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

ThatElliottGirl

I'm loving the fact that this thread has started all over again, I always wanted to read the last one but felt very intimidated. Some of the tips on here are fantastic, and I'll be utilising as many as possible.

I've been a student for the last four years, and will be starting a PhD in September. I've always tried to save as much money, and actually graduated with a positive bank balance...my sister reckons I'm the only student in the world to have done that!

We're trying to save as much money as possible at the moment, as my PhD stipend isn't huge, and my husband hasn't managed to get a graduate job yet, so is bored and poor in a sales job! We've introduced two cheap meal nights a week onto our menu...things like jacket potatoes, soup or pasta and a HM sauce...helps keep the cost down but because it's not every night we don't feel like we're missing out.

Apart from that...I'm a slave to my slow cooker, bread maker and sewing machine and they save me a fortune! It always surprised me at university how many students were in horrendous debt, but seemed to think it was just part of the "student experience". So many of them seemed to think they would just fall into graduate jobs to pay off their credit cards etc., and I do wonder how they'll manage now there don't seem to be many graduate jobs around...

kezlou

Welcome to all newcomers!!!

csarina wrote: »

Can I join in please.......

Kezlou,

My scaffolding costs £20 each!! and have to be hand washed. I bought 2 in the first place and then a third, so one on, one off and one in the wash. I am heavy busted and need the support, cannot get cheap bras, they just do not make them in my size. 34 GG!!!

Oh my lord :eek: your poor back. See my problem is not the DD its the 38, all i could see today was 40gg or 36 DD. Any 38DD's er no sorry we don't stock that back size :mad:. Luckily i got mine in the sale, otherwise i'd have walked out of the shop in disgust.

Well my new plan of action begins today, i'm aiming to pay £800 worth of debts off by the 31st Dec 2010. I know for some it doesn't sounds a lot but for us its about four months wages.
Just paid my first installment of £152.44 so leaving me a with £647.56 target. Feel so much better knowing that one bit is paid off.

Oh and snips (DS2) got third in the sack race, ah my little man he so chuffed.

sparrer

ginnyknit wrote: »

No wonder Shirley Goode retired to Morecambe, the shopping is very cheap there. They have loads of fab charity shops and its a bargain hunters paradise. My dd and I used to escape there when she was younger as a friend would lend me her caravan if I looked after her menagerie during the school hols. And theres loads of wild fruit and a fab fish and chip shop - ooh do I sound envious, well i am - I would live in a caravan there forever - as long as I had a huge storage space for my craft stuff

Thanks for this ginnyknit, I'm taking 4 DGC to a caravan in Morecambe for a week in Aug, can't wait! (Other than no mums and dads telling us what we can and can't do ) I'm looking forward to the things we don't have down here in the Home Counties - bargain stores, proper markets not 'antique and curio' ones, friendly people with time to be polite, and lots of free things to for families. I've worked out it'll cost approx half of what we'd pay for a south coast resort :j

Shirley Goode definitely got it right, if I was in a position to move I'd consider it seriously myself

sparrer

kidcat wrote: »

Today a friend told me that she is selling her home to pay off her debts, I have been trying for over a year to get her to look at spending etc and stop using credit cards as a means to live but she has buried her head in the sand. Now she has to sell - obviously she is devastated, but she still believes that she had no choice but to live that way. With a household income in excess of £50k, she still believes that the income is nowhere near enough to live a decent life. I bit my tongue and cried inside - without a change of attitude, selling the house will pay off todays debts but she will be back in debt before you can blink. It makes me so sad.

God help her when she has to downsize so many times just to keep up outward appearances that she's living in a one bed flat! I live on the basic pension but am frugal enough to be planning a trip of a lifetime, to India, in Feb. The daft thing is my friends think I'm rolling in £'s to do that, they don't see the 1 teabag eked out to 3 cuppas, the milk watered down 50%, the handful of porridge oats to stretch the mince...you know all those things we've learned here

Isn't it sad, or frustrating, when you see someone not getting it? Makes me want to shake them :rotfl:

Grumpycupple

sparrer wrote: »

God help her when she has to downsize so many times just to keep up outward appearances that she's living in a one bed flat! I live on the basic pension but am frugal enough to be planning a trip of a lifetime, to India, in Feb. The daft thing is my friends think I'm rolling in £'s to do that, they don't see the 1 teabag eked out to 3 cuppas, the milk watered down 50%, the handful of porridge oats to stretch the mince...you know all those things we've learned here

Isn't it sad, or frustrating, when you see someone not getting it? Makes me want to shake them :rotfl:

OH and I are on a BSP too. Good luck on your trip to India I bet you will have a fabulous time.

I dont eak out tea bags any more because I found that Sainsburys basics are really good. We buy whoops label milk sometimes and freeze it. Never tried oats in mince but have used lentils instead. We can make a 500 gramme of mince for two last for three meals :rotfl:

Our main holiday is spent in Edinburgh in August because we love the Festival. I am saving up to goto the Hay on Wye book festival because we will have to pay for a B+B.

thriftmonster

ThatElliottGirl wrote: »

I've been a student for the last four years, and will be starting a PhD in September. I've always tried to save as much money, and actually graduated with a positive bank balance...my sister reckons I'm the only student in the world to have done that!

