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

redlady_1

Ah, we got a leaflet through our doors. I had never seen Lidl so packed as it was yesterday! FromThursday they have their gardening stuff in so I will be getting a cold frame, walk in green house and some netting as I have so many pigeons (now where is my gun??)

My potatoes are chitting, many seeds are in and I popped the garlic in this morning as if this mild weather continues it will never grown. My tomatoes in recent years have been tumbling so I put two plants in a hanging basket and away you go! The problem is I love the Mediterranean type and can never find them.

ceridwen

Charis wrote: »

It's already being done here, under the guise of a 'Ring and Ride' scheme, using volunteers who operate a kind of taxi service with their own cars, for folk unable to use public transport. The drivers are recompensed by the mile at a set rate. There are strict HMRC rules on how much per mile a driver is allowed to be reimbursed. A narrow gap between 'expenses' and 'receiving a fare'. Also the driver must be insured in case of passenger injury, as some passengers are very frail or disabled. The scheme sorts out the extra insurance premium. The ladies who book the calls do it as volunteers. One problem is finding enough people who will volunteer to drive, as they often have to wait while someone shops, has their hair done, has a hospital appointment (sometimes a lengthy process), but it can be done. Another problem is how to gently suggest to an elderly driver that maybe it's time they 'retired', for safety reasons.

There are other Ring and Ride schemes which use minibuses, formerly subsidised by local councils, before the government cutbacks.

That sounds like food for thought on this.

There must be other ways to "deal with" insurance requirements;). I'm in a sorta scheme whereby we do organised "paid lifts" and I doubt very much the thought of insurance has crossed anyones minds - but we are like-minded enough/made up of basically nice enough people that any accident would result in an insurance company being able to be told that it was a "group of friends" getting a lift from another friend and no-one would be likely to "create trouble" within the group (hopes thats not famous last words...:cool:).

But I guess ways need to be found for people whose only ties are that they live in the same place and some of them may not be "nice people" - just in case...

EDIT: I was only thinking yesterday that - now that Googlemaps has that bit about the cost of a journey that it will be WAY easier for working out what passengers would need to "chip in" towards their "seat". As Googlemaps indicates that petrol costs 19p per mile for a journey currently for the petrol - then it would be easy to say "Right - lets round that up to 20p to allow for oil being changed every-so-many-miles (maybe 25p per mile if 1p per mile wouldnt cover the oil element?)." So - say its 20p per mile then for petrol/oil. That means each "seat" in the car costs 5p per mile for each person (including the driver). 4 people using the car (including driver) means they each pay 5p per mile. The driver + just 1 other person would mean the passenger still paying 5p per mile (as the driver would only give the lifts somewhere they personally wanted to go anyway and passengers shouldnt be charged for a "shortfall" in passenger numbers). Two passengers would mean the driver was getting 10p per mile towards their journey they would be taking anyway (ie having half the cost of their own personal journey covered because they had 2 passengers with them).

There would need to be some thought on "rules" for the system. One thing that would instantly occur would be some people with cars that were heavier on fuel might try and charge extra to allow for their own personal choice to have a "heavier usage" car and that would not be fair to would-be passengers. The "rate per mile" would need to be set in accordance with a "standard usage" car and if the driver had chosen to have/keep a "heavier usage" car then that would be THEIR own personal choice and the rules would need to make it plain that THEY THEMSELVES would cover the extra cost of their car being a "heavier usage" one. So - if a "standard car" was 20p per mile and a "heavier usage" car was 40p per mile and the driver had a full carload (ie 4 people including themselves) - then the passengers would still pay 5p per mile each and the driver would "cover" their OWN 5p per mile and the driver would also cover the "excess" 20p per mile (because it had been THEIR own choice to have this "heavier usage" car). So - each of the 3 passengers would pay 5p per mile and the driver would cover 25p per mile in this example.

