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

katieclampet

Another lurker!! Oh and I are ok at the moment, but I only work pt and he might be out of work in sept , after a big review at his company. We dont have much in the way of debt, but do try and help out our families as much as we can. (Not much cash and kids to support) I always appreciate that some people are so much worse off than us, so I do count my blessings. We are quite thrifty and might have to make more cuts in the future. So I am looking at how I can save a bit more now.

I have found lots of help and support on the os board, and it never ceases to amaze me how cheerful, upbeat and supportive people can be, despite having lots of their own worries and problems.

katiex:)

gailey_2

I love growing veg and really pleased with this years crop going to try

carrot cake
homemade ketchup, pasta sauce and chutney from tomatoes.
soup/curry from pumkins plus halloween sorted making hubby going trickle treating with girls already got baby a cat outfit at carboot.

so exited about free foraged food and making stuff i never made like jams

Stockpiling and batch cooking makes me feel reassured .

we do have priciples with poultry free range/freedonbritish bacon ect so eat less meat.

cant afford organic but do try and supoort local seasonal produce less airmiles.

Love my local farm shop but is pricey they have lush produce and butcers on site but cant afford it, hubby thinks its mad buying direct from farmer can be so pricey.
Farmers market again rare treat.
most fruit and veg not grown from lidls these days who least have mostly british produce.

Silvercharming know what you mean about tv programmes promoting economy in expensive way did anyone watch kirstys homemade home/xmas annoyed me so much.

Aim to do better breads and more biscuits.
Hoping jams turn out ok super pleased with my elderflower champagne.
The sense of achievement of doing stuff yourself is fab.
with kiddies like to know exactly whats it it and be budget but tasty/healthy.

Prudent

morag1202 wrote: »

I lurked and occasionally posted on the last very excellent thread ever since it started and it's lovely to see so many new faces joining in the new one

I thought it might be worth re-posting about this website, a very new one set up by weezl74 with the help of a few other MSE regulars, which gives a meal plan, recipes and shopping list to feed a family of 2 adults and 2 teens for a month for only £100.

Yes, that is right, 4 people x 3 meals a day x 31 days = £100

The meal plan contains 5 fruit and veg a day, all the recommended vitamins and minerals and the correct protein/carb/fat levels.

What is more, the food is nice and you may well recognise some of the recipes from MSE

I do hope that this is of interest and maybe even help to some of you, new recipes are being added all the time.

Morag, thank you so much. The website is brilliant. I found so many cheap and easy meals in the meal planner. I am not vegetarian but my daughter and parter(who does not live here, but sometimes eats here) are both veggies. It is much easier to have all veggie food in the house. I am so looking forward to the veggie version, but for now can still pick out enough good ideas.

susyrosy

With all due respect to the makeover programmes telling you how you can do everything more cheaply - frankly, it's EASY to take a high-spending family and cut their budget. I like reading the real life situations and economy suggestions here. AND I really appreciate the supportive tone on this forum - it's rare out there.

Susy

gailey_2

susyrosy wrote: »

With all due respect to the makeover programmes telling you how you can do everything more cheaply - frankly, it's EASY to take a high-spending family and cut their budget. I like reading the real life situations and economy suggestions here. AND I really appreciate the supportive tone on this forum - it's rare out there.

Susy

Totally agree been bit dissapointed with new moneywatch programme on bbc as they always pick very high spenders its east to switch from tesco finest to own brand.

Again switching everyting been done many times .

The only bits about food is ahh downshift brand.
we tried that now we have gone one step further of taking time and shopping around for reductions, best offers most people say they dont have time.

Its the state the blooming obvious programme and offered very little advice dident already know.

I miss alvin hall wonder where he dissapeared to.
like spendaholics as looks at pychological reasons and encourages them to try think of money differently and some good ideas.

Maybe a frugal cookery show called recession busting cooking.:j

These money programmes have to delve deeper and be less superficial.
sorry martin:money:know im slating your recent show, feel sorry for you as they seem a bit annoying and spoilt.
Its obviously produced to be commercial and appeal to wider market old style might scare them maybe.

[Deleted User]

Ahh bless you Ceridwen, of course now is a good time to start a new thread. I don`t frequent the os boards any more but know lots of you still do. We have moved house now and live in a true eco house with an allotment and water harvesting etc so my life has moved on a lot and I can be pretty well self sufficient re energy etc.

I haven`t read any of my pms and in fact not noticed that there were any as mse doesn`t play a big part in my life any more, although I do have a very quick look from time to time. I live in a diddy village now and am making lots of new friends and am surrounded by fruit trees of all kinds. I hardly listen to the news any more, don`t buy any papers and hardly watch tv so am pretty out of touch with what is going on in the big wide world. I suppose I am as close as I can be to living near to the earth now as was ever going to be possible at my age and I love it

Good luck to all of you and hang in there

lilac_lady

Kittie - you're living the life that most of us aspire to living.

wigglebeena

Prudent wrote: »

My local council has spent thousands on statutes. They seem to be on every roundabout. They recently unveiled several vertical slabs on the high street at a cost of over £30,000. They then announced that all the public toilets would have to be closed due to costs.

Bliddy hell. Do you mind saying what council this is? I do feel some organisations need naming and shaming...

wigglebeena

That said, my local council has set up lots of really beautiful floral displays in the town centre. My initial reaction on seeing them was 'Can we really afford that out of our council tax?' But then I thought, 'They make the place so much more attractive, might conceivably attract business in...'

Can't see a bunch of slabs of rock attracting much business though. I presume the 'artist' is 'someone's' mate and backhanders were involved. Oh, naughty me! Smack my cynical hand!

wigglebeena

ceridwen wrote: »

Happy Birthday from me as well:D

One huge advantage - I find - is that one gets less concerned with what "other people" think - in a good way I hasten to add:).

Old/er age is where you sit back and think "Thank goodness I didn't listen to (too many <cough>) siren voices as to how I should lead my life. I did it my way (bring on the Frank Sinatra tune now...:rotfl:).

People with strong opinions on how you should live your life often have a vested interest in your decision e.g. parents wanting you to 'do 'em proud'. There aren't many purely disinterested opinions out there: might as well go with your own.