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

elona

Smileyt

It is their loss - or rather the students. I think your house sounds lovely and welcoming. You might just get a call asking you to help out at the last minute.

Could the person inspecting the house be a bit "male" and think anything less than en suite and marble is not up to par? Maybe he she or it -thinks "foreign students" and "scared of dogs" are the same thing?

Sending you and larumbelle hugs, jugs, mugs and lugs (two of the latter each )

Some storage containers arrived the other day and the salt, sugar and some of the dried peas are now esconsced. Have ordered more storage jars which should arrive next week and looking forward to getting cupboards sorted properly. When we moved last September I just shoved everything in roughly appropriate places in the kitchen. Lots of scrumpled paper and plastic bags piled up on top of each other don't look good to put it mildly. It also lets DDs and DH notice best by dates etc.

Not all the containers were "bought" as I already had some glass jars to use up but managed to find some containers at a good price with free postage on amazon so ordered them. One brand was such a good deal that I could only order five - not at a time - but at all as far as I can see.

DH will not be happy when boxes etc arrive - but my arguement is -
free postage and packing - do not have to carry bulky stuff home - unless he would pefer to drive me round centres etc which means a lot more time money and inconvenience.

oldtractor

Soapflakes. I have had a lightbulb moment. 1 tablespoon of soapflakes into a soap dispenser,fill up with warm water ,shake gently t o mix. the soap will dissolve and you have liquid handsoap at a fraction of the price. you can put more or less flakes in to adjust the thickness to suit personal taste.

florain

oldtractor wrote: »

Soapflakes. I have had a lightbulb moment. 1 tablespoon of soapflakes into a soap dispenser,fill up with warm water ,shake gently t o mix. the soap will dissolve and you have liquid handsoap at a fraction of the price. you can put more or less flakes in to adjust the thickness to suit personal taste.

Brilliant!! I can do this in an old dispenser and use it to treat shirt collars and cuffs and other marks before washing. Perhaps add some soda as well.

chirpychick

ChocClare wrote: »

Welcome chirpychick. It is a bit daunting to be losing your job but what help we can give, we will!

As far as yorkshire puddings are concerned, you don't bake the jam in them - you cook them as usual and put jam in any leftover ones. They taste nice cold - rather like pancakes (and let's face it, that's all they are really).

Thank you for the tip about the yorkshires excellent

Larumbelle - i feel for you so much, ive been working for an awful company and a few months ago they made us squat in the office, no toilet or drinking facilities and we were told to urinate in a bucket!
Work is such a huge part of our lives that its hard to not worry about it.
But i hope you can switch off and it doesnt cause you too much unrest.

smileyt_2

Thanks ladies for your support. I have e-mailed them and asked for clarification. I was going to re-carpet the house this summer but then my chickens got ill and their vets' fees have eaten my carpet budget - but I know which is more important! I was going to give a couple of the rooms a lick of paint anyway over the summer so maybe I can apply to another college after that. The guy who came to look round was wearing a suit and tie and was a retired businessman doing the job to fill in time until his wife also retired, so perhaps he had different standards.

Chirpychick, surely what your employer did was illegal :eek:? I have never heard such a thing in my life!

ETA When I say re-carpet the house - I mean with cheap, the-same-in-every-room-roll-ends-type carpet, not yer top of the range stuff (if only!)

lizzyb1812

chirpychick

I agree with smileyt - surely what you describe must be illegal. I'm really sorry you will be losing your job but whatever comes next must be better. Crossing fingers you get sorted quickly - and with the proper facilities!

Lizzy

chirpychick

smileyt wrote: »

Chirpychick, surely what your employer did was illegal :eek:? I have never heard such a thing in my life!

I tell you what, i have been here 5 years now and that is literally the tip of the iceberg for me.

Ive since spent 3 weeks being bullied very badly and was told by my boss i brought it all on myself!!!!!! i know nobody on here knows me yet but truly i didnt! and whether i did or not its no excuse.

So i actually handed my notice in last week and 2 weeks friday i leave. I have sought advice from ACAS and also CAB so obviously im taking things very seriously.

Ive been through hell and back the past 18 months and got so ill with stress, anxiety and depression, came out in hives, psoriasis and attempted suicide.

I cannot wait to leave and although i have been applying for new jobs over the course of a year and had no luck my husband and i have decided that i shall be a housewife for at least 6 months until my health has improved remarkably.

We will be in an impossible financial situation but as long as we can keep up with all our bills everything else doesnt matter.

Its taken me a long time to realise health is more important.

I really dont want anyone to judge me for leaving employment because i know so many people out there are struggling to find work but trust me this is a desperate situation to be in and i would never take it lightly.

Hence why i completely understand how Larumbelle must be feeling right now.

Sorry lol just given my life story!!

smileyt_2

Chirpychick, can you claim constructive unfair dismissal, or whatever it is? I'm sure ACAS or CAB will be able to advise you.

There are other threads on the forum that might be useful to you. There's one called Up Your Income. Or you could decide to save money by making all your cards and Christmas/birthday presents this year.

I also had a job I hated. When they made me redundant I was beside myself - with joy. Health really is the most important thing. No employer will thank you for sacrificing your health in the name of work. Especially not the one you've got at the moment, by the sound of it!

Your OH sounds lovely, it is good that he is supportive.

ETA you can post a statement of your income/outgoings on debtfreewannabe if you are struggling and they can make suggestions about cutting down or re-jigging things.

redlady_1

mama67 wrote: »

Oh yes!! although I used to frequent the more salubrious haunts in town like The Bass house, The Punch Bowl, The Courtyard, even The Hole in the Wall and The Saxon King and The GC's.

OMG I remember those too!!! And drank in most of them. Not forgetting Bar Baccus. Bass House turned into my regular haunt. Oh to be young and drunk again!!! :rotfl:

Just a quick one, tonight for tea we had a Med Veg Strudel from the WI cookbook. You need a pack of filo pastry and feta cheese together with the veg.

Put in a large baking tin, two courgettes chopped, two red onions quartered, one aubergine chopped, 1 red pepper deseeded and chopped, 1 orange pepper de-seeded and chopped, 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and I threw in some mushrooms. Pour over olive oil and roast through. Let it cool to one side. Meanwhile take a sheet of pastry and cover in olive oil and brush. Repeat on top with the others. Once the veg is cool stir in a pack of feta cheese, cubbed and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Put the veg onto the pastry and roll up like a swiss roll and seal. Then put back into the oven and cook until golden. It was lush and serves about 6 I would guess.

Serve with home grown spinach and little gem lettuce!!! :rotfl:

redlady_1

chirpychick wrote: »

Thank you for the tip about the yorkshires excellent

Larumbelle - i feel for you so much, ive been working for an awful company and a few months ago they made us squat in the office, no toilet or drinking facilities and we were told to urinate in a bucket!
Work is such a huge part of our lives that its hard to not worry about it.
But i hope you can switch off and it doesnt cause you too much unrest.

What??!?!!:eek::eek::eek: Oh boy, H & S will love these muppets!