Hard Times: How to cope with everyday living.

feedumall

we have a rule in our family only five pounds per adult pressie at christmas ,saves a lot of needless expense,for birthdays as they are close together bought a years subscription to the zoo for dd and family the same price as presents for four but so much better ,they love it and go at least once a month so well worth it .As for homemade i make christmas cakes every year ,eldest grandaughter has been making a cake for her other granparents for six years they love the fact she has took the time to make it,as she gets older the cake gets neater:rotfl:

mishmogs

feedumall wrote: »

we have a rule in our family only five pounds per adult pressie at christmas ,saves a lot of needless expense,for birthdays as they are close together bought a years subscription to the zoo for dd and family the same price as presents for four but so much better ,they love it and go at least once a month so well worth it .As for homemade i make christmas cakes every year ,eldest grandaughter has been making a cake for her other granparents for six years they love the fact she has took the time to make it,as she gets older the cake gets neater:rotfl:

what a lovely thoughtful granddaugher!

lostinrates

• I cant use the car less I live 5 miles from civilisation and the nearest shops

We too NEED a car. We live a few miles in all directions from a village and two of those villages have village shops, but they are expensive and not terribly usefully stocked for my needs. Although we live rurally we have supermarkets within about the same distance as farmers wife...with in 5 and eight miles we can get to all of the big four I think, but not the massive stores.

BUT needing a car I've still found it IS possible to use it less. I plan journeys and shopping trips to maximise the potential and minimise the outings. Our four wheel drive is also used as a farm work horse, so its not cheap to go out and about. e.g. I don't actually need any groceries today, I have plenty to last me to the weekend, BUT I have an appointment to day, before which I shall be going to the farmstore and the appt is on the route of two supermarkets, so I'll be checking them both out on the way back.

I do bulk grocery shops in order to never run out of anything that we might need - this saves both petrol and those things that jump into the trolley when you pop out for ''x'' ....we do need to buy some fruit and veg b ut often they are the only thing I need to buy in a week between shops. I try and plan so that these are also picked up when I am already going out.


There are times when I might go stir crazy if I don't get out regularly, but nowadays, every day the car doesn't go out is a day I feel a bit thrilled I haven't spent on petrol.

Butterfly_Brain

We have got rid of sky, because to be honest tv is mostly full of purile carp, way too many reality tv shows. We have about 5 shows a week that we enjoy watching and that is it. We are all into crafts of some form or another and we tend to do that instead.
I cook everything from scratch and both of my children are encouraged to cook, that is the only way to learn. For us being frugal has always been a way of life from necessity not choice.

We have a tatty old car that is nearly 20 years old,it gets us from A to B and it got through its MOT with no work this year because DH services it regularly and does any work on it that he can - he replaced the starter motor 2 months ago, it cost £90 but would have cost over £400 in the garage if you count labour costs and the extortionate 20% VAT rate.
If we need any welding on the car we have a friend who does that and I help him with computer lessons as payment. I also have a friend who cuts my hair in exchange for taking her on shopping trips when we go out of town because she doesn't drive.

We shop in charity shops and car booters. We have found some really good bargains over the years. The kids think it is great fun and have always enjoyed seeing what treasures they can find.
When they were little they had a few second hand bits and bobs to bulk out what they had for Christmas and birthdays, and never ever complained or turned their noses up.

DS is doing an engineering course so he is learning useful skills.

DH is a site agent and as such is always being sent on training courses for something or other and his skills come in very useful.
We have a nephew who has just qualified as an electrician.

We had a lot of wood to get rid of after taking down the old shed and the old fence ( both untreated, before any one panics) and we gave it to a friend who has a wood burner, she in turn bought us some tins of biscuits and sweets as a thank you and they have been put away for Christmas.

I buy everything a year ahead such as coats, clothes and shoes/sandals, christmas pressies, cards, wrapping paper, crackers in the sales.

We have a bulk buy reserve so when things like daz soap powder, meat, etc are on offer we buy as much as we can afford to and store it away.

We raplaced our clapped out upright freezer with an A + rated chest freezer last year and it has paid for itself with storing things like special offers, whoopsies, HG and foraged fruit and veg.

We save more than we spend and are looking at ways to tighten our belts even further, our motto is why buy when you can make.

I have a slow cooker, pressure cooker and dehydrator to help save on fuel and I like the hay box idea, especially as my local greengrocer does huge bags of hay for £3 but I suppose you could use old quilts or pillows for the same sort of effect.

Dh is buying me one of these for Christmas - the hairy bikers use them and they only use 3 lumps of charcoal or they have special ceramic nuggets. It is an expensive outlay but with the cost of fuel going through the roof (nearly trebled in 5 years) I think it will pay for itself in a very little time.
http://www.cobb-bbq.co.uk/

We only buy for DH's parents our kids.
We do have two old ladies that we keep an eye on and a couple of very close friends who get HM hampers and really love them.

gizzie121

Frugal_Dreamer wrote: »

Things I am doing:

• Buying mostly basic/values food items
• Growing my own fruit and veg
• Walking more, less car use
• Making my own wine, jams and chutneys
• Enjoying more free things like museums, art galleries, walking in the countryside & beaches
• Making things from scrap fabric
• Batch cooking & making meals from scratch
• Buying stuff at car boots
• Playing board games

and do you know what.....I love doing these things, it makes me feel alive and in control of my life

I was about to say, what a wonderful way to live!! Sounds good to me.

gizzie121

Judi wrote: »

Hubby ditched the car for something that does 50 to the gallon. Its the size of a shoebox but theres only me, him and two small dogs to get in it. He sold the big trailer as it was too big for the car and bought a small one half the price of what he sold the old one for on Ebay.

Son has recently ditched World Of Warcraft. He didnt play it, got bored with it so thats one monthly payment less. He gets his 'kicks' out of Youtube, Skype and Runescape. :rotfl:

If there's only you and your husband, where does your son fit?

System

He's of the age where he doesnt go anywhere with Mum and Dad. He is counting down the days when we say he doesnt have to go on holiday with us.:D The joke is on him though cause ive told him he has got to stay with his older sister till he is at least 18. :rotfl:

redlady_1

BB - which one are you going to get? Does it really only use 3 briquettes? That seems very good and we camp alot. It would be fantastic to be able to do a roast on holiday!

judy_

Red Lady ..I bought a cobb bbq a few years back and its fantastic. I often roast a joint in the garden to save putting the oven on. If its raining I just put an umbrella over it. It is great for camping and picnics.

redlady_1

Um, I am liking this idea - alot! When we go away for a week it would be much better to take thins and our small one gas ring than the big cooker.