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

3v3

meme30 wrote: »

Am making a huge amount of HM broth today. It brings back so many memories of my Mam's 'Hamshank soup' she used to make when we were kids. I don't have a Hamshank (The Price!!) bur Mr A's 500gm pack of bacon pieces (75p!) will do the job just the same. Am making enough for us and both daughters houses. Most of us will have Dumplings in it as well. Such a tasty filling dinner and I get the pleasure of making it! Since I am on such a 'foody' nostalgia trip I am making Liver and Onions for dinner tomorrow ..Whoopsied Liver of course!:T

Do test a small piece of that bacon for saltiness first - some of those packs can have a disgustingly salt laden taste (think of your arteries!). If that's the case, soak it in cold water for a few hours to leech out excess salt. I often get a packet of cooking bacon and a packet of country soup dried mix, pop them in the slow cooker with stock and it makes a delicious hearty meal with crusty bread or, as you are doing, with dumplings.

Mmmm, liver and onions - must put that on my menu plan for the week; thank you for the reminder

fuddle

Carissa wrote: »

Hello everyone!

I stumbled over this thread a couple of days ago and became so hooked I had to join! After reading through, I feel as though you are my friends already, and thought it would be rather rude of me to not introduce myself to you!

Your tips and stories are inspirational and one day I hope to be as savvy as you!

I'll certainly be checking in very often, and who knows, even I may have a tip or two to share!

PS Tesco - 4 x tins beans, buy 1 get 2 free - ideal for storing underneath beds, cupboard kickboards, and bath panels!

xxx

:T on your first contribution to my world! I never thought about behind the bath panel. Of course there's loads of room behind there!

Welcome

Byatt

Carissa wrote: »

Hello everyone!

I stumbled over this thread a couple of days ago and became so hooked I had to join! After reading through, I feel as though you are my friends already, and thought it would be rather rude of me to not introduce myself to you!

Your tips and stories are inspirational and one day I hope to be as savvy as you!

I'll certainly be checking in very often, and who knows, even I may have a tip or two to share!

PS Tesco - 4 x tins beans, buy 1 get 2 free - ideal for storing underneath beds, cupboard kickboards, and bath panels!

xxx

Hi Carissa

meme30 wrote: »

Byatt, so sorry to hear your bank troubles, sometimes it seems they think your money is theirs!! It's really hard to stop yourself chewing over this sort of cr*p Not suprised about your nosebleed! hope you grt it sorted out soon:(

Thanks. On the plus side; it means I have more money than I at first realised.

Byatt

bupster wrote: »

Moment of MASSIVE panic as I checked my cc statement and instead of my happy 0% introductory Christmas interest they'd charged me the full whack. I rang them up and I think they're refunding me the lot but don't trust the !!!!!!s, will have to check daily. Hoping it's okay, though, they seemed to be admitting it was their mistake (though technically it was mine by not double checking my original direct debit was going through for the first month).

Another reason to get this blo*dy debt down, though. If I hadn't been checking carefully I'd have missed that and would be paying a hayuge amount of interest :eek:. I bet that's how they make their money, people just not noticing what they're being charged.

Anyway. Calm now (wrote that as clam at first. Zen and the art of seafood). Will keep checking daily and pestering them if necessary. But in the meantime, I've done all my outside chores for the day and am going to settle down to a slow day cooking and prepping for a lunch I'm doing for 15-20 tomorrow, and batch cooking for the week. Only had four hours' sleep, though, so may fall asleep with my face in the slow cooker. :rotfl:

I've started checking everything (includes going online banking several times a day, which is hugely stressful for me, but hopefully will get better, as it's the only way to keep an eye on things), and it makes you wonder what gets missed by people. There are so many mistakes.

Hope you don't fall face first into the slow cooker!

edit; I am thinking of getting out there more, and being more sociable, as so many of you have been inspirational with your WI stories. I am not a WI person, despite being the perfect age :rotfl:; I've never been one to join groups, even as a child I wouldn't join the brownies because of the uniform... but there is a meditation and yoga centre, very cheap to go to just a mile or so away, which I am trying to motivate myself to do. Need to call them on Monday.

kidcat

Hi carissa

Made a momentous decision (well for me anyway) yesterday and applied for Carers allowance - have been advised over and over again that I should but couldnt get my head around the idea. BUt having mentally now accepted I am a full time carer and will be for the foreseeable future I have gone ahead and done it. It has cleared my mind somewhat and helped me focus - I am now in the position that should anything happen to OH (be it divorce, death or incapacitation - oops nearly said decapitation:rotfl:) I would financially be able to cope single handed.

As some of you may know OH and I have had several "tough" patches and I have previously known that financially we would sink without his wages.

I have also opened an Esavings account and am planning an ISA too, that way I can start to begin a proper savings pot to plan larger purchases (Ds has destroyed sofa, dining table and chairs!!) and also future adaptions for DS.

I have also decided to pay a landscaper to come and redo the back garden totally - providing raised beds for veg growing and completely clearing all gravel (DS and gravel really dont mix). Then I am going to have a water feature (not pond!) for DS who finds them really soothing - am imagining his going berserk and being able to send him to visit the fountain!!!!:rotfl:

Have also overnight done a Sainsburys order (no petrol and no sneaking extras in) and bought eight months supply of washing powder - using a first time delivery voucher so saved a fortune.

next stop Mr A for fabric softener in similar quantities and then onto cat food and dog food too. My goal is to have sufficient stock in to allow me to be able to not shop for anything except fresh stuff each week - meaning if I ever get sick again the damage done will be limited!!

