How to Get Through The Tough Times The Old Style Way.

maryb

Pancakes freeze really well and hardly take up any room. They are really tasty used like tortillas with some leftover chicken in a white sauce in the middle placed in a dish and some cheese sauce over the top, browned under the grill - a bit like canneloni but easier to fill

ChocClare

maryb wrote: »

ChocClare
Our uniform was brown pleated skirt, brown cardigan with yellow and royal blue stripes on the band, yellow striped shirt and a blazer with brown, royal blue and yellow stripes. It would have made a LIFFE floor trader look muted!!

Sounds FAB, mary! Brown eh? Mmmmm. (Actually I quite like brown now but wouldn't have done then!) Before we moved I was supposed to go to St Joseph's in Reading and I seem to remember they wore brown capes :eek: though I've just been on their website to check and sadly they've wimped out, gone co-ed and got a far better uniform than the one I remember :rotfl:

HariboJunkie

charlies-aunt wrote: »

Just thinking back to my childhood - grew up in a house with no central heating, rooms had a carpet in the middle and polished boards all round the edges, a bath once a week, bread and jam for at least one meal a day, hand-me-down clothes and shoes, walking two miles to school and back, parents both working two jobs to make ends meet and being left 'home alone' for hours on end . . . it sounds really deprived nowadays but it was pretty much the norm in our neck of the woods.

Apart from the journey to school (ours is one mile) and the fact that my husband and I only have one job each you could be describing my childrens' lives, oh and they are never home alone at all yet.;) We have open fires and a heat transfer unit and opted years ago to steer clear of central heating. I think we just live relatively simply.

I realise your description was of a tougher existence than I can relate and I'm not trying to make light of that to but it just jumped out at me.

I confess to being a very young child during the 3 day week and only remember the scheduled power cuts which I thought were great fun.

I have been working my way through a stock of money off vouchers this week and stocking up on non perishable essentials which has blown the shopping budget but will pay dividends in the long run. Used the last one today in the Co-op for a £5 off £40 spend. Spent £46 and they gave me another identical voucher. :cool:
Will wait and see what their special offers are next week. Also got another load of reduced meat for the freezer but my spending diary for this week on groceries alone is :eek: and it's only Tuesday :rotfl:.

kezlou

bertiebots :T:T:T brilliant news!!!

Guess what we got coddy's acceptance email today and we got the school we wanted !!!! Oh yes, get in! He was bouncing off the walls with a big cheesy grin on his face!:D

So at least we can relax, for now, all that stress.

Same here bertie, its going to cost a fortune for all the unforms etc, but it'll be worth it in the end. Apparently the uniform etc is almost twice the price of the other secondary schools, but its also got the best results here since it first opened.


hi suzid

dreaming just looked at mine, i have to wait till i'm 68!!!:eek::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: just in time for the retirement home:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:



Just had another gorgaous dinner, hm taco wraps and hm paella hmmm. Made loads so me and OH will have some for dinner and freeze the rest of the paella for another time.

I think people are scared because of the current crises in the middle east. Since December i have seriouskly been thinking of what we would in the event of constant power cuts. Which has been happening in my area since DEcmber. Ohr central heating is gas / electric combined so not very good in the winter. Luckily we have a gas hob so could still make drinks and food.But gawd it was cold.

But also a lot of the time its hyped up by the media.

hornetgirl

During the three day week I remember looking at a little chart in the local paper to see when the powercuts were going to be. We had a little camping-gas stove and lots of candles. At school we were allowed to wear thick jumpers and trousers instead of uniform (navy and yellow), and were allowed longer than usual to do our homework so we didn't have to strain our eyes doing it by candlelight!

Primrose, thanks for the reminder about Earth Hour. We've done it before and will do so again this year.

In a bid to keep the grocery bill down, we're having a vegetarian week this week. I didn't have to buy too much, so splashed out on a whoopsied sea bream which has gone into the freezer until vege week is over. Now I just need to figure out what to do with it...any recipe suggestions gratefully received

jaxx46

Hi,
Boy do I have trouble keeping up with this thread! By the time I've caught up, I've forgotten who I wanted to reply to.
Re pancakes they're also lovely with a bolognese filling.
Just checked out mine & DP's pension thingy I have 15 years left DP being somewhat younger:o has double that:eek: in theory I shall be a kept woman until I'm in my 80's:rotfl::rotfl:So ladies the answer is to get yourself a toyboy:T
Just want to say thanks to everyone that posts I do enjoy this thread.

jaxx

candygirl

jaxx46 wrote: »

Hi,
Boy do I have trouble keeping up with this thread! By the time I've caught up, I've forgotten who I wanted to reply to.
Re pancakes they're also lovely with a bolognese filling.
Just checked out mine & DP's pension thingy I have 15 years left DP being somewhat younger:o has double that:eek: in theory I shall be a kept woman until I'm in my 80's:rotfl::rotfl:So ladies the answer is to get yourself a toyboy:T
Just want to say thanks to everyone that posts I do enjoy this thread.

jaxx

I've done that, but can't dare to look at the pension thingy:eek::eek:

Pitlanepiglet

On a slightly different subject, last year I bought a stack of decent sized garden pots in Poundland, can anyone let me know if they get them in again - I'd like to get some more but it's a bit of a trek to Poundland so I need to know if they've got them before setting off.

ginnyknit

Just checked I can retire at 65 years and 4 months! As I do not know what the future holds as a carer I guess its something to look forward to.

Am feeling more positive today, thank you all for your encouragement. My Ds is 30 tomorrow and is off looking for an apartment for him and his partner. they have been saving up since he moved back here and his lady is very good at pennypinching I am pleased to say. Although they are no trouble it will be nice to have an empty nest at last - crossing my fingers - so Oh and I can get on with our peaceful life.

Dd got the keys for her house today so I can stop worrying about Dgs and the mouldy cupboard!

All in all am very proud of my kids and hoping for a bit of a relax very soon.

As for the possibility of shortages and fuel problems we have stocked up on gas canisters for the little stoves, have bar-b-que fuel in the shed and the stock cupboard is still quite full. Other than that we are trying to think of ways to cope with any impending problems on that front. Theres nothing like a little preparation.

mardatha

I'm fed up tonight because I had set my heart on Black Rock hens, and the only person I can find who has them is asking 20 quid each. I dare say they are worth it but I'm not paying £40 for two hens, plus a fortune in petrol to collect them. Thinking hard now.