Hmmm....there would have to be a "reliability rule" as well - to stop let-downs by either drivers or passengers. Something to the effect of:
- Everyone involved to swop mobile phone numbers in case of unexpected problems.
- There to be a (say) 12 hour notice period given by either side if they wished to change the arrangement.
- Anyone (be they driver or passenger) would be taken out of the Scheme if they were "unreliable" on more than 3 occasions without VERY good cause indeed (eg didnt turn up/were more than 10 minutes late/etc).

ceridwen

stiltwalker wrote: »

Think DD is going to be really interested in the garden this year. Frst thing every morning while I'm toasting her crumpet for breakfast she crawls through to the dining room to look at the seedlings and says "mummy, plants growed" bless! I've told her as soon as she gets her derierre into gear and starts walking she can have her own bucket in the garden to grow things in. Which fingers crossed may not be too far off now as we've had the very first bits of cruising this week with the help of her new high boots which stop her ankles wibbling.

.

That is a very good idea to give children a little "patch" of their own of some type. I remember my father telling me that a little "patch-let" of garden was mine when I was a child. Well - it was a good idea in theory - in practice I had absolutely no idea what to do with it, so didnt do anything. I think it would have "worked" as an idea though if I had been given some seeds suitable for children (eg sunflower seeds or something else showy and quick-growing) and had it explained to me and then been "encouraged" to have a look regularly as to how things were going/helped to remove weeds/etc.
There was a readymade odd little triangle of garden that my father was able to designate as mine in the garden concerned. That may not be the case in some gardens - so a readymade up "square foot gardening" bed (by someone like Link-a-Bord - or a homemade equivalent if Dad is a handyman) would be ideal for this.

I've noticed there are some cute little childrens gardening tools around these days too - so they could have their own tiny little spade/fork/etc. In fact - I decided that a childs little rake would be the ideal thing for me actually - for said readymade "square foot gardening" beds and bought one for myself:D

EDIT: That reminds me - I think I still have some cabbage seeds left - must have a look and get planting if so. My garden is too small for things as big as cabbages (I have to major on tomatoes/strawberries/nasturtiums/salad greens...) - but I DO still find a use for seeds of things like cabbages (ie by planting them anyway in a tub and snipping them off with scissors when they reach a few inches tall and using them as microgreens in salad).

Lavandula

Phew...I can't keep up with this thread..

I have been reading a really excellent book by John Seymour (self-sufficiency god-father!) about 'Forgotten Household Crafts'. It is really interesting, and shows how tough life was for housewives in days gone by. Lots of chapters..about kitchen utensils, cooking, heating, clothes, washing, candle making, knitting, crochet, lace making etc... I got it from my library (which was really busy!!).

Got some spuds chitting, and will start some peppers off today! I planted some spinach in the autumn under a cloche and have some decent little plants now. Will soon be able to start harvesting.

Also taking the little 'un for a visit to the castle in our town for FREE:). We went for 1 visit back in the autumn and we got a free season ticket for a whole year:T.

rachbc

Interesting ideas about car sharing C - at my work expenses are paid depending on the engine size of your car so you could use similar bandings. Unfortunately petrol coasts aren't the only pence per mile cost in running a car though - there is oil, depreciation, tax, insurance etc. My work milage is paid at 50p/m to cover all those things and I think any organised 'lift share' arrangements would have to acknowledge all motoring costs to be successful -not saying the 'liftee' should pay them all but a contribution greater than just petrol. For example to the city were I work is 8 miles - the bus costs 2.50 at peak time, a taxi would be about £8 quid, I think at 40p a car share its not enough 'incentive' for want of a better word for someone to make themselves and their car available. Obviously it can, and does work well with groups of freinds but expanding beyond that...

charlies-aunt

Good news! A colleague of of DH is a keen gardener and when he foung out we have acquired an allotment , he has offered to rotovate our allotment over for the cost of the petrol - its only half a plot but it will be a big help to break up the soil and ,more importantly, save a lot of digging over

Getting back on track today - the suns is out so that helps lift the spirits as well as dry the washing

Will have another go tonight at finishing off the "gift tags from last years Christmas cards" project. I have kept any big cards to make into gift & sweet boxes so hoping, with a bit of ingenuity, to spend nothing on wrap or tags over the next 12 months.

