Its tough, it will get better and guess what its freezing brrrrr!

shelley_crow

It is frightening the way things are going, I am worried about the cuts.

I finished my degree and qualified this year just as OH has started uni. I suppose in that respect, we are lucky that we don't have to worry about redundancy. As he is doing a physiotherapy degree, he is fortunate to have tuition fees paid for and a bursary from the NHS (I was not so lucky and have around 20k in student debt to pay back , eek).

DS2 is just over a month old and the OS ways have helped a lot, we've got reuseable nappies to try on him. It also helps that he is male, the hospital told us he would be female. As a hoarder, I didn't get rid of any of ds1's clothes so that's saved us a small fortune alone.

It does make me wonder though, if it's this tough now, what will it be like when our kids are our age?

I found some wholemeal bread flour in the reduced section of sainsburys. Before I chucked the load in my basket, I saw that they were still nearly £2, what!!! I've embraced the OS ways although I still have a way to go, I'm attempting to make my OH a birthday cake for tomorrow instead of buying one, we'll see how that goes though!

The looming cuts and general doom and gloom of the recession has made me appreciate the simple things, like a hot bath or snuggling up with the family with mugs of hot chocolate. Like a lot of people, we worry about money because we don't have a lot of it, it looks like we'll have even less after today, eek. x

lovelife_3

Mmmm gooseberry crumble, yum, could fancy some of that

mardatha

They are saying petrol is to go up in the next few weeks and again in the new year. I wonder if the Cabinet sit rouned their table (as seen in Spitting Image lol) and lay bets on how long they can squash us before the worms turn.

katholicos

I regularly shop at the following clearance food websites:

Big Brands for Less

Approved Food

Food Bargains

Not everything on all the sites are bargains, so it pays to check out the prices of the same item in date at supermarkets...i use mysupermarket.com to check prices. Just because a site claims to be discount doesn't always mean everything is a bargain. It pays to be savvy. There are some fab bargains to be had though. Check the websites regularly because the best offers sell out quickly. P and P tends to be around the £5 mark which also has to be taken in to account when weighing up wether or not it is moneysaving to place an order. Often the savings on the food make it worthwhile but other times i have filled my virtual basket up and then walked away from the laptop to make a cuppa and a think about placing the order or not...then come back and clicked off the website because i've realised that it doesn't seem worth it with the p and p so high. On other occasions i have spotted brill bargains and paid for them almost instantly to be sure i get them and before they go out of stock.

taplady

katholicos wrote: »

All the best to your son for this morning's interview!

thanks Kathlicos!:)

I've had a nice morning(day off) and have made 12 portions of apple crumble from some free cooking apples my sister gave me. I'm also decluttering my kitchen cupboards, its only a small kitchen so need to keep it tidy to fit everything in.

Am going to put tv on shortly to listen to the bad news from the government.:(

greent

JoJoB wrote: »

Nothing fancy, just 5 days at Butlins out of term time so got it for £250. We can manage that, but now I am worrying about getting the train fare together to get there and spending money etc.

Friends and family railcard? I bought one @ 25% off with a code from here (so cost me £20) and have just bought 3 tickets from here to newcastle for the princely sum of £43. OK - I have to travel on a specific timed train, but I can cope at that price - and seats are booked too. I've more than recouped the cost just on that journey

pink_numbers

NualaBuala wrote: »

Oh that's tough. I try to motivate myself by doing a very detailed budget spreadsheet and projecting into the future - e.g how long before loans paid off and I've saved a certain amount. And coming on here really helps, this and Frugaldom's Frugal Living Challenge help keep me on track. Sometimes I spend money despite my best efforts ... but I'm improving all the time. I think if you can afford even a very tiny amount of spending money every month it might help cope in the long run - the way you're allowed a small treat now and then when you're on diet. Good luck!

Thank you NualaBuala, you're always so encouraging I royally fell off the frugal living challenge this year, I was set up to do 6k for the year, and then boom! I hit a high with my bipolar, so all that went out the window. Still, I'm on target to spend 10K this year, which is less than half of what I used to spend, so the challenge has been a positive influence on me. I'm hoping that I can try the challenge again next year. I admire you and the other ladies for being able to stick to it for the entire year, it's a looooooong time!

the_cat

Right - have taken the plunge and ordered:

30 tins baked beans. 36 jars thai red curry paste. vat:D:D of angel delight. 3.5kg toffee muffin mix and same of choc muffin mix. All for £13.46 inc delivery:beer:

Not that healthy, but hey, we are going to need cake to cheer us up in the coming months! Plus it keeps the teenagers quiet!!

Thanks for the info katholics. Will start browsing regularly from now on for more bargains

gailey_2

Annie56 wrote: »

well its done Im a free single lady, amazing 21 years just wiped out with a judges nod so its:beer::beer::beer: and :j:j...

Ceridwen thanks for your concern re the financials, there was virtually nothing left to salvage, the garage well my dad bought him out, the house is up for sale and he gets half of that less all the sale costs when it finally sells, we both agreed that we leave each others pension pots alone, was a clean break...he went off into the sunset with his saddlebags bulging with £notes and I have an income and a job from the garage albeit a miniscule income in the present financial clime...

