Cooking for one (Mark Three)

PasturesNew

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

An article for us from today's papers:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6427283/My-2-049-penalty-swindled-single.html

The more of this sort of article there is the better - it helps to raise awareness. We've now got a name for it too "single tax".

I learnt a new fact there - I knew I paid 200% of the amount a coupled-up person would on insurance. I hadn't realised it could actually be even more than that - ie a deliberate single person penalty (on top of having to pay the whole bill).

Saw that. Stuff we've known for 30+ years!

The name she coined towards the end was "Swindled Singles"

Nobody will care... nobody actually cares/bothers about "single people"... they think all singles lead the life of Riley in gloriously bright and modern homes full of expensive trinkets, before dashing off on a whim around the world to have dinner with exotic friends.

We're the pretty young dancers and prancers, the "London look" wearing all the latest clothes, 24/7. We're fabulous, exciting ... and to be kept away from everybody else's husbands/children/lives.

Or, we're the "bitter old maids"..... with many a joke about cats.

*sighs* you can't win. Whichever label they pin on us .... nobody cares.

I've always been super annoyed at couples discounts, National Trust, even the Ramblers. The Ramblers can't even "justify" additional costs such as a hotel room might!

In the main, if you are single and live alone, your entire income pays for your roof over your head and just "getting by".... any 2nd person's income into the home is practically "80% free money for things and fun".

She didn't even MENTION TV Licenses! 1 person or 10 in your house it's a fixed fee. No discounts for only having one telly.

The list can be endless....

No "helping hand" or lifts either. e.g. single goes to collect an item from Argos and they have to formally park, pay, go in.... couples, one drives round the block while the other dashes in.... all extra costs/time/effort.

flubberyzing

I find that's it's just best not to start thinking about the down-sides of the single life. Yes, there are plenty. But there are plenty of up-sides as well. For me, the biggest is that all my time, and money, is solely to care for myself. I don't have to buy in foods I don't like, I don't have to not buy something for myself, because little Johnny needs new PE shoes, I don't have to go and sit in a cold carpark, while little Suzie is at ballet.
You get the idea. That's the side I prefer to think about.

For me today, lunch will be a sandwich and some fruit. I've just had coffee and biscuits for early elevenses. For dinner tonight, I've got a left-over portion of bolognaise from Saturday. I actually find that the left-overs are better than the first go-round. I guess the flavours have had a good long time to marinade together. They'll just need a good blast in the microwave, and that's an easy tea sorted.

caronc

Good morning everyone,

I'm happy being single despite the downsides, I do miss having the kids at home but equally glad they are old enough to making their own way in life:)
Bitterly cold here and temperature still hasn't got above freezing:eek:, still I have just sorted out a log delivery and fingers crossed the stove goes in ok next week and then I should be super toasty. The heating is off just now so I can get the place aired so it's pretty cold but I do like the windows open for a bit on dry days.

I'm off out for lunch today to celebrate a friend's 60th birthday. We are going to local country house hotel and the food is usually pretty decent so looking forward to it. My new Seasalt dress is getting worn for the first time and I might even put some lippy on:cool:.
I'm not planning anything for dinner, I'll have some toast or crumpets if I'm hungry later.

moneyistooshorttomention

Oh yes...there's plus sides to being single alright. Maybe it's because I'm a former activist - so I think "Pointing things out - leads to campaigning - sometimes leads to success". Whereas saying nowt and the status quo remains in place for sure.

[Deleted User]

Pasture..... You made me go look at the Naan mix I have had in drawer (2015) which I left, still got another one, but I have mixed it, using handle of wooden spoon and then hands to squeeze into ball, it is sitting there now until I feel like going back into kitchen to make into small balls and putting under grill. I have room in freezer for a change so will have one with soup for lunch and if its OK will freeze the rest. Here hoping.

Farway

'morning all, bright & cold here today
Only work scheduled is change the bedding, food planned for today is either LO or no prep involved

Porridge for breakfast as usual
Lunch, fried egg sandwich planned
Dinner the LO stew & dumplings

I may web browse around Iceland just looking for my new freezer top up, never really looked at what they stock when I go in, frozen chips & peas is more or less my knowledge of their frozen goods, but I'm sure there's plenty I may like whilst ignoring the bangers & burgers

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

I'm guessing that's what it was.

