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

lauren_1

lauren_1 wrote: »

My new best friend? My £1 jacket potato microwave thingy, bought it yesterday, very dubious at first but for £1 i was game and 7 mins (says 9-16mins depending on microwave) later we had lovely fluffy jackets (rub with oil or butter part way through for crispy skin).

My cooker is all electric and costs a bomb to run so i hope the microwave thingy will save me a few extra pennies.

I stock up on 10 packs of morrisons jackets a month as they are so cheap and keep for longer in the fridge.

Its good for sweet potato's too, they seem to take an age to cook, either eat as a jacket or scoop out the inners and mash

seabright

floss2 wrote: »

Thats why I need to make a new one after we get married.

You can make one before you get married and it will remain valid, you just need to have a clause added that the will is being made "in contemplation of marriage".

Don't wait. If you can afford it now, get it sorted now.

katiegizmo

lauren_1 wrote: »

My new best friend? My £1 jacket potato microwave thingy, bought it yesterday, very dubious at first but for £1 i was game and 7 mins later we had lovely fluffy jackets (rub with oil or butter part way through for crispy skin).

What thingy are you talking about? Would be very interested as work such long hours its an effort to cook spuds in the evening!!

Sigh.... my DH is still waiting to hear from the job he was meant to hear about last Friday - everyday it's been put off til the next. I keep thinking no news is good news but I'm beginning to lose heart! tomorrow is payday and for once I'm, not looking forward to it as will be his final pay (and only a week) and I'll be faced with working out what we really have to spend for the next month :eek:

Reading these boards there are so many fantastic ideas that I want to try but I will have to take baby steps as I work looooong hours so only realistically get the weekends to do anything that takes more than an hour or so (plus I am so tired in the evenings its all I can do sometimes to cook dinner:()

... but baby steps are better than no steps so this weekend I plan to make my first homemade pizzas and stash a load in the freezer, make a load of my bakedbean pate, and plan out a months worth of meals so I can do a really frugal internet shop to be delivered Tuesday

Also going to tackle some tasks I'm always putting off, like writing a letter to my lovely penpal just to make me feel more proud of myself and motivated

gailey_2

lauren_1 wrote: »

Its good for sweet potato's too, they seem to take an age to cook, either eat as a jacket or scoop out the inners and mash

What is it. where did you buy from is it jml product as seems cheap.
I love jackets but outr tatas always seem to sprout desite kept in dark cupboard, does fridge preseve them bit longer.
Not sure if you can freeze baking potaoes with skins on.

Talking of useless gadgets brought 1quid apple corer from asda other week its looks like an apple and slices it for kids and makes it easier when preparing crumble.

well so far today tidied up cupboard of doom under stairs
cooked leftover fishcakes with potato and cabbage to make bubble and squeek baby loved it so might make more in future and freeze.

eldest needs picking up soon.
wanted to go plum picking but weather overcast here expect i get caught in rain,
Want to hoover throughout today
polish downstairs
get 2loads washing done
change bedding and towells
clean kitchen

do choc brownie been lusting and wanting to do for 3days
lots of batch cooking tonight as kids dont let me do much in day

could never live without tv our only luxury is sky really as we never go out and so much interesting stuff, hubby loves how its made, megastructures, discovery.


We dont watch soaps but I love my american crime dramas.
I like wright stuff in mornings makes me chuckle
daily politics, this week, politics show and andrew marr show.
Also documentries mostly on c4/more 4 really interesting.
Love undercover boss/secret millionaire makes me glad to be me.
Also trashy I know but come dine with me and lots of cookery programmes on good food, hate reality tv.
I sound like right tv addict.My mams alwasy saying ahh get rid of sky that save you like im extrenly frivalous but shes alwasy out all time lives on readymeals and moans shes poor.

Eldest is 4 so no patiance for board games
Baby has no interest in tv at all and despite tonnes of baby toys like kitchen utensils, carboard, balloons and pots and pans stuck what to get for 1st birthday in sept..

Love to play scrabble with hubby and nice glass of wine.
think I need to get out more.due to lack babysitter mate comes over with wine and cook reguarly.

mardatha

Katie, if the OH is out of work then get him to make the dinner pet

katiegizmo

mardatha wrote: »

Katie, if the OH is out of work then get him to make the dinner pet

haha that made me chuckle yes to be fair he's been cooking more! But there are still things I do better and I don't throw the ingrediants around the kitchen - anything with sauce seems to find its way up the wall!!!! He makes a fantastic veggie lasagne though, I may get him cooking a few to bung in the freezer....

lauren_1

katiegizmo wrote: »

lauren_1 wrote: »

My new best friend? My £1 jacket potato microwave thingy, bought it yesterday, very dubious at first but for £1 i was game and 7 mins later we had lovely fluffy jackets (rub with oil or butter part way through for crispy skin).

What thingy are you talking about? Would be very interested as work such long hours its an effort to cook spuds in the evening!!

