It was getting tough in 2006 and the workhouse still threatens us in 2011

Uniscots97

This will only work if you have a small-ish dog (I suppose you could sew 2 or more together for a bigger dog). To stop my Gran's friend's little dog from getting cold at night in the winter my Mum got a polar fleece scarf from Poundland (she said you could use any old scrap material really), cut a length that matched the dog's from base of his neck to root of his tail. She cut a V-shape at one end (not too deep) and sewed elastic across the two points of the V and then some elastic (with a loop) and a button to link one side of the length of it to the other. Perfect little dog jacket to keep them snug.

Not sure what she did with the rest of the material but probably something useful!

ifonlyitwaseasier

have some fab moneysaving going on today, free haircut!! just spotted a sign as i was walking past my preferred(yet too expensive) branded salon

got some lovely roll things in W reduced to half price before lunch

and have a "snowball" set up for more debt riddance now

i feel good today

suzitiger

oooh I managed to find the new thread, yaaaaay! Was just looking through all the posts I had missed from the old thread....... growing meat!! Yeah i saw this on the news, gross gross gross, can we all go back and live in the 1950s please!! Things seemed alot simpler then, I am sure I am viewing with my rosey specs on but hey, sometimes I do wonder what on earth we have done to our world??! As for Quorn, I had no idea it was so processed, I like fried tofu from the chinese supermarket, any thoughts on this? Its yummy in stir fry, and as far as I know it's o.k to eat.
OMG still angry about the growing meat story, if there isn't enough, just don't buy it, lets go back to making the sunday roast joint lasting all week, we have become used to the idea that we need meat with every meal, this just ISN'T true. Meat should be expensive, why can't people accept this and stop moaning, it is an expensive thing to produce. I like meat and I eat my fair share but I love eating veggie food and fish and all sorts too.

Eeeeeee sorry rant rant rant, it just makes me angry this sort of stuff Anyway, what I actually wanted some help with was making my own patchwork quilt. I have wanted to do this for a while but I have no idea where to start, can someone give me some handy hints?

PIGSMAYFLY

Hi all, thanks for the new thread! I completely lost the last one as I couldn't keep up. I have rescued a lovely armchair from going into a skip today it suits me and my home just perfectly and is very comfy indeed! Oh and i also rescued three large chicken breasts from my parents as they were chucking them as they are todays date (they are fussy things, I don't know where I get my thriftyness from lol). So HM chicken nuggets made with little one for us tonight and teriakyi chicken in the oven ready for tomorrows dinner and the left overs fried in chunks and in the freezer rather old style day today me thinks.

ceridwen

Softstuff wrote: »

I'm feeling quite buoyed that my recipes have been useful to some folks. Sometimes feel a bit useless being jobless and all, despite the fact that it's partially down to me being picky and hubby being quite happy having me at home. I had wondered at one stage about writing a cookery books, I figured there was a gap in the market for easy, flexible, cheap and inaccurately measured recipes! But I'm getting ahead of myself by far there.

Well - yer never know...there might be a market for that type of cookbook. You'll never know unless you try.

You're not "useless" Softstuff - I was only thinking today about peeps with similar mindset to my own (errr...not the world's most common mindset it has to be said....:cool:) and thinking "Well - theres x, y, z people ITRW and peeps like GreyQueen and Softstuff in the Virtual World" - so...you go gal....some of us are just plain glad to "meet" others like ourselves whether it be ITRW or in the "virtual world".:). I think a lot of us "form our mindset" from the life we've led - and it really does help to meet others who've had a more similar lifestyle to ourselves in some respects...because they understand where we are coming from.

[Deleted User]

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scattyspice

Hi folks. Can I join in? I (we) are desperately trying to save monet at the mo for all the usual reasons. Its quite a challenge for me as I am not normally good with money. So far I have been baking rather than buying cakes, buying fruit, veg and flour etc from the market (flour from the weigh shop) rather than supermarket and putting off buying new clothes for the kids until the old ones are in rags or completely outgrown (they don't care anyway).