So duly swopped both hallway light bulbs and the bulb in my study - as they'd all "gone" during this.

Went to swop one elsewhere in the house I hadnt got round to swopping and - whoops! I've got to get in an electrician, as the pendant thing broke whilst I was trying to get the bulb in. That'll be fun finding one for a little job in the first place:cool: - as the two lights in that room have different pendant fittings to the rest of my house (after being swopped early on by an emergency electrician)

Annoyed - as that'll be money destined to be spent on myself that will be going on the house again...grr...

...

How annoying Money, like a lot of things, small quick job but not if you don't know or can't DIY

candygirl

PasturesNew wrote: »

Saw that. Stuff we've known for 30+ years!

The name she coined towards the end was "Swindled Singles"

Nobody will care... nobody actually cares/bothers about "single people"... they think all singles lead the life of Riley in gloriously bright and modern homes full of expensive trinkets, before dashing off on a whim around the world to have dinner with exotic friends.

We're the pretty young dancers and prancers, the "London look" wearing all the latest clothes, 24/7. We're fabulous, exciting ... and to be kept away from everybody else's husbands/children/lives.

Or, we're the "bitter old maids"..... with many a joke about cats.

*sighs* you can't win. Whichever label they pin on us .... nobody cares.

I've always been super annoyed at couples discounts, National Trust, even the Ramblers. The Ramblers can't even "justify" additional costs such as a hotel room might!

In the main, if you are single and live alone, your entire income pays for your roof over your head and just "getting by".... any 2nd person's income into the home is practically "80% free money for things and fun".

She didn't even MENTION TV Licenses! 1 person or 10 in your house it's a fixed fee. No discounts for only having one telly.

The list can be endless....

No "helping hand" or lifts either. e.g. single goes to collect an item from Argos and they have to formally park, pay, go in.... couples, one drives round the block while the other dashes in.... all extra costs/time/effort.

Having said all of that, I still much prefer being single.:D
I've got my Ex coming to do my garden tomoz, n am already a bit jittery about it .I can't stand anyone in my personal space at the mo

humptydumptybits

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

More reason than one then that one of the definitions of reaching adulthood imo is imitating that famous star (wasnt it Marilyn Monroe??) that went to bed in just "Chanel No. 5 and a smile"?

- albeit minus the Chanel No. 5 these days (having read about how it's produced)...

Definitely one of the advantages of adulthood - being in charge of the home temperature...and I can remember (as a child) promising myself "When I grow up I'm going to have a warm home and eat fruit whenever I want to"...

I think that article is very slanted. I think the biggest charge there is for holidays and that is because singles get a room to themselves. If I want a separate room to my husband (bliss no snoring) then I'd had to pay the same as a single person. I don't see why a business would be expected to subsidise single people. Why would they?


Car insurance, well you can get a discount if you have a named driver, so my son has me on there and it reduced his insurance so that is easy to get round.


Council tax pays for alot more than emptying bins, how about the elderly single, childless people who need more support from social services?


I've spent a fortune bringing up 4 children who are all tax payers paying your pension so maybe you don't come out of it badly.

PasturesNew

caronc wrote: »

The heating is off just now so I can get the place aired so it's pretty cold but I do like the windows open for a bit on dry days.

I only have the heating on when it's absolutely essential... roughly 2 hours/day to a temperature of about 16C, so I have to be mindful of bearing it until I can't bear it any longer

As heating's usually an evening thing, by morning it's quite cold anyway, so I try to throw open all the windows and doors, patio doors and give the house a thorough airing through for as long as possible, to expel stale air and onion-cooking-whiffs on days after I've cooked a LOT of onions in the SC

On a super cold day .... that airing might only last 10 minutes or so.... but, when it's like it is now (temperature gauge says 60C) it can be 2-3 hours.

Having aired the room though, I do then immediately have to bury myself under a pile of fleeces for the rest of the day as it's bl00dy nippy.

PasturesNew

Early lunch today.... chilli portion dilemmas though. I boxed up 480 grams ... so that's too piggy for one portion, but "a bit light" for two really.

Divided it into two in any case and had basmati, chilli, grated cheese for lunch. One portion in the fridge for tomorrow.

Two hot sausage rolls are for tea-time.