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

ceridwen

GreyQueen wrote: »

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:

Would that be with or without sauce for added flavouring?:rotfl:

love
ceridwen

(who shares that black SOH)..

mardatha

Actually her raised cabbage beds look just like mini covered wagons - the kind that rolled across America lol , only covered with green nylon net

ceridwen

KITTIE AND GREYQUEEN

Thought the crunch date for America is 2 August?? Either way - its not long now. My personal feeling is that "someone will blink" at 5 minutes to midnight and the budget will go through.

...though, if it does, then really they will only be storing up yet more trouble for some indefinite future I guess??

The Euro and European Union as a whole has turned out to be a Seriously Bad Idea and the sooner we all revert to sovereign states and our own national currencies the better (thank goodness Britain at least didnt give up our own currency). I'd like us out of it all yesterday personally...

From the POV of Britain - I was only sitting here today thinking my basic optimism that "things were gonna get better and we can change the world for the better" started going adrift at very much the time things started "hitting the fan" (which I tend to feel personally was back in the late 1980s - when a massive range of Social Security cuts got implemented). Fast forward to the 1990s - and womens State Pension Age announcements being made and I think times were starting to get harder. Fast forward to this century - and I feel for people having to put up with so much less than they expected on the jobs front/am watching the overcrowding get worse and worse and no-one seems to be doing anything about any of the causes of it/housing is way dearer than it was in real terms (I am very conscious that I would have bought a house instantly in my 20s - if I hadnt been single - and it was only a struggle because I WAS single)....Rental accommodation situation is a lot worse than I remember from time past and I do feel sorry for those under 35 (who are due to have even greater rent restrictions just because of their age).

I'm trying not to think about what this decade will bring...and as for the lives of people in this (currently modern, liberal, secular country) in a generation or two - particularly British women......eek! eek! eek! unless things change course from the way they are headed now and I thank goodness that I will be pretty darn old before I wonder if I will feel I have to turn round and remind peeps trying to change our Society for the worse on that "This IS Britain - its liberal/secular/women are equal - and thats the way its staying Buster.......WE wont be changing OUR lifestyle....ever..to accommodate other (severer) lifestyles.."

Re any hints of hitting State etc pensions here - I think our Government has some idea just how strong the Grey Vote is and the Baby Boomers are now starting to retire (ie the most vocal protest generation for some time) - but that could be my wishful thinking (as a Baby Boomer myself:cool:).

The vast majority of people do look first to what their own financial situation is likely to be - but it IS incumbent on those of us who are "getting off pretty lightly" to be aware that others arent and do what we can to help those who have fallen/will soon fall on Hard Times due to no fault of their own.

EDIT: ..and apologies if I'm coming over a bit ...ahem...blunter than normal...as things could be better on the personal front. My elderly parents are looking iller every time I see them (even though thats regularly..) - so I guess my father is getting used to seeing my mother burst in tears with frustration at all her physical restrictions these days, followed by me coming over tearful at watching their rapidly decreasing Quality of Life. My mother is still stubbornly insisting on carrying on as much as normal as possible - kneeling down included and I find that I seem to have learnt from somewhere how to do a professional-style lift to get her back up onto her feet, whilst telling her off that I'm there then I can do whatever-it-is she's trying to manoeuvre to do....parents...

FURTHER EDIT: I knew an American blog I intermittently follow would be following their financial situation closely. I sometimes do/sometimes dont agree with this guy. Anyway FWIW:

http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/

and his latest post is specifically about the situation.

westlothianlass

Evening all,
Thank you Mama67 i had completely forgotten about using lemon juice in my jam so thanks .
Another big thank you to all who have posted articles about current americam situation and food rises, I try to keep abreast of things going on but regularly miss stuff when busy with other bits so its great that you take time to post info and I for one really appreciate it x
Well i survived my first day back without turning into an early version of the grinch so onwards and upwards eh, though sometimes working for the social work dept can seriously affect my good nature and inner calm:D not to mention my blood pressure.

I have cabbage envy as mine aren't at the harvesting stage but i can see it won't be too long before the jars and vinegar are put to work.

It's a shame we can't earn commission from recommending this site and the wealth of info you peeps have shared, as like many of you i find myself quoting ideas to colleagues, family and friends constantly (maybe im an OS groupie:rotfl:) ooh theres a thought.


Hope your all feeling well and ready to embrace an OS and frugally challenged Tuesday,
Hugs x
Edit : Just seen your post Ceridwen and didn't want to leave without sending some positive thoughts for you and your parents.

