks trying to explain she should simply reduce it each month till it was paid off and as it wasnt accruing any charges it wasnt a massive problem, but they had her sign into a plan. Never telling her that the banks would cancel her account/cards etc and that it would affect her credit ratings. I have heard similar tales locally but really good stuff from other areas so I assume its certain areas that are weak so worth googling for info before recommending them.

greent

jamanda wrote: »

Well I took the lady at work a bag of stuff out of the garden .

Well done, Jamanda:T:T

kidcat

jamanda wrote: »

Well I took the lady at work a bag of stuff out of the garden and waited in the car park for her. Told her it was surplus and she'd be doing me a favour. She seemed quite excited but hasn't said anything else. Anyway, I can eat my own food now without it choking me if I've at least tried.

I am still stunned that someone should have no food in the house. Bearing in mind most on here have a very full storecupboard whenever possible, makes you wonder how it comes to that.

Where are you based jamanda?

ceridwen

jamanda wrote: »

Well I took the lady at work a bag of stuff out of the garden and waited in the car park for her. Told her it was surplus and she'd be doing me a favour. She seemed quite excited but hasn't said anything else. Anyway, I can eat my own food now without it choking me if I've at least tried.

I am still stunned that someone should have no food in the house. Bearing in mind most on here have a very full storecupboard whenever possible, makes you wonder how it comes to that.

Well - good on you. At least you've tried - you've helped her out a bit and put a smile on her face that someone cared enough to try:T.

I think those of us who've been on O.S. a while are pretty well into it being a good idea to "keep a good larder" - but we do see a lot of newbies coming over onto the Board - having just found that "bad times" have hit and they havent been using to the idea of a full larder and we then get queries about how to last till payday with a tenner and a packet of pasta or the like - to which people, to their credit, then instantly pile in with a load of helpful suggestions.

I think many people these days have - in a way - adopted the "just in time" mantra that supermarkets and other firms operate by - ie of never having very much in stock. I suspect countrydwellers are - on the whole - more used to the idea of planning ahead in some ways - as they are more used to the idea of "If I want to eat such-and-such a vegetable etc in a couple of months time - then I need to get planting it now" and such. It is difficult for those who are urbanites and have only known bad times for the first time recently and who maybe have got parents who havent had THAT bad times themselves. From that starting point - it is easy to assume that money will always come in/the supermarkets will always be well stocked-up/etc.

I've had to break myself of the habit of thinking "What the heck? Why bother with a good larder - I've got such a choice of supermarkets nearby that I'll just treat them as my larder instead..." and it takes a bit of doing sometimes to change ones mindset round. I was only thinking earlier today "It must be so much easier to just leap in a car once a week and head for a supermarket - go round and get a trollyload without much thought and throw it in the freezer. Job done.". A combination of no car (wouldnt want one anyway)/limited freezer space and a wish for diet healthy enough that hopefully I will avoid ever having any major health problems however means that I, for one, adapted and havent begrudged the fact that today, for instance, has seen me:
- bagging up frozen preserves
- making up my own bread spread
- making my own bread
- taking out some basic ingredients from my freezer that I will have to work out what to do with for tomorrow (rather than being able to just grab a readymeal out of the freezer).

Sometimes people DO have to travel a very long road to join us in being O.S.

kidcat

Just seen on Hotdeals that Huggoes economy napy packs are going to be on offer tomorrow - £9.59 on BOGOF. Just thought may be useful for sammy.