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

mardatha

Woke up to snow and laughed at the hens trying to suss it out - they kept pecking it
Lovely to hear of kindness and helping out friends who've hit hard times, I like that
I have to admit I'm a bit of a survivalist - or would be if I was younger. I like the idea of self sufficiency and living below the radar but am too bloody knackered now to do it !

Mrs_Chip

Morning All!


Just poking head round the door to say hi!

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:GreyQueen - you are on cracking form today - very funny and useful posts, thanks and keep it up!

PiC - it sounds like you are going to have a great christmas again!

Welcome to the newbies and lurkers, the more the merrier!

Hugs for those who are struggling with what life chucks at them, you know that the guys here have huge shoulders and give great advice!

Laters!

ragz_2

I am torn... our shopping bill is quite high as I buy mostly fresh stuff and cook from scratch. All this talk of FB pies, that's a meal for a few quid, so much cheaper than most of mine these days (look at my GC stats!) and hubby and I started talking about food we used to eat like chicken kievs and stuff. These days I consider that processed cr*p and don't buy it (I only buy FR chicken) but I wondering how long I can afford to be so snobby with our food. DH like meat with every meal, but he doesn't really care if it's processed or not (he loves Golden Drummers for example). I may have to start intersperseing our wholesome stuff with a few cheap fillers like FB pies. Maybe once a fortnight wouldn't do any harm...

Stocking up -yesterday I bought 10 100g bars of Lidl milk choc as they were on weekend special at 17p! I don't eat milk choc on it's own unless I'm really desperate so it will get used for things like crispy cakes for the kids. Just warned DH that tin stashes may begin appearing in random places, he wasn't too bothered when I explained the reason behind it he thinks it's a good idea.

Shops - it's at least 25 mile round trip from here to any large supermarket so I have to carefully plan shopping trips around other plans. Can't visit more than two in one trip, rather envious of those of you with such huge choices...

Have a happy frugal Sunday xx

Kimsmum

GreyQueen wrote: »

Copycat!

When you live in place as small as mine, you have to think laterally.

Hey, does having 2 bedrooms mean you have 2 beds to stash things under..............?:rotfl:Envy, envy.......

No Its only a small room, single bed and no room to put anything under it.:)
Have been offered a nice wardrobe from my niece to put in the spare room so i am now moving things around to make room for it as it has 6 shelves in it and lots of storage.

Sister just rang her OHs brother has invited them to lunch and tea today so they will be spending the day with them hes comimg to pick them up soon and will bring them home about 9 tonight So she will be waited on hand and foot there. So i can now stay home and do some cleaning and knitting later.

mardatha

GQ, thank you for your highly scientific results of the gas useage. :D:D

decogecko

Good morning

Fuddle - have you thought about a dri buddy or a heated clothes rail from lakeland? Both cost pence per hour (mine I believe costs 3p per hour). I have a washer/dryer but the TD part is useless, so I invested in a dri buddy. You hang the clothes on hangers and then hang them on the hooks provided. It alledges that there is no need to iron clothles after, but imho you do (if you're that way inclined, how I envy those that don't iron, their clothles look no different to my ironed ones, but in my clothes all I see is the creases!)

Off for my bi-monthly trip to Aldi on friday, I'm making mental notes to bulk buy tinned chopped toms, beans, kidney beans and tuna. My understairs cupboard doubles as a pantry and there is plenty of space towards the back (once a minor declutter has been undertaken). I already have 18 loo rolls (Mr T had pack of 9 andrex for 3.50, their own soft brand was 7.77 for 18 rolls so 2 packs of andrex saved me 77p in comparision) I have tried the 1.99 packs of 9 loo roll from Mr T discount brands but they don't seem to last as long, so I concluded it was a false economy.

