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

Emptynester

maryb wrote: »

when you think how low interest rates are, it's by far the best return around especially as it's tax free.

And it's fun trying to get as much value as possible.

In a way, I wish I hadn't got another till spit because I don't need to spend that much next week. I'm trying to have a Mean May and doing a personal mini grocery challenge. I could use it on things that I know I will use and will keep, but psychologically it will feel I've failed at keeping the spend below a certain figure

Maryb don't think of it as failing to keep the spend below a level. Praise yourself, if you had put money in the bank you would not feel you had failed and you have 'banked' those things that you would buy anyway but have got at reduced price.

I had to come out of lurkdom to try and give you a boost as I don't like to see people being disappointed in themselves and all you regular posters give a huge amount of help to us lurkers.

Thank you

Empty

silvermaid

Emptynester wrote: »

Maryb don't think of it as failing to keep the spend below a level. Praise yourself, if you had put money in the bank you would not feel you had failed and you have 'banked' those things that you would buy anyway but have got at reduced price.

Exactly so, couldn't agree more.
Later when you are using your banked items make sure to note that they are back to full original price or even more in the shops. Then you can praise your frugality again:) x

silvermaid

flowertotmum wrote: »

Mrs wive..thats a great quote..and its true i was soo happy when i found this place..sometimes it takes something small to make a vast difference..i feel so out of step with other mums at school..they think i'm mental because i bake things and sew things..when i could buy it like they do..not on your nelly..if i can make it ,bake it,sew it then i will..and be LMAO all the way to debt freedom...
love
ftm

I so love this thread and the daily thread. I was brought up with sheets turned side to middle and shirt collars and cuffs turned to give everything a new lease of life. I don't actually turn my elderly sheets side to middle (I hated that seam in my bed as a child!) I use old sheets to make Christmas play outfits and such like. But my mother hated waste and brought us up to be like minded. So now I am a waste hater and my DS and little family are the same. And, DD2 is really impressed with our inventive ways with left overs. DD1 is also a great little soup maker using bacon water or chicken carcasses:)
Silver x

GreyQueen

Urgghhhh, back is killing me but I have spent 4 hours playing in the dirt on the lottie. The day which started hazy and cloudy was full-on sun by 10 am, blistering hot and cloudless sky and has just gone cloudy again. Maybe, it'll RAIN.

If you want a laugh, imagine a tall woman in a green sunhat (nowt else, mind) on a lottie bashing huge clods of earth apart with the back of a digging fork whilst muttering Bad Words under her breath. Then I got the rake on it and set up the bean poles, interplanted with plastic bottles. It'll be weeks before the runners are ready to go outside as I've only just planted them, but I wanted to get the bean row set up so I could see how much land I'd have left to play with afterwards.

Then I gathered some elder tree leaves and thought that they weren't particularly smelly until I crushed them and discovered that they're rank. Have pushed some of them down the most recent mole hills with bramble canes which are dead and dry but still prickly. Blasted mole has totalled some plants and come up exactly where I can least afford to have him; in the seed beds. Grrrrrrrr!

Watered the greenhouse, did some handweeding in the onions and that was me turned into one exhausted bunny.

Afterwards, I swung by my greengrocer to see what was in the whoopsies box and am proud to say that I am now the temporary custodian of: 8 mineola oranges, 4 conference pears and (excitedly) half a punnet of strawbs. All for £1. Oh joy........I take an unholy pleasure in a good bargain and it's nice to see that I'm not alone in that.

Confession time.......I bought an item of apparel. New. First hand. From a non c.s. shop. I know, I was shocked at my profligacy too, but that was £10 for something I'd been after for ages. I can tell myself it is money saved from my chocolate habit (7 days no sweeties and 4lb weight off) .........by Xmas I should be a human twiglet. :rotfl:

Can whoever has custody of my rainclouds please send them over this way; I dug down 8 inches into my soil and it's as dry as dust.

anguk

Mrs_Veg_Plot wrote: »

This has got me inspired. I have taken a large gammon joint out of the freezer to cook in the slow cooker tomorrow. It can do the sunday dinner and I can thinly slice the rest and freeze it in protions for sandwiches and then make pea and ham soup from the stock like my nan used to when I was a whipper snapper.

Is pease pudding like a very thick pea and ham soup?

Pease pudding is made with yellow split peas and thick and lovely!
http://www.virginmedia.com/homefamily/fooddrink/regional-dish-war.php?ssid=10
http://www.durhamtimes.co.uk/leisure/eatingin/8103596.Ham_shank_and_pease_pudding/
You can leave it a bit lumpy but I prefer to have it quite smooth.

If you're doing a big joint I'd split the stock and use half for pease pudding and half for pea and ham soup. You might want to open a window though to deal with any "windy" issues! :rotfl:

Gintotmelinda

Afternoon everyone!

After a wet start been dry here most of the day. I hope you have all had a good day so far.

A quick question-I want to clean my washing machine and I have bought soda crystals. I vaguely remember a discussion on here about using them. do I put half a cup in the drum and run the machine on the hottest wash? What about adding vinegar?

Any suggestions would be gratefully received as I obviously wasn't paying attention..........I remember mum putting soda crystals in my bath and a splash of Dettol when I was little ...ahem 45 + years ago.

Oh it's raining again now. That'll make the grass grow! and the rubarb, leeks , gooseberries, blackcurrants, salad leaves,rocket.....

Thanks guys.

Gintot

kidcat

Gintot I put the crystals directly into the drum and add some vinegar to the softener dispenser bit of the drawer then set to hot wash.

Its been raining most of the day here and the plants are loving it. Have sent DS7 bed to tip today after his many shenanigans its ruined, so OH and my dad went off to collect a new (to us) one from ebay which I hope will last a few years at least, this is now in residence in the garage alongside DS12 new bed ready to move, my dad refused to build it here now only to dismantle and rebuild in new place, so its mattresses on the floor for now. I have told him its just like camping only better!!

I made chilli and bolognese from a pkt of whoopsie mince on Tues and having frozen two portions of chilli, used leftover bolognese for lasagne etc its now all gone so I have to cook again today - which is a bit of a shock to the system having had the ease of just reaching into the fridge for good few days.

fletch3163

Hello everyone

(de)Lurker here. Enjoy eavesdropping very much:D

Can I ask a question about the washing machine stuff please? Will soda crystals help an awfully damp smelling machine? I have to be sure to take the washing out immediately its finished or it stinks to High Heaven. I've done bicarb and vinegar in the dispenser bit but it didn't help much. Same with a couple of empty 90 washes (water only) which didn't help either.

I hate the idea that I'll need an engineer but if soda crystals will do the trick I'll give it a try

mardatha

My last machine did that and I got told the trap in the pipes wasnt working and the dirty water was syphoning back into the machine. Not sure if that's the same thing as you though..

fletch3163

Did it smell rank Mardatha? All fusty-like? Mine smells terribly damp.

What fixed it for you? Did you need to get the professionals in? I'm not letting husband loose on it. He's the one who attempted to take tiles off the wall with a JEMMY and proceeded to remove the wall from the, well, the wall:o