It isn`t tough for us. We are OS and we COPE

mardatha

whoohoo will try that ty ! Costco sell a sack of Manitoba flour quite cheap and I was always tempted to buy one - will try ordinary cheap flour first just to see if we like it though.
DizzyB - lovely news :j My labours were short and sharp , first one was 4 hours, second was one and a half, thrid was 30 mins -and only that because he got stuck and I had forceps.
It's not the labour that's the problem - its the 18 years after it !:rotfl:

Frugal_Dreamer

Pink-winged wrote: »

Hi everyone,

These are the threads for discussing how you like your porridge:

Porridge toppings

The glory of porridge (merged)

Please keep this thread on the topic of coping in tough times.

Pink


Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: While it’s easy to wander off-topic that often prevents newbies finding the information they want quickly and easily (please see this rule). Please keep this thread on topic. If you’d like to discuss non-MoneySaving related topics please continue your discussion in The MoneySavers Arms or Discussion Time. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="%20abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"][EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com."]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/email][/EMAIL].

Please don't take this the wrong way but...Agree totally....no offence to regular posters but it is a little frustrating (for us new folks) to have to search through pages of off topic stuff:o...

Athome1

bellaquidsin wrote: »

Crumpet rings. I think I may have posted this before, but I culled this idea from Shirley Goode way back when. Make rings of cardboard to the desired size and encase in foil. They don't last for ever but work well until you find some/collect tuna tins.

Bella.

Brilliant idea!! Thanks:T

GreyQueen

Justamum wrote: »

It is very tough. When I finalised last month's accounts yesterday I had averaged £2 a day on food for 5 of us! I don't know how much further I can pare that amount down, but I will have to make cuts somewhere. DH was paid yesterday and based on essential outgoings this month we will have just under £2.50 of our overdraft to play with:eek:

Bloomin' heck, Justamum, that is seriously effective budgetting!

jackieglasgow

Just wanted to pop by and add my congratulaions to Dizzybuff on the birth of your baby, glad to hear you are both well.

OH has no work AGAIN. I am trying not to panic, but as he hasn't had much work for the last couple of months, the savings are depleting rather more rapidly than I would like. I am decluttering like mad and Ebaying just now, and will be carbooting next weekend, the plan for this afternoon is to inventory the cupboards and mealplan for February, I am really hoping that I can get by with just buying fruit and veg and milk next month, and keep the spends low as possible. I should manage it, I have a good store of flour etc. in, and OH and I are trying to lose weight, so we'll cut the portions back a bit, too.

[Deleted User]

mardatha, I believe that manitoba is strong flour

mardatha

whoohoo ! last time I checked -which was a while ago- 'm sure it was £10 odd

maryb

We are OK at the moment but I am frankly terrified at the prospect of inflation getting hold. As it is we are losing money on our savings, especially after tax. I am already retired, although I am doing some part time consultancy work (but that will dry up next year) and DH retires in 3 years. I'm also in the group of women who will have to wait 2 years more than they bargained for to get the state pension. That also means I will have to wait 2 more years to get a Freedom pass which would be worth a lot as to get anywhere from here by public transport is quite expensive - and getting more so.

I am old enough to remember retired people in the 1970s reduced to absolute penury because of the effect of inflation on fixed incomes combined with high income tax rates resulting in negative returns on savings.

I do feel gloomy when I think about it, but I think the best thing I can do is to invest in energy saving products. Am tempted by the 'rent your roof' scheme for photovoltaic panels but I don't trust them not to move the goalposts. However I think I will definitely look into ordinary solar panels for hot water. We have a roof with a SSW orientation so it ought to work.

It seems to me that at our age, and provided you don't have any intention of moving house)the usual payback theory doesn't work (ie the number of years it would take you to recoup the capital cost from the savings). It makes more sense to me to compare it with buying an annuity. You invest your capital in an annuity which gives you an income which is at risk from inflation (unless you buy an index linked one which pays peanuts) and which is taxable. Whereas if you invest it in something that saves money then the savings are not taxable and the return has inflation proofing built in.

Just need to persuade DH. He's not keen because we have had so many problems with the roof (though it seems OK at the moment, touch wood) that he is not keen on them running pipes through the roof as he thinks it is somewhere else for it to leak.

Kittie, I think you said you have lots of roof panels - do you find there is any problem with the seals?

Pitlanepiglet

mardatha wrote: »

whoohoo ! last time I checked -which was a while ago- 'm sure it was £10 odd

When I priced this in Costco the other day, I think it priced at about 50p per kilo, compared to 50p ish for 1.5kg if you can buy it at that price (ie Lidl or supermarket reduced).

If you're having to buy it at £1.29/1.5kg then the Cosco deal is good, it is also supposedly very good flour but up against the cheap deals it's a bit more expensive.

(sorry, if this should be a grocery shopping topic)

Primrose

maryb wrote: »

We are OK at the moment but I am frankly terrified at the prospect of inflation getting hold.

I am old enough to remember retired people in the 1970s reduced to absolute penury because of the effect of inflation on fixed incomes combined with high income tax rates resulting in negative returns on savings.

I do feel gloomy when I think about it, but I think the best thing I can do is to invest in energy saving products. Am tempted by the 'rent your roof' scheme for photovoltaic panels but I don't trust them not to move the goalposts. However I think I will definitely look into ordinary solar panels for hot water. We have a roof with a SSW orientation so it ought to work.

It seems to me that at our age, and provided you don't have any intention of moving house)the usual payback theory doesn't work (ie the number of years it would take you to recoup the capital cost from the savings). It makes more sense to me to compare it with buying an annuity. You invest your capital in an annuity which gives you an income which is at risk from inflation (unless you buy an index linked one which pays peanuts) and which is taxable. Whereas if you invest it in something that saves money then the savings are not taxable and the return has inflation proofing built in.

?

Your energy saving thoughts versus inflation seem a very sensible theory, and although we'd vaguely thought about it, we'd not considered it from a built-in inflation proofing angle. As our house faces East/West, I'm not sure how well it would work but it's certainly worth looking into as I fear the era of cheap energy prices is over for ever, with rising populations and declining fuel resources.

Yes, I well remember my parents suffering the dreadful inflation bomb of the 1970's. They had just retired on what they'd hoped was a reasonable confortable pension, and within 3 years all their careful financial planning and prudent saving for years had been wrecked. It's a huge reminder to all of us that we can never get complacent.