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

Mrs_Veg_Plot

Happy birthday saveabobortwo :beer:.
I to was once the proud owner of a white rara dress with red trim. The only problem was that my sister also had the same dress. We had some great fashions when we were younger. My OS mum used to make me my pencil skirts and sleveless brodianglaise (spelling?) tops to go with them.

jackieglasgow

scottishminnie I grind my sugar into caster sugar in my fp or in the blender jug of my Kenwood. Just watch it until it is the consistency you require.

Charis

freudianslip wrote: »

Thank you for opening my eyes about how it works with the bigwigs. I'm disgusted that as a society, a British Society, that 'we' allow that to happen, are allowing these things to escalate to the point of absolute no return.

It's not only the supermarkets who treat farmers like that. The big corporations can be just as brutal. This is what happened last year to pea growers. Birds eye were swallowed up by a larger corporation (a household name) and internal complications caused a crisis for British pea farmers. Even if we buy branded goods rather than supermarket own brands, we are still propping up a system that can't stop and consider individuals.

It make me angry and adds fuel to the fire that I was thinking yesterday, to put the fruit and veg proportion of my budget into my local organic box scheme. Not very MSE, or money saving but fruit and veg is the staple in our diet and quite frankly it matters until we can grow more and more ourselves.

That will help smaller growers, the veg will be fresher (less air miles) and will actually taste of something. In my case it's a more reliable way of getting edible veg as I am not an enthusiastic gardener, although I do grow some fruit.

I'm all over the place at the minute aren't I. Talking about expensive veg one paragraph and not affording meat the next. To be honest, I do feel a bit lost, a bit like what to do for the best but I am so greatful for being here, finding here and learning - accepting even, that things are fast changing and our habits need to change too.

It's not all or nothing though. Meat becomes more special when it's not eaten every day. Living with less variety means we have to become more creative and I enjoy the result more. Remember the 'good old days' when something frozen slithered out of a box and into the oven. Half the time it tasted of the cardboard box :rotfl:

I want to shake most of my family because they're so blinkered. I mentioned I was going to make my own butter and I tell you I went red with embarrassment over the ridicule.

I'm not convinced the effort will be worth it. Unless you have a supply of almost free milk, if the fat content shown on the container is correct, you will need an awful lot of milk to make one pat of butter. What will you do with all the remaining leftover liquid that you have also paid for? I think you can use it for baking scones, which is all right if you were intending to bake them anyway.

Hardup_Hester

Christina, yes you can freeze chopped onions.

I'm so excited, the had the first runner beans from the garden today.

Hester

ChocClare

I make my own butter when I can get cream ridiculously cheaply - for example, I bought 20 pints at 10p per pint one New Year's Eve. Bunged it all in the freezer and used it to make butter when I had a bit more time. Otherwise, as Charis says, it's not really any cheaper.

I use the liquid for pancakes and scones but again, you can bung that in the freezer. I don't think you could make butter from just "milk" unless you had gallons though, or have I misread that?!

It's not so much the price comparison with these things, I think, but the knowing that you know how to do it if push came to shove - that's what makes you feel a bit more in control, I find.

claudiac_2

Wow - So much going on here today! It is all a bit overwhelming, deciding the best approach for the future. I am trying to grow a few vegetables this year, but I am thinking I need to get much more organized to stave off the effects of food price rises in the coming year. So, I am buying/ portioning/ freezing chicken, mince, beef etc. I am hoping that it will save me money in the winter. Also have started making my own bread/pizza and that has gone down well with my family (my son the pizza eater has said never to buy another shop one, the homemade are so much tastier). Am now at the stage where I will not have to buy any more toiletries/makeup/wu liquid/cleaners for at least a year, so that has brought down the weekly spend at the supermarket. I am also now a regular "whoopsie spotter" which is where the meat comes from. I am looking out for somewhere to buy the razor blades my men need at a price I will pay - nearly fainted when I saw the price at supermarket - this will definitely need sorted out - they will either have to grow beards or find another blade to use!!

greenbee

Claudia - apparently you can buy a gadget that allows you to sharpen disposable razors... not sure of the details but I've heard a few people mention it now. It's not cheap, but apparently neither are the blades

dubgirl

Hi, I have followed the 'getting tough and tougher' threads with great interest and they have been very useful. I wanted to ask if people do think that the food prices are going increase and when that might be. I do think that if this is the case, then it could be very worrying and how much more can you do when you already do everything you can think of to save money re food, stretch everything, cook from scratch and grow your own veg.

mardatha

I have windfarns all round me and I hardly notice any noise. I think its just a lot of people fussing. They're amazing things to watch, too. Not sure how many bats you would get flying around on hilltops and open moors lol. Don't think bats do that?
TY to the person who gave me the Biggar wholefoods shop, I was in there once and had forgotten about them

ChocClare

I'm glad you said that, mar, as I thought it was just me - our local primary school has one in the grounds that it uses to power...er... primary school stuff. It goes hell for leather on a breezy day and it really isn't noisy. The windfarms I visited in Cornwall I thought were lovely and I found the noise they made quite soothing.

Perhaps it's just me - apologies to those who ARE bothered by them!