A new 'tougher' thread... and so it continues

gardenia101

Softstuff wrote: »

Oooh that gave me a good chuckle Gardenia. Wonder what they're thinking when they read the application :rotfl:

Well I've just had some forms emailed to me to complete, so maybe they worked it out for themselves & aren't too worried about me! I hope they agree to take me on as even though I love pottering about at home, I feel my brain has gone to mush & I'd like to do something to help others as I had a lot of support at the beginning of my health problems. I'd hoped to do something for RNIB or our local blind charity, but they only want people with their own transport - oh, the irony :rotfl:

I'd looked at volunteering on here in the summer, but I was having a few wobbles with my vision so left it & life carried on. At the time I can remember there were only 15-20 posts within 5 miles of my town - when I looked yesterday there were 124 :eek:
I wonder if any of these new posts are as a result of paid employees being laid off? It seems like such a huge jump to me, & only a handful were posted as Xmas specific. Has anyone else noticed this?

Just hearing about the Trussell Trust on my local radio, & thinking about it I've heard them mentioned several times in the last few months. They are delivering Xmas hampers with Xmas pud, crackers etc. as well as ordinary food today. Apparently they have opened 20 odd new food banks in the last 3 weeks (not clear if this is nationwide or just in my county where they are based). Reckons they feed over 100,000 people/year over the UK, but sadly the numbers needing the service is going up too.

We're off to the library then doing the final Xmas shop - kids want more scampi for some bizarre reason. Think they'd live on it if I'd let them...

Quite warm here thankfully - no heating on yesterday or today yet, but I'm struggling to get through Mt. Washmore so I expect it will be on to dry clothes.

Hope everyone has a good day. Am I allowed to say that I'll be glad when Xmas is all over? *runs* Loving all the mincemeat drops though....

gailey_2

gardenia101 wrote: »

Well I've just had some forms emailed to me to complete, so maybe they worked it out for themselves & aren't too worried about me! I hope they agree to take me on as even though I love pottering about at home, I feel my brain has gone to mush & I'd like to do something to help others as I had a lot of support at the beginning of my health problems. I'd hoped to do something for RNIB or our local blind charity, but they only want people with their own transport - oh, the irony :rotfl:

I'd looked at volunteering on here in the summer, but I was having a few wobbles with my vision so left it & life carried on. At the time I can remember there were only 15-20 posts within 5 miles of my town - when I looked yesterday there were 124 :eek:
I wonder if any of these new posts are as a result of paid employees being laid off? It seems like such a huge jump to me, & only a handful were posted as Xmas specific. Has anyone else noticed this?

Just hearing about the Trussell Trust on my local radio, & thinking about it I've heard them mentioned several times in the last few months. They are delivering Xmas hampers with Xmas pud, crackers etc. as well as ordinary food today. Apparently they have opened 20 odd new food banks in the last 3 weeks (not clear if this is nationwide or just in my county where they are based). Reckons they feed over 100,000 people/year over the UK, but sadly the numbers needing the service is going up too.

We're off to the library then doing the final Xmas shop - kids want more scampi for some bizarre reason. Think they'd live on it if I'd let them...

Quite warm here thankfully - no heating on yesterday or today yet, but I'm struggling to get through Mt. Washmore so I expect it will be on to dry clothes.

Hope everyone has a good day. Am I allowed to say that I'll be glad when Xmas is all over? *runs* Loving all the mincemeat drops though....

Your post about knives made me chuckle so much.

Think the trussel trust has nearly 100 banks in uk now.
Might see where my nearest is and donate.

we been in lidls with just £10 some weeks and manage to get by on on the week before payday as i stockpile the freezer and the cupboards as dont like leaving us vunerable.

My best advice to anyone struggling or worried about job security would be

try and save £1 or so a week on food stamps/card
do get buy one get one free goods groceries if you think its something you use ie canned goods, frozen.

If you can afford a extra freezer or chest do it so can get bargain reductions

Always search the reduced sections

forage fruit

try cook from scratch-means we eat very well on low budget not just beans on toast.

Think c4 said theres 20 people chasing eaching job.
it varies what sector and what region.
A lot of vacancies are just part time and fully flexible hard if you have kids and hours variable makes budgeting very hard!

Im not moaning too much as realise im lucky in so many ways.

