make do and mend for tougher times

[Deleted User]

Hello PIPS MUM - come and play with us, we're all a little crazy but have lots of fun Cheers Lyn x.

RAS

Pips_Mum wrote: »

Hi everyone!

I am hoping you guys will let me join in with you as we are in a similar boat to many of you, sadly.

I was made redundant on 31st May and OH was made redundant 3rd July so currently just getting the 2 lots of JSA. We have a 3.5 year old little boy and I am 28 weeks pregnant with number 2 so things are quite stressful! I got a little bit of redundancy which we are living on but OH didn't get anything as he had only been there a year.

Have been quite frugal for a number of years now thanks to MSE but obviously any more tips I can get from you lovely guys will be all to the good!

Have you checked what help you can get re Council tax, housing, etc?

Go to https://www.turn2us.org.uk

If your capital is under 16K, then you should be able to get some help.

westcoastscot

Kouzapastella wrote: »

Hi all


I'm even thinking about going back to Uni and doing a degree, maybe teaching or another subject, just a pipedream at the moment but totally possible now.

S

Kouzapastella I went to Uni at 48 and now have a new career - I hadn't worked for 20 years but my personal circumstances changed and I found I would have to work until retirement.

edited to add: cannot remember who was talking about rennet, but I used to make cheese when we had the goat, and used lemon juice as rennet - worked perfectly and gave a lovely taste.

WCS

Pips_Mum

Thanks Everyone! :wave:

RAS I have checked on there but thanks for mentioning it. We are waiting to hear if we will get any help with Council tax and also any WTC or CTC which we stopped getting as we earned to much last year. Capital is most definately under £16k but house is mortgaged rather than rented so no further help on that front.

Some places have been really helpful eg Black horse who we have Car loan with said how sorry they were and reduced payment straight away form £200 to £40 for 3 months, others not so great!

shegar

mishmogs wrote: »

Hello, thanks for your message of support, I live on the suffolk/essex/cambs boarder about 20 miles from Bury St Edmunds and I love living in Suffolk. I have sort of resigned myself to the fact that when I do get a job, I think it will be time to move to a larger town and think Sudbury or even Beccles might be better, at least they have a railway link which unfortunately, I do not have. It depends on where the job comes from!!

You are right, there is certainly a lack of visitors to Suffolk this year, I have noticed the lack of cars. right time for me to go and get some tea too. ttfn.

We dont live too far from Aldeburgh where normally the little seaside fishing town get so full up with middle class snobbery, but even that town is so far quieter this year, haps even they have to tighten their belts....:eek:.........Well it must effect them having 2 homes to support,:eek:....Aldeburgh has a lot of second home owners there its unreal, trouble is it pushes up the prices of food etc etc, but theres also a lot of working class there, no wonder locals cant afford to shop in the high street anymore............And no way can they buy or afford to rent................Loads of holiday homes at about £700 per wk..:eek:

Had that lovely gooseberry crumble and custard for tea it smelt so good in the kitchen when it was cooking and didnt half taste good to..........Since I lasted posted a couple of hours ago, some of you have posted to say that you may/or have been made redundent , so sorry for you all in theses hard times we are having.........

SpikyHedgehog

Kleopatra wrote: »

Bedwetting. Has anyone tried supplementing with magnesium for bedwetting?

I sometimes have to get up several times at night and after checking it out discovered magnesium supplements help with this problem and bedwetting. It did help me.

I hadn't heard of that before, but DS2 did wake up the other night with achy legs, asking for milk of magnesia as well as calpol, so will give it a go.

fuddle wrote: »

Pops you do make me laugh, are you sure it's balsamic rice and not basmati kicking myself though as bought 500g bag in shop. I'm so used to having a weekly shopping budget that I find it difficult to buy in bulk even though it works out cheaper.

On phon and can't remember who it was that was havi g problems with sisters, negativity and Facebook. Same here. Chip, chip,chip away all the time. One minute I'm a stingy coo the next Im wasting the bit money I have.

Tesco prices have my eyes bulging in horror so much now. Something's are on par with the coop, price wise. I saw orange sticker haddock for 99p in cool tonight though but didn't buy as its not on the meal plan. I'm kickin myself for not picking up a bargain but also pleased I didn't impulse buy a bargain that I didnt need

My sister is really annoying (i have 2, but this is little sis, baby sis is lovely), & something that most annoys me is that she puts on a front of being lovely & caring & helpful, but she's not at all. She upset DS1 last time we saw her by trying to stop him & Nephew 1 talking about school by telling them to tidy up the toys the little ones were playing with, then complaining to all the adults about his rudeness because he said he hadn't played with the toys.

