make do and mend for tougher times

Evie74_2

Fuddle - 100% wholemeal bread is usually a lot more dense than white bread; if I'm making wholemeal I usually make it 60/40 with white bread flour (or near as may be) otherwise it comes out like a rock!

The recipe book that came with my breadmaker recommends adding a crushed vit C tablet (presumably not an orange flavour one!) to 100% wholemeal loaves as it helps it rise. I've never tried it so I don't know if it works though - sorry!

HTH anyway

Evie xx

ginnyknit

Welcome Stella - terrible news but sounds like you need a break with your creaky bits - I have them too

Barry welcome aboard, hope your laptop recovers :mad:

Just popped to Mr A to get some fresh air, I mean from the walk not to buy some, bet they would bag it and charge for it if they could:rotfl: I picked up the last 2 lonely tins of mushy peas @6p each, just couldnt bear leaving them on the shelf where they weren't appreciated. They seem to be selling off a lot of their own brand chocolate at half price, surely they can't be changing the packaging because they had a long date on them ???? No doubt they will add a few bob to the price too - showing my age there - it shouldnt be allowed in a recession. Jumps off soapbox and goes to cook tea...

SDG31000

Afternoon you lovely lot

Thank you all for all the hugs, they were very greatly appreciated I still have good and bad patches with my depression, but thankfully nothing like as bad as it was after I had the boys.

Save Dosh Thank you and welcome I'm so sorry that you too have gone through PND. My boys are now 13 and 16 and wonderful. I'm not brave, I have just always refused to hide the fact that I was ill. I know it has helped others sharing my experiences and that's worth speaking up. I do understand the feeling guilty. I know DS1 was affected when I was ill after having DS2, but there is nothing I can do to change that.

Welcome Stella Here's hoping that your dream job is waiting for you.

fuddle Don't feel guilty about buying practical things. You brought things that are useful and that if you hadn't brought them today you would have had to in the near future. Let's make a deal, you stop feeling guilty about your purchases and I won't feel guilty about my Kemps order (The Lucky Bags were too hard to resist)

PAH Have a huge hug (((((((((((((((((((((hug)))))))))))))))))))) I do understand that overwhelming feeling that you want the depression to end and that the only end in sight seems to be suicide. DH made me promise that I wouldn't leave him and the boys that way and my own selfishness was the only thing that stopped me sometimes. I didn't want my boys thinking that I didn't fight hard enough to stay with them.

Today is baking day as my friend and her family are going for a little break with my PIL and going into London/doing tourist stuff for a few days. So I've made flapjacks for DFIL and brownies for us and for my friend to take with them in their packed lunches/for snacks to help keep the costs down. I still need to make banana choc chunk cake and to churn the strawberry sorbet I started earlier. I might put some dried fruit to soak to make tea bread as well.

I've finished knitting a bag out of plastic bags and am pleased with the result. I'm looking forward to knitting with wool again however. Hence ordering 2x chunky lucky bags, 2x DK lucky bags and 2x small balls DK lucky bags. Hopefully that should keep me going for a while. I just have to find some patterns.

Time to get baking again. Take care everyone xxxx

Popperwell

Welcome Stella,
My health isn't so good so though some may say I should do more I do welcome having not to stick to specific times to eat, sleep as my condition changes but I have every reason to believe the future will be diffcult and tough so if you are in the position at present to take advantage of some time you can call your own, take it!

They'll make that possiblity practically impossible quite soon. And they do try to play one section of society off against another or make you feel guilty for taking some time for yourself.

A store cupboard, yes your worries about a freezer/fridge failing and food being lost is a worry.

I'm not sure I can afford or want to pay for contents insurance when it comes around again in December. I don't have anything of great value.

In case the fridge/freezer fail...think more of a food store of tinned and dry goods and buy a little here and there...it will soon build up. Think of meals you can adapt easily. Things you normally eat...you know, soups, cereals, fruit, tea, coffee, UHT milk, fruit juice, bottled water, vegetables, meat, fish, powdered milk, baked beans, pasta and so on...you may want to think of ways to cook it if the power or gas was off...possibly batteries to run a radio or a torch. Or consider wind up alternatives...