I have a question. My friend has just had a baby and rather than buy a present (more baby clothes?) I have made some chocolate brownies and am giving her a book that I've finished reading (hard back good condition). Does that sound good sense or just mean? (I have a real problem with coming across as mean).

I am going to read all your brilliant tips now!

ChocClare

(With apologies to GreyQueen), I went foraging today in my lovely favourite place and have come back with a carrier bag full of plums, so I am very pleased. There are loads left, mostly still a bit hard, so I'll go back again in a week or so. I think I must be the only person who ever picks them - they're in a little grove surrounded by brambles and willows and I usually have to beat a path through the long grass to get to them, but I've been getting fruit from the same trees for the last five years at least - yum!

Actually it's a very nice place - just some playing fields with a "wilder" bit leading down to the river, and obviously some kind benefactor planted - guerilla planted maybe - some fruit trees - or maybe they're just where people have picnicked and left fruit? Anyway, there are apple, pear and cherry trees as well as banks of blackberries and elderberries. Honestly, the blackberries are HUGE this year - must use up what's in the freezer and then get freezing again!

FTM, I did exactly what you're thinking of with a single quilt - actually, I took even less effort than you're thinking of. I cut a single duvet in half and then did the same with a single duvet cover so that I had two half-sized duvets with nice material on top. Admittedly, mine were beds for the dog, but it was "free" as both kids are now in double beds so I didn't need the single quilts any more. Anyway, go for it - it was really successful.

Suzitiger, what sort of quilt do you want to make (ie what size)? If you're planning a cover for your own double bed, then you may be making it for a while... Cot covers are the best place to start, so you can see if you like it, unless you're making an heirloom and planning to take your time. In any case, if it's your first one, don't be too ambitious with pattern and don't make your patches too small.

If you have a sewing machine and you like them, you might do worse than make a log cabin quilt - you start with a square and then you just machine strips of fabric round the edges - no pattern really needed.

If you have something more specific in mind, say - I'm sure there's loads of people on the thread who can give you pointers.

jamanda

I am proud to announce that I have one red tomato. About the size of a £2 coin. And red. I have left it in situ so it can show the others what to do. My tomatoes look OK but haven't set that many tomatoes, although lots of flowers. Had about 10 cucumbers off (2 plants) so far. Unfortunately don't like them pickled so I'm giving what we won't use to all and sundry.

Went scrumping in the garden this afternoon with grandkids. We have a hazel nut bush that we wombled a few years ago and there were actually a few on this year. Last year, we had none. The year before we cut one in half and had half each. The year before we had one whole one each. Well, this year I've fooled the squirrel. We have pulled them off to finish off in the house. Unless he tunnels through into the front room, he is only having the ones at the top of the tree. Got him this year!

I've promised the kids that we'll go down the fields with bags at the weekend and try to get some more "wild" ones. They had a whale of a time today. Might try for some blackberries too, but someone told me rather disapprovingly that the teenagers who frequent the fields in the evenings had been eating them. I think that is brilliant. It is lovely to see kids these days actually knowing what they are and enjoying them.

Had a good day today. Booked a holiday from work because I had a letter about the mamogram (sp?) undertaken recently and had to go to hospital for more tests. Awful place, though staff very pleasant. Everyone looked terrified. Scan man's face looked delighted as he told me I had nothing to worry about. I bet he gets some bad days.

Bought another Kilner jar today to add to the collection ready for bottling the plums. Might not have enough tomatoes to bottle this year. Been a funny year for fruit and veg.

I'll shut up now. Long post for me

redlady_1

Well, not only do I go off line but I went down with gastroenteritis!!! I have never known anything so bloody awful. I was so ill on Sunday I had to call the doctor out!!! Still I am back and I see we have a new thread!