'supporting each other through really tough times'

savingqueen

Howdyho toughies,

Sitting here with a glass of wine from my tiny wine rations. I buy 3 mini bottles for a fiver from sainsbobs and as I don't shop there often, I don't restock often so the wine lasts for weeks generally. Done wonders for the grocery budget.

Been one of those days - you know those days when there is a big cat poo in the front garden (freshly laid and smelly!) and a little person from school nursery throws a jug of water (complete with muck and sand dregs) all over you. One of those days when all your cooking plans go belly up and your child s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-s your patience til it pings back at you. And all sorts of other things that life chucks at you that aren't important but annoy you anyway.... hence the glass of wine

We had our second meat free dinner in a row and plan more of them. One way to keep the budget in check and all sorts of other benefits like better for health, the environment etc. DH and I are both ex-veggies - all before we met but I couldn't cook a thing then

I want to have another look at our finances and see where we can save a little more. Eg. there are a few "packaged" or branded foods we buy - just a few but I know I can make my own versions and save the pennies. Its just the time factor. I am going to pick one thing at a time to work on.

sq:)

Pooky

Paella rice is cheaper than arborio rice in most places and you get the same results.

I use half a bag of the mixed frozen value veg, fresh chicken stock, large onion and the pickings off the carcass, bit of cheese grated in at the end....delish. Cheap, filling and ruddy yummy.

savingqueen

bluebag wrote: »

There are a lot of us on here that are how shall I put it ... senior members of the school of life.

I sure don't know everything, but having got through most of the course- work in the school of life (failed quite a few modules sadly ) I know a few things. There are always ways to do things, ways around things, ways to avoid things and ways to fix things once made a hash of.

There are always ways, women since the dawn of time have pushed up their sleeves and got down to it, we have it in our genetic make-up. Yes sometimes it is very hard and our hearts ache and our knees bend, but the love for our families and our willingness to share with each other and help each other will always see us through.

Love your post bluebag, the last part is just how we are on here. I try and remember when I worry that we will be ok one way or the other. Personally I am good at finding solutions to problems - it might mean lots of research and asking others but that's ok. Whatever problem there is always a book to help - I have gotten through adulthood with books to help me. Nowdays we have the wobblyweb and we have each other on here. I am very fortunate to have a partner and friends in RL and in our lovely OS world. We toughies are made of strong stuff and we will not be beat! You know that saying... when there's a will, there's a way...

love and strength to you all
sq:)

ginnyknit

I too have a had a few wobbles this week about coping with money or rather without it. I really cannot see how to save any more but I will damn well try. My main plan is too avoid shopping as much as possible as its too depressing and I have lists on the fridge to add things to as we run out and then decide priorities.

Wish OH liked paella and risotto but its one of his few dislikes. I saw an ad for oxo's today, they stir fried veg and meat then crumbled in an oxo. Looked good but the cheapo stock cubes I use wont crumble We all enjoy a sauce made with ginger, honey and soy though and that makes a cheap and simple meal. Tonight was cowboy stew, a childhood favourite of DD's. I sliced 3 cooked sausages and a piece of smoked sausage that I got cheap, mixed with a tin of beans, mixed veg and boiled potatoes. I throw in a little gravy mix to thicken and Bobs your auntie. Always goes down well and there was enough to freeze - minus the spuds as I hate them when they have been frozen - for another meal for them both.

bluebag

ginny,
We don't like paella or risotto either.

I understand your wobbles, my OH and I were just talking about times past when we were waiting for payday with just enough eggs and potatoes for chips and not sure if the gas would last to cook it with, it did but the electric went at 9:30 so we had to go to bed then.

I wouldn't like a return to those hard times, I sincerely hope with all my heart no one has to go through them, but we managed and we all stuck together and those hard times built a really strong bond that has seen us through all kinds of other hardships.

You are doing what you can, as well as you can. It's truly admirable and you are not giving up. You are much stronger than you know.

monnagran

Fuddle: The new job looks hopeful, hope it's good news for you.

Of course you are finding it hard to cope. This is your first experience of steering a family through a recession. Next time it happens, (oh, yes it will) you will shrug your shoulders, utter a few profanities and get on with it. You will also be using your experience to help someone else who is going through it for the first time. And don't worry about your children, they are so cocooned in your love and security that they won't even realise that times are hard. In a few years they wll be telling people about their happy childhood. Trust me, I'm old and battle scarred and have seen it all.

