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

mama67

fuddle wrote: »

Been trying to read up on elderberry. It's annoying me because I have seen those so many times. I just don't know where now. It's all well and good saying to DH lets go foraging lol where? He's said he tramples near wild garlic when he's off out fishing so he's had instructions

Life is exciting if you just run with things, open to learning and trying isn't it?

I use our library a lot. Whatever idea I have (shush, I know I have alot of them, it'll be something different tomorrow ) I reserve a book about it. The librarian, an elderly lady, has really taken to me. She say's for a young mum I have my head screwed on. That's all your fault

I've ebay'd some elderberry seeds. No doubt it'll be the wrong time of year to sow but at least i'll have a selection ready for when the time comes. Also, because I rent this house I want to keep a plant in a pot so I can take my fruits with me when I leave.

Fuddle, don't want to put you off but be aware that once growing elder is a bu88er to get rid of, and can pop up in the most inappropriate places.

That said if you space is big enough for a large tree/bush then it would be ok.

hth

betony

Hi all. I used to be subscribe to previous incarnations of this thread and it's interesting to see some of the same problems are still around, and it seems that things are worse still for most of us.

I was just wondering as I read old posts here, does anyone think that instead of paying everything by direct debit, thereby hoping there will be enough money in the bank account to cover it, if it might be better to save the money in cash every week for some bills and pay when they occur? I know we've missed quite a lot of DDs because there wasn't enough money to cover payments, and sometimes incurring bank charges because of it.

I'm really interested to hear everyone's views on this!

PS, yay, some 'old' names still here!

meme30

Recipe for sloe Gin/Vodka.

You can use this recipe for Strawberries/Raspberries/Cherries as well. Frozen or fresh.

!lb/450gms Sloes
70cl Gin/Vodka
120z/350gms Sugar

Wash fruit and remove stalks.
Sloes have a skin that needs to be pierced. Either pr*ck each one individually or freeze fruit overnight so fruit expands and splits skins. (Other fruit is just good to go, use stoned Cherries.)
Place fruit in large container with a lid. Add alcohol. Shake every day for six weeks.
Add sugar shake twice every day until sugar is dissolved, this may take up to two weeks.
Strain through muslin, and discard pulp.
Liquid may need further straining depending on type of fruit used.
Many people say to wait three months before drinking to let it mature. We don't, we start the process in September and drink it at Christmas.:rotfl:

As you can see from the recipe this is essentially flavouring bought Vodka. There is no fermentation involved.
Don't throw away cherries after use. They make an amazing Boozy Trifle!!:rotfl:

kidcat

Betony - it depends upon how much charges you incur and how much you can save by paying DD, for example I pay my gas and electric by DD and get a 12% discount for that, we spend £1500 per yr on G&E so save £180 per year, now if I have a DD fail I get charged £6 per DD, so even if it failed 12 times I would still be saving money. But in the past my bank charged £35 per DD failure and at times when we were really struggling I found it better to pay bills in cash instead.

The other question is whether you can be disciplined enough not to "borrow" the money you have saved for bills - I know I have in the past been caught out by that.

Uniscots97

betony wrote: »

Hi all. I used to be subscribe to previous incarnations of this thread and it's interesting to see some of the same problems are still around, and it seems that things are worse still for most of us.

I was just wondering as I read old posts here, does anyone think that instead of paying everything by direct debit, thereby hoping there will be enough money in the bank account to cover it, if it might be better to save the money in cash every week for some bills and pay when they occur? I know we've missed quite a lot of DDs because there wasn't enough money to cover payments, and sometimes incurring bank charges because of it.

I'm really interested to hear everyone's views on this!

PS, yay, some 'old' names still here!

