when you reach breaking point

Rainy-Days

Becciboobah wrote: »

My partner has gone from temp job to temp job, often with considerable gaps inbetween. We just about cope now but if many more increases are made will I be able to provide for my family?
I just feel sick wondering what will happen to us if OH can't find work for when his contract expires in October (no chance of a renewal, he works for the Olympics). I shouldn't because it hasn't happened yet but it all seems so much worse this time because of the increases in all aspects of our spending. I also wonder how many people hired for the Olympics will be in the same boat. I know it's all what if's, but's and maybe's but I'm a natural born worrier!

Anyway, thanks for letting me put my thoughts down. Sorry it's just a rambling mess.

Hopefully, on the run up to Christmas more firms will be taking on temporary workers and he will be able to fill that gap.

A friend of mine was in this situation and she was in dire straights, it's the 'not knowing' that caused allot of the problems. Anyway, after a few months on JSA she asked - prompted by me - about funding for getting an LGV licence. This was in the days when you could put straight in for an LGV 1; now you have to go 2 and then 1. I will say this, she works for a nice firm now and if she decided to leave there are loads of agencies who need LGV drivers. It's not the be all and end all, but for her the wages are excellent - she earns about £35k. I am not sure if the DWP still do this scheme, but it would give you allot more security for sure if they do and you can take advantage of it. Its a skill, and a good one at that to have.

Cheapskate

Dippypud wrote: »

This makes interesting reading...maybe the SHTF thread is closer than we would like to think...:(

http://beforeitsnews.com/tea-party/2012/08/why-is-george-soros-dumping-stocks-and-buying-gold-2449278.html

That article is a little alarming - even for American news, which is often OTT! :eek:

Our food bill is getting alarming, too. For instance, the cereal I buy for DH, big box but not fancy stuff, has gone up from £1.78 to £2.08 in less than 10 days, SM own brand wheat biscuit cereal, 24 pack, from £1.28 to £1.48 in the same time. They're not major increases, as such, and I wonder if SM are starting the price hikes now, in order to soften the blow; is it better to raise prices 20-50 pence per item a few times, rather than £1+ in one go?

We've noticed more farms round here selling at the gate; might be only a few spuds, carrots or eggs, but these are places who never did. Hard times or a response to locals wanting homegrown/cheaper food? Almost everyone I know is growing food, from a few herbs in a tub to a full allotment of veg, some of these are folk who hate getting their hands dirty, literally! They all cite increasing prices/decreasing or static incomes as reasons, but I know some are starting to have real problems.

A xo

Becciboobah

Rainy-Days wrote: »

Hopefully, on the run up to Christmas more firms will be taking on temporary workers and he will be able to fill that gap.

A friend of mine was in this situation and she was in dire straights, it's the 'not knowing' that caused allot of the problems. Anyway, after a few months on JSA she asked - prompted by me - about funding for getting an LGV licence. This was in the days when you could put straight in for an LGV 1; now you have to go 2 and then 1. I will say this, she works for a nice firm now and if she decided to leave there are loads of agencies who need LGV drivers. It's not the be all and end all, but for her the wages are excellent - she earns about £35k. I am not sure if the DWP still do this scheme, but it would give you allot more security for sure if they do and you can take advantage of it. Its a skill, and a good one at that to have.

We have a similar scheme but with a local trust, they paid for OH to do his forklift truck licences as he was seeing lots of job ad's for FLT drivers. He did enquire with the JC but they don't run this scheme anymore. Which is a shame as they are quite happy to pay a4e a phenominal sum for their idea of 'back to work' training. I'm sure he'll be fine, I just worry! His CV has been hugely enhanced by the Games. For the last 18 months he's been Logistics Supervisor for the Olympic Broadcasting Service so it's been his job to make sure all the cameras etc were where they should be, deployment of staff etc. He's been a very busy boy this last few weeks so that should all go in his favour!

Thank you all for your contributions. Shall be subscribing!

COOLTRIKERCHICK

I was thinking... isnt it not to long before the cheaper supermarket brands start disapearing, to make shelf room for the christmas food, and higher priced 'only bought for christmas ' items?:eek::o

Fruball

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

I was thinking... isnt it not to long before the cheaper supermarket brands start disapearing, to make shelf room for the christmas food, and higher priced 'only bought for christmas ' items?:eek::o

:eek: OMG I forgot they do that

GreyQueen

Fruball wrote: »

:eek: OMG I forgot they do that

Oh, I'd forgotten that the silly season was imminent, although I did see a huge display of calendars and diaries appear this week in one store. Honestly, who needs to buy these things 5 months ahead of time?

I must continue pootling along with the cheapies before they go into seasonal hiding. Thanks for the reminder.

PS Cooking oil on shelf now has BB dates of Aug 2013. I'm stocking up.

Fruball

GreyQueen wrote: »

Oh, I'd forgotten that the silly season was imminent, although I did see a huge display of calendars and diaries appear this week in one store. Honestly, who needs to buy these things 5 months ahead of time?

I must continue pootling along with the cheapies before they go into seasonal hiding. Thanks for the reminder.

PS Cooking oil on shelf now has BB dates of Aug 2013. I'm stocking up.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: Did you realise when you wrote that how funny it is?

Considering we prep for winter, prep for events which may never happen and buy things well in advance, that cracked me up!

Altho I do obviously see your point lol

COOLTRIKERCHICK

I have just started a thread on the food and grocery board, just to give people the heads up, so please let peeps know on other threads about the supermarkets removing some of the lower priced items from the shelves because of the christmas stock...

We really do need to give the heads up on things like this.....

I cant remember what items were targeted, but if anyone can remember from past years.. it would be nice to know which items to stock up on:T

lostinrates

GreyQueen wrote: »

Oh, I'd forgotten that the silly season was imminent, although I did see a huge display of calendars and diaries appear this week in one store. Honestly, who needs to buy these things 5 months ahead of time?

I must continue pootling along with the cheapies before they go into seasonal hiding. Thanks for the reminder.

PS Cooking oil on shelf now has BB dates of Aug 2013. I'm stocking up.

Well, you did not forget because it is not. Unless you are in retail.

Part of why i love seasonality is so that i don't think about christmas in a way other than to prder what ever meat we are having (we have two boy geese but they are pets, i just like to tease them when they are naughty, but we will order meat).

There are so many wonderul celebrations.

I am not a Guy Fawkes night celebrator, but i still like fireworkes, so we just call it bonfire night and have hot soup and cinder toffee and stuff like that, then there is beautiful beautiful halloween, i have a fondness for the americanisms of that because it was part of my childhood, but i particularly love the italian sweet meats made for it....pane del (bread of the dead) is about the most delicious thing ever and dh likes bones of the deas, another italian biscuit. We also, fo similar reasons of childhood, make a nod to thanksgiving, and although the anning and shopping starts before then the festive season does NOT


Beautiful beautiful autumn deserves enjoyment in its own right, not just as a prelude to gluttony and commercialism and family breakdows of christmas.

RAS

We have a communal bonfire on the plots, overlooking a valley with a lot of posh houses on the other side. They are not blowing up anything like the amount of money they were 5 years ago but it is still a good show.

With shared food and a few cans/bottles and some sparklers, it is one of the best nights of the year.

The next day we bake potatoes and apples in the embers for lunch.