Have a good day y'all !

mama67

gailey wrote: »

Got party boxes like happy meals.
includes mini chedders,animals, mini,milkyway,orange carton,blowout ,toy,sandwich and napkin came in at around 1.10 per box but thourght less waste and mess than doing huge buffet as they all prepared.

Right best go bed am shattered.

mummyroysof3 wrote: »

Thats a great idea, where did you get the boxes from?

I did this years ago when my 2 were little it is alot easier and there isn't lots of food leftover either.

I just got plain blue and red boxes rather than themed. I used Party Pieces.

GreyQueen

Morning all, have had a lovely read of the thread and bookmarked some good tips esp candlemaking, thanks for those.

:question: I had a very successful broad bean crop on the lottie last year and froze a lot (still eating them) but have a small freezer so ended up drying quite a lot, too. The dried ones had a visit into the the freezer to ensure that any bean weevils were killed and seem to be just fine in their storage jars. Can anyone share tips for soaking/ cooking time/ recipes please? Or am I the only oddball to bother drying the blessed things?:rotfl:

ceridwen

rachbc wrote: »

Interesting ideas about car sharing C - at my work expenses are paid depending on the engine size of your car so you could use similar bandings. Unfortunately petrol coasts aren't the only pence per mile cost in running a car though - there is oil, depreciation, tax, insurance etc. My work milage is paid at 50p/m to cover all those things and I think any organised 'lift share' arrangements would have to acknowledge all motoring costs to be successful -not saying the 'liftee' should pay them all but a contribution greater than just petrol. For example to the city were I work is 8 miles - the bus costs 2.50 at peak time, a taxi would be about £8 quid, I think at 40p a car share its not enough 'incentive' for want of a better word for someone to make themselves and their car available. Obviously it can, and does work well with groups of freinds but expanding beyond that...

This was one of the issues in the group I am in - as some people were charging nothing, others were bearing in mind the (high) local busfares. Somewhere in the middle is fair - ie not doing it for nothing, but on the other hand ignoring high bus fares as a consideration.

Maybe there could be a sliding scale from fair drivers (ie 5p per mile) and those who wanted to make a bit of "profit" from it towards the costs they would have anyway regardless (ie tax/insurance/depreciation/extra costs involved in running a "heavy petrol user" type of car) and could charge say 10p per mile.

My personal feeling is that people would have to forget totally about the profits bus companies make/the mileage allowances employees expect their employer to pay and start from a totally Clean Sheet (worked out on the basis of fairness/no profit). With mileage allowances - if I had a car and was in the type of job where mileage allowances were applicable - then I would want the highest mileage allowance going and would regard the difference between the basic 20p per mile to use my car and the 50p figure you mention as meaning "I make 30p profit per mile from each mile I drive at the employers' behest - and that means a way of earning a bit of extra salary from them:D. If I can drive 100 miles a week on mileage - then I've had a bit of extra pay of £30 per week that week." Passengers wouldnt be a "salary earner" though in a scheme like this - it would be the community sharing its resources around to help each other through. Different motivator - so hopefully done on a "fair" basis and not a "profit" basis. So - a sliding scale of between 5p and 10p per mile per passenger would give passengers the choice as to whether to pick a "fair" driver or one that wanted a bit of "profit" and choose accordingly. If the one who wanted a "profit" from this found they were getting less passengers than ones charging a "fair" price - then they might decide that it would be better to get a contribution towards their costs, rather than nothing at all and change their price accordingly.

Greying_Pilgrim

Grey Queen - I purposely grow alot of beans for drying, but have never had enough (once eaten fresh and frozen) of a crop to dry BB's. However, the Broad Bean is used dry in many arabic/meditteranean countries. If you search for 'Fava' bean recipes/cooking instructions you'll find all you need to know. Also, I don't know if you find this, using homegrown beans, (once you've soaked them overnight) cook much faster than bought dried beans.

Greying