I've posted a few times on the old threads. I have thought about this myself but instead of having the cash, moving it to a savings account and moving it back when bills are due but you need to really be on the ball for this. I'm worried as only OH is working atm, i got made redundant 6 weeks ago and our savings arent going to last forever. So I'm trying to stretch the money as far as it will go.

meme30

I have always found that if all the bills are being paid by DD, what's left is ours to spend. Then I can budget to what money we do have and I don't worry about the post coming through the door!
Did it other ways in the past and got in a right mess. IE I spent the money and had to rob Peter to pay Paul.

jpscloud

bonnie, good luck - I agree with fuddle, sometimes the prices are the same or more than new, and not just with clothes. I do love charity shops though and always have a look in them. I am careful and only buy bargains though!

stiltwalker

For all sloe alcofrolicals I go by the simple rule of same weight fruit and sugar and top up with said alcohol. If the fruit and sugar half fills the bottle this seems to work out about right.

Kidcat - what to do with Bacardi - hmmm???? I'll PM you our address - lol
Seriously we love sloe white rum (drink it with soda for a refreshing longer drink) although have to 'fess I usually use value however I'm sure if you are stuck for a use and don't drink it then I'm sure it'd be delicious. Not tried it (yet) but I quite fancy trying it with cherries as well.

Bonnie - good luck with the interview. Another vote here for misplaced pricing with cheap primark/supermarket stuff marked up as much or more than it was originally. Book prices can be a bit OTT at times too - I always used to get loads of books at charity shops, read them and then donate them back, many shops are now so expensive - couple of quid for a tatty paperback that was probably 2 for £7 in the supermarket - so I've joined the library! Also get annoyed with clutter - there are several shops I don't go in because I have the double buggy (in line not side by side so only the same width as a normal buggy) and there is just too much stuff falling into the aisles - the one than really annoys is the disability charity which piles so much stuff in that I can't get in with the buggy (which incidentally I have as my daughter is 3 and not walking yet due to a rare genetic disorder which causes physical disabilities!)

lizzyb1812

Cheapskate wrote: »

Did you live round there, lizzy? That's near me!

Lived in Birkby at the time I'm referring to and much later had my first house in Moldgreen. Parents and younger brother and his family are still in West Yorkshire.

Fuddle - re elder, on Gardeners' World tonight they showed how to take softwood cuttings from elder - I imagine it will be on I-player. My copy of Food for Free says this month is the one for the flowers and has a recipe for cordial. You could try that and take a couple of cuttings to start off your pot.

Charity shops - don't like it when size of clothes is not immediately obvious or the bigger chains where all similar items are at a set price - they set a fixed price for a jumper or skirt regardless of condition, make, etc and the local staff have to stick to the pricing regime. Prefer the shops attached to smaller/local charities. Some shops overprice books. Cheerful and friendly staff always help as do proper doors/curtains on changing rooms. Also prefer a proper charity shop - ie one without masses of new/charity branded stuff. And ones that mark their jigsaws as "pieces counted" :rotfl:

GreyQueen

fuddle wrote: »

I've ebay'd some elderberry seeds. No doubt it'll be the wrong time of year to sow but at least i'll have a selection ready for when the time comes. Also, because I rent this house I want to keep a plant in a pot so I can take my fruits with me when I leave.

Morning all. Am up at silly o'clock due to ear problem. Will be off to the walk-in clinic in an hour or so.:(

fuddle, elders are extremely common trees, I wouldn't personally recommend sacrificing territory in the garden to one, but it's your garden and your business, of course. You can find them in hedgerows and they grow like weeds all over the place inc waste ground. Particularly easy to spot right now with their "plates" of creamy-white flowers, which will turn into blue-black berries later in the summer.

bonnie_bumpkins wrote: »

Evening ladies
I would like to ask your opinions if I may: I'm currently working as a volunteer in a local charity shop and there is the possibility of a paid part time position coming up, which I would love!!

What I would like to know please:

your likes and dislikes about charity shops in general
things that make you :mad:
things that make you :T
why you go to charity shops
why you don't go to charity shops
opinions on stock, pricing, displays, other customers, staff, opening hours etc etc

Don't be shy :rotfl:

If the job comes up and if I'm selected for interview I hope to amaze and impress with my unofficial market research. However if I remain a volunteer I want to be amazing and impressive too as I'm passionate about the charity so all your comments/opinions/rants/suggestions would be very helpful.

