'supporting each other through really tough times'

BitterAndTwisted

Peanut2013 wrote: »

Morning all Having friends over today who are visiting for the day. They suggested going out for a late lunch. We've agreed as its nice to do, but how do you guys manage with this?

We can't really afford it but don't want to be miserable and say no?

We're currently looking at cheaper restaurant options, lol.

This is always our weak point as all our friends are very well off / live at home so they suggest meals out, day trips, takeaways. Any ideas how to cope with this kind of thing?

My coping strategy is to be brutally honest about what I can afford and what I can't. That way, I don't feel obliged to pay for meals out or other treats which I really cannot fit into my very strict budget. Proper friends might react as follows:


They don't understand but will go along with it anyway.
They do understand, accept your situation and will go along with it.
They understand, are glad you mentioned it because they are in the same boat but no-one else they know will admit it.
They understand, don't want to impose and will offer to pay for you. (I have very dear friends who are much better off than I am and like to treat me as often as possible, Which I often decline out of guilt and shame that I can't reciprocate. They don't get it, bless them).

fuddle

Hi Bexim welcome.

Wonder collie I was reading an article that suggested nursing standards are falling because nursing is so adedemically driven now that graduates don't think they should be taking pee stained sheet off the bed. I think the problems go much deeper than that and generalising so much with those kind of statements but I can see what it's trying to say.

Kidcat thanks for the entitled to head up. DH and I have managed to palm the kids off and got our heads together playing with that calculator. We have a fair idea where we'll be and it's not so dire. We still have to really pull our belts in but nothing to panic about... I think! We'll see tomorrow.

We got jobs for me down to home care working. Hoping to get on with an agency. I figure that at least being a carer I'm doing something along the lines of what I want to do. Mccollachs courses are going to come in so handy now!

Feeling quite down but not hopeless, if you see what I mean, which means it's a blip and not the dreaded depression. I'm tired, worried and still suffering with cough and cold. I've put myself through the ringer and its catching up with me.

Applied for 3 jobs anyway. Government job site is down which is helpful but seen some of those private job sites. Can but try.

Chicken dinner for tea. Going to make a chicken mushroom pie with leftovers tomorrow.

By the way. Does anyone know about the vouchers for childcare with employers. DH says he think he's read a flyer at work.

kidcat

Fuddle - am fuzzy on them but basically your OH buys the vouchers from his gross salary then only pays tax on whats left, it means your OH pays less tax. Thats my basic recollection but I bet there is a proper thread somewhere that explains them much better

kidcat

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/childcare-vouchers

have a look through this bit fuddle it should help

JellyBox

Hi all! Ta for your warm welcome - just what I need after a few hours out in the woods (my hands are still numb). Elona - I feel I should point out that work doesn't normally have me in tears, I'm prone to blips, now is a blip, my job is actually amazing, my management are not!

When it comes to doing stuff you can/can't afford, I'm really upfront with people and just let them know I can't do it, I try to offer to host stuff instead, as that's still social, but saves me petrol and pub prices on food and drinks!

Also - Kidcat - love your little picture thing, would be very handy at work sometimes!

VJsmum

My niece is in her first year of a nursing degree, having already completed one degree in something else. She also has many years experience as a Health Care Assistant at her local general hospital. She is astounded at some of the 18 year old first years on her nursing degree - a couple of conversations have gone thus

Student "If a patient is sick, is there someone who will clear it up"
Niece "Yes - YOU"

Student "Do we have to work nights or weekends"
Niece "well who else will do it?"
Student "Oh - I just never realised".

Honestly - don't kids even think about what might be involved when they sign up for these degree courses???

Mrs Lurcherwalker - the trifle is a TRIUMPH, (darling)! I made orange jelly, put it over year old (frozen) chocolate sponge, added a tin of mandarins and then opened the yogurts, separated off the toppings, did as you said and mixed in some drinking chocolate, and spread over the set jelly. Sprinkled toppings over and it looks (and tastes cos I had to "road test" it ) sublime!! :T Thanks very much.

Welcome Bexim

GreyQueen

Hokay, Softstuff, I will raise you 26 rolls t.p., 17 tubes toothpaste, 159 bars of soap and 2.25 litres of shampoo.

I'm curently cultivating the t.p. mountain as can store it in the lottie shed. I had a bit of a wobble when Liddly stopped stocking "my" t.p. (the cheap 2 ply Floralys) but they have now replaced it with another product at the same price (but has 12 rolls!) but there was a drought of several weeks and a big gap at the bottom of the market. (sorry ).

Fortunately, the t.p. mountain was sufficient to tide me over.

I have a Tosspots till spit burning a hole in my wallet right now, a £3 off a £20 shop. This is a toughie as my average shop is all of £2.50. It needs to be used judiciously, on stuff that won't go off and which I can cart down from the store in one go in the Jiffy trolley.

I'm crafting a tentative list based on Basics toothpaste (25p a tube but for how long?), tinned tomato soup and cream crackers. Soup and crackers being my default CBA supper when all wit and enthusiam fails me. Going to need some more things, thinking butter, as am down to the last pat of the 45p each Anchor butter mountain from last May. Can't squeeze any more stuff in the freezer right now, got a lot of cheese in there and whoopsied sausages - the Finest ones!

I'm always amazed when people meal plan days and weeks ahead. My meals are based around whatever is on special offer at any given shopping trip.

Been gardening today and slowly slowly creeping my way across the patch, leaving nice clear crumbly soil behind me. Which will be planted shortly and then shortly after that germinate every variety of weed seed known to womankind.

I have a hoe and a sharpening stone. They don't like it up 'em.

Hello Bexim, glad to see you here too.

Hmmm, about time to do something creative with leftover chili con carne........served with cheese and crackers, perhaps?

katieowl_2

Afternoon Toughies and welcome new toughies!

Just sitting down for five minutes before cooking dinner...

Spent most of the day following OH around who was sorting out the conservatory to get the seeds for the garden started. Left to his own devices stuff would have ended up all over the place. Also managed to get lots of hoovering done, and many loads of washing.

I got some bargain plants in B&Q yesterday, paid about a fiver for 55 polyanthus, a couple of dozen pansies/violas, and three ferns all reduced because of neglect! I did my plug switching trick for the perkiest and given a couple of good drinks of water, and a night in the greenhouse, they all look much recovered this morning. I need to make the front of the house look suitably attractive for B&B guests, but really needed it to be a bargain jobbie. I have some ivy (about a dozen) left over from my last plant bargain hunting in Ald! so will use those too for a bit of greenery. I only went in there to get some araldite to mend something and a new washing line!

Got some pork out of the freezer last night to make red cooked pork today, but we've stuck it in the slow cooker, as I scored a YS bargain on sea bass in Mr T when I went to get the stuff for the market. I've got £18 worth of sea bass for £4... we will do it Chinesey, as those are the veg I have! Got a few other YS things too, so will forgive DS for making me drive to get him baccy :mad:

Right...off to do another couple of jobs before the light goes!

Kate

bluebag

Hello Bexim,

Welcome, it's lovely to have people to share with.

Sorry about the wage deficit, seems to be happening to more and more people these days, that would be bad enough but it seems everything is going up in spades every five minutes as well.

Oh well, onward and upwards!

Popperwell

The QI Elves(the researchers behind the QI Programme)hosted by Stephen Fry have a Twitter feed and they often post facts and trivia.

https://twitter.com/qikipedia

You mentioned toothpaste GQ and saw the following which they posted earlier today...

"Tooth-soape was a precurser to modern toothpase, made from burnt mouse-heads mixed with lavender. Lavender in toothpaste? Yuk!"