The commonsense thread

HariboJunkie

Yay for common sense. :j

I'm amazed that on a board where so many adopt the mantra of "Keep calm and carry on" there is so much "run around and prepare for the Apocolypse".

The best things you can hang onto in a tough economic climate are a calm outlook and a sense of humour.

My tips are to really sit down and make a budget of worst and best case scenarios. If the worst happens you will have budgeted for it and if the best happens you will have extra money set aside to enjoy or as a safety blanket.

If you are on the breadline as so many on this board say they are please think carefully about buying gadgets. Unless they save you time you could be spending saving money elsewhere, or you have a physical disability which they will ease, they are no benefit and will surely only add to your financial woes. And think them through. If you really are injured badly for whatever reason are you actually going to be able to fashion a lasoo and pulley system out of the paracord bracellet you rushed off to buy to save yourself? Far better to call 999.

It makes sense to buy in bulk when goods are on special offer but stockpiling grates on me. Panic buying breeds panic buying and we will all end up worse off.

In this house we don't stockpile but keep a reasonable larder which is full of foods we use frequently and things I have bought a few extra of in case we need to live out of it when illness strikes.

I live in a very inhospitable place. I make sensible precautions for travelling in winter (warm coats, a few mars bars, some water, charged spare mobile phone and a snow shovel) in the car boot.

In the house I have easy access to candles, torches and a wind up radio in case of power cuts which I would think most households would prepare for. I know where they are and I see no need to turn off all the lights to make sure I can find them in the dark. We are lucky to have a stove that will still give us a means to cook and heat water in case of emergency. I don't have a bug out bag. In a fire we will follow the advice of get out and get the fire brigade out. In a gas explosion we will be blown to bits with or without a bag. Prior warning of something like a flood (which I lived through on 3 occasions) would enable you to grab your spare clothes, laptop or whatever has your precious photos, and important household documents (which it makes sense to keep in one, easily accessible place).

Of course if serious prepping is your thing then fair play to you. Work away. Just try not to panic others. My philoshophy is always to enjoy life as best you can. Don't frighten your children with tales of what ifs and maybes. Make your money stretch as far or as little as you need to be comfortable and be realistic about the chances of something serious enough to warrant you needing survival paraphanalia in stock.

Apologies for the essay but I love commonsense.

OrkneyStar

cuddlymarm wrote: »

Hi

I hope you lovely people don't mind me starting this thread. There seems to be a lot of worry at the moment about the future, about jobs, prices, and mainly how we are all going to cope.
So (as a lot of us older moneysavers know we have been here before, not quite this bad but we have been here before) and taking a deep breath and using our commonsense can make things not quite so bad.

So I thought I would start a thread about commonsense ideas ( please join in cos that is how we can help each other.)

So i will start the ball rolling with simple ideas like
Only buy things if you need them (the sales are a prime example cos often there is a reason why you didn't pay full price for that dress, those shoes, that gadget etc)
When you are cooking cook extra spuds for the next day (bubble and squeak is so cheap and easy (and healthy as long as you don't use loads of fat)
You don't have to stick to set types of meals (theres nothing wrong with a bowl of cereal for lunch if you are cutting costs)
Don't have a good tidy out and get rid of things you know you will eventually use.
Don't stock up on foods you family won't enjoy no matter how cheap they are . Its false economy if they end up in the bin.
Only open a couple of packets of something at a time, you don't need four jars of jam open at once cos chances are some will be wasted.
Try not to be a superhero (chances are the friends/ relatives that you think are doing so much better than you aren't really any better off)
Count you blessings rather than your problems.

I hope this doesn't sound preachy and that some of you lovely peeps will join in with me

Have a lovely day
Cuddles:)

Oh, this is exactly the sort of thread I love.........I agree with pretty much all you have written .
On the set meals thing, DS has asked for mac cheese for tea after school tonight, and we will have that as I quite fancy it too- the thing is there is also half a red pepper and some mange tout to use, not normally things I would have with mac cheese :cool:, but then today I thought 'oh stuff it' me and DH can have them sauted on the side (DS doesn't like them), saves waste . Last night it was a mish mash of toast, poached egg, mushy peas (needed using), veggie burger and onion rings for me, bread, battered fish (one lone fillet to use up lol), beans (needed using), onion rings and egg for DH and fish fingers, toast, more of the beans and an egg for DS!!! Was actually really nice one it was on the plate lol .
I also really agree with counting your blessings- it is amazing how the small things can cheer you up!