Thanks, toughies

Hi bonnie, first off, best of luck with the job application and if my two'pennorth will help, you're more than welcome to it.

The pricing of some stuff is insane; Primark, F & F and Tu being offered 2nd hand at or more-than new prices. If you shop at c.s. chances are that you're a) hard-up and b) v. savvy about new prices, so this is always going to annoy customers.

A lot of things are overpriced; I'm always seeing bottles of ordinary-old High Street brands of toiletries going for something like £1.49 a bottle (sometimes a partially-used bottle at that) when a new one costs under £1.

Books are often a bugbear. So many c.s. seem to want to charge £2.49-£3.49 for a novel which is in the library anyway. And get a backlog of stock and have to have a Giant Book Sale once or twice a year, whereup they sell at £1 a pop and make out like bandits. Unless it's particularly important to me, and is unavailable in the library, I ain't paying those prices.

Errmmm, some of the staff in some c.s. (and I stress it's a tiny amount of the staff) are off-putting. There's a very eccentric guy in one of my locals who bursts into song at random moments and makes random (and unwelcome) comments to browsing customers. I'm robust and all for a bit of banter but this geezer is a PITA, yelling away off-key (in a smallish shop) at the top of his lungs when I'm trying to browse the bookshelves and I find myself exiting sharply when he's "on" one. Judging by the pained expressions on other customers' faces, I'm not alone in my annoyance.

Overall, charity shops aren't the joy they once were and I come out empty-handed more often than not. I do find that I get most of my c.s. stuff from one or two "local" charities rather than the national chains which I find overpriced. I donate to Oxfam on gift-aid but I rarely buy from there. BHF is also on my "overpriced" list, their books in particular are extortionate, and I rarely bother with them anymore.

I think the c.s. have to draw a delicate line between maximising the value of the donations and p-ing off the core customers, and it's a tough call. Perhaps whomever prices clothing ought to make a habit of checking out the lower end of the high st so that they are more aware of new costs and don't overprice the Primark stuff.

One pleasing development in my area of this city is that several c.s. are open on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays. They open 10 (or 11) until 4pm and are very busy. They're on a non-city centre shopping/ residential street leading to a small shopping centre which is also open 10-4 pm. The street and the centre is very busy, lots of footfall, lots of people having time to browse whereas Saturdays seem to be a rush for a lot of people with time devoted to big food shops, buying the kids' shoes etc whereas on Sundays they're a lot more chilled. Two of these Sunday-opening c.s. are national big name chains, one is a small, specific-to-our-region chain with about 5 shops. They all seem to do very well out of it.

betony wrote: »

I was just wondering as I read old posts here, does anyone think that instead of paying everything by direct debit, thereby hoping there will be enough money in the bank account to cover it, if it might be better to save the money in cash every week for some bills and pay when they occur? I know we've missed quite a lot of DDs because there wasn't enough money to cover payments, and sometimes incurring bank charges because of it.

I'm really interested to hear everyone's views on this!

PS, yay, some 'old' names still here!

Hi Betony, your question is one of those for which there isn't a "right" answer because no two of us are going to have exactly the same income and outgoings, and like kidkat said, the bank charges can differ wildly if you come a cropper.

I guess if you have a comfortable balance in your account every month, and the discipline not to raid it, DD will always be the best way IF there's a discount to be had. Having said that, there are many proponents of the "envelope" system (dividing your money in cash and putting pre-determined amounts into labelled envelopes (or jam jars). If you're a visual person, this may help you.

I have most (not all) of my bills on DD. The ones which I don't are the water bill (6 monthly, I pay by cheque) and my council tax. I prefer to save up and pay the whole lot off in one lump in April. I am in a Band A, however, and if the money in the savings account was earning a worthwhile rate of interest, I would keep it in there and pay by DD.

For everyday spending, I take out cash and use that, as it makes my life easier and bank statements tidier and easier to check. In a former life, I used to have to check people's bank statements as part of their SOMs and the constant barrage of wee card expenditures used to drive me nuts.:p

OK, time to wash and dress and hit the street. Laters, GQx