GQ - take it easy, hope you manage to get to see Dr tomorrow

x

westcoastscot

it's snowing really heavily here and very dark - between that and the landslip closing our one major road in those tougher times have arrived!
It's quite spooky, the dark, actually
WCS

VJsmum

paidinchickens wrote: »

Last year we had all the strays who either had nowhere to go or could not get to family because of the snow. We had a fab time, infact it was probably the best xmas ever! this was not down to gifts but how lovely it was to have the house full of friends and to see those friends have a lovely time as well. The house looked like a bomb had hit it and took a week to clean after everyone had gone.

How lovely - a few years ago a friends dad had died and he was dreading christmas with just him and his mum. When i asked if they'd like to come to us, it was all he could do not to burst into tears. We'd never met the mum before (well OH had but not since he was a kid), and she turned out to be an absolute scream :rotfl:. As our kids were quite small at the time, they adopted her as a surrogate granny and still have to this day. They've been back several times since and now he has a partner he brings him along too. What goes around comes around cos the partner is a lush cook and host and we have had some fabulous do's at his.

This year we have widowed SIL and 2 kids (aged 10 and 8) and MIL so we will be a houseful again, but with 4 kids i think it'll be fun.

However SIL is currently pushing it as she is here for the weekend and, honestly, give her an inch and she'll take a mile. She has now done 2 loads of washing and invited herself to stay the night, meaning we will all have to get up at 6 to get them off in time for school - 2 hours away! "It's not an imposition, is it?" Well i think if you have to ask, it probably is :mad:

Or maybe i'm just a selfish old bat

fuddle wrote: »

So in not so MSE style I am happy with the decision. I might get some heat in the kitchen too when it's on. I have been trying to remember how my grandma managed without a tumbler and I'm putting it down to the open fire in the living room. It has to be that.

I feel like I'm admitting something really horrendous! I have tried though

If you need it - get it. Old style and MSE shouldn't be about making life worse - should it? There's plenty of other things you can be doing.

Well a pretty sight i look at this moment - I have 2 boxes of hair dye tipped over my head (thick curly hair needs 2) and a face pack on and i'm sat topless covered in splodges of hair dye!! In a moment i am going to be in a hot bubbly bath and OH is going to bring me a cup of coffee and i'm going to read for a bit. Then he is taking me out for lunch - this is to make up for the fact that all i've done over the last week is run around after everyone else!

gardenia101

ifonlyitwaseasier wrote: »

Gardenia - odd as this sounds the only thing that actually has worked for me is to have a slice of raw potato held between my teeth (yes i know its odd) i know that top tail and half then in the food processor is good too and the old standby - swimming goggles!!

Nearly spat tea over my keyboard :rotfl:. No food processor & can't wear swimming goggles as I need to wear glasses to see what I'm doing, & I've never heard of the potato trick! I may give it a try next time I have a potato although we don't eat them very often so it doesn't feel very MSE to buy a sacrificial potato! But I've just sliced 2 onions for a fish curry that is bubbling nicely in my SC & boy, did my eyes stream!

Just spent a while catching up & replying to posts only to have my laptop lose t'internet connection :mad:.

I've been having problems thanking posts too - some get thanked, often the thanks button disappears so I can't try again & the post remains unthanked & sometimes I get an error message pop up from IE. Infuriating.

parsniphead

CRANKY40 wrote: »

I was wondering if anyone else found that. I wear contact lenses and onions have no effect whatsoever. A bit drastic if you don't need them, but handy all the same :rotfl:

Same here. I was without contact lenses for a while and cried buckets chooping onions.

Well I have checked my stash of food and feel very embarrased - one packet of value penne. The spaghetti was used the other day as my stepson doesn't like Sainsbugs value pasta and will only use T3sco value (awkward devil:mad:). So tomorrow after reading this thread and feeling ashamed and totally unprepared I'm going to go to Ald1 with £5 and do a little stock up. It's not much but maternity pay is leaving me skint at the moment.

I really wish I could get to grips with bread to help save the pennies, plus I prefer homemade. Sometimes it's okish but others it's like a brick. I really need to find an idiotproof recipie.

All this talk of snow has made me feel really cold. Off to dig out some wooly socks.