Had my baby boy this year
brought a new car as ours was dying
we all have our health and get on well
have some good freinds/family

its more just end of year reflection

2011 has been harder than 2010 for us.
This xmas we skinter than last year:(

we made some changes and cut backs

switched everything we can think of
made cutbacks
rarly buy new
cut school dinners.
Had no holiday this year

But its not been enough.

I know where the money went this year was spent on the car and paid down a lot of debts. Everything going up has left us squeezed.
Losing least £40 next april.

We need to up our income I need to find a job that fits in around hubbys work which is hard but has to be done.

I feel like just little things we want are slipping out of our reach and try not to get down about it

things like not worrying and stressing all time in supermarket
some disposable income
some money saved

move to bigger house
buy a house 1 day-dont think this will happen.
cheap uk holiday

I go shopping only when we really need something specific.
See people laden with expensive carrierbags and wonder how do they do it?Yes some have credit but speking to people I know and credits drying up they can no longer get the 0%creditcards or loans from banks. banks wont overextend overdrafts.

So I guess a small proportion of people realy do not worry about money.But a greater proportion are being dragged nearer poverty and really struggling. Dont know what the solution is just know so many people work so hard and feel like they just scraping by surviving and not living .

Hubby feels dissapointed that hes not earning more.
But then he earns more more gets taken away.

The net is getting wider.
A few years people rarly discussed finances now most trying to compete with how broke they are and how they cut back.
Of course broke means different things to different people mams still going on hols abroad next year and impulse buying!

I want to be more positive about new year but realistically fisrt 3months of 2011 be hard ,lean months for us as cars due tax/mot, creditcard to pay and eldests birthday I know we will get by we always do:D.

Has anyone else cut back their spending at big supermarkets?
we have last 6months we have been doing the bulk of it in lidls or farmfoods even poundshops.

My aims for next year are

find a job
up my income
save some money even if just small amount
buy throughout year for next xmas
grow more in garden and forgage more
make even more from scratch
do more carboots/nearly new sales to kit the kids out!
be more organised and planned.
Try and maintain a nice standard of living on lower budget
pay off more debts -dont have huge amount personally just overdraft and dreaded catalougue so hopefully gone by next xmas but hubby has creditcards and huge loan.

Right best go back to the laundry now babys boys fed and asleep.
seems very quiet without toddler about.
5year olds whinging shes bored again!

Margaret54

Hi lentil lover:) you are very welcome and yes it is a very friendly thread here and you will pick up great tips and manys a good giggle too.:)

mrsmortenharket

Fuddle, dried fruit is very good to get things moving.

fuddle

I think Gailey that I feel like everything is spiralling out of control. I'd like some of that control back so going to grow some stuff next year. I tried this year but was very disappointed with my harvest. I am going to concentrate on growing fruit this year. Already have rhubarb, strawbs, red and black current and blackberries. They were all pretty new last year and didn't yield much so hoping that this year I will have better results.

My main plan is learning how to cook frugally. I can and have cooked from scratch but it's meals that are not too cheap ingredients wise.

Cleaning products from Aldi as I find them to be very good.
Toiletries from BandM and Homebargains
Dairy from Aldi - cheap and freeze.
Breakfast cereals and bread from Aldi
Meat, fruit and veg and from the butcher warehouse when I get use of the car.
Staples from Tesco.
My clothes from charity shops, children's and DH clothes from Asda. (as and when we need)

I am determined to shop around for the cheapest things I can get.

I, like you Gailey, have stopped the school meals. I can make my children's packed lunch for a fraction of the price and mainly items I get in anyway.

I have upped my direct debit to the Gas company and will concentrate paying off what I owe and try to put more in to the account over the summer so any further rises we can absorb.

Continue to use elect/gas as frugally as we can and continue to believe that the fleecey blanket is our friend

Get window dressings for toilet room and kitchen windows.

Rugs for the children's rooms.

Above all I want to get back my self pride and esteem. I am determined to live my life as full as possible, taking care with my appearance and doing things as a family - albeit as tightly and as frugally as possible. I do not want to get down about money or lack of, yes DH job will help but it's still very scary. Did we think that last year we would be in this bad a position? When the tough threads began did any of us really think it would get this bad? Who knows what next year holds.

mardatha

Got a new laptop so I can sit on couch and be comfy when am not well instead of huddled on beanbag on the floor in a draught. Can you all write smaller please as its just a wee screen.

ginnyknit

Tried to shrink my font but it didnt work Its like summer in Manchester , the sun is shining and I have the doors open as the house is like a sauna - bit bl**dy late mate, I wanted this in July:mad:

Just popped to Mr A for nappies for DGS, Dd is struggling with her OH out of work. Picked up a couple of cars for nephews son, reduced, so think I am all done.

