Where do we go from basics?

[Deleted User]

ceridwen wrote: »

Hmmm....I hae me doubts on that...as housing is so expensive and the more over-populated the country becomes then the more expensive housing will become. Rent or mortgage is where most of us see most of our money vanishing to. Also with the overpopulation comes the cramming more people into the same space - and therefore new housing getting tinier and tinier gardens and therefore less and less room to grow our own food.

So - I'm the first one to agree with "doing it all ourselves" as far as possible - but I have to say that the money we save by doing this isnt going to be able to go to improve our quality of life, nor are we going to be able to work less hours (ie as it will still take the existing number of hours just to keep up). I see it as much more likely to go on just "maintaining our existing position" I'm afraid.

<...goes off to check the state of the "barricades".....:rotfl:> (aka my daily inspection of the garden)....

My own personal feeling is that I'm not having more money available or could give up some hours at work because of the Old Style things I do - I really am doing these things just in order to "maintain my position". I had certainly expected that doing these things would mean I would be able to "improve my position" - but that isnt happening....

With respect, I see where you're coming from but don't agree - especially re working hours. Here is an interesting link you might remember from 2010. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:E27YHD8reXAJ:news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8513783.stm+gov+think+tank+work+20+hours+week&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&client=firefox-a&source=www.google.co.uk

However, my point was that it certainly doesn't follow that if we stopped being led to buy more than we need or being so wasteful, that the result would be mass unemployment. Society could adapt and evolve in different ways.

mama67

THIRZAH wrote: »

A friend of my mother's once served us "lasagne pie"-leftover lasagne topped with pastry!

Talking about pastry-my grandmother would roll any leftover pastry out into squares and bake it on a tray. She would store it in a tin and use it to top stewed fruit-saving having to put the oven on just for one pie.

My mum used to make "pastry pieces" and we'd have those with stewed fruit , basically the same idea; this was something my nan did as well.

anguk

silverleaf79 wrote: »

I know, Lush is EXPENSIVE! I find the perfumes they use a bit overpowering as well to be honest. I'd love to know how you get on with bicarb... the only thing I don't like about it is that I miss nice-smelling shampoo and lathering up, but I'm getting over it lol!

That's the one thing that I struggled with when I tried natural shampoo, lack of lather. I hate lush stuff it just smells so overpowering, I start sneezing when I walk past their shops!

I now use a shampoo bar from Purenuffstuff £2.95 for 100g (almost double the size of a lush shampoo bar). Natural ingredients (unlike lush) and it has a lovely smell and lathers up wonderfully, plus it's a hair and body bar so you can use it all over in the shower.

donnajt

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Is this Barleylands in Billericay? As a child I used to love picking fruit there, but the PYO fields closed some time ago. I didn't realise the farm shop was such good value for money, the next time I visit my family I'll stop by en-route.

Hi VfM4meplse - yes if you are visiting family stop in - you can always grab fab bargains in there, if you are fb, they are, barleylands farm shop, we desperately need to go, running out of potatoes and onions!

Unorganized

cbrown372 wrote: »

What a wonderful idea, sounds a bit like the project Jamie Oliver did to teach the parents basic cooking and even better that the kids go with the parents and learn at the same time. Sounds a far better idea to cook actual meals that people will eat rather than the odd kind of domestic science I learnt at school none of which I remember being edible by the time I got it home.

They do a free cookery class once a week/fortnight at our local surestart centre...may be worth people looking into if they're interested in this sort of thing...

sb44

ceridwen wrote: »

So - I'm the first one to agree with "doing it all ourselves" as far as possible - but I have to say that the money we save by doing this isnt going to be able to go to improve our quality of life, nor are we going to be able to work less hours (ie as it will still take the existing number of hours just to keep up). I see it as much more likely to go on just "maintaining our existing position" I'm afraid.

Totally agree.

Going old style is just a way of being able to stretch what money you already have without having to go over budget.

I believe a lot of people are so skint they are having to use their credit cards to pay for food, then repaying it over the following months, my sister in law has admitted to being one of them.