make do and mend for tougher times

SpikyHedgehog

fuddle wrote: »

Be afraid of a boom my friend, be very afraid.

My friend in the village is away to Australia next week. They are emigrating. Her husband has got an unbelievably well paid job over there. Megabucks in comparison to what DH brings in. All the way through I have been such a support to her, never getting down with her and always being upbeat about the positives of the move. I've seen her over lunch time today. On parting she said "I know you'll never achieve what I have but I hope you get out of this village. I'll email you to show off my new house and my swimming pool and you can email me your erm, well what can you show off to me. Eeeeeh that was rude. Well I suppose it's true, hahaha." The anger I felt. The disgust. She's going out admidst a boom. She's going out with very little money. She's going out to fix her marriage, she's going out with children who are scared, she's going out leaving a house that will incur debt.

I don't want what she has. Why the heck do I get 'em. Why do I have to put up with just spiel and bile from other people. Money isn't everything. Money doesn't define you. I'm so angry and a bit hurt actually. I've been a good friend.

I've defriended people off facebook who were just dragging me down by their every post, I still see some off them but don't have to have their endless rubbish cluttering up facebook. I know, I could not have facebook, or not go on it , and I have cut down on it a lot (gave up the games for lent! and that was pretty much all I went on it for...) but knowing I can go and see someone's wedding photos without getting angry at other people's status is great.

That was a waffly way of saying you don't have to read her emails. And that sometimes you have to think 'Is this person a real friend? Or are we friendly acquaintances?'

VJsmum wrote: »

My MIL has taken out an insurance policy to cover care home costs. It cost an awful lot of money (£'000s) but the pay out, together with her pensions, should cover the cost of even the priciest care home without needing to touch her own house.

She did it knowing it could be money down the drain if she doesn't need it, but would protect the house and other investments for her children if she did.

On a different note

What do vegetarians put in their sarnies and have for snacks with a packed lunch.

DD is a fish-eating veggie (I know, I know) and I struggle as she won't eat anything smelly at school - no eggs, no cheese and onion anything (pasties etc),

She will eat tuna, cheese and lettuce (With sugar ) in her butties and that is pretty much it. I usually put a savoury in their lunches - sausage rolls, bhaji, mini pasty, etc. But am struggling to know what to give her. She has turned down cheese and onion rolls and pasties, bhajis and etc, falafels, crisps (tho not sure why).

She will occasionally take hummus and carrot sticks.

Any help appreciated.

I love hummus and DS2 and I have it in our sandwiches. But I wouldn't say it's not smelly...

DS1 is the super fussy boy. I got him a pack of Linda Mac cheese, leek & red onion plaits & cooked them up so he could take 1 a day in his lunch box, & he liked them - unless they're on offer again, he'll have to wait till we make our own version though

He prefers bread and butter to sandwich fillings at school/6th form - allegedly marmite goes too runny by lunch time to eat (note that DS2 or I don't have this problem with it) and cheese falls out...

He does like the yeast based pates from health food shops (in tubes like big toothpaste tubes) like this one http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=3531&prodid=3493 or red wood company's slices - m0rris0ns usually have the sage and onion or the beef style ones, or again, it's the health food store.

DS2 eats most things... He has peanut butter, hummus, cheese, jam, marmite, soft cheese, yeast pate, slices, anything he can squash into his lunch box...

I like hummus and salad sandwiches, or I'll use leftovers like a slice of nut roast in the sandwich.

Not my favourite, but marmite and peanut butter is quite good, I think it's better on ryvitas and eaten straight away than in sandwiches but it's ok. I prefer it with crunchy peanut butter.

DS1 doesn't have much more than a sandwich and maybe a scone or flapjack or a pastry thing, and I try not to take much more than a sandwich, yoghurt and piece of fruit though the work biscuits keep finding their way to me...

DS2 has a selection of sandwich, yoghurt, fruit, veg, diced frozen cheese (defrosts by lunch time), hard boiled egg, babybel, scone, muffin, cake, biscuit, dip of hummus/mayo/yoghurt...

The vegetarian society has some good info and recipes http://www.youngveggie.org/resources/parents

(Technically your DD is a pescetarian as she is an omnivore who eats fish but not poultry or red meat .)

boultdj

shegar wrote: »

Ginny thats disgusting, but im not surprised at all the the car parking system works........
We dont have to get a ticket if you display a BB, but if you cant get a BB parking space then your in trouble with a wheel chair........As ive found out last week when I took hubby up.......
I couldnt get a BB space so I had to park in a ordinary space which as you know dont have enough room to get a wheel chair out and get it up and running, plus get the patient out of the car without hitting the car next to yours...:mad:
I absolutely worry myself sick 2 or 3 days before im due to take him for the hospital appointment, keep thinking will I be able to find "a easy place to get him and the chair sorted".........I almost get to panic stage as I drive into the car park, I really feel for you today, and then you find yourself trying to lift a heavy chair from the car and nobody helps you and they can see you struggling..:mad::mad::mad:...

Right I must calm down im getting pretty angry just thinking about it........I do hope you complain, its just not fair for you.......hugs...

Ginny and Shegar, it might be worth phoneing the department your going to and ask if you are allowed to use the car parks that are closer, only reason I surrgest it is because I'm allowed to use the staff car park when I have to take OH to his hospital appointment's, but it is not advertised.

