'supporting each other through really tough times'

Aria`s_Tail

Hi everyone.
I'm at work at the moment until the 21st so just had a quick catch up whilst on a break.
Sheila, I am here providing 24h live in care. The client i'm with at the moment has a brain injury and is wheelchair bound. She got the same letters about proving she couldn't work. Once they were told (over the phone) she needed 24hcare and this would be backed up by doctors they simply said, no problem, thats the last you should hear. if I was you I would complain, it's disgusting to worry genuine people like that.
Pops, I agree you struggle to get reduced bargins like you used to. The ones that make me chuckle are when you can buy a multibuy that works out cheaper than the short dated reduced one!

shegar

Popperwell wrote: »

Well I had the visit...I will be worse off and have to absorb the cost. It was admitted I am better staying put if I can. Had I been older most of this would not affect me.

But that means riding out the next 6-7 years if by then things do not change still further and this could still go wrong if after sending in my details and being switched to new benefits doesn't go pear shaped.

So still lots of unknowns...my basic lifestyle may get even more basic. Only good news is that once again I was told I should always have a roof over my head.

Then again to be honest the person who called could tell me very little and said what they have been told could change. They could not answer questions about benefits directing me back to the council or DWP. So at best they could only give me an idea what the bedroom tax may cost. I'd already worked that out myself.

So for now I'll try not to worry and live each day as it comes. As many are having to do. And that will be put to one side. For good I hope.

For now...even though I am quite good at budgeting on food(I hope that I am)the next few days it is mainly ready meals but I may add extra vegetables to them...

I got three for £6(saved 90p)so that is around £2 daily but the rest of the week will be cheaper...

I have a chicken casserole with dumpling and " avy, liver and bacon(may add some more bacon and onion)and a chicken, bacon and leek pie(they say pie but its topped with mash potato)I can't remember if it has gravy or a creamy sauce of some kind. For quickness they can be cooked in the microwave.

If I can create some space I can get some Bird's Eye chicken and veg pies(4)whilst they are on offer for £2 and adding some extra veg etc...its a fairly good meal for around £1. I doubt that I could make them any cheaper.

Well at least youve got the visit out of the way, but for you to "absorb " the cost of paying for the extra bedrooms is your choice, im surprised that they say you are better staying put, id have thought it cheaper in a one bedroom place than a three , for you and them/ government , well I dont know much about social housing rules now as its all changed since I was in a council house, but thats really good news for you...................

Tea tonight is , jacket tater and veg, probaly find something a little " sweet " for afters.:D, got my fire a light and its nice and cosy ....Sheila

elizabunny

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Don't the home grown things taste so much better too? I use or freeze or preserve as much of what we grow as I possibly can and share surpluses around to friends who want it. Last year was particularly awful though wasn't it? Lots of things just didn't germinate or when they did just stopped at the green shoot stage and didn't grow on. Some things loved the conditions, I've never known a blackberry crop like we had this year but so many things just didn't do at all!!! The lunchtime news said that because of the appalling conditions last summer most of the crop is depleted of minerals and therefore nowhere near as nutritious as it should be. Lets hope for better things in 2013, Cheers Lyn xxx.

Well I would certainly have settled for some battered carrots that had been damaged falling off the lorry on its way to the store, if they had been sold by the store for a suitable price -I couldn't grow 1 carrot last year. The onions were ok but didn't store well. The runner beans were great and so were the peas, but beetroot came to nothing I am hoping for a better 2013:)

[Deleted User]

Battered Carrots mmmmmmm sounds delicious!!!!!!! Healthy option of Battered Mars Bars? We had very few runners this year but the climbing french beans did well and the onions didn't keep so I dehydrated most of the crop and still have them to use. Beetroot we grew in the polytunnel and still have a stand left to harvest fresh. Carrots and celery have never ever grown here in Hampshire and we've tried so many times. I guess some areas have soil that suits things that won't grow well elsewhere. We have almost decided to stop growing potatoes, last years didn't keep, the year before's were utterly wrecked by little black slugs and I threw more of each spud away than I could use. Here's hoping this year will be a better growing year for all of us, Cheers Lyn xxx.

Popperwell

This area is funny Sheila...seriously it can cost more to live in smaller properties, I'd save but it would cost them more. Then again I could spend the same amount as I am likely to if I use buses and taxis to get around so it kind of cancels it out.

Just have to be thrifty...the person who visited even poured cold water even on renting a room out.

elizabunny I don't mind the veg being mishapen:)and they said we see some in the shops when we had all that rain, I still haven't seen any in the shops around here.

mardatha we were on a coal fire and coke boiler system I preferred that but I guess all heating systems are expensive...

Uniscots97

mardatha wrote: »

We spend £140 a month in coal alone!

Mar, can you burn wood? i.e fallen twigs, cuttings from the garden or the paper/card that goes in the recycle bin?

