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

JulieGeorgiana

Chipps wrote: »

I'm not sure I'd totally agree with that - looking at the contents of our shopping trolley you would come to the conclusion that we don't eat any fresh fruit or veg this time of year...

... but of course we eat loads of fresh veg - it's just that we don't buy it from supermarkets when the allotment is overflowing!!!:j

Yes, but do you fill you basket with junk food and ready meals?

My basket has no meat (I get it from the butchers), and I bulkbuy and freeze my veg... so I know where you're coming from!

penelopedee_2

Just in case I'm upsetting anyone regarding my comments in the supermarket earlier, these were trollies really full of junk food, not just a few extra micro meals to cover busy nights. I still buy shop made cakes because mine are a disaster but I don't believe anybody really needs bags and bags of processed mush.

I do two jobs and understand that time is tight but I can peel a few veg and spuds before I go to work and grill a bit of meat when I get in without losing out. I get a lot of my veg from Dad who's friends have allotments and I do very well from their gluts. I probably look like we've all got scurvy some days when I get to the till.

JulieGeorgiana

penelopedee wrote: »

Just in case I'm upsetting anyone regarding my comments in the supermarket earlier, these were trollies really full of junk food, not just a few extra micro meals to cover busy nights. I still buy shop made cakes because mine are a disaster but I don't believe anybody really needs bags and bags of processed mush.

I do two jobs and understand that time is tight but I can peel a few veg and spuds before I go to work and grill a bit of meat when I get in without losing out. I get a lot of my veg from Dad who's friends have allotments and I do very well from their gluts. I probably look like we've all got scurvy some days when I get to the till.

That's the kind of trolleys I was on about!!

Chipps

Actually I have to confess to 5 ready meals (weightwatchers frozen ones!) from Mr M's today - they were 5 for £4 and my Grandma likes them (she's nearly 102 and not able to cook much these days) and also last winter in the bad snow I took WW frozen dinners to work for lunch - had hot meal (they were on offer in M's for 70p that time!) So as they were so cheap I got some for us both!

katholicos

I've never been one for microwave cookery but today in a charity shop there was an offer on of any 4 books for £1 so one that i picked up is the Good Housekeeping Encyclopedia of microwave techniques and it has 250 recipes as well as step by step guides to show you different techniques of using the mike.

Currently i only use ours to warm wheat bags and to nuke a jacket potato. I've had a little look through the book and some of the recipes actually excite me...especially the fudge and sweet assortment ;-)

The other three books were a psalter (nowt to do with seasoning!), Nanette Newman's Christmas Cookbook and 100 Best Recipes - Baking.

Not bad, all the lot for £1.

smileyt_2

Sigh. Made a lovely risotto tonight, then my foster son came back with a friend. Foster son ate all his risotto, but friend didn't like hers, so it's gone in the dogs (two very happy dogs!). Now foster son is microwaving some frozen pies and sausages for his friend. I think she must live on junk food because I've made several meals in the past (curry, scrambled eggs, pasta sauce etc) and she never eats any of them. I know it sounds mean, but the pies and sausages were 'emergency' food and now they're all gone ... they had sausage, eggs and beans earlier today when they came in. And she didn't eat the scrambled eggs (from my hens). The dogs are happy but my purse isn't!! At least my foster son eats anything that's put in front of him, so I know my cooking isn't that bad lol!

I don't begrudge feeding his friends when they are round here, but there's a part of me thinking, "I could have had that risotto for lunch tomorrow"!

I need a new carpet as this one is threadbare ... but there's no point getting a new one until foster son's placement is over, as he is incapable of making a drink without spilling it somewhere in the house! Well, it will give me time to save up, I suppose lol.

penelopedee_2

We are having the same discussion over stair carpet. Too many teenagers going through the house, its really dark at the moment and I want to change it to a pale beige one, but I know if I do ...

smileyt_2

penelopedee wrote: »

We are having the same discussion over stair carpet. Too many teenagers going through the house, its really dark at the moment and I want to change it to a pale beige one, but I know if I do ...

Don't do it! You know you'll only regret it if you do!

Or, you could trade in the teenagers for a new carpet, problem solved :rotfl::rotfl:

determined_new_ms

:hello:Hi everyone. I posted on the last thread a few months ago as my company had just announced a restructuring & I was faced with potentially interviewing for my job (I'm a manager & between me & another there was, it was suggested, only 1 manager's position & I senior housing officer). Well I just got the structure through yesterday and I am "safe" (for the time being at least), although currently I manage 2 teams, am under staffed in one (3 out of my 5 members of staff are on maternity leave ) and in the new structure I loose 1 team but gain another (with the same amount of staff) & 2 extra supported housing schemes with about 50 miles between them :eek: If i'm struggling to manage the team I have & do the work due to lack of staff how on earth am I going to manage 3 buildings with all that driving as well???

However having said that at least I still have a job and I get a £63 payrise (works out to be £4.20 pm take home :rotfl:). The recession really scared me, what with everything that is going on in my company so I took drastic action & have worked so hard at clearing my debt since Jan & I'm very happy to say I only have 1 more month and (hoppefully) I will be debt free and again hopefully enough time to put some savings behind me. I'd really like to take a step down in responsibility, and hours & have a less stressful employment, but I guess with the economy as it is I should just put up with my situation as it is for the time being, I know there are a lot of ppl worse off than I am.

Happily I took up running recently to help with stress & if anyone has the inclination to try it then do, its wonderful & really has made me feel like I can cope with what's on my plate -- I have started on a programme that starts off very easily and builds up gradually.

Ok off to dream of working part time in a job that is stress free...

grandma247

Determined you could put away money as savings either for when you want to step down or just in case things go belly up. Well done on getting rid of the debt.