It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

Floss

ZsaZsa said:

freyasmum said:

Around 25 years ago, my local council ran classes that were aimed at young, single mothers to show them how to cook, budget and look after their children. 

The only people who actually turned up were my mum (a trained chef), my uncle (retired and a keen cook), his wife (hadn't worked outside the home and never liked to cook!), my aunt (former school cook), the owner of the local Chinese restaurant (elderly) and various other older people from the village. 

Years later, my daughters nursery also ran a little class for a few hours for maybe 6 or so weeks? Yet again, barely anyone turned up.

The council can run these things, but it takes people actually turning up.

Maybe the classes were empty because the “young single mothers” didn’t actually need lessons on how to look after their children? 

Or maybe they were at work.

Floss

ladyholly said:

My mother made most of my dresses when I was a child and they tended to have deep hems so they could be let down. The mark that was left was then disguised with rick rack braid. 

Snap! I have a deep loathing for ric-rac braid now 🤣

skogar

Broomstick - I agree very much with your sentiments but I think you are planning to be much too kind to the member for Ashfield!

It's certainly possible to cook a meal for 30p a portion (although I remain to be convinced of a balanced diet) if you have a cupboard full of food and are pricing each bit of flour etc. as the price of that portion of the bag but many people don't have that luxury. I remember reading Goode for 1 by Shirley Goode where she bought her food on a budget but brilliantly started with nothing at all in the cupboard unlike many of the budget cookbooks around. You saw how inventive you had to be and the initial weeks were very limited in what could be bought. Great book.

So what I am proposing is the following.

Assuming 3 meals a day at 30p each, I propose that the member for Ashfield should be given the princely sum of £5.40 for the weeks shopping (and for any fuel used to cook it). Starting with a bare store cupboard, no extras allowed not even a pinch of mixed herbs, no eating out, no visits to friends, no eating in the canteen at work, no pooling resources. We'll assume he has a fridge but no freezer. All cooking and shopping must be done by himself at a single supermarket.

I think the minimum top up for some prepayment meters is £1 (for some types it is £5) which if he decided to top up would leave him a princely sum of £4.40p for the week if he chooses to top it up. Of course I have no idea how long £1 of electric or gas lasts in cooking terms. He might have a bit left for next week or maybe he will run out and have to eat the stuff raw, or raid the remaining food budget. Who knows. Perhaps he will have to pay £5 to top if up so decide that he can only have cold food. When he has worked to this budget for a solid 6 months and shown that he has managed a nutritionally balanced diet then he can come and share his wisdom on this thread. ;-) I'm sure we'll find it really useful.

Skintoap

Skogar, £1 wouldn’t cover a week’s standing charge for a single fuel on the current standard variable rates, yet alone any gas or electricity. 

GaleSF63

CatieE said:

I just thought I would share this as it may help someone. An elderly neighbour made comment about how our daughter had grown in the last year. She then explained to me that during the war years many of her dresses were lengthened by simply adding a piece of fabric to the bottom of the dress. It sounds so obvious I guess - but had never dawned on me to do this. However, times have changed and I 'gave it a go'. I'm so glad I did as the dresses have turned out well and now a few of my friends are doing the same

I did that when the fashion for minis ended and I had one or 2 particular favourites. As I made most of my clothes I may have had left over matching fabric but if I didn't I would buy a bit of toning fabric, and add a piece at the bottom, plus a bit of adjustment on the sleeves where practical, like adding cuffs,  so the addition at the bottom didn't look too alien. 

Floss

Skintoap said:

Skogar, £1 wouldn’t cover a week’s standing charge for a single fuel on the current standard variable rates, yet alone any gas or electricity. 

Which demonstrates how out of touch with reality MPs are, as that 30p a meal (albeit the quoted meals are bulk made and are for 50 portions) cannot possibly take account of the fuel costs.

Spendless

ragz_2 said:

euronorris said:

I wonder if childcare is what held back some people from attending? If you're a single mum, already struggling to meet your bills, then you're not likely to spend out on a babysitter (even if it would help you in the long run). And they may not have a support network to call on.

Might be other reasons too, just one that sprang to mind.

When I worked at a Children's Centre (before I was made redundant and they closed loads of them down) we ran cooking and healthy eating courses with a free creche (also some sessions involved the little ones in the cooking). Always fully booked, often with 'struggling' families who I assume were signposted by their keyworkers, but it was advertised to everyone who visited the centre. They covered things like meal planning as well. It was really well reviewed by those who attended. 

Not sure how many are still open and running these, but they were very good. 

That's exactly where I did a lot of courses, not just cookery but mini psychology, parenting (my eldest was a handful and a half when young) level 2 Maths (I never gained an O level/GCSE qualification). I still know and have friends from those days and as the courses gained in popularity they fetched more people to the door. Not everyone though, some people were never keen on attending (even if I'd enthused and thought they'd benefit as it 'wasn't them') , some of the others kids didn't settle in the free creche  I wasn't always keen on some of the courses that later went on to run - though I tried them out. Not sure if it still runs today tbh. 

Rosa_Damascena

Suella Braverman's performance on QT on Thursday made me sick. This is a genuine crisis, and here are further real world examples of how vulnerable are suffering: https://apple.news/AHtcFPCNwR_-AMynjX9-eKA

I maintain pastry is unhealthy, its should be reserved as an occasional food rather than the basis of a meal.

mandy47

Our local council ran a number of kids activities last summer at a local country park. Free, picnic lunch included. Every event was ticketed and fully booked. Loads of mums were calling for places and were told sorry, fully booked. 
Each event went ahead with as few as 3 kids attending instead of the 20-25 booked. 
DD worked these events there was so much wasted food that she bought some home. We were eating small apples, satsumas, triangle sandwiches, crisps and juice boxes all summer.
So many people wanted to attend then didn't bother.
They didn't cancel so that someone else to bring their kids. 

poppy811

I am struggling to understand what is going on.  I went out briefly to the supermarket and noticed that every pub and restaurant was rammed.  Likewise overflowing trollies in the shop.  There seems to be a huge imbalance on what people can afford.  The Victorians had a phrase about the deserving/ undeserving poor, not much seems to have changed.