The commonsense thread

cuddlymarm

Good morning everybody:)

I am so happy that this thread is so popular ( I was on lates yesterday and couldn't read all the replies before I needed sleep)

Its true that it is the simple things in life that matter. Family, friends and the occasional bowl of comfort food (our current favourite is lemon curd sponge and custard - yum )
Another thing that I've remembered that I do is rotate the freezer once a week (everything moves up and we eat from the top shelf first) The tin cupboard is the other way everything moves down and the new stuff goes at the top. I must admit I do keep a good stock of food in (mainly so that if we get an emergency money wise the housekeeping can be spent on that)

Oh I better go and get ready for work
Have a good day everybody
Cuddles:)

[Deleted User]

I get a lot of what I call positive things done when I am off the internet so I try to stay off mse which is quite addictive. By positive I do mean other than cleaning ie making or doing something like gardening, sewing, baking or clearing to improve feel-good feng shui. Several people do spend a LOT of time posting here ie quite a big chunk that could be better used. It is commonsense to use time wisely

Having been through several tough periods and recessions, in my lifetime, then my basic advice would be to clear debts and get a safety net in place, something that will enable you to survive three months of no income.

If you have disposable income then it is very wise to bulk buy especially when a new product is introduced at a much cheaper price, needless to say something that you will use eg I bought 40 tubes of top quality toothpaste in 2011 at £1.60 and it now costs £3.80. In 2006 I bought loads of new ariel liquid at about 1/3 of what it costs now and I have 2 containers left. I also use eco balls and they were selling them off in lakeland, so I bought a lot, enough for many years and also to give away to my dds, a huge saving again

Re looking to the future: I have mixed feelings on that. I live in the now but I can because I have the storecupboard and the financial safety net in place. I had to look to the future when younger and we were struggling with 3 children and a mortgage, no point burying head in sand when all of a sudden our income was halved and work doubled for dh. I never looked at a doom and gloom ridden future as I am not that type but more like, how do I start a small savings scheme or how do I preserve the cheap plums and bramleys on sale in the market

babyblooz

One of my most favourite memories is playing with my grandma's OXO tin full of buttons stripped from every single garment that was being thrown out. New woollies were handknitted, with scraps being knitted up into dolls clothes for christmas presents. I would tip the buttons out and look at them, sorting them into sets, choosing which ones would go on my handknitted cardigan or whatever, and then hearing about the items they used to be sewn onto before being snipped off again. It was a lovely, cosy time when I truly felt part of the fabric of our family.

Sadly those days are gone and my daughter in law who is not particularly close to her family can't believe that anyone would go to such a bother. My kids grew up blackberry picking and making jam etc. and have these memories to look back on, fondly I hope!
Despite having the money to never have to do anything at all like I did, I think she is the poorer one, not me, for not having the sense of identity that I have. It's not always about the money, its a sense of reconnecting with the values of the people who made you who you are.

rhiwfield

This post is not intended to be inflammatory at all but its interesting to note the tensions between the commonsense and SHTF threads. I posted on the SHTF thread to suggest that preparation should be aimed at known and likely adverse events such as health problems old age etc. Equally I feel that living just for the here and now can be extremely blinkered.

A balance between the two extremes is perhaps the commonsense approach BUT that natural balance can be affected by external change. Economic and political tensions have risen over the last few years and I think the SHTF thread posters have reacted to that.

Perhaps compare it to Climate Change/Flooding Events. What was once a 100 year flood event may now be perhaps a 20 year flood event. Is it wise to ignore the greater risk, obviously not. Is it wise to prioritise flood event planning at the expense of day to day necessities of life, no, that would be equally foolhardy.

The other point is one of personal vs civic responsibilities. We all rely on government for services, yet from many many posts on MSE, changes in govt actions are affecting millions of people, whether its from benefit cuts, fitness for work assessment, higher taxation, QE induced inflation, pay freeze, pension cuts etc. Commonsense would suggest that the individual reduces reliance on govt provision IF POSSIBLE, while continuing to use those services if still available.