VJsmum: It's much easier to do the fasting thing when the sun shines and it is warm, isn't it. We rely heavily on soup. In fact today I looked in my food bin to see if there was anything I could cook and liquidise and was disappointed to find nothing but dead tulips. No, on reflection it's probably not a good idea. Fortunately found half a packet of cuppasoups.

Had visitors for a meal tonight and treated them to chicken in creamy sauce with veg, followed by sticky toffee pudding and ice cream. Yippee! there are leftovers, enough for a couple of days if I'm mean.

Tomorrow I begin the infamous Christening cake. The Rev made hers today and managed to drop it when turning it out of the tin. A little judicious patching up tomorrow methinks. We're not competitive of course. Much.

x

ginnyknit

Bluebag, I too remember the bad old days when Oh had a short period of being unemployed and his giro was due on a Saturday - if it didnt come, as was oft the case we had terrible weekends. I seem to have spent my life juggling and its getting really boring now

A dear long time friend said to me the other week ' Do you remember when you had no money -anywhere' and I said 'yes vividly, and you turned up on the doorstep with a huge bag of shopping' She has been my friend since we were 7 and has done reasonably well for herself as far as money goes however the family life seems to be cursed. Her house looks like something out of a magazine all bought at CS's and car boots but look behind the net curtains and she struggles with a schizoprenic daughter who absolutely ruins the families lives. However we get together when we can and support each other through the years. Many times she has turned up at my shops for a mooch and a shoulder to cry on then taken my troubles away with her in her pocket so I can work on. Last time I saw her was on the local market and she looked positively anorexic, hassled to death but when I finished shopping her and her hubs were waiting to give me a lift home in the pouring rain - a true friend who goes out of her way.

mardatha

Oh don't. I can remember the times where I had only a few tatties and a couple of eggs. We ate chips & egg often. And days when I had nothing in at all and we had to live on soup and rice pudding. And when you waited for fri nights wages and ran round to the shop to get stuff because we were all starving. And the many many times he was on strike and they wouldn't give us any money and told us to ask the union for strike pay. Sods. And the time he and his pal went down south on the bikes to look for work. Manchester traumatised them and they came home in a week, skint & starving & so down.

nuttyp

Morning, yellow ball is peeping into the garden. Still baltic, but at least we are lucky and have no snow.

We too remeber the last recessession, with not so nice memories. OH lost his job, the mortgage fell into arrears and then we had the reossession of the house. I remember not recieving the benefit money, and my mum dropping abox of veg off, nappies and formula milk.We often found the 'giro' had been delayed by the post office.

We now just manage month by month, we usually have enough to last. Some months seem to be tighter than others but as a whole we get there. Just need to sort out the grocery bill, maybe start to tweek things to save some more money. These prise rises are only a few pence, but times that by 20 iems and then thats probably over a pound.

Well must get dressed, work today...

[Deleted User]

Morning Toughies, we have sunshine and some of my poor floppy daffs in the garden have taken a deep breath and are now not flat but leaning at a drunken angle over the lawns, bless!!!!!

FUDDLE and everyone else who is feeling scared and dispairing, please don't get too low over current times and thier associated problems, yes it is hard now and will likely get harder for all of us before it gets better but, when you look back far enough to great grandmas day and beyond there was no safety net at all in life no NHS, nothing but the workhouse if you hit rock bottom or starvation and vagrancy. We all have so much more these days, it is easy to only look at what you don't have, much harder to look at what you do have, no matter how little, and feel positive. Where we are so much luckier is having this medium of shared experience at our fingertips, and I'm certain that if all I had left in the fridge was a bacon rind, a bendy carrot and some sprouting potatoes one of us would be able to come up with a recipe for a meal for 4 from it. It has been a long hard winter, following that dismal summer last year, we are at hungry gap time so it's no wonder spirits are low from that alone never mind all the rest of life. We will carry each other through the grim,dark times. We have a wealth of experience and knowledge between us and the more difficult life becomes the more resourceful and innovative we will all become. It won't be easy but between us we will carry each other through it, easing each others burdens, soothing each others cares, sharing in each others victories and triumphs. We have something here that cannot be purchased, we ALL care about each other and we are all stronger and more robust because of it. Collective straightening of shoulders and lifting of chins against adversity is needed, go on, YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!

Have a really god day everyone, and I hope all of you are getting some of this beautiful sunshine, it makes you feel better, Love and Hugs Lyn xxx.