I'll stop there. Just have a little think about things...jot items down on a pad...

In the end take care of you...

SpikyHedgehog

bonnie_bumpkins wrote: »

Hi Spiky

The maintenance grant and maintenance loan are separate from the tuition fee loan. So DS will have his fees paid via the tuition fee loan, and will also have the maintenance grant (due to household income) which he will not have to pay back. He can also get the maintenance loan, which, along with the tuition fee loan, he will have to pay back, eventually, when he's earning £21k +

The maintenance loans and grants are approx £3500 each per year. So he should be able to pay for all his expenses (accommodation, food, books, leisure etc) from this.

My DS is going to uni this Sept; I've been unemployed since last summer and haven't a bean to give him. However he will be able to go due to the various loans and grants available. It's very expensive at £9k per year so there will be a large debt accrued but nothing has to be paid up front and it can be paid back in the future at a reasonable rate, in line with salary. Martin's student loan info is fantastic, if you want more detail.

Hope this helps! Just being nosey, what does he want to study??

Hi Bonnie, that was brilliant! I'm going to print it out so I don't lose the info...

He's going to do engineering at 6th form, so something to do with that - he's not really sure yet though. & he has got time to think about it. I'm hoping to go back this year to do my EYPS, & the uni in our town does have spaces still, so I need to get my application done!

Good luck to your DS, I hope he enjoys uni!

Popperwell

Stella,
BTW consider if you want to do cold meals to save on gas and electric charges or avoid putting a large oven on and cooking meals that take ages(or use it to cook many things at once)think of using a microwave oven more, a slow cooker, a halogen oven...grilling or using a hob more. Even one of those small grill ovens...

Are you able to survive for a while without going down the Job Centre benefits route(how will you be affected regarding Housing Benefit, Rent, Council Tax)If you can avoid that for a while I'd definately take time out for you...

Popperwell

You try to use gas and electric less. The energy companies politicians and experts give tips of how to do this.

I heard about this on the radio today...

And it's happened again...the National Grid that supplies services to the public needs upgrading. Are the companies that use the grid to deliver their product paying for it?

No, it's us. It may not seem a lot but with all other costs if you are already on a tight budget every increase chips a little more from your income. They say £7 next year rising to £15 annually in 2015. I don't know how many years this will be taken off us.

Anyone who believes you'll really see bills reduced is naive. As prices rise you pay more for less.:mad:

fuddle

Popperwell wrote: »

Perhaps I should learn to knit:eek::p:)

Something to do but when I have all the clothes I need, what would I make? I can buy a hot water bottle cover for £1-£2 and it would probably cost me as much to buy the the wool...

If I had family or friends I'd have an excuse...

pops knitting/crochet is not a money saver. Even the very cheap acrylic yarn nears £2 a ball. I love working with yarn, it's my hobby and as long as I make practical things the guilt almost flutters off

For instance that lovely 100% chunky yarn was £3.99 a ball. For my scarf I would have needed two balls so £8 and then the 10mm pins as I didn't have that size at near £3 so £11 for a scarf... a beautifully made (if I do say so myself! ) 100% wool one but still £11 for a scarf. Primark/Asda is definately your friend.... but, but, but I love making them and the good yarn is lush :rotfl:

SDG it's a deal! I didn't even look at the kemps lucky bags, I daren't - oh no, the pull. Don't do it fuds, just don't !:eek: ......

SDG31000

fuddle Try charity shops for knitting needles. They are normally kept under the counter, but I usually pay about 50p a pair for mine. Some sizes can be difficult to find, but I view it as a treasure hunt. *whispers* That or I take DH into John Lewis when he is having a guilty moment.

fuddle

I bought 3 lucky bags at a cost of £5 plus delivery ahem SDG I'm sending DH in your direction when I tell him we're now having frozen veg instead of fresh this week