make do and mend for tougher times

fuddle

Good Luck Mr Possession!

Pops I love the electric blanket idea. I think spending your money on items that that will make your life more comfortable/easier is the right thing. It's probably a good idea to accept that changes are a foot. That way you can settle. I was wondering if it would make you feel more content if you decided that you were staying in your house no matter what! Defiance and fighting spirit and all that! What I mean is, your home obviously very dear to your heart and I think at the root of your worry. How about thinking well, I need my home and I need my internet (for social and entertainment) everything else I know how to scrimp on when I need to. That electric blanket is such a good idea, you can lie in a toasty bed chatting to us and not put the heating on.

Dare I say it, as your store is ample! but maybe keep adding bits to it , maybe order some very cheap shelving from ikea ( £10) and line http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/40103727/ a wall for your stocks.

You say you have enough clothes... get some warm fleece jumpers bought, thermals, hats scarves, walking boots, ice grippers for shoes, a very good quality ski jacket, bags of salt for your path.

You're staying in your home pops. You are because you'll make sure you can. Make it comfortable, make it warm while you can - I don't think this bedroom tax will be around for long. It's beyond even decent thing that humanity stands for, treating our most vulnerable people in society by charging them for having an extra room. When it comes in it's going to cause an uproar. Many people don't even know about it yet.

So pops, get on the winter prep thread. Make sure you an your home are ready for next to no money... As long as you have your food, your roof, your internet and your warmth you can be content.

Prepare for it, you know it's coming. Now is not the time to be frugal, spend the money on preparing for survival

Well house is like Hanratty's yard. A day of cleaning and tidying. Kids will have to occupy themselves. MIL is going to try to take them for a day for me next week but it's looking unlikely as she looks after her daughters little one on her days off. Sometimes it's like everyone around me gets every body bending over backwards to help them while I just struggle on with my head down in acceptance. I am struggling right now too. I need a rest, I need some me time and some peace and quiet. I feel very stressed at the moment.

I would love to go to a sewing group, although I am still very much a beginner sewer. Actually that's it. I'm going to make some time today to sit at my little machine and attempt to put a zip in the skirt I made from a coat. I'll show you later.

Hugs to all

grandma247

Thanks Possession I will just delete the emails. I did not know if it would affect the persons overall feedback not doing it. I think it was just another of those things that disappear into a black hole in the post.

Thanks cutestkids.

mardatha

Arggh you lot talk so much, I just had 3 pages to catch up because I took yesterday off Son came to visit and I was busy with soap for a wedding.
PAH there's a fabulous old Jewish cemetery in Edinburgh, tucked into a tiny plot in a narrow back street. I only know it because I used to walk past it to work, and every time I did, I wondered about the people buried there ...where they had been born and how far they had travelled in their lives etc. Old cemeteries are so interesting!
GQ I know just how you felt - ME takes your foundations away and leaves you on very flimsy underpinnings lol if that's a word!
Been a bit concerned reading the news as to how things are heading, but what can we do? Apart from stock up with food and shave pennies off bills.. Today I have to do bathmelts, I love doing them so that will lift my mood a wee bit. Going to post pics on Flickr of son's trip up to Applecross - the scenery is out of this world and I have to get up there!

mugwump79

Sorry to pop in on you like this, but could do with some help and thought you toughies would know.

I am going to be cooking a whole chicken in a slow cooker this weekend, and don`t really know what I am doing, how long to leave it in? How do I know its cooked the whole way through? Do I need a small amount of water in the bottom?

Any advice would be really gratefully appreciated, once cooked I am going to stretch the daylights out of it!

Thanks so much

GreyQueen

Morning all. I'm feeling positively bouncy today, having had a really good night's sleep. It's amazing how food, rest and even the sun shining outside can lift your mood.

PAH I switched to those Sainsbugs 27p Basics teabags some months ago and they're good. Family and friends have drunk them without grimacing, either.