HariboJunkie

OrkneyStar wrote: »

Oh, this is exactly the sort of thread I love.........I agree with pretty much all you have written .
On the set meals thing, DS has asked for mac cheese for tea after school tonight, and we will have that as I quite fancy it too- the thing is there is also half a red pepper and some mange tout to use, not normally things I would have with mac cheese :cool:, but then today I thought 'oh stuff it' me and DH can have them sauted on the side (DS doesn't like them), saves waste . Last night it was a mish mash of toast, poached egg, mushy peas (needed using), veggie burger and onion rings for me, bread, battered fish (one lone fillet to use up lol), beans (needed using), onion rings and egg for DH and fish fingers, toast, more of the beans and an egg for DS!!! Was actually really nice one it was on the plate lol .
I also really agree with counting your blessings- it is amazing how the small things can cheer you up!

Tonight I actually want to use up some of my store cupboard stuff and I have about 3 opened packets of cold meat. So we'll have olives, cold meat, pate, HM sundried tomatoes (okay I live in Scotland, they were oven dried cos I can't afford a dehydrator ), and the odds and sods of cheese in the fridge. On my menu plan I have called it antipasti and my children are most impressed. :rotfl:

OrkneyStar

HariboJunkie wrote: »

Tonight I actually want to use up some of my store cupboard stuff and I have about 3 opened packets of cold meat. So we'll have olives, cold meat, pate, HM sundried tomatoes (okay I live in Scotland, they were oven dried cos I can't afford a dehydrator ), and the odds and sods of cheese in the fridge. On my menu plan I have called it antipasti and my children are most impressed. :rotfl:

Yes, posh name, mish mash food lol........I love it I ask DS if he wants a buffet sometimes.....yep it's leftover this and that but he loves his buffets lol!
I live in Scotland too, so my tomatoes would also be done in the oven lol!

taplady

HariboJunkie wrote: »

On my menu plan I have called it antipasti and my children are most impressed. :rotfl:

very posh!:D maybe thats a tip we can all use too - make the even the plainest of meals sound posh by giving it an exciting title;) if it makes the kids eat up the leftovers its a good idea in my book:T

fuddle

Tentatively pops her toe in... please can I join in? I ask nicely as I post on the tougher, prepare for winter, preparedness and stock cupboarding threads and fear I might be shooed away for being a panicky arris.

Seriously though, I just want to learn new things and think I would learn a fair bit from the world of common sense.

A tip from me is to have a meal plan and stick to it. I've tried a monthly meal plan (too vast, I needed too many ingredients) and a 7 day meal rotation which works very well and ensures I only need to buy in/keep a store of the very nitty gritty meal ingredients.

snowleopard61

On my menu plan I have called it antipasti and my children are most impressed. :rotfl:

This is inspired. I have to admit my granny used to call it 'clean up the kitchen' and my mum used to say the description made her visualise my granny scraping bits off the floor etc (ew!). Antipasti it is from now on.

Tawny75

OrkneyStar wrote: »

Yes, posh name, mish mash food lol........I love it I ask DS if he wants a buffet sometimes.....yep it's leftover this and that but he loves his buffets lol!
I live in Scotland too, so my tomatoes would also be done in the oven lol!

We are big buffet fans too, or picnic meals as we call them.

When I take the Guides camping, our last meal is always called Iffs'ys. If you can see it you can eat it, and believe me 10-14 year old girls can come up with some revolting combinations! It means we have no wastage though and they love it.

Butterfly_Brain

On the sales issue, I disagree especially in the New year, I buy all of my paper, cards, gift tags and crackers and sometimes if I see something that I know someone in the family would love I buy that and have done for years. This has not only saved me a lot of money, it helps me to avoid the pre Christmas panic buying, being disabled it is a total nightmare for me.
I have always had a stock cupboard which has saved our bacon no end of times and enough money put by to pay the mortgage and cover bills for three months. This is because I know how long it takes to get any form of financial help from the DWP.
We grow our own fruit and veg and go foraging as well and we all love bargain hunting as a family, it has actually made us closer.

fuddle

I'm learning about foraging and growing our own too.

I'm really into 1940's coping strategies. I look up to and admire the housewives of those times.