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

mardatha

Ah, definitely no then :rotfl::rotfl:

ginnyknit

I have been thinking back to my childhood , which was tough because my parents went bankrupt, but I dont remember any of that due to not working it out till I overheard something years later. I do remember going to work with my wonderful Dad -70's childcare - from the age of 5. First he was a 'tallyman' ( doorstep loans) in Moss side and was treated like God because he got people through the tough days - to me it meant playing with the new toys in the warehouse every morning followed by bacon butties and ice cold lemonade in a cafe ( lemonade and greasy bacon was a no-no to Mum).


Then he went to work for a fashion designer and I got to play in a wonderful world where I was the designers protege, he taught me all about fabrics and cutting and the girls showed me how to sew on industrial machines. Then we used to drive to London at 5 am to deliver clothes to an amazing boutique and meet fab people. I was actually working from the age of 8 without knowing and got a paypacket, would be considered child labour really but to me it was fun and taught me a lot, but I did work quite hard in exchange for knowledge.

I look back on it as a priveleged childhood where I met lovely people and learned how to communicate with them and formed me into who I am today. Bonus is I can direct OH anywhere using the map reading skills dad taught me - he says he doesnt want a sat nav cos he has me and sat navs dont make a picnic for the journey.

Mrs_Chip

Split red lentils do a magic disappearing act in soups, stews and things like cottage pie mix. They add to the bulk and thicken things up without adding a distinctive flavour. You can buy huge bags of them from ethnic shops (way cheapr than the piddly bags in supermarkets) and they are a good source of secondary protein. Best of all you can boil them up with onions and water and a bit of turmeric to make daal (you do need to add a few more spices at the end to enhance the flavour) which is a very cheap way to make a curry go further (sorry Mardy!), and tbh, I am happy to have just that with a pile of home-made chapattis nomnomnom dribble...

decogecko

CH27 wrote: »

Can I ask those of you who use lentils in cottage pies & lasagne do you presoak them or just chuck them in?

Oooh - great question - was wondering this myself.

Was batch cooking last night - made 5 meals out of 3 onions, half a packet of quorn mince, I spilt the the cooked ensemble (one part stayed in the pan, the other part into pie dishes) then to the main pot added a courgette, a pepper, a few mushrooms, a carton of passatta. The other part I added baked beans for a cottage pie style dish (well 2 small pies).

Heating only on for an hour in the morning and 2 hrs in the evening. As another poster put the gas & electric companies aren't going to get anymore money out of me, I want it in my pocket, not boosting their £1.3 billion profits any further!

*steps off soap box*

As you were - have a good day all

modern_millie_2

Morning all. Blowing a gale here, heavy rain too. Cats are disgusted.

Imataloss, I think loads of us are worried about our children's future atm. I think they will come through these times stronger and better able to cope - but it's hard to see them struggle. My 17 year old is still at home, she's just gone back to taking packed lunches to college, even though the college food is quite cheap, so she can save her money for Christmas presents. She has'nt had any new clothes lately, doesn't have a laptop, knows she will have less than usual for Christmas so we can afford to buy her one for her 18th birthday. A couple of years ago she would probably have expected to have the same as her wealthier friends - now she knows that others are worse off than her and that we do our best within our means.

Dinner tonight - have leftover mash and an elderly leek - feel some sort of rissole coming on! Few rk beans, bit of cheese, tomato puree maybe.

Mardatha, do you still have the cabbages? Could always give them to your neighbours - maybe they might return the favour with something you like!

Taurusgb, nice to see you back.

Great to see everyone posting - love to hear about everone's lives, as well as all the MS tips. Would give our chancellor an insight into the real world if he were to read a page or two - think his ears are burning?

ifonlyitwaseasier

lentils - i don't presoak the red split lentils, but i tend to add an extra stock cube and extra water so the gravyish texture isn't too dry

fuddle

I don't know whether to tune in to the 'review' or not, infact haven't had the news on this morning. I may do but can't help want to twist that man's nose and stick my tongue out at him.