I am thinking of putting the money I would have spent each week into the ISA and then when it comes around to stocking up again I will have the cash saved up and hopefully some left over.

Byatt

kidcat wrote: »

Hi carissa

Made a momentous decision (well for me anyway) yesterday and applied for Carers allowance - have been advised over and over again that I should but couldnt get my head around the idea. BUt having mentally now accepted I am a full time carer and will be for the foreseeable future I have gone ahead and done it. It has cleared my mind somewhat and helped me focus - I am now in the position that should anything happen to OH (be it divorce, death or incapacitation - oops nearly said decapitation:rotfl:) I would financially be able to cope single handed.

As some of you may know OH and I have had several "tough" patches and I have previously known that financially we would sink without his wages.

I have also opened an Esavings account and am planning an ISA too, that way I can start to begin a proper savings pot to plan larger purchases (Ds has destroyed sofa, dining table and chairs!!) and also future adaptions for DS.

I have also decided to pay a landscaper to come and redo the back garden totally - providing raised beds for veg growing and completely clearing all gravel (DS and gravel really dont mix). Then I am going to have a water feature (not pond!) for DS who finds them really soothing - am imagining his going berserk and being able to send him to visit the fountain!!!!:rotfl:

Have also overnight done a Sainsburys order (no petrol and no sneaking extras in) and bought eight months supply of washing powder - using a first time delivery voucher so saved a fortune.

next stop Mr A for fabric softener in similar quantities and then onto cat food and dog food too. My goal is to have sufficient stock in to allow me to be able to not shop for anything except fresh stuff each week - meaning if I ever get sick again the damage done will be limited!!

I am thinking of putting the money I would have spent each week into the ISA and then when it comes around to stocking up again I will have the cash saved up and hopefully some left over.

Kidcat, well done on applying for the carer's allowance. I understand about the mentally accepting a situation.

You sound so positive and have really excellent plans, I am definitely inspired now myself; so thank you for sharing. :A

Have you looked at the coupon thread for possible coupons for dog/cat food?

stiltwalker

Good one Kidcat - sounds like you have a really productive time. My first OU essay had to be about some one who cared and whether they fit the category of being a carer, I did myself and came to the conclusion that at that point (last Feb) I didn't yet do enough extra to qualify, sadly DD has not made quite as much progress as we had hoped she would and I'm now in the position of filling in DLA forms for her and coming to terms in my head with the fact that if I were to redo that essay now I would have to conclude that I am her carer as well as just her mother. I've had a few melt downs in the last couple of months whilst getting to grips with changing the picture but ultimately I think it's going to be a positive thing. Hang on in there and good luck with it all. Hugs.

7_week_wonder

Phew - had a read back and caught up. I'm glad things are improving for some folks and hugs to those who need them. Welcome aboard Carissa.

We went to visit mum at the hospital yesterday afternoon - only to be told she could come home :j So a quiet evening followed by a good night's sleep seems to have left her almost as good as new. I think the final diagnosis was low blood pressure not helped by some of her meds: so they've tweeked them and that's that - phew!

I'm trying to ignore all the talk about male cats taking to new kittens. Our boy has been on his own for just over a year now (his sister went out one hight and never came back:() but we'd always assumed he wouldn't take kindly to incomers: maybe we should think again.

Have a good weekend all.

EstherH

stiltwalker wrote: »

We used to save them for Blue Peter Appeals, heaven knows what Blue Peter did with so many milk bottle tops!!!

OH off now for a fortnight so having a lazy day today but going swimming tomorrow, OH and DD still on their funded ones so will only have to pay for me. Might go and peruse the matalan sale later on my own as when we went last week with the kids I didn't get much chance to look. I'm half way there on this year's birthdays and I've even got one or two Christmas pressies for next year plus the wrapping paper just need to get the FC paper now.

January is our flush month as OH gets paid 4 weekly and it's the month where it works out that we don't have to pay rent out of it so I try to get as much done for the year as possible in the sales.

STILTWALKER: It must feel wonderful to have January as the flush month. When everyone else is broke, you have that extra money.
Years ago, hubby got paid four weekly and it is a good way, with lot of little bonuses throughout the year if your dd's come out at different times of the month. Esther x

Beccatje

I get paid 4 weekly and DH gets paid every 15th of the month. And I struggle to see the 'sense' and pattern in it. I am always struggling to make sense of the bills and how to stretch things out so that there is enough money in the bank come direct debit day. (around the first of every month) Now that I have set up a budget in a spreadsheet, I'm hoping to get a better grip on it though.

I've just done a fairly large foodshop. And things were crazy! The shop was loaded, the parking lot was swamped and people were insane. They were honking horns.. blocking paths, shouting at eachother and all sorts! I was glad to get out of there.

I have set myself the challenge to not buy anything for 6 months. Save food, drinks, petfood and things absolutely needed for the children. So no 'fun' expenses. No craft stuff, no wool, no clothes, no 'pretty things'. I want to get out of the mindset of buying for fun and pleasure and also see how much money can be saved.

So far, already it has made me really aware of how easily money can fly out.. I've not bought anything yet (mostly because I'm skint anyway) but have had a few 'thoughts' already. Thinking: "oh what a lovely book!.. Oh that wool is really pretty and not expensive!".. amazing huh?

Anyway, hope you are all having a good day. Try and stay positive.