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

Charis

lizzyb1812 wrote: »

I recently read a very old post that suggested you crunch all the numbers re giving up your car. Did that and am keeping mine because the benefits outweigh the cost to me personally. Not saying anyone has to do the same. The real thing I realised is that if I'm keeping the car I can "ignore" depreciation/insurance/tax/servicing - I'm keeping it so they will have to be paid. What I can change is the number of miles I do. My fuel cost is 12p per mile, so a round trip to Mr M is about £1, to Mr T about £2. Go once a week instead of several times and loads of £s saved.

I'm not sure how, if you are working out the cost per mile of running a car, you can ignore insurance, tax, servicing and any repairs and spares needed. Depreciation, yes, cos when it's gone, it's gone, but I crunched how much I had actually spent on running costs and fuel last year. Having reduced my mileage to around 900 miles a year I was shocked to find that it was costing me about £1 per mile. Logically if I double the number of miles I do it will not double the running costs, so the extra miles will be better value. Doubling to 1800 miles a year won't cost any more in insurance and tax and probably not even repairs and spares, I'll only be paying for extra fuel (at 12p a mile?) Cost of 900 miles = £900ish. Cost of 1800 miles = £1008, so cost per mile will go down to 56p a mile for all 1800 miles.

It does make sense to limit unnecessary journeys but if you're paying for a car you may as well use it for enjoyment as well as necessity. I live in a small town in the middle of nowhere so public transport is unreliable for most journeys, it's expensive and involves convoluted journeys and long waits. That's why when I was a child rural properties were much cheaper than urban, particularly when ordinary folk couldn't afford the luxury of a car.

Kimitatsu

ChocClare wrote: »

Thanks for this, HBJ - scary stuff, particularly for me, as it was in Bournemouth.

Funnily enough (or not) Bournemouth is or was actually a pretty affluent area in the scheme of things, with the exception of areas like Boscombe - or so you'd think.

My DH is working at a church in Kinson (for those who know the area) and the vicar has just had the go-ahead from his diocese to do up an area to use as a food bank. This is seen as a matter of urgency by the parish council. I was at a church in Christchurch the other day, and the priest there was saying how shocked he was to discover how many of his parishioners were now really in need - people who were managing perfectly well last year. He was appealing to everyone who could afford it to bring in food every week - he suggested using the GOF in your BOGOF :rotfl: - so that they could set up a food bank there urgently.

So that's two food banks in my local area I've heard about in the past few weeks APART from the one on the BBC news. And other churches are probably setting up similar things - all in a comparatively small, comparatively affluent town. What is the rest of the country like, particularly in areas hit by widespread unemployment?

The issue with food banks is that they are under huge pressure and as you said CC in relatively affluent areas then people are in a position to donate. We have a food bank in S!!!!horpe which is struggling to get enough donations in to be able to pass out.

For me this is where we could reduce waste from supermarkets massively, the products which are short dated or just out of date could go to these food banks rather than being thrown in the bin. The supermarkets could write it off against tax and its a no cost option to the charity. I dont know how other food banks work, but for the local one I know about they have to be referred by another agency so you shouldnt get abuse of the system. All of us on this board use items which are out of date or are whoopsied so for me I dont see the problem.

Septic tank was finally emptied yesterday although it was doing its job efficiently so more of a precaution than a neccessity

charlies aunt - thanks for the tip. I need to put some fruit netting up for next year so will bear that in mind. I bought some build a ball kits from Lakeland when they were 70% off so that will be perfect to go over them.

kidcat - hope you are feeling better today

CC -whats the difference between a pressure canner and a pressure cooker? An american friend of mine was telling me about pressure canning, and I had a quick look but the prices were eye watering and that was before shipping! Looks great but any info would be fab!

Hugs to all those who need them x

CorBlimeyHowMuch

Good morning everyone,

There has been two days of sunshine here so fingers crossed the rain has gone for a while.

I have started on the garden area to the side of the cottage and it looks rather daunting to say the least, but with some time and effort Im sure the results will soon show.

What time of year would one prune a lilac tree? It looks like it has had lots of flowers on which have just about died off now but there are some dead branches in amongst the new growth is this the best time of year to thin these out or is it better to wait till autumn/winter.

I have started a price book ( old notebook and pencil) and have linked it to my purchases for my meal plan,thank goodness for basic value ranges and whoopsies, the local A$da seems to be the best for these if one can avoid the kamikaze regulars and more persistant bargain hunters, can get quite pushy shovey at 7pm of a night in there .

Having found a few sites on here that highlight store promotions its easier to shop, but the best bargains have got to be from local fresh fruit/veg man on local market, the others all sell there fruit in plastic bowls for a £, but even that is too much fruit/veg for me, the local chappie lets me buy 3 tomatoes and 4 carrots and a couple of onions if thats all I want.

Bieng imaginative coupled with a strict food budget doesnt seem to have sunk in yet, but Im getting there, its just that the basics seem to be the products that are climbing slowly pricewise round here.

I got a lovley bargain in the local CShop, two older decorated Pyrex casserole dishes for £1.25 with there lids too,ideal for lasagnes and other dishes.