Like you, I'd had a bad past experience with el cheapo teabags from another supermarket, a few years ago, and vowed never again but I was hearing good things about these and thought I'd just buy the one box and if they were undrinkable, well, 27p isn't much of a loss, is it? Plus I'd been using their Red Label teabags for some years and the flavour and strength of them had dropped off. I thought I was imagining it, until others remarked on it, too.

Fuddle, I'm impressed that you're finding some ripe blackberries as all the ones around here are hard green ones and there are even still some in flower. It will be a while yet. I've seen profuse blossoms and hope that it will be a good year but you have to be fast to forage in an urban and suburban environment as things tend to go quickly. I used to be one of the few who picked the berries and got very funny looks from passers-by but in the past 3 years a lot more people are doing it. Not sure if this is a sign of hard times or a resurgence in OS values or a mixture of both.

I've been keeping an eye on the wild plum trees but although they flowered well, the heavy rain smashed a lot of it away and also knocked off a lot of the immature fruits so there's beggar all to be had. Such a shame, they're lush and kept me in fresh fruit for about a month most years. Every little helps...........

HJ grinning at the 1p foraged cabbages.

Ooof, better get my arris in gear and mosey on up to the salt mine for a few hours. It's a full moon which can be....interesting. Some days my job is so entertaining I feel I should pay them for the privilege of attending.

Mar, have fun with your bath melts.........what exactly is a bath melt, btw? I lead a very sheltered life.

ETA Hi Mugwump79 I'm no expert but in case one of the others doesn't post; I park mine whole in the slowcooker on Medium for about 3 hours and then check it. I don't add water as quite a bit will come from the bird. I tend to rest it on some veg like quartered parsnip or halved big carrots, which seems to help. After 3 hours I check it by poking a thin skewer thru the thigh and into the body. If the juices run clear, she's cooked. If not, try again in an hour. The worst that can happen is the bird will fall apart when lifted out if overcooked. It'll be an very pale and unappealing shade so if it's to be the centrepiece of the meal and carved at table, you might want to bung it in a conventional oven to brown it for a bit after it's come out of the slowcooker. HTH.

fuddle

nooooo GQ I just meant I had sourced some blackberries, ours too are still in flower with many little green berries beginning to form. I just meant I know where they are

Hi !!!!!! Put a little water in the bottom, yes. I cook mine on high and check after 3 hours. If you stick something into the leg join and there's no pink around there then it's cooked. Normally cook for about 4 hours but it could be cooked before then.

Popperwell

mugwump79 wrote: »

Sorry to pop in on you like this, but could do with some help and thought you toughies would know.

I am going to be cooking a whole chicken in a slow cooker this weekend, and don`t really know what I am doing, how long to leave it in? How do I know its cooked the whole way through? Do I need a small amount of water in the bottom?

Any advice would be really gratefully appreciated, once cooked I am going to stretch the daylights out of it!

Thanks so much

!!!!!!,
My first attempt was on a low temp setting for 8 fell hours it was moist and cooked but fell apart. The next attempt was 4 hours and it still probably could have been done even quicker.

Some people start on high and then reduce to the lower setting but you'll know when it's cooked by the old sticking a skewer into the meat and if the juice runs clear it's done.

If you have some roasting bags that will keep the SC clean but they are not difficult to clean. But let the pot cool down before washing it as it may crack.

I think the SC is one of the best buys I have ever made, so far I am very happy with it...

All I know came from my friends on here.

smileyt_2

Popping in to give you a quick heads-up ladies (and gentleman/men)!

Was in Asda last night - four tins of chickpeas for £1 and KTC chopped tomatoes four for £1. 10kg basmati rice for £8. Not sure if all Asda's will be doing this as I am in an area with a large Muslim population so these are Ramadan offers, but worth checking.

Also, Approved Foods have gluten-free pasta in stock and until tonight it's 50kg for a fiver delivery (national rates, unfortunately not the Highlands but you might get a discount etc).

Have a good day. My 'time of the month' is coming to its end so I am starting to feel human again and might actually get something done today instead of being comatose ....

