As The Workhouse Approaches....How To Do Everything To Avoid It, the Old Style Way

ceridwen

modern_millie wrote: »

Kittie, you have got me thinking about the kind of tv programmes which would benefit people who didn't have an OS upbringing - things like basic mending, basic cooking skills, budgetting, v. basic nutrition - all the sorts of things we used to have in school (domestic science and needlework) which seem to have mostly disappeared now. I'm really grateful I had the opportunity to lean these things while I was young.

Certainly I have often felt that younger people need to get taught this type of thing SOMEwhere. I understand they arent learning these things at school anymore and I know that (even in my generation) I wasnt taught ANYthing by my mother (not even very basic cooking).

It was school that taught me what little I did learn at the outset - eg sewing on buttons, taking up simple hems, making a white sauce in cooking....that type of thing. I then went on, as an adult, to fill in the gaps (ie major great holes) in my knowledge with a lot of reading.

scottishminnie

Grey Queen - if you can tell me how to package it I'll send you, and anyone else who wants it, as much rain as they like. My beautiful irises which bloomed earlier in the week are ruined and my lilac has not a single bit of flourish now, all blown down and washed away.

No joy on the butter front in Tesco this morning - the cheapest was lurpak:eek: amazingly everything else had "sold out" - yeah right:mad:

I hasn't been a very MSE day - took my mum to see the Sound of Music (belated mothers day gift) and took her for lunch and cocktails first. The rain was so bad we ended up getting taxis to and from the theatre so it cost a small fortune. I don't grudge it though, many of my friends no longer have their mums so I'm grateful to be able to spend time with mine.

Well every cloud has a silver lining - the very burnt choc chip cookies which I gave the birds are all gone now - I'm sure the fact that the rain softened them up helped to make them a bit more palatable:D

charlies-aunt

Todays shopping trip confirmed what everyone else has been saying - prices are getting stupid. . . . the price of tinned corned beef has taken a hike - Aldi is the cheapest at £1.38 but they haven't had any on the shelves for weeks :mad:
I've given up buying mince as tinned corned beef works just as well, is lot cheaper, leaner and has a long shelf life

One weekly treat is a 2 litre bottle of Aldi lemonade 18p . . . the price of branded soft drinks in Sainsburys is :eek: 89p+.

We price check every single item we buy nowadays and am finding it hard to maintain a stock in the storecupboard for rainy days.

Wishing hard for a good crop off the lottie to get us through the winter and make some Christmas presents with jams/cordials/liquers from fruit from the lottie and hedgerows

Was a bit of a rebel today - took the hoe & lopped off all the tops of the big thistles growing in the uncultivated plot next door - we've plenty of them growing in our own plot without getting free seeds :rotfl:

I picked up my Vit D supplement today - I thought they were horse pills when I opened the packet! They're horrible so they must be doing me good :cool:

Living_proof

TRIFLES

Parsley seeds take for ever to germinate and the best advice I took was to make a drill for them about 1" deep and pour boiling water into it and then add the seeds, and cover. Parsley needs a hot soil to germinate, but this method did work much better than anything else I have tried. Here in Scotland the seeds would be washed (or blown!) away at present.

jamanda

Having a good OS day today. Worked in garden constructing a cage for my sprouts made with wombled mesh (DH delivers to building site and the mesh was in the skip - loads of it.) He asked permission and they told him to take what he wanted. Unfortunately it is bright blue, but beats having to buy enviromesh). I found the pound shop mesh a bit too "loose". Butterflies seemed to be able to spit their eggs through the mesh. Not any more. He is also allowed to take wood from the skips to save for winter fires on some sites. It has taken a long time to get him part-trained, but he is good when he is on board.

Planted loads of flowers grown from free seeds by DH.

Tesco leaflet said I had unused vouchers. I didn't think so but went to have a look, to discover unused amounts nearly at expiry. No idea how. Anyway, I've ordered two fleecy throws which should have been £26, free delivery to store and only had to pay £3.30. (Less any Quidco discount).

I'm also reading up on bottling - Thanks Chocclare, I'm very grateful.

I'm feeling very sorry for those who are really struggling to feed themselves and their families. At the moment DH and I are both working, but money coming in is about half what it was a few years ago and, of course, everything keeps going up. We are OK because we live the OS way and have a big garden to grow veg (weather permitting), which really helps budget wise, and are working a season in front to get ready for next winter.

Thanks to everyone for your invaluable advice and wonderful humour in the face of adversity. I couldn't do half the things I do now before I found you.

J

ginnyknit

Ginnyknit I'm going to be in the Manchester area in July, and my friend tells me there are loads of great markets - he's pretty non-specific though! Are there any with wool or fabric stalls that you know of?

Thanks,

WCS[/QUOTE]

The best market is Bury market, wool, fabric and anything you can think of. It also smells wonderful as they sell cooked baby potatoes and the famous Bury blackpudding of course. Its a huge place so wear your walking shoes the cafes are cheap and its good old fashioned food. Its certainly a nice way to spend a few hours.

Bolton market is still pretty good but more for food, if you go after 2.30 you can buy tons of food for peanuts. but I am guessing you won't be wanting to take loads of food back with you. Bolton also has a huge number of cs's including the huge Salvation Army one my mum volunteers in but sadly like everywhere else the cs's are struggling for donations.

bluebag

I remember reading somewhere about the weed mat type thing being used to help keep plants moist in drought, you know the black polythene wadded sort of stuff.

It is supposed to stop evaporation, you just poke a hole in it for the plants to grow through. I have no idea if it works, but remembered it so thought I would throw it out there to all the waterless gardeners.

westcoastscot

Thanks for the info Ginnyknit, shall def visit Bury market - sounds fab. Shall have a ponder about taking food back, which I hadn't thought about - I shall have the car, and with prices so high up here I wonder if it would be worth taking stuff back to fill the freezer?

ChocClare

I agree, ceridwen, that lots of kids aren't taught things these days, but, unlike you, I was taught LOADS of stuff by my mum, so maybe it depends on the family rather than being a generational thing? I have plenty of friends my age who learnt absolutely nothing from their mums mind you!

The best thing they ever did for me though, was that they brought me up to believe that there was absolutely NOTHING I couldn't do, with a bit of effort. DH's parents were the same. Like you, if I don't know how to do something, I get a book out of the library! It always amazes me how people say, "oh, I can't do xyz" because they assume it must be difficult. I'm not saying I could rewire a house (though DH could ) but I've certainly changed taps, mended fuses, sewn dresses and tailored suits, upholstered furniture, French polished a table, planted a vegetable garden, bottled stuff, made tinctures, spliced ropes and so on and so forth.

This is not to blow my own trumpet, I hasten to add - my point is just that you can get books on just about ANYTHING, and as long as you're prepared to follow instructions and give it a go, you can save yourself a lot of money by doing it yourself.

The great thing about this forum is that you can ask a question about anything, and there'll be someone on here who's done it or who can point you in the direction to find out more information.

Now, if I can only find someone who can teach me to improve my aim: I can miss the wastebasket when I'm standing OVER it holding a screwed-up piece of paper :rotfl:no wonder I was Goal Defence in netball - no-one would ever have trusted me to be Shooter...

mardatha

My tomatoes are covered in green ones and just need some (hahaha) sun to turn them red.
Had to turn the tv up to cover the noise of rain battering the windows tonight. Is like a December night