The commonsense thread

bupster

I'm much the same, Cheapskate. I live in one of the flattest cities in the UK but on one of the only hills - the whole town would be underwater before it came anywhere near my front door, and the main part of my flat is on the first floor, so we're talking biblical disasters before I notice. Mind you, if there were a plague of frogs I might pay attention.

I never have fewer than about 18 loo rolls, but this is partly because of a family wind-up; my dad used to have a Tower Of Toilet Paper in his flat and before he came down for Christmas each year I'd make sure that my loo beat his 'to make him feel at home'. Now I'm just used to having that much and it's much easier than having to buy it in fours every time I go shopping.

I did thank my storecupboards this summer when I got the flu. Though I had to leave the house every now and then for milk and bread, and my lovely neighbours kept offering to bring round whiskey I didn't have to think about actual food shopping because there was so much in. I was off work for three weeks and barely made a dent in the pasta mountain. And I'm leaving my job shortly with nothing yet to replace it, so it does feel safer knowing that I can feed myself without any struggle for several weeks and so won't have to spend money if I have to be careful. I think of it as creative laziness - I'm spending a little bit of time stocking up and thinking about what might happen so that if something does go wrong or I can't be arsed, I can lie around on the sofa without worrying

Byatt

ReformedShopaholic wrote: »

purplekitten and chirpychick
Not sure if this has already been mentioned (i'm only up to page 6) but if you have a smartphone you can download the kindle app. I have downloaded it to my android. Its not the same as reading on a kindle as obviously the phone is a tiny screen but it has kept me reading until I hopefully get one for my birthday. Its free to download and then you can read whatever you want. I have only really downloaded the free books but some of them are worth keeping as they are well written.

Thanks so much! :T I had no idea I could do that, but have now got the app and have my first free read, Tale of Two Cities, absolutely delighted, you have made my day. :A

craigywv

i too live in a city..bang in the middle!our electricity NEVER fully goes off as we right beside really large hopital as we connected to the same grid(something like that) anyway the odd occassion it has went off we have had partial electric half upstairs and half downstairs as the hospital has its own emergency backup generators. Also have evry shop mentionable within walking distance. I am a member of c.r.a.p.r.o.l.l.z not that i believe in the Z word but because i am a planner, a list writer and a worrier! I have husbands redundancy looming over us in next month so am happy that we have 90% of christmas pressies in and most of the grub. also a half decent larder well stocked. I dont have outdoor stuff like kettles and stuff but do have a metal chimmnea with a bbq inside it so can cook and boil water also cooker is a gas one plugged into gas bottles outside not the mains so could boil water etc...i am not going to spend money on the it might happen.... but do spend it on the things we need...warm clothes this year is a must as son 9 is growing soooo fast and putting our money away for oil as the winters are deffo getting colder. I bake and enjoy it, batch cook and buy ys goods of course i worry about the future but i am not going to scare myself(if i put my mind to it i could), i will just keep going on and hopefully the price of things wont go up too much...and if they do well will just have to go with the flow and make do, dont know why i wrote all this just getting a few things off my chest and writing it down helps sorry for rambling on

rozmister

Possession wrote: »

It drives me mad that the Sainsburys toy sale is always in half term week. Could there be any LESS suitable week for it?! But yes, the prices are good.

Despite being childless myself (I have one very adored niece who gets spoilt rotten) I know exactly what you mean about the toy sale. When I worked there it was absolute pandemonium and there are always the few parents who let their kids go and then it just descends into madness because all the other kids want to run around like crazies too.

I try to go in at about 8am to miss the madness but not on the first day because at my Sainsburys they queue outside on the first day and the whole store opens early!

Even though I don't work there anymore I still love Sainsburys. I'm waiting for the next 25% off sale so I can get a cashmere cardigan. I love their cashmere cardigans they're beautiful and great quality!

fuddle

My 2nd freezer broke this week. I lost all my meat stocks till 15th Oct. I've a veggie meal plan in place until then but the way I shop will have to change.

I had a bit of flounder about how I'm going to preserve my meat and mostly my veg and worried about relying on the local coop and keep up with their prices. (I have a freezer in the kitchen but I can't stock monthly meat/veg/milk/cheese/yoghurts now)

Anyway, the point of this post is to say I was that far from using the emergency fund to buy a dehydrator for veg preserving. Had I not been going through a bit of a common sense chill out and calm down, I would have bought it.

I've a challenge ahead in the way of learning how to cope without a cast iron menu plan and food stocks to match and use whatever I have in or whatever I can get.

So, make do and mend. Cope and don't buy to ease my OS life. *chink

craigywv

oh thats my fear freezer breakdown,i have 2 and have the obsessive walking past pushing door in syndrome or the seeing son with lolly in his hands rush and check doors closed syndrome, sorry to hear you lost your food what a waste of good money

melanzana

craigywv wrote: »

oh thats my fear freezer breakdown,i have 2 and have the obsessive walking past pushing door in syndrome or the seeing son with lolly in his hands rush and check doors closed syndrome, sorry to hear you lost your food what a waste of good money

I have had freezer meltdown in the past too. But once I discovered that the food was still cold, I cooked whatever I could, and re froze it.

craigywv

melanzana wrote: »

I have had freezer meltdown in the past too. But once I discovered that the food was still cold, I cooked whatever I could, and re froze it.

you were lucky my fear is if i was out for the day and realised too late or something,i know theres bigger worries in the world and thats a minor one but still its my OCD.

LameWolf

Oh dear, fuddle what a bummer! Good luck with your altered plans.

I'm not liking this wet weather - or at least my joints are not liking it, they're complaining big-time.

One thing I have to make sure to do is hear the weather forecast on the early-morning news, particularly what temperature it's likely to be, so that I can dress appropriately for the day.

I need assistance to dress and undress, and particularly, I can't put on/take off jumpers without Mr LW's help, so whatever I put on in the morning is my clothes for the day, apart from a big shawl I can throw over the top. This can make life "interesting", as I still get sudden, unexpected hot flushes (lovely for combating cold weather, not so nice when you already have two jumpers on and can't remove them).:rotfl:

I've heated up a wheaten bag in the micro, and got it round the back of my neck, in the hope of driving the "squeakies" out of my shoulders a bit; with Mr LW on leave last week and wanting us to go out and do things, the housework got slightly put on a back burner, so I really need to demolish what the spiders have built without planning permission.:cool:

ETA: If we're confessing, my OCD, don't laugh, is running out of loo rolls!:rotfl:

lobbyludd

fuddle wrote: »

Christmas market. It's the word market that tackies the idea I think. If you would say to your friends about going to a christmas exhibition, £10 entry fee and complimentary mulled wine I bet they would jump at the chance to experience the christmas atmosphere

It's weird how perceptions are different isn't it? as a child I went to a christmas market in saltzberg (dad was a salesman and had to travel there for work and we hitched a ride!) - it was magical, full of wooden toys and lights so when I hear christmas market, to me, it is a fairytale thing, not at all tacky. I take the kids to a christmas market every year, late enough that it's dark and the lights are on and they get to have something warm to eat from a street vendor and look at all the stalls (and choose presents for each other, but not buy them - I do that later), and it's great.