Ok had better go do my poached egg on toast for brekkie.
Hope the weather holds out for you all and that you have a nice day.
Have fun !!!

dollydaydream07

morning everyone,

thanks for all the links about home schooling, it all made very interesting reading but we won't need to go down that route has the head teacher has got back to me and agreed to my request - just a shame it took an incident at school yesterday afternoon for him to act upon my request(the email is timed at about 10-20 minutes after the incident so seems a little strange to me that he replied then)

right i need to go and sort out all my rubbish for the bin men as we still haven't had our new bin delivered!!!
watch it come just after the bin men have been later!!

bellaquidsin

Just want to say a very big thankyou to Frugalista for posting the Impossible Quiche recipe. We love it and it's appearing regularly in my menu's.

Bella.

[Deleted User]

JIL wrote: »

Another question from me. I saw on tele the other day that you can eat the whole of a broad bean but to do this they need to be picked when they are very young and slender. I just wondered if anyone has actually done this and did they taste ok?? I may have a go and cook a couple. I am not sure about broad beans really, i love the taste but you dont get much (for all the room and effort they take) once they are podded.

I did, I picked some when they were 3-4 inches long and I steamed them whole. They were lovely

I never thought I would like broad beans too much after eating the frozen ones, anyway I grew aqua dulce. They are absolutely divine. I have managed to blanch and freeze a few beans and took all the pods off yesterday, so will do some more today. We have been having them most days.

I have also sown more called witkiem manita. Blackfly is controllable if you use a soap spray. I use one from organic gardening and have only used it 3 times, it will last for years. Then you also pinch out the tops when you have enough flowers and pods have started

I am going to get some comfrey (bocking 14) leaves from my allotment patch as I think my cucs need a boost. All this changeable weather is setting some plants back and making them lethargic

I am onion drying today as my new vac (dehydrating) bags have arrived, just ask if you want to know the supplier

I am psyching myself up to do a big sort out here as I need space for my storable foods. I have 2 cases under the stairs and they are full of holiday things. That cupboard will be of more use for food storage as it is cool and dark. Arghhh, I have to put the cases somewhere but all the wardrobe floors are used, so you see one thing will lead to another

Mardatha, that scottish porridge sounds lovely. I am getting a big tub of single cream later today and it will be like having pudding for breakfast. I wish I had bought the large single cream from costco

I went to the hairdressers yesterday and it was very quiet. They have 5 chairs and only one was being used at a time. A very good hairdresser too at a reasonable price. It was 6 weeks but I am trying 7 weeks now as that is a painless money saver, I also put half the norrmal tip into the pot. One plop instead of two. Other clients always have one plop in there so I grit my teeth and did the same.

smileyt_2

Morning all

A busy morning ahead - I have to clean the house in preparation for a bloke from a local language college coming round at lunchtime. He is coming to see if I would be suitable to host a foreign student so I'd better at least hoover the tumbleweeds of dog hair off the carpet (slight exaggeration, there is dog hair but it's not reached tumbeleweeed proportions yet!). So I will be frantically shoving stuff into cupboards and hoping the doors don't pop open :rotfl:It would really help financially if I could host a student or two over the summer as it's £95/week. If I could get some casual work too that would mean I'd be able to sign off JSA until my real job starts again in October.

Might get time to go on the allotment this afternoon (painful thumb permitting). No planting though as it's a full moon today, but there's lots of tidying up I could be doing.

Well I'd best get on, then! First job is to give my hen her medicine, then walk the poochies and then clean, clean, clean!

Butterfly_Brain

I have just had a bowl of strawberries from the garden - that is the third day in a row that I have had strawberries for breakfast :j How decadent is that. It's a shame I can't afford the champagne to go with them, I just had Adam's ale instead (water to those who don't know what Adam's ale is:p)

Raspberries are just cropping but at least I know that they will freeze.

Courgettes are like cucumbers and you need the bees to cross pollinate them without the bees you don't get a crop.

We had an iceberg and a lollo rosso lettuce and a cucumber from the garden last night and the difference in taste from shop bought is amazing. The tomatoes have flowered but so far no fruit.

The runner beans have just started climbing the poles so hopefully they will give a good crop this year too.

freudianslip

Good morning

Interesting read on food banks. I find it appalling that it is down to the churches that are recognising there's this need and not society.

I would hope to see The Big 4/6 supermarkets set up their own food bank charities, using their own 'waste' and putting it to excellent use. Yeah I need to wake up, that's never going to happen........ maybe they should have their arms twisted by the people at the top who are trampling all over our spirit as a society. (my opinion and I can't apologise for it)

At 30 this is the first 'struggle' I have encountered as an adult so I am very bitter about what is happening but at the same I'm pleased that this spend culture we have had is on its way out. It makes for a selfish, self-centred and greedy society, which we then pick up and learn that that kind of behaviour is the norm resulting in personality traits that are not desirable. IMO

culpepper

Morning!
Our rasps are popping out all over LOL but we are in kent so probably the season is just that bit earlier.
The strawbs are rather small and pathetic this year but that is most likely because nothing has been watered. Usually I net the strawbs and water like mad but this year with it having been so dry, I didn't even bother netting them.
The birds have had all the cherries after all but then they have to eat too and we do at least have other sources.
I have been yoghurt making for about 3 weeks. Usually someone eats the last of it before I get a chance to start off the next lot but it seems they have finally got the message that you cant start some off if there isn't any left to begin with.

I wonder how Sammykaye is getting on in her new little house?

bye for now
Culpepper