I have my In-laws down to stay from tomorrow and I agree that I won't be getting away with frugal meal planning. I'm at a loss what to do other than a Sunday lunch one evening. We'll need to get bacon in for sarnies, snacks and nuts for picking on, my mil likes a hot choc of an evening. I'm not moaning and I don't have to do it but I want to, I want to make them feel welcome - it's just a bit more money I have to spend and a bit more pressure!

mardatha

He looks like a spoiled wee brat who needs a good nose twist Our coalman just came and took £70 for 2 weeks coal...he says some of the dear stuff has gone up to £25 a bag! :eek:

westcoastscot

Morning guys,
Had a rotton day yesterday - found out on top of everything else I have high blood pressure again - it's just at the point where I have the ultimatum - deal with it within a month or more meds, so out I went into the howling gale this morning for 30 minutes "aerobic" walking. Not a lot of fun, and when I came back it was into a hot bath, cup of tea and a scone - undone all that good work! Just seems to be one thing after the other - I have a very minor op planned for before christmas which will improve my physical health no end, but that is now in jeapordy due to bp. Its a bit of a vicious circle - bah!!!

Thinking of the poster who finds it difficult to be frugal with visitors, I'm minded of a day on the island when visitors from the mainland arrived without us knowing - not easy to do with the island telegraph! We used to get through so much bread I used to make it in the microwave each day - keep a couple of "proper" loaves in the freezer for visitors. So funny - they couldn't figure out quite what to do with it - a cake-shaped loaf!! we used to slice it into wedges and eat as usual - doesn't last long made this way but barely made it to the table anyway. Happy days.

Off to sling a tarp over the chucks - they're paddling - then off to work for a while,
stay dry,
WCS

Hawthorn

parsniphead wrote: »

I had a very similar upbringing GreyQueen during the 70's. We may not have had much but were happy, well fed and knew we were loved. I know a lot of people had it harder during that time but I sometimes long for that way of life. Perhaps it's rose tinted glasses. I hope my little one can grow up in a similar environment (with a little less struggle with money I hope).

I grew up during the 70's too. My mum was a baby boom baby. My upbringing was different in the sense that I was in childcare from a very early age, so my mum and dad could work. Money was never flush, but we had everything we needed, and were spoiled rotten at christmas. One year, I got the big Sindy house, with all of the furniture, lights etc and of course the dolls!
I had to sit on the doorstep waiting for my mum to get back from work.....once with dog poo in my hair that a charming boy from school had thrown at me :mad:
As a child there were times I wished my parents were like other parents. Mum at home, dad working 9-5. I often felt like I wasn't wanted as a youngster because in my mind, if my mum wanted me she wouldn't have sent me to playschool all day every day :rotfl: Complete tosh of course. We were well fed, but I do regret not seeing my dad often in those years. He worked casual on the fish docks. It was good money, when the work was there....but of course it wasn't always there...so when it was, I rarely saw my father. He would go out very early morning and get back very late at night, often just grabbing a couple of hours sleep in the office at work so he could make as much money as possible whilst it was available.

Things have changed though - as a youngster, I often went to bed with a hat and mittens on. It was so cold the windows would ice up on the inside! Of course, no double glazing/central heating back then. This was the norm though, as was standing in a bowl of soapy water to get a wash every night. Showers..we didn't have one. Baths were I guess expensive, and plus the bathroom was icy cold in the winter. In fact, when I was younger I don't remember ever getting in a 'proper' bath - every now and then my mum would drag the old tin bath in front of the coal fire and bathe us in that

I think what worries me about my childrens future is that they are going to have it a lot harder than I did - by this I mean everything is disposable these days. My mum has toys and furniture from my childhood, still going strong. Things these days seem to need replacing so often compared to back then, it's not even funny. It feels like nothing is built to last

Anyone remember that skipping game with the elastic around two girls ankles and one jumping on and off the elastic? Entertained us for hours....nowadays it seems if kids of that age don't have the latest mobile phone, latest games console, latest designer jacket and latest hairstyle then they stick out like a sore thumb. It's craaazy.

I blame the media. Advertising is pure evil :mad:

Anyway, that's my grump over for this morning. Today, I am making a roast chicken dinner. I know, it's not sunday, but it IS freezing, windy and the weather for it. I know the kids and hubby will love to come into a house smelling of roast chicken tonight
A very kind client of my husbands gave us a nice big bag of cooking apples (we've had sooo many given this year, it's awesome!) so, apple pie and ice cream for dessert.

Apart from that I'm at a loose end today. I was supposed to be at the dentist having (oh joy) a root canal......but they cancelled so now I have to find something else to do to keep me out of mischief

have a good day all