make do and mend for tougher times

mardatha

TY Hester - since the RV went on an economy kick we don't watch the news any more (but he still watches all the soaps :mad: which is really useful eh!) - so I miss what people in the know are saying.

Possession

mardatha wrote: »

TY Hester - since the RV went on an economy kick we don't watch the news any more (but he still watches all the soaps :mad: which is really useful eh!) - so I miss what people in the know are saying.

Mar if you want to watch the news, suggest one week of soaps, one week of news - it's only fair!
My children are watching The Munsters again - DS has a boxed set. Funny after all these years that children are still so into it.
It's a nice sunny day here (but obviously within the hour it will descend into hellish hail Mar) but we have to get the house straight - it has been allowed to slip into chaos again so a concerted effort needed.

[Deleted User]

Morning Toughies - VJsMUM, the beans inside Runner Beans are just like any other kind of bean and if you let them dry, you can use them in casseroles, stews etc. They are very good too and take on flavours very well. So, not only can you save them to grow again next year, but you can eat them this year too!!

FUDDLE - you can use any seeds that have a hairy tail (like dandelion fluff etc)to start a fire, the best I've found are the heads of Pampas Grass, that was very fashionable in gardens in the 70's and now there are some hugh clumps around. They have a very tall flower spike, sometimes 8' tall and the soft fluffy head catches very easily even with a fire steel. I think any of the wild seeds like old mans beard which is very fluffy would do the job too. ( Should say that you only need a little of the pampas grass to light a fire, not a whole head!!!!! ) Have a good day all, off to open up the poly etc. Cheers Lyn x.

MAR - Listen to the news on the radio while you're knitting - tell the RV that because it doesn't have a picture it's much cheaper to run that a TV!!!!!!!!-He might just believe you! Lyn x.

charlies-aunt

mardatha wrote: »

When are we going to hear what the govt has planned next for us? Will the party conferences be revealing/worth listening to?

Our local authority has just announced that under the Council Tax Benefit changes - working age households who currently receive Council Tax Benefit will have it cut to 83% from next April. Pensioners won't be affected at the moment.

Double whammy for people who are affected by the Bedroom Tax which will reduce Housing Benefit by 13-25%

Belt tightening and economising has been needed to get us through tough times but next year is going to be a real challenge.

fuddle

RV's, DH's, OH's - they all need a collective name because it seems they're all the same!

I'm on a diet Just how I'm going to go it when I cook wholesome OS food I do not know. My BMI has popped over 30 now. Were there any big women in the 40's? I suspect that it's down to bigger portions and mops/washing machines. I hate feeling all 'blergh, how am I going to fix this'. For now, it's tea plate sized portions and see how I get on. Problem is I feel hard done by if I have to eat a little bit compared to very one else.

Have you ever heard of a hand cranked washing machine? Basically a washing compartment that turns round and round by hand. I thought about whether a compost tumbler would work? Do they have air holes? But then I thought just the sink. I do fancy looking into the spin machines that my grandma had. Not sure if they were electric or by hand though. I'd like a hand powered one if there's such a thing.

Anyway, today I am getting every single piece of dirty clothing washed in the machine, ironed and put away. From then on I wash daily in the sink. Why, because I need to lose weight and get moving in the house. If there's a harder way to do something I'm going to have to try because I seriously cant see how my weight is going to lessen by eating.

Oh, my attempt at making 1940's head scarf was dire. The dress material was stretchy and didn't at all tie very well. I'm going to look on ebay to see if I can pick a satin one up for pennies (probably a couple of £'s )

MrsL we have pampas grass in the garden!

GreyQueen

Morning all.

Fuddle, you may be heartened to hear that it is apparently very hard to exercise off weight and the only real way to do it is to reduce calorie input. The amount of activity required to burn off a single biscuit is quite ridiculous, for example.

Which is why the gardening I shall be doing in a wee whiley won't be undoing the chocolate bar I am planning on eating this afternoon. Trouble with reducing portions or eliminating all the lush stuff is that it makes a body feel miserable, particularly if surrounded by people who can eat for Britain and still be as thin as rakes.

I know some of those, and it ain't fair.

I slept for 10.5 hours and feel very bouncy today. Gardening-tired is good-tired as opposed to the stressy-ratty tired I get from my job. I sleep better for time spent outside.

As I slept later than I intended, I've decided to have a chilled morning pottering about the flat, playing with my new storage trollies and sorting out the larder, and then will have an early luncheon and head lottiewards for 2-3 hours graft.

Wish I could garden for the whole day, especially as worse weather is incoming, but the ME won't allow that so I have to pace myself. Bor-ring.

fuddle

"My name is fuddle and I'm a serial biscuit dunker". Makes sense GQ, makes sense. Like you say, bor-ring.

Washing machine it is then. Spin dryers ( I think they're electric anyway) cost £110+ so that would be a no go.

Well time to get out of airy fairy thinking mode and actually do something. I am feeling ratty this morning - think it's down to the prospect of cutting down my one indulgent love in life - food!

Mrs_Chip

Fuddle - re the diet - don't cut everything out!

Try just cutting out 'processed' and starchy/sweet stuff first - so bread, cakes, biscuits. Chocolate

Eat lots of fruit and veg - 2/3rds of your dinner plate should be veg (not potatoes, reduce your portion size for these)

Eat moderate amounts of meat and fish, really a normal sized portion should be ok, unless you usually have a big portion!

You should start to see the weight drop off on that, for most people its the treats that put on weight.

If you reduce your total intake to tea plate size you will find yourself hungry (especially if you are busy around the house), and then there is more temptation to snack.

Find a treat that is not to bad and reward yourself when you have had a good day - if you feel deprived you will cheat!

Re the scarf - find a bit of non shiny cotton fabric - like the stuff pinnys are made of!

[Deleted User]

FUDDLE - The hand crank washing machines do exist, DD1 had one in her first tiny studio flat, they are sold for camping and caravanning so anywhere that is a camping/outdoorsy shop should have them in their listings and be able to get one. They work very well but are very small capacity( think the size of a Home Made Beer plastic barrel) and as you spin, the barrel builds up a certain amount of pressure so you have to be careful opening it to drain the water, or you get splashed. I'm not sure how much they are now but we paid about £30 for the one Nell had about 14 years ago. Hope that helps Cheers Lyn xxx.

lisakay_2

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pedal-Powered-Twister-Washing-Machine/dp/B0083STUOS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1347178802&sr=8-4

for you fuddle
Re; diet...make sure you drink plenty of fluids and maybe have a bowl of non creamy hm soup before a small portion of main meal.

spending the day on the allotment so best go and pack a picnic for me and the girls. it's the committee meeting this afternoon. not looking forward to that, but best go or they'll be talking about me
I haven't taken the best care of it this year but i've worked hard on it the past few weeks and you can see the difference. the front half is weed free but the back needs a lot doing to it. planning on clearing all the bindweed from the fruit trees and bushes today.