There is a new shop in my town called 'proper job' kind of like the home-ware section of wilko's, the thingy is a white plastic X with spikes on each end, you push 4 potato's on and then randomly stab it with a fork.

Its not JML, http://www.twenga.co.uk/prices-potato-in-microwave.html

its the third one down but i didnt pay £4.

BigMummaF

littleowl wrote: »

....I just get so fed up with the national belief that house owning is the only way to be and that those who rent are somehow lesser beings.

Afraid I feel like that over everything :mad: As I've mentioned before I am a very firm believer that no one person or their position in life, is any more or less important than another. For an example, there was a chappie selling that newspaper outside a department store; always cheerful, polite & took the time for a chat & if I had the money spare I would buy a copy though never recall actually reading it. Then one day there was a bunch of bedraggled & dying flowers where his dog used to sit on a brightly striped blanket & a hand written note taped to the wall...guess the elements had finally caught up with him.

Somewhere too on these boards, I spoke of the time the cleaners were most amazed that I made a point of speaking, if only to say "Hiya--can't stop! Catch up later?" In my humble opinion the very fact that they were prepared to clean the toilets meant I didn't have to do it & for that I was eternally grateful, but most of the other staff were incredibly rude to them. It was at a time when we went thru managers like a water thru a sieve & one was really good about rolling up his sleeves & literally mucking in [he cleaned up after a toddler had an 'accident' cuz he was stood within spitting distance of the mop & bucket :T] while his 2nd in command turned her head in that sniffy way & walked past it to go call for the cleaner! Different folks etc etc etc...

flipperOSN wrote: »

Re: Renting/owning I guess it depends on your experiences....The question is - who does have stability any more?....

These two sentences about says it all
Renting:- admittedly private is a bit of a minefield & is very dependent on the integrity of the landlord, while council & HA have ultimate control over where you are placed & what colour the outside will be.
Buying:- you are responsible for all expenditure, from the smallest tap washer to an entire roof & everything in between. You also have the misery of trying to sell for whatever reason--job relocation, family commitments--when you perhaps have more pressing concerns on your mind.
Guess you just have to pay your money & make your choice

School uniforms--has anyone thought about looking thru the revised Children Act to see if a school can enforce uniform? Bad form to quote oneself but...I'm a kind of revolutionary in that, if I KNOW I'm right, I'll not back down from any jobsworth who tries to tell me I'm not

Grumpycupple

We have Sky as tv would be our only luxury as far as I can see. I do see a lot of dishes on the outside of houses but I wonder how many are connected up to Sky.

My guilty pleasures are watching things like Trueblood, Spartacus Blood and Sand . Total escapism.

I watch as many news channels as I can because I like to get a reasonably wide point of view.

I do read a lot but that's because DD passes a lot over to me.

I buy dvd's from Fopp because we like a lot of world cinema. Dont buy and dvd if it's over a tenner.

Series 1 of the Swedish version is being repeated on Saturday so deep joy along with HM chilli cheese nachos.

Grumpycupple

BigMummaF wrote: »

Afraid I feel like that over everything :mad: As I've mentioned before I am a very firm believer that no one person or their position in life, is any more or less important than another. For an example, there was a chappie selling that newspaper outside a department store; always cheerful, polite & took the time for a chat & if I had the money spare I would buy a copy though never recall actually reading it. Then one day there was a bunch of bedraggled & dying flowers where his dog used to sit on a brightly striped blanket & a hand written note taped to the wall...guess the elements had finally caught up with him.

Somewhere too on these boards, I spoke of the time the cleaners were most amazed that I made a point of speaking, if only to say "Hiya--can't stop! Catch up later?" In my humble opinion the very fact that they were prepared to clean the toilets meant I didn't have to do it & for that I was eternally grateful, but most of the other staff were incredibly rude to them. It was at a time when we went thru managers like a water thru a sieve & one was really good about rolling up his sleeves & literally mucking in [he cleaned up after a toddler had an 'accident' cuz he was stood within spitting distance of the mop & bucket :T] while his 2nd in command turned her head in that sniffy way & walked past it to go call for the cleaner! Different folks etc etc etc...

These two sentences about says it all
Renting:- admittedly private is a bit of a minefield & is very dependent on the integrity of the landlord, while council & HA have ultimate control over where you are placed & what colour the outside will be.
Buying:- you are responsible for all expenditure, from the smallest tap washer to an entire roof & everything in between. You also have the misery of trying to sell for whatever reason--job relocation, family commitments--when you perhaps have more pressing concerns on your mind.
Guess you just have to pay your money & make your choice

School uniforms--has anyone thought about looking thru the revised Children Act to see if a school can enforce uniform? Bad form to quote oneself but...I'm a kind of revolutionary in that, if I KNOW I'm right, I'll not back down from any jobsworth who tries to tell me I'm not

:T Come the revolution I'll carry the banner.:D