Going to Mums tomorrow to drop off the stuff for big Bro and family. Mum has been trawling the CS's and got DGs quilt covers for his new bed (£25 from gumtree :T) and a big bag of wool for me too so must empty the boot - Im sure the neighbours think i am a baglady as Im loaded up with stuff when ever I come back from there, of course if any of them spoke to me they would know what it all is :rotfl:

jamanda

Fuddle, I don't know where you think your self pride and esteem have gone, but having read your posts for yonks I think you should be very proud of what you achieve and hold your head up high.

Thinking about it, we're all coping much better than we would have done if this (and other similar threads) had not existed for us to chew the fat.

I reckon we can all be proud of ourselves. "Every little helps" as the saying goes - and it was my saying way before "they" pinched it.

mardatha

O yes jamanda, absolutely. Thank god for this thread and forum !

gailey_2

fuddle wrote: »

I think Gailey that I feel like everything is spiralling out of control. I'd like some of that control back so going to grow some stuff next year. I tried this year but was very disappointed with my harvest. I am going to concentrate on growing fruit this year. Already have rhubarb, strawbs, red and black current and blackberries. They were all pretty new last year and didn't yield much so hoping that this year I will have better results.

My main plan is learning how to cook frugally. I can and have cooked from scratch but it's meals that are not too cheap ingredients wise.

Cleaning products from Aldi as I find them to be very good.
Toiletries from BandM and Homebargains
Dairy from Aldi - cheap and freeze.
Breakfast cereals and bread from Aldi
Meat, fruit and veg and from the butcher warehouse when I get use of the car.
Staples from Tesco.
My clothes from charity shops, children's and DH clothes from Asda. (as and when we need)

I am determined to shop around for the cheapest things I can get.

I, like you Gailey, have stopped the school meals. I can make my children's packed lunch for a fraction of the price and mainly items I get in anyway.

I have upped my direct debit to the Gas company and will concentrate paying off what I owe and try to put more in to the account over the summer so any further rises we can absorb.

Continue to use elect/gas as frugally as we can and continue to believe that the fleecey blanket is our friend

Get window dressings for toilet room and kitchen windows.

Rugs for the children's rooms.

Above all I want to get back my self pride and esteem. I am determined to live my life as full as possible, taking care with my appearance and doing things as a family - albeit as tightly and as frugally as possible. I do not want to get down about money or lack of, yes DH job will help but it's still very scary. Did we think that last year we would be in this bad a position? When the tough threads began did any of us really think it would get this bad? Who knows what next year holds.

Big hugs fuddle.

You should have huge pride as surviving on tough budget very hard and you so sensible have a great attitude and work so hard for your family try stay positive I know its hard really do have my crappy days when I think whats the point. Off to do kids stockings soon and mr m and stressing about that.

I think the control thing happens when you organised.

So little money pots for diffrent things maybe?

lists of things you need eventually you will get there!

We not had a sucessful year in garden although the rasberry tree produced lot of rasberries and hubby said he dident expect anything in 1st year.but need to plan more veg like onions, garlic, herbs ect that I will use all year round and maybe try some winter veg next year.

Foraging due to new arrival anbd being heaviliy pregant I missed the cherries, elderflower and blackberries. Im not connvinced the cherries came out this year wondering if they bi annual as have about 10cherry trees on local cycle path.dident pick plums as have bags from last year in freezer.

Eldest school dinners gone up to £1.70 a day and school perefr to be paid termly!

I have a list of things

new to me but 2nd hand pram that will fit my buggyboard as hoping will need to use double less next year as cant fit in so many places.

would like to pass driving tes-dont think this going to happen.

eldests birthday in feb to fund presents and cheap party.

girls need bunkbeds for their room as would give them so much space all their toys.

Do up the girls scooter and get them bell, light, safety jackets, helmuts and ribbons as they use them a lot.

will try and go beach in 2012 somehow.

Do cheap/free days out in school holidays.

This last year had to just do 2nd hand and not buy new,

will search for 2nd hand toys for birthdays and xmas.

I know it will get better eventually.


best go postie at door and made some sausage rolls.

Hope everyones having a good day