Mrs_Veg_Plot

shegar I hope your Oh does not worry too much. Our systems seem very unfair with able-bodied people seemingly able to play the system and people such as your OH who genuinely can not work being put under unnecessary pressure and stress.

missmucksmum welcome. There is lots of great support on here. It is a great place to come when the real world is getting a bit much and you need to vent. We are a very varied bunch and can offer a lot of support.

ginnyknit

Sheila, I am so angry for you. How upsetting for your hubby and you. These damned DWP people should hopefully see what is bl**dy obvious and start leaving you alone. I agree - your MP needs to know about this, something is seriously wrong. Maybe the care home you use could write you a letter to put in with your letter to the MP as they know how poorly he is and are health care professionals after all.

pops we use £900 per year, all electric to heat and function in a 3 bed house. think you may be going wrong somewhere. I have storage heaters and use one in the main room so we are reasonably comfortable and the others when it is very cold. Ds has his heater on and uses tv and laptop but is careful. Cannot see the point in freezing when OH is poorly. I cook a proper meal every day though I do batch cook and use sc and halogen a lot. Obviously we dont know your circumstances, you may have debts like us which takes a chunk out of our income and though things are very tight we do ok - after all its our fault we have the debts . When ds moves out (soon) we will be paying the bedroom tax but as OH is so ill they may use the discretionary fund for it if we are very lucky. I was given the option of moving but there are no 1 bed flats and as we have seperate rooms it wouldnt work anyway. the rent officer said it would be unfair to expect us to move as it would be cruel to move hubby after 34 years when we are so organised here and obviously the move would be detramental to his health.

Bacon butties here tonight as thats what we feel like and just because we can :rotfl:

Mrs LW i second that hope that we all have a good growing season and can come here and compare our crops!

muffin_man_7

ouch to the energy bills it is really high
its me and 21 yrold son and 16 yrold daughter whose friends are here around 3 to 4 nights a week grrrr our enery bills gas we spent just under £300. and leccy just under £800 thats on pre pay meters for both the gas is so low because we have no gas fire

th gch uses around a£an hour sa fver for 5hrs we just cant afford it
i spend the days that im very cold either huddled on sofa with lots of fleecy covers plus lots of layers 4 right now but will be more soon its 10 deg celcius imy l room

and 1.8 deg c outside Bbbbbrrrrr thats cold
ihoping son gets his own place soon then youngest then i will be allowed to move its crazy theyd rather stay here 2 bed house and i dont mind moving cos i can do all the old style stuff without them moaning hehe but council say different im sure id be warmer on my own cos kids leave light on tv on leccy heater 2kwh me i just pop the halogen heater on for 10 mins now and then its only 400watts and cos it heats the person in front of it 10 mins is plenty for me wish theyd be more old style son not too bad he wears thermals and layers daughter well i reckon another layer would be better oh well they will learn the hard way


pop hope you find a way to lower that bill i go round unplugging everything they leave on that warms me up a bit some days i go to town just so im warm for a whileits a bout a mile it takes me 40minutes each way cos of bad hip but its worth it and i get milk on the way back so i can have a nice milky coffee when i get in only down side is i end up taking 2 to 3 layers off so have to stuff em in me back pack

try to keeep warm im heading out now in the hope of some ys goodies and a quilt as i said before lots of fleece throws but im starting to wake up cold in the early hours so a quilt is a need item im going to asda cos they do smart price one for just under £6 and ive been saving up just hope theyve still got some
will catch up later keep warm mm








yers as im typing this on my phone (not got netbook it broke cheaper to use phone ) i have 4 layers on plus fingerless gloves whicch i only got yesterday and im glad i did i will be adding more layers soon as its 10degrees celcius in l room outside is

fuddle

It's been nice to see debate back on the tough thread battered carrot for me any day too. We had a lot of wannabe foodie mates when we were younger. The think the TV chef genre has a lot to answer for. So many recipes are out there, recipes that suggest we need to use umpteen ingredients that costalot or need to be sourced from overseas. We have more chefs showing us how to produce fancy meals on TV than basic home cooking.

I think that the people in restaurants, cafes, takeaways are the people who still have a bit spare money. I would argue that with food bank stats people who really are struggling dont eat out.

Lyn thank you both for wracking your brains for my dilemma. It's a good idea it would have cost over £100 for monthly passes for us to use the bus. I found out last night though that arriva has stopped the bus going past my house so now the bus isn't even an option. To be far we still would have had to cross the dual carriage ways at night anyway.

There has been an update. My MIL is lending us £500 for a car. We're paying her back £40 per month and obviously interest free. Whatever we get back off the old LL deposit will go straight to her. DH and the boss of he sister company next door have been visiting people he knows who are decent car dealers. Tonight he's talking to one of his mates for us to ask if he would get us a car at trade price in the hope of getting something a bit more reliable. As soon as that car is sat outside the house I will be looking for work. I have to to pay for its upkeep. But going back to proper work will be so good for me. It's never been an option because I have had no childcare. There's childcare unit attached to the girls' new school. I'm scared (money but also my driving confidence has took a nose dive) but I feel calmer than last night and believe this is a step I the right direction. Just finding something half decent standing in our way.

I hope you all front think that I'm turning back into spend thrift, easy come etc because that is what it feels like but I can see it's a means to an end at worst and a tool to really move on up both personally and financially. How is the jobs market these days? I hope my experience and personality sees me well x