Such a difficult issue, with many valid viewpoints.

Popperwell

kittie wrote: »

Several people do spend a LOT of time posting here ie quite a big chunk that could be better used. It is commonsense to use time wisely

If you have disposable income then it is very wise to bulk buy

Re looking to the future: I have mixed feelings on that. I live in the now but I can because I have the storecupboard and the financial safety net in place.

That's mainly why I have mine rather than an emergency.

That's a great idea but space is probably a problem even for me and choosing the right product, I wish that there was some kind of cooperative around here(and perhaps countrywise)with a premises where people pay perhaps a subscription and then can go along and take a few items away and are cheaper than the shops but it means not pulling out a large amount of money in one go...

It is possible to spend too long on the internet but then again I use it for reading, listening to the radio or watching tv and talking with people and learning and as I am not able to go out too much or have the money to afford to do more it is a window on the world and as long as you are up to date on everything else I think it is ok to spend time using it. And often I go away and do something and come back to it.

Lavandula

I have stopped reading some of the OS threads for precisely the reason that they tend to stray from the point of being OS. For example, the Prepare for Winter thread can turn into one long shopping list of things people should be buying (gas stoves, snow boots, endless show shovels etc). I do not need a folding plastic snow shovel for the car costing £15. If we get snow I shall use my sons large sandpit shovel!

Popperwell

Lavandula wrote: »

I have stopped reading some of the OS threads for precisely the reason that they tend to stray from the point of being OS. For example, the Prepare for Winter thread can turn into one long shopping list of things people should be buying (gas stoves, snow boots, endless show shovels etc). I do not need a folding plastic snow shovel for the car costing £15. If we get snow I shall use my sons large sandpit shovel!

I suppose threads are like conversations, they take different directions but they usually come back on topic. It depends who is posting, how often and how they feel at the time. I guess MSE OS is a broad church and there is room for everyone.

Justamum

Take_it_like_a_man,_sonny wrote: »

Miss it and TILAMS has since the lies were broiadcast at 21:33Z 1982-05-03, and have not missed it since.

You've lost me there.

Popperwell wrote: »

The only reason I don't use my Smoothie maker too often now is because I could not buy the fruit etc...cheap enough to make it worthwhile, its easier to buy it ready done and especially if on offer. Then again it will be handy if/when I make my own soups perhaps in the future.

I've got a smoothie maker, but didn't use it much because as you say the fruit is expensive. The other week I decided to make iced coffee like they do in the M&S cafe, but I discovered it's got a leak around the bottom of the blades so it looks like I'll have to bin it anyway.

I do want a food processor though I've entered a competition for one on the BBC food website so I'll wait until I've won that one :rotfl:

Justamum

fuddle wrote: »

I use the slow cooker a lot whether a stew or a steamed pudding. I loved learning about the hay box in wartime farm last week. Would a cardboard box filled with hay do the trick too?

I don't see why not. The actual haybox system is a bit pricey http://haybox.co.uk/

I'm sure there's someone on a thread on OS somewhere who cooks using a haybox. I can't remember who it is though.

Is it deja vu, or have I mentioned this already? Or am I just going mad in my old age :cool:

Justamum

fuddle wrote: »

Oh so easy. Just put your mixture in your pudding dish, tie the top with greaseproof paper and pop it in about an inch of water in the slow cooker. Leave it for 2 hours and when you go check you'll have a lovely pudding.

That sounds like a really good idea - I watched Great British Bake Off last night when they did puddings, and decided that this winter I'm going to make some lovely hot puddings with lashings of custard. Yum yum.

Just one question though, do you have the slow cooker on low or high for the 2 hours?

tryingtobethrifty wrote: »

I tried this last year. I got a box, stuffed it with blankets, boiled pot up and stuffed it inside a sleeping bag, covered in blankets and viola!!

That sounds even better than using hay. :T Another very handy tip for the winter, thank you.