We're trying to save as much money as possible at the moment, as my PhD stipend isn't huge, and my husband hasn't managed to get a graduate job yet, so is bored and poor in a sales job! We've introduced two cheap meal nights a week onto our menu...things like jacket potatoes, soup or pasta and a HM sauce...helps keep the cost down but because it's not every night we don't feel like we're missing out.

Apart from that...I'm a slave to my slow cooker, bread maker and sewing machine and they save me a fortune! It always surprised me at university how many students were in horrendous debt, but seemed to think it was just part of the "student experience". So many of them seemed to think they would just fall into graduate jobs to pay off their credit cards etc., and I do wonder how they'll manage now there don't seem to be many graduate jobs around...

Both dh and I graduated without debt (althoiugh this was pre tuition fees) even when loads of our friends had overdrafts. But I got a SC as a Christmas pressie and it sat on a melamine tray on the floor of my room. It was brilliant to come in after a days work and have a hot meal ready - we loved it (even though we weren't supposed to cook in our rooms) We also took advantage of the fruit & veg on the m,arket and towards the end of term would get very inventive with potatoes etc. When I started working (on a very low salary) and dh had a PhD stipend we thought we were rich:D

penelopedee_2

We are not particularly OS but make as much effort as we can not to waste, to mend and make do, cook from scratch, recycle etc. Its quite nice DS and DH are coming round to this way of thinking and like the meal planner and charity shopping etc. DS loves his computer games but refuses point blank to buy them first hand or when they first come out. Makes me proud.

This thread is lovely and I appreciate the support and friendliness it offers.

gailey_2

Lindy_-_Loo wrote: »

hello everyone,

I read this thread alot and enjoy it. Im 33 a SAHM and my partner works full time (although on his wages you wouldnt think it was!), we have 2 boys Aaron who is 5 and Ethan who is 3 today. Once we have paid rent, utilities, council tax and debts we dont have much left. we get by and manage to save thru the year. i was a store manager before I had the boys but felt that the cost of nursery was too high and I wanted to stay at home with them which meant big life style changes - bigger than we expected.
We decided not to buy a house and we rent a two bedroom house which is lovely and as far as Im concerned its our house we just dont own it (if that makes sense). Going to pontins next week, have paid for it monthly since last november and will start paying for next years holiday this year again!

Started to buy xmas gifts now and got some at the car boot, I have some friends who frown at me when I mention this, it used to bother me if im honest but now I see that the boys dont care if the toy isnt bought new as its new to them and they love it all the same.

Reading your post feel like you my long lost twin as im

sahm, hubby works fulltime.
2kids 10m and 4
rent 3bed house as cant afford to buy.
Once everything paid including car loan, credit card and sometimes bank charges nothing left. Trying to pay off some debts before xmas but its hard as eldest has lunch costs, gym club and need new clothes/uniform.
we went on sun holiday to st ives last month.was 15quid each
I gsell at carboots and shop at carboots and nct and ebay for presents.I used to be a storemanager within food retail 50hours a wek not too great pay and fulltime day nursury and petrol meant wasent worth it so i quite as was very unhappy then credit crunch hit.
I find managing 2kids much more challanging than team of 30 and managers meetings.
I find it quite hard with time management and motivation at home as I make plans then kids have other ideas.

Frugalista your conserve recipies sound yum where you find tem would never have thourght about plums in chutney and I have tonnes of wild plums.

Im sure most of you probably have slowcooker I been debating one for last year. Its the amount of water to add that worries me knowing my luck I end up with mushy mess.

Any reccomendations for easy, large and cheap one new at all.
Think the argos cookworks one might be bit small.

Im so tired today as kids up early dropped eldest at preschool at 12.30 , speedwalked to sainsburys half an hours walk but nice day.
spent longer and brought more stuff than I thourght in sainsburys as lots reductions, off to lidls tommorow but cant get many spices in lidls so had to go sainsburys.
Also got stopped by lady selling energy want to switch as think scottish power ripping us off.
Baby tried to escape buggy and refused afternoon nap.

Speedwalked half an hour home dumped shopping picked up scooter to get to school pickup at 3pm.
We then picked plums, seems cherries all gone sadly and took eldest to park breifly.

Now I need to cook dinner for girls, wash up, more washing, hoover, bath kids, get kids to bed and tidy spare room mainly mountain of laundry feel there not enough hours in day.
This week intend to do some serious batch cooking.

alec_eiffel

silvercharming wrote: »

BTW alec eiffel, I'm presuming you're a Pixies fan :j

Yes I am! :cool:

taplady

Kezlou - thanks for the tip of cooking jacket spuds in the slowcooker - I'd no idea you could do that!:T

I love spuds but nobody else here does and it's expensive putting the oven on just for me. They aren't the same in the microwave.