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

EstherH

We have been with the Nationwide for getting on 20years. Long, long ago I arranged an overdraft facility for £1,000 because I needed to pay a deposit for double glazing or something before the cheque I put in cleared. It was only meant to be a few days. I had rang the bank and they agreed when I told them what it was for and just for a few days. Anyway, every time we got a statement, at the top it referrred to an agreed overdraft limit of £1,000 with a review date every six months. This is automatic because we have never ever been called in for a review of our finances at all. A few years on hubby had to give up work and I don't work, disability and ill health. So we are on a small pension and income support but I noticed at some point they had increased the overdraft limit to £1500. Seems crazy to me, but we only ever go over by a few pounds for a couple of days from time to time and are not tempted by it, so leave it there because it means that when we do go over there are no charges. And you never know, it may come in useful sometime. Would be horrified though if things changed and we were treated as second class citizens because we were on benefits and low income.
Well done Annie for sorting the bank manager out.

pink_numbers

hey flowertotmum, just wanted to let you know, you inspired me to get out of my confy bed and make a carrot cake so thank you!

seasalt_2

Hi Esther, I'm sure Taplady will be along with definitive answer but I would guess that granulated sugar would be fine, although might not taste as "toffee-ish" as brown sugar. Baking powder is not the same as Bicarb though. It has cream of tartar(?) in it as well. HTH.

charlies-aunt

*** URGENT MESSAGE TO FLOWERTOTMUM ***
Any and all donations of hm cake will be gratefully received chez Charlie!
* * * * * * * *

I know it hurts right now but ultimately you're better off without the witches, its just jealousy and plain nastiness - ungrateful, nasty bints that they are.

(((HUGS))))

taplady

EstherH wrote: »

Taplady: I asked yesterday if I could change the brown sugar for just plain granulated and if there was a difference between baking powder and sodium bicarb in your scrummy sounding microwave flapjacks. I was going to make them but ended up doing twinks instead as didn't get any replys and had guests round in an hour and half from when I posted. Still would like to know the answer though as usually use granulated in baking instead of castor as cheaper. Also, got loads of sodium bicarb in but no baking powder.

sorry Esther - been busy at work the last 2 days and didn't see your question. Granulated is fine - I use whatever I've got in or a mixture, not sure about the difference between bicarb and baking powder but I have used BP in place of bicarb in the twinks and they've been fine so maybe the other way round will be too. Its such a small amount that I can see it making a lot of difference. Hope that makes sense:D

charlies-aunt

hellsbells45 wrote: »

is a very unhappy woman (which she is) insecure with lots of personal issues, who wears a cross bigger than her ego, and is as deep as a 1in puddle, she still has a face I could happily smack all night.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Heehee! thats brill :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

katiegizmo

wow I can't believe anyone woould want processed gumph over a lovely HM cake... and if it was H&S thats barmy anyway to me, because all those e numbers and additives are SO healthy and safe after all... I'm glad your cake wasn't wasted on them Flower!!!!

I had some good news tonight, got a letter from the valuation peeps where I queried my council tax band and they've downgraded us :beer: so we will get a refund but more importantly our monthly payment will decrease whoopeee! not sure the amounts yet but as far as I am concerned anything is a bonus:j:j

katiegizmo

oooo and also we harvested our potatoes finally and got loads and loads. I was worried as they never flowered just grew and grew... when we dug them they were pretty ugly but they tasted scrummy had the yummiest garlic mash tonight and got lots of potato plans to cook up at the weekend:T

pink_numbers

I now have carrot cake

Craftyscholar

Nargleblast wrote: »

It seems Mervyn King admitted in front of an audience of thousands at the TUC conference that the banks cocked up bigtime. Surprising he left the room with all his bits and pieces intact!

I suspect they were just pleased that he had the honesty to admit it was the banks that caused the deficit and triggered the recession after the new government blaming everything on the money spent by the public sector.