Blonde floozie couldnt wait to let slip that there getting married sometime in December, I just wished them both well, smiled and went off out into the town centre happy in the realisation that someone else had taken over his gambling, lazy wasteful space..I am too busy trying to keep the roof over my head and getting on with my life from now on.....just got to wait till its made absolute then woo hoooo by Christmas my lifes my own..
First thing I did was take the wedding and engagment ring down to local pawn shop and sold them..got £300 so went in to local hspital and made a donantion to the Macmillan Nurses and scarpered, least it will help in some way..

Have spent part of the afternoon with my dad, he keeps thinking Im heartbroken and going to go into decline over this far from it...he was just worried about me as all dads do...

So thats the last I shall be writing about my ex husband and his blonde friend, like the autumn leaves they can just blow off into the distance, I have lots of regrets mostly of wasted time spent accepting that I would never be a mum, but Im only 42, theres still some tick left in my biological body clock and who knows what the future holds but it can only be positive and good..

So thank you all for listening to my rants and raves over the past few weeks and your kind comments that have kept me going when I felt down...and I will return the favour tenfold on here....

So Annie56 spent the rest of the afternoon with her nice new friend discussing wait for it.....pickled onions and organic manure, one things for sure this new blokey has got Old Style down to a fine art, makes me look positivley like a spendthrift:eek:, told him to get on here and give his male viewpoint on Old Style

Now just got to see what the Government has in store for us all tommorow with the Spending Review, do we breathe a sigh of relief or batten down the hatches even more...fun days ahead methinks...

Okies am off to read the last couple of days posts on the forum, once again thank you all for your support it has been most appreciated and so :beer::beer::beer: to the future and watch this space;););););)

Hugs to you all

Annie56 xxx

Ahh annie congrats on divorce and fresh start!
That was so lovley to donate ring money .
42 still young theres time yet there wasa few mums in antenatal in 40-45 age bracket lots people leave until later.

Correct me if im wrong guys but think spending reveiw will be different to budghet in the sense that

percentage cuts to each department.

But we wont know the specifics of whos losing jobs or nitty gritty until each department announces in detail.

I did hear that cb for 16years old may be kept now.
ema dont understand that most people in my 6th form had part time jobs, cb only paid if child stayed in fulltime education.
Does everyone get ema then or is it means tested?
Maybe a alternative grant for books/resources and bus pass be more ideal to encourage people into further education as I had bus pass for college on plus side cost of couyrses under 19 free to do them now its 600quid a level at my local college and 300 for gcse.
Really wnat to go back to study but cant afford it right now.

We as a family would struggle with additional tax rises and rising cost in living. Think health and education will be not too bad.
It other areas that will be hit. Hubby still looking for new job and current job seems safe so counting my blessings over that one.
Im struggling with how we would cope if things went up but we survive surorising how thrifty we can be when put in sitation.

when we compare how we spent 3 or 5years ago its huge differences.

I now do walk miles to nearest shop if somethings cheaper.
Even hubby will drive round several shops when he finds the time.
Its brought us closer together he says he admires how i resourceful I am with girls clothes and presnets through carboots, ebay they never go without.

daughters scuffed her shoes badly they patent on school trip yesterday.
If I had paid the 35quid cost new I would have cried instead they cost me 99p plus post off ebay and no ones guessed they 2nd hand. Going to shoe shop just to get measures and might get next pair off ebay too as got xmas coming up and she needs clarks or startrite.
She now has 2new coats 1 was 2quid at nct sale other nanny brought her. baby has daughters old coat bit big but never mind she warm.

mates selling a toy cheap so thats babys main present this year.
Eldest wants quite cheap things and will get some new clothes maybe too and jewellry as she gone super girley plus bumper craft box.

Deteremined not to let low budget spoil this xmas.
when I get down about money I just look at their smiling faces thinking was nice to be little and not worry about money.

Hope everyone has best day they can do.

right best go glue myself to daily politics.

mama67

lovelife wrote: »

Good morning to all, sunny again this morning in Newcastle but very cold, brrr. Terrible night last night with INSOMNIA, just couldn't switch off, so much on my mind, i was worrying about the most stupid things, including.....Smelly fish.... I bought some haddock on Whoopsie on Monday from the fish counter at Mr A, two packs that would have been £6 cost me £1.50. When i got home the smell of fish was strong in my shopping bad, but didn't think much of it after all it was fish, just bunged them both in the freezer. Well yesterday when i got some pies out the freezer, the whole freezer smelt of fish!! So much of my insomniac night was spent worrying what to do about this fish, whether it will be alright to eat, should i just chuck it, which would really p me off... any advice on how to tell if fish is fresh enough to eat would be gratefully received......

DH used to be North Sea trawlerman, and has always said that if the fish smell of amonia ( you will really notice this) once defrosted then it is no good, the only exception to this is Skate which apparently smells a bit this way anyway
hth