Rowan9

Hello all. Have had a nice day which included making veggie soup with chicken stock that I boiled up last night. Also stripped the chicken last night so it has been easy today to sort into salad bits and stew type bits. Does anyone else find that they spend more of their time in the kitchen these days? I make every single bit go as far as poss and that seems to always include chopping, cooking, freezing, sorting. But I feel I am doing what I can to stay as far ahead as I can.
Nice to see a bit of sun in the early afternoon today but it turned to rain again. However, I've managed to dodge showers with the dogs so that's good.
Just waiting for a text from DD and then I'll pick her up from her nursing placement - 13 hr shifts :eek:. Their car is off the rd at the moment so I'm doing my bit to make sure she gets home to her flat ASAP.
Lovely to read the posts in here - always such an assortment of busy lives and interesting views.
Have a good evening folks
W

lizzyb1812

Ceridwen - I know what you mean about your parents. Speech and circulation problems for one and acute depression and serious heart disease for the other. My father has carried his burdens for a long time and is bearing up better than my mother for whom illness came quickly and completely out of the blue.

However the american issue is resolved - or not - I think being OS and MSE are must-do's for me. Knowing that, whilst I can't be completely self-sufficient, I can go a long way towards it is comforting when faced with uncertain times.

Self-sufficiency in tomatoes took a step backwards today - I snapped off the leading shoot of one of my Gardener's Delight plants. I've stuck it in the pot to see if it will reroot. Luckily I've got 20 assorted plants and I think it was Ceridwen who quoted a figure of 13 as enough for one person a while ago.

We've had incredibly heavy, driving rain and wind for part of today so there will be lots of cherry plums to forage tomorrow - the compote I made with the last lot foraged is great with yoghurt for breakfast.

I was pleased to see today that my rhubarb, transplanted onto the allotment, is now going great guns. Poor thing - it was doing well the first year I had it until the dog got fed up of digging to Australia and decided to harvest rhubarb instead. I caught her parading around the garden with the rhubarb crown in her mouth. Needless to say last year it produced nothing :rotfl:But it's come good now so the dog is forgiven.

Tesco sent me some money off coupons the other day - £X off a £Y shop for six weeks. The discount isn't great but I've decided to use them to stock up on value basics where their prices are the best - eg lots of value dry milk and so on.

Crikey, haven't half waffled - sorry

shegar

Hi girls how are you all doing.1 thought id pop in for a quick chat beings its too dam wet to go outside..!!......

Usually at this time of year im doing odds and ends that I dont come on line that much but weve had so much rain this past week I cant get out.!!....

At least when it rains I have to stop working in the garden , theres always a job to do.........

I hope your all okay and bearing up the best you all can , with all the doom and gloom on the tv and the papers, and the fuel prices hitting us all very hard indeed, its all too depressing isnt it?......:mad:
not to mention how much food is going up too...:eek:....tonight it seem to have a autumn feel in the air.:eek:its dark that little bit earlier of a evening, please dont say weve had summer.......:eek:we dont normally get much rain here in East Anglia but weve had enough this past week to last til winter.......

lizzyb1812

Shegar - I'm also in Suffolk - did you get the thunderstorm early this evening? I'm from up North originally, though in East Anglia for 24 years and Suffolk for 21 of those. My observation has been that in the north it rains not too hard for ages and ages and ages, whilst down here it rains for relatively short bursts but really, really hard. Despite todays rain there was enough dry time to walk the dog twice and get into the garden for a bit, whilst my mum in Yorkshire has reported drizzle for all day non-stop

scottishminnie

No more tomatoes so far - I'm beginning to think my total haul may be 6 tomatoes from 3 plants - would I get an eggcupful of chutney?!

I'm impatiently waiting to see if the spring onions do anything much - they seem to be thickening a bit. I'm wondering if starting them off indoors was a big waste of time. They (and the beetroot) seem to be coming on at last now. Better late than never.

On the subject of spring onions does anyone have a foolproof way of getting the dirt out of them? I hate having to sacrifice much of the green bit because I can't get the dirt washed out properly. I know they say clean meat never fattened a pig however I'm just not too keen on dirt in my lunch.

Another question for the OSer's - most of the cupcakes from the Hummingbird book I was given are plain flour and baking powder. I find them just a bit stodgy - can I just substitute self raising flour or would they raise far too much?

On the subject of the American crisis - I don't understand why the pound isn't faring better against the dollar if the situation is so bad. I know Europe is a mess however we at least still have our own currency so why isn't it holding up better? I work for a major UK bank and I haven't yet mastered second guessing the stock markets - neither has anyone around me.

Off to make some pesto pasta salad for tomorrow's lunch since I found a jar of pesto lurking at the back of the tin shelf. That should last a couple of days.

shegar

Hi Lizzi, im near Sizewell in Suffolk, had heavy bursts throughout the day also had rumbles of thunder but no lightning, where you at in Suffolk? if you dont mind me asking .....:D