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

GreyQueen

kitschy wrote: »

And I'm a DWP worker from the apparently affluent South East - so if I don't get a new job, I'll be sitting the other side of my desk :eek:

Know what you mean, Kitschy, know what you mean. Very sensible of those millionaires in Westminster to fix the economy by driving hundreds of thousands of people onto the dole. They won't have our taxes, NI contributions and we won't be able to afford owt more than gruel. Apart from being let loose on the job market again (only 4 yrs since last redundancy) as a middle-aged disabled woman, I suppose it could be worse. I've got some overdue decorating (paint's already paid for) to do and the lottie needs work. I'd only be about £20 a week worse-off on benefit, anyway.

*Maya*

mardatha wrote: »

There is nothing remotely silly about stocking up on food...our grannies & before them all did it because they lived in uncertain times.
We are living in uncertain times !
At the very least, it stops you having to run out in bad weather snow and ice. You just eat from the front of the cupboard and put new stuff at the back. A shop in the comfort of your own hoose

I don't thnk there's anything silly about having a decen storecupboard eithe. I justhave an issue with the term "siege mantality".

Justamum

*Maya* wrote: »

I don't thnk there's anything silly about having a decen storecupboard eithe. I justhave an issue with the term "siege mantality".

It's often the siege mentality which causes shortages. Having said that I have started a stockpile of food (very small at the moment) but mainly for those times when I have no money to buy and I can then 'steal' from my stockpile.

GreyQueen

Justamum wrote: »

It's often the siege mentality which causes shortages. Having said that I have started a stockpile of food (very small at the moment) but mainly for those times when I have no money to buy and I can then 'steal' from my stockpile.

This is very true. However, all the supermarkets round my way have no warehouses, everything is JIT (just-in-time) so if there's any interruption to deliveries such as bad weather, strikes or even a severe incident on an arterial road, things will get very bad very quickly. Probably a good idea to have some tinnery on site, especially for those who live in remote places.

Anyone know the best way to get rid of Ipsos-Mori pollsters, by the way? Had just gone away from the pooter to lounge in a bathtub, had my 10p bargain white chocolate facepack on, and round he comes! Wants to talk to me about my radio listening. Short answer; Radio 4 until they annoy me, which is taking shorter and shorter intervals, lately.;) Maybe I'm menopausal, maybe I'm a troll. Nobody post anything too funny for a while as I'm still wearing that facepack. :rotfl:

Puddleglum

Well very few people accuse me of being funny so you should be ok for a bit longer GreyQueen!

Just come back from a walk and my legs are wobbling a bit. It is a fantastic afternoon for walking, great views, firm underfoot most of the way. Quite a lot of steep bits, hence the legs.

I have some money left at the end of the month which is unusual. We haven't had any extra money in so I will thank my signature as seeing it everytime I post a message must be paying off. The store cupboard is looking good as well which will come in handy as the veg box is begining to show signs of the spring hungry gap.

Sowed lots of tomatoes yesterday along with some aubergines and cucumbers. The tomatoes were particularly good last year and we have only just run out of hm tomato sauce for our Sunday night pizzas.

The fine weather this weekend has dried the washing nicely which is a great relief as the electric bill is causing me considerable stress. I get home every evening to find the house lit up like a Christmas tree and the first thing I do is my Queen act, turning all the excess lights off. Not good for family harmony!!

Justamum

GreyQueen wrote: »

Short answer; Radio 4 until they annoy me, which is taking shorter and shorter intervals, lately.;)

I listen to Radio 4 a lot too - I used to listen to Sarah Kennedy on Radio 2 first thing, but then they got rid of her and I can't STAND Vanessa Feltz, so it's the Today programme. I also used to like Chris Evans on Drivetime, and enjoyed his breakfast show for a few months, but now I find him just too jolly for a morning :rotfl:I think I'm getting menopausal too :rotfl:so I tend to listen to Radio 2 only between 2 and 5 in the afternoon and have Radio 4 on the rest of the day (I can't miss The Archers )

tiptoes

lickylonglips and GreyQueen your situtions are very similar to mine. Both OH and I are frontline pubic sector workers
for the Local goverment and we're signed up to no payrise for the next four years and also have the threat of redundancy looming over our heads. So I'm trying to teach my OH to be more OS (as he is a spend thrift) and believe me this is taking some doing.
Im trying to stock up on th things I can so that should one or both of us be made redundant we have a buffer to give us time to adjust our finances accordingly.

ChocClare

I am a member of the Market Research Society. This automatically excludes me from many, many polls.

Not that I'm *cough* suggesting that anyone would claim to be a member of the Market Research Society if they weren't

Seriously, though: any market researcher who comes to your door should have had SOME basic training. All you need to do is to say, it's not convenient at the moment, and they should go away. Should...

Justamum

tiptoes wrote: »

lickylonglips and GreyQueen your situtions are very similar to mine. Both OH and I are frontline pubic sector workers
for the Local goverment and we're signed up to no payrise for the next four years and also have the threat of redundancy looming over our heads. So I'm trying to teach my OH to be more OS (as he is a spend thrift) and believe me this is taking some doing.
Im trying to stock up on th things I can so that should one or both of us be made redundant we have a buffer to give us time to adjust our finances accordingly.

My DH works for local government and is on a 5 year pay freeze. Even though he knows money is tight he seems to be resentful about having to be careful, so I have my hands very tightly on the purse strings. Mind you, we've never had money to splash around (it does get very disheartening). He can go through nearly a kilo of cheese in a week, and as £5 is more than 10% of our weekly grocery money I've had to resort to subterfuge. I now cut a block in half, grate it on the fine holes and freeze it, then he can have the other half grated finely in the fridge (if I didn't grate if he would slice it which doesn't go far). This week I've run out of boxes for the freezer, so I've got half a block of cheese wrapped up in the fridge and hidden under the cabbage and brocolli. He hates those so I know he won't look under them :rotfl::rotfl:. Hopefully I won't have to buy cheese for two weeks now, meaning I can buy other things

Primrose

Justamum wrote: »

I've had to resort to subterfuge. I now cut a block in half, grate it on the fine holes and freeze it, then he can have the other half grated finely in the fridge (if I didn't grate if he would slice it which doesn't go far). This week I've run out of boxes for the freezer, so I've got half a block of cheese wrapped up in the fridge and hidden under the cabbage and brocolli. He hates those so I know he won't look under them :rotfl::rotfl:.

Grated cheese will keep well in the freezer in plastic bags which will probably save you a bit of space. If he eats that much, why can't he buy his own ? The other way of economising with cheese, especially if he likes a mature cheddar which has a "kick" in it, is to use less cheese but with a good dollop of mustard which supplements the "kick" effect. Mustard is a darned sight cheaper than cheese!