Cheapskate

kidcat wrote: »

Ginny - hope all goes well at hospital

Byatt - I had forgotten about discretionary housing, may help a little
If you do need help please post - between us I am sure we will find a way

Shegar - I cannot believe they are not calling you, that is incredibly poor and downright dangerous, is there anyone that you can complain too? I cannot believe how poorly these places are treating people - how would they feel if it was their father, oooooh it makes me cross:mad:

Cheapskate - we all have problems, and they are all just as valid and important as anyone elses. Thats what makes it so good here,

PAH - where is the Aldi opening? may try to persuade my parents to have a wander in.

Byatt wrote: »

Molly, it may do for the support group, but not for the work group, but who knows, they don't seem to. I feel like I'm talking to brick walls most of the time with them. I've used the website Turn2us with every possible variation and it still comes out the same...just done my budget, and not including other bills, except the important ones, electric, water etc, I am in deficit. The only way to reduce the deficit is to reduce food bills as I have nothing left to reduce.

I'll try the discretionary housing although I imagine there will be lots of people doing the same.

Anyway, always up for a challenge!

So, it's upping my income somehow, guess I need to increase my pet sitting rates.

Cheapskate, no-one should have to measure their worries against someone else's, that wasn't my intention, as everyone's worries are valid.

D&#8517 wrote: »

Byatt sorry to hear your news if theres anything I can do please feel free to ask even if its just talk PM anytime XX

Cheapskate chin up hun we're all here for you too XX

Its been a bit of a sad day all round on MSE reading some of the posts today I'm not much use but I can talk for England of anyone ever needs to I usually have tumbleweed blowing thru my PM box so theres never any worry of it being full :rotfl:

I have a couscous mountain too if its of any help but have suspicions that just about everyone else who's discovered Approved is in the same boat

Keep on keeping on folks

XXXXX

Evening all

Thanks for all the above, you are kind to someone who doesn't post a lot! Think I missed someone (Pooky? and someone who offered lopsided cake?) - cake is good at any time, lopsided ones often taste the best! I know what you mean about measuring your worries against someone else's - hope I didn't offend anyone as I didn't mean it like that.

Pooky, so sad for you about your moggy, never good when you lose a non-human family member x
Fuddle, whatever you decide will be the best for you and yours. For someone not a lot older than my oldest child (of whom I despair financially!) you are such a tower of strength and I admire all your commitment, despite your troubles
Whoever else I forgot to mention, thanks for sharing your good and bad news, we are sort of a family and we should share everything; it's lovely to be on both the giving and receiving ends of support. :j

A xo

ETA - monnagran, what an eloquent post, you just about had me in tears!

Possession

Just had to tell you, on the kind of good news front, DS (10) SOOOOO excited about the WW2 re-enactment on Great British Bake-off. He'll be telling his teacher all about the truck serving all those doughnuts to American servicement tomorrow. And he finally won a gas mask (much cheaper!).

Byatt

No-one offended Cheapskate. :kisses3::kisses3:

RosiePuddingPaws

It is such a shame so many people struggle with transport to hospital appointments. It might be worth checking to see if there is a local community transport group. In our area there are a number of TRIP groups set up - the closest one is, in fact, now the official hospital car service for one area although they have very strict criteria of who they will accept and transport times can be long. But, they also provide transport for those who need it but don't qualify for an official hospital car.

Also, in some areas there are other groups who provide transport. One of my jobs is for a local charity and that is the bulk of what we do. Transport is requested by a client and we match volunteer drivers to the job and they collect people from their homes, take them to the appointment and either wait or go back at the time the client states. Charge to the client is 45p/mile which goes straight to the driver. Passengers are welcome to travel too. Doesn't have to be medical appointments, we also take folk to dentists, opticians, the supermarket, whatever. We have drawn the line once or twice - when someone wanted to go to the airport at 6 in the morning for their holidays!!

I'm in a fairly rural area though in the SW (with very little public transport) and am not sure what happens in the more urban areas. I had understood TRIP groups to be national though. They don't seem to advertise their services (or not that I have seen) so it might be worth investigating.

RPP

Mrs_Chip

I thought of him Possession, when I watched that! Perhaps he could find a group of re-enactors near him, it's a great way to learn! There are a lot of groups that preserve wartime sites who would be grateful for a keen young helper.

kidcat

Possession - thats good, I did have a peek at some the other day when I was listing the cooker

Possession

LOLing at the thought of you all on the look out for WW2 gas masks!
I'm sure he would love some re-enactment. When we went to the Viking Festival in York he was very keen on the Living History chaps.

Byatt

Possession wrote: »

Just had to tell you, on the kind of good news front, DS (10) SOOOOO excited about the WW2 re-enactment on Great British Bake-off. He'll be telling his teacher all about the truck serving all those doughnuts to American servicement tomorrow. And he finally won a gas mask (much cheaper!).

There's a programme on BBC2 at 6.30 which seems to be about the war, I have been distracted the last couple of days, but tonight thought, this is really good. Not sure if you've seen it or it will be interesting...they were talking about the Merchant Navy (my family background) and the young boys of 14 and 16 who died working on the ships. The Merchant Navy never get the acknowledgement that the other services get. Plus there's items about food.

edit to add http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01n3jz9/How_We_Won_the_War_Northern_Ireland/

How we won the war...a series.