SDG31000 wrote: »

Morning all

Stella I hope you are enjoying your lie in

Spikyhedgehog I'm so glad your son didn't get teased at swimming. I wet the bed until I was about 8 I think. What cured me was one of those alarm sensor things. I used it for one night and it got set off by my sweating so much, not because I wet the bed. Somehow that broke the cycle and I never did it again.

Popperwell Don't give the eggs away. You can always use them for merengues as old egg whites make the best ones. Egg whites freeze very well as well. I'm other one saying please eat properly. I'm bad at it too when I'm by myself, but it is a mood lifter and worth the effort.

I was abruptly awoken this morning at Stupid O'Clock by my Kemps order turning up. I hadn't quite realised just how much wool 3kgs is. It's a bin bag full :eek: I have 5x 100g balls of DK in purple and beige/cream, 5x 100g of Chunky in bright green and lemon yellow, and lots of little balls, making up 500g of each colour, in burgandy and sort of a grey/blue/brown effect wool. The last one is much nicer than it sounds. As I'm just beginning to knit something other than scarves and hand warmers, it suits me to get wool this cheap, but I can see how some people would be disappointed.
I'm not sure what I'm going to make out of bright green chunky wool, but hopefully someone will have an idea. Some of the wool must have been sitting around for ages as I can only find patterns sold as vintage ones on amazon and ebay. If the worst comes to the worst I'll knit a blanket out of it. I think the first project is going to be a purple cardigan for me. I would use the little balls of wool as I prefer the colour, but I can't stand the thought of weaving in that many ends.
This lot should keep me busy for a while, but I have to confess that I've found a place in Ireland that hand spins and dyes wool that I might have to go and visit on my travels with DH in October. They have the most glorious sock wools. http://shop.hedgehogfibres.com/ The online shop seems to be set up in $ so not sure if I can order from England.

Today's plans include getting DS2 to change his clothes and have a shower (wish me luck please), to bake the bread I started yesterday, think of what to make for dinner and to get the laundry mountain down to hill level. I think that is going to have to involve the tumble drier again :mad: Oh I also need to do something with the two remaining punnets of strawberries.

NNNUUUUUURRRRSSEEEEEEEEEE!!! More tea please!

Take care xxxx

I was too!

I got some sparkly double knit yarn in pound land the other day, 100g for £1, & have started a scarf for me to get my knitting head back in gear. Then I have an UFO (un finished object) of a jumper for DS2... As I've been working on it for a couple of years, it may be a little small, so I'm planning to change it from a sleeved v neck to a tank top - I've done the front & back, but kept getting stuck on the sleeves, so at least he'll get some wear out of it soon if I do that.

RAS

Pips_Mum wrote: »

RAS I have checked on there but thanks for mentioning it. We are waiting to hear if we will get any help with Council tax and also any WTC or CTC which we stopped getting as we earned to much last year. Capital is most definately under £16k but house is mortgaged rather than rented so no further help on that front.

Hi

You get the mortage interest paid once you have been unemployed for 3 months, I think.

Uniscots97

paidinchickens wrote: »

The only places that are employing near us are the debt collection companies as I was asked if I would like a job with them today.

I wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

PIC x

I'm ashamed to say I worked 2 weeks with one the last time I was made redundant (unemployed for 6 months and was freaking out). It has got to be one of the worst experiences of my life, the majority I met had drug or alcohol problems but there was one family that finished it for me and reduced me to tears. They lived in a council flat, no carpets, thread-bare rugs, thread bare furniture; the couple were polite, clean and friendly; their children (as well as them) were in clothes that were basically rags (I've seen better put to rags in the CS where I volunteer) but they were clean, happy and playing quietly (no tv), the place was spotless, we were offered a cup of tea but politely refused (not allowed), there were blankets pinned up at the windows as curtains. They wanted a loan for a washing machine as the lady was washing all their clothes, towels and bed linen in the bath! That memory of how nice they were but obviously struggling and just wanted a bit of money for something basic touched me. I felt physically sick after that visit and thankfully got something else meaning I didn't have to continue that works to pay my own bills.

fuddle

Hi, Pip's mum 'tis lovely 'ere Looking forward to chatting with you.

A knitting question. As you know I'm a novice knitter. I'm currently knitting a pair of socks in the round. I'm getting very stretchy, gap stitches where I'm jumping from one double pointed needle to the other. Does anyone know why and how I can stop it from happening?

Pips_Mum

Thanks RAS didnt know that. We are hoping OH will have found something by then and in a couple of weeks I can switch from JSA to Maternity Allowance (still waiting for confirmation of that but I have met the criteria they display online so hoping it should be ok) but its worth bearing in mind incase so thank you.

Fuddle, can't answer your question but think you are very brave as a novice knitter to attempt socks! I am also a novice knitter and daredn't do anything other than squares for blankets or scarfs! :rotfl: