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

GreyQueen

Softstuff wrote: »

*phew* I'm exhausted. I've vacuumed half the darned day :rotfl: It amazes me how fine the dust it will pick up is. Eventually the novelty will wear off, but for now I'm loving it. Looking forward to sleeping on new flanellette sheets tonight too.

What an article that is. GQ, when tomatoes are 50 quid a tin, you should consider selling your investment and moving over here to a nice mansion

Everything is going up all the time here. The new carbon tax due to come in means little to families with kids or those on benefits (they'll receive tax cuts to compensate), but for us couples with no kids it'll mean more going out again. Still, there are always savings to be had on almost anything if you look hard enough, and I tend to have my binoculars out at all times!

They scoffed, didn't they, down in the Arms back in Feb when I was buying tinned tommies at 4 for £1..........I knew I was on a banker. Gawd knows my little savings account is getting sweet f.a. in interest so I'm doing better punting on groceries. :rotfl:

Today I shall make a side-trip to the Magic Greengrocer after work and dive into the 99p store and a couple of other places in passing; feel like a guerilla shopper, always ready to take advantage. I don't have a wally-trolly either (and don't think for a moment that I haven't considered it) but use my rucksack and my pushbike.

Don't know how people meal-plan a week or a month ahead as I make it up as I go along due to whoospies/ mood, but then I'm a single householder and thus have more flexibility (and no whingeing in the background if people don't like it).

Work is commencing now.....laters. x

kidcat

Softstuff - your new vacuum has obviously sent vibes this way as my hoover died yesterday so now having to shop around for a new one. Not planning a brad pitt more a pittbull, as OH is a serial vacuum abuser.

Reverbe

greent wrote: »

Interesting article in the Observer's Food Monthly magazine today about why food prices will only keep on rising:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandsty...se-commodities

brilliant.. :mad: having cut out everything else due to lack of funds now I am currently struggling to pay for food.. am seeing I am giong to have to cut out food as well. I barely eat as it is.. I know we have been spoilt by cheap food but now food is a luxury:eek::eek::eek:

ginnyknit

Molly41 wrote: »

My DD has to do the whoopsies for the Co-op and the abuse/ harassment she gets whilst doing this is unbelievable and shocking:eek::eek::eek:


I truly understand that as my Dd works at the shop I was talking about thats why I walked away and left the guy. The bread counter was under siege yet I got a still warm from the oven french stick for 25p and was quite happy with that but no the others all wanted it for 9p. I hate the mentality where these people think they have the right to whoopsies, I do a top up shop at Mr M every week when I pick Dd up and if I get a couple of bargains for tea then thats fab.

Softstuff

kidcat wrote: »

Softstuff - your new vacuum has obviously sent vibes this way as my hoover died yesterday so now having to shop around for a new one. Not planning a brad pitt more a pittbull, as OH is a serial vacuum abuser.

Aww, I'm sorry yours has bitten the dust. Pun not intended.

I'm a serial vac abuser, which was one reason for choosing a Dyson. I have an annoying habit of dropping things, including vacs and their various bits (hands are already a bit unreliable, seem to be inheriting my mothers arthritis). My previous vac hadn't been the same since I cracked it dropping the removable bit trying to empty it. The Dyson takes a heck of a lot of abuse, and when it can't take what you throw at it, the bits are available online (surprisingly cheaply too). So I know with this one if I drop it emptying it, it's not the end of the thing.

If I'd been in England I would have hunted down a local reconditioned vac place and got a second hand Dyson. Unfortunately here being here, such things aren't available.

mama67

westlothianlass wrote: »

Afternoon all,
Well its been a funny day weather wise. I have been dashing out inbetween rain blasts (showers is just too demure for what we have had). I've lifted more potatoes and planted some kale (another couple of varieties) carrots and beetroot, thanks Kittie and GQ for reminder.
I was about to make some rhubarb and ginger jam but have run out of sugar with pectin and didn't have any apples in to help with the setting so that will have to wait for another day, but at least jars and lids are all primmed and ready:).

Our apple trees are looking a bit sorry for themselves at the moment, very apple-less. Think they had a rough time with the spring storms so this year will not be a bumper harvest. Never mind, this seems to happen every few years. Just means i will be wandering round looking for apple trees i have not yet discovered.

I have a cheese and walnut loaf in the oven in the hope it will cheer me up tomorrow lunchtime, as back to work after 2 weeks hol's. Not looking forward to the chaos that will no doubt be waiting on me:(.

Hope you all have a very pleasant and stress free Sunday evening,
Hugs x

I just use ordinary sugar and 1 tbsp lemon juice for every lb of sugar.

hth

mama67

culpepper wrote: »

Pouring here too.
I finally managed to harvest some rocket and spinach from my cold frame. Slugs have eaten the lettuces but don't seem to have touched these others.
Asda's this morning was quite disappointing whoopsie wise, everything was ridiculously priced. Some of the packets were actually damp or damaged and they still price them way above what anyone would pay. There has been the same bottle of head and shoulders there for about 5 weeks because the whoopsied sticker is all scuffed so it shows how much attention they are paying to things.
I shopped around again this week buying cheese and tomato puree in Lidl and beef mince and frozen chicken in Sainsburys.
We have been using our combi microwave as our main oven for about 8 months. The plan was to wait for one to come on freecycle but they very rarely do and we haven't been lucky. We manage quite well with the micro and our hob,slow cooker and toaster. I wonder if I could do baked potatoes in the breadmaker. We have a spare bread pan which is dented so the bread won't come out in one piece(I use it for pizza dough )and there is a 'bake' setting that lasts an hour with no kneading. I might give that a try during the week.

You can do baked potatoes in the slow cooker they don't have crispy skins but are really easy to do just stab with a fork smear with butter or oil wrap in foil and put into the slow cooker without any water for 1 hour on high then approx 4 on low.

hth

GreyQueen

Many moons ago, in the recession before the one before last, I spotted a tee shirt on a market stall;


THE COST OF LIVING IS KILLING ME!


Many a true word is spoken in jest, and sometimes you have to laugh (albeit grimly) or you'd cry.

All the best with bargain hunting, preserving and generally making do, ladies. If it gets too tough we could always EAT the RICH.

NB, for those who don't get my humour, this is a joke not a serious dietary position. Although that Eric Pickles is well-padded and it's not like anyone would miss him.....:rotfl:

[Deleted User]

I have been doing a bit of financial stuff this morning, well I look after my dh`s pension pot and I have been looking at charts and getting a feel of the market etc. That is my other hat, besides jam making and cooking cabbage. The pension pot is very much holding its own but I decided to sell all his shares this morning. They were about 1/3 of his pot and I am getting `that` intuitive feeling again where it is ok to hold cash but risky to hold shares. I might be wrong but I cannot see any positives in the foreseeable future :undecided I haven`t done any trading for quite some months as I think we have been pretty stable to now. I think the pot is coming to the boil again

SDG31000

I'm a serial lurker for the most part, but felt I had to post in defence of "Wally Trollies". I have a Typhoon shopping trolley and it's very modern and funky looking. I resisted getting one for ages, but after yet another shopping trip where my arms felt 3 inches longer by the time I got home, I gave in and brought one. DH made a noise about my getting one saying that I would look like a granny and that he wouldn't be seen in public with me when I was using it. I soon shut him up by telling him that when he carried shopping home, instead of just lifting it in and out of the car, then he could complain about it.
I've had mine a couple of years now and when it dies it will be replaced the same day.