SpikyHedgehog

westcoastscot wrote: »

Spikey thanks, I appreciate you going to the trouble for me.
Can I ask another question? I don't have an ice-cream maker - have made it by hand in the past but wondering if they are good, and if so which make is best??? I can see a lot more ice-cream making in the future now the vegan recipes have changed.
Thanks, wcs

No problem! I've only got a little cheapy ice cream maker that mummy got me last year when she got hers - Ald1 or L1dl, I'm sure. It works fine though takes up space in my freezer, & of course uses electricity to run. I remember mum making ice cream by hand, & it was lovely. Why don't you put a wanted on freecycle to see if someone's got 1 they're no longer using?

fuddle wrote: »

Good Luck Mr Possession!

Pops I love the electric blanket idea. I think spending your money on items that that will make your life more comfortable/easier is the right thing. It's probably a good idea to accept that changes are a foot. That way you can settle. I was wondering if it would make you feel more content if you decided that you were staying in your house no matter what! Defiance and fighting spirit and all that! What I mean is, your home obviously very dear to your heart and I think at the root of your worry. How about thinking well, I need my home and I need my internet (for social and entertainment) everything else I know how to scrimp on when I need to. That electric blanket is such a good idea, you can lie in a toasty bed chatting to us and not put the heating on.

Dare I say it, as your store is ample! but maybe keep adding bits to it , maybe order some very cheap shelving from ikea ( £10) and line http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/40103727/ a wall for your stocks.

You say you have enough clothes... get some warm fleece jumpers bought, thermals, hats scarves, walking boots, ice grippers for shoes, a very good quality ski jacket, bags of salt for your path.

You're staying in your home pops. You are because you'll make sure you can. Make it comfortable, make it warm while you can - I don't think this bedroom tax will be around for long. It's beyond even decent thing that humanity stands for, treating our most vulnerable people in society by charging them for having an extra room. When it comes in it's going to cause an uproar. Many people don't even know about it yet.

So pops, get on the winter prep thread. Make sure you an your home are ready for next to no money... As long as you have your food, your roof, your internet and your warmth you can be content.

Prepare for it, you know it's coming. Now is not the time to be frugal, spend the money on preparing for survival

Well house is like Hanratty's yard. A day of cleaning and tidying. Kids will have to occupy themselves. MIL is going to try to take them for a day for me next week but it's looking unlikely as she looks after her daughters little one on her days off. Sometimes it's like everyone around me gets every body bending over backwards to help them while I just struggle on with my head down in acceptance. I am struggling right now too. I need a rest, I need some me time and some peace and quiet. I feel very stressed at the moment.

I would love to go to a sewing group, although I am still very much a beginner sewer. Actually that's it. I'm going to make some time today to sit at my little machine and attempt to put a zip in the skirt I made from a coat. I'll show you later.

Hugs to all

Hear, hear! Make your home comfy, Pops, & enjoy living there.

Fuddle, I hear you about every one else getting help - my sister in law even has her mum (my mother in law) go & help her change & wash the sheets. Now, Sis in law has no physical, mental or emotional difficulties that mean this is needed, or I wouldn't question it, I'd be saying ' how can I help?' I have got mum coming over to be with the boys tonight while I go out though, so I shouldn't complain. Yes, I'm going out! 2 of the girls at work are getting married this month, 2 days apart, so we're having a joint hen meal for them.

I'm very tempted by some of the patterns, trying to resist getting ones I won't get round to using. & hoping I can fix my machine as I broke the needle last night doing DS2's curtains, & the replacement needle won't stay in...

DS1 has painted the fences in the back garden (at last) so I feel ready to go & tackle more work out there.

GreyQueen

fuddle wrote: »

nooooo GQ I just meant I had sourced some blackberries, ours too are still in flower with many little green berries beginning to form. I just meant I know where they are

Hi !!!!!! Put a little water in the bottom, yes. I cook mine on high and check after 3 hours. If you stick something into the leg join and there's no pink around there then it's cooked. Normally cook for about 4 hours but it could be cooked before then.

That's good, I was suffering from Blackberry Envy................:rotfl: