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

Rosa_Damascena

linz said:

cinnamon123 said:

The most destitute, like the homeless, also do not fare well in a cashless society. 

Agreed. There's a lovely man I pass almost every day outside the train station on my way to work and I feel sorry that a lot of people (including me) probably don't carry cash anymore. I buy him a brew or make him some sausage sandwiches sometimes and i've seen others get him food. He's a lovely chatty man, I hope he gets himself sorted.

I don't carry cash either but if I see a homeless person seeking charity outside a supermarket I tell them I don't have anything on me, but make a point of asking if they would like anything to eat / toothpaste etc. 9/10 times the answer is no.

Wednesday2000

Rosa_Damascena said:

Wednesday2000 said:

I have never found any yellow stickered food in a Coop! I must live near stores that don't do that. I usually go in there around 6 in the evening too.

Have you tried their magic bags? There is one available this evening. I suppose the risk is it won't all be vegan though: 

No and that is the reason why. I wouldn't know what to do with non-vegan food as I don't know anyone around here yet.

It was the same with the Coops near where I used to live. I've never found anything YS there either.

I haven't been into the Broadway Coop yet, though.

YoungBlueEyes

Rosa_Damascena said:

I don't carry cash either but if I see a homeless person seeking charity outside a supermarket I tell them I don't have anything on me, but make a point of asking if they would like anything to eat / toothpaste etc. 9/10 times the answer is no.

The answer is no because some of these people now are professional beggars, and do very well out of it.

I remember watching a prog a wee while ago about exactly this - some beggars were making a very good living doing it. It was mainly in London and other major cities tho IIRC.

Just to emphasise - some people, not all, and not everywhere.

Rosa_Damascena

Wednesday2000 said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

Wednesday2000 said:

I have never found any yellow stickered food in a Coop! I must live near stores that don't do that. I usually go in there around 6 in the evening too.

Have you tried their magic bags? There is one available this evening. I suppose the risk is it won't all be vegan though: 

No and that is the reason why. I wouldn't know what to do with non-vegan food as I don't know anyone around here yet.

It was the same with the Coops near where I used to live. I've never found anything YS there either.

I haven't been into the Broadway Coop yet, though.

That's the risk with being a veggie too. I usually get rid of anything "meat" on Olio if my dad doesn't want it - gets snapped up in a matter of minutes so at least someone benefits. 

When I lived in London my local would do some super reductions at around 8pm. 

tryingtodobetter

Wednesday2000 said:

I have never found any yellow stickered food in a Coop! I must live near stores that don't do that. I usually go in there around 6 in the evening too.

Our local CO-OP doesn't do its final reductions until 8pm ish so 6pm maybe a little early. It's also quite hit and miss, some days there is loads and some days there are just a few bits.

YorksLass

Pollycat said:

We are considering buying an airfryer.......I'm not yet convinced that it's for us........I'm not sure I want something that makes 'amazing chips' and 'delicious fried chicken'.

Cutting down on food is not something we would do.
I spend a lot of time in the kitchen and a lot of time checking out recipes and meal planning.
It's something I enjoy.
We eat at the table every lunchtime & every evening and the table is always set nicely for dinner.
I appreciate that not everyone has that 'luxury' but to simply cut down on food would negatively change our lives.

I have a small air fryer but have to admit to not liking chips done in it - I'm an old fashioned stalwart of "traditional" chips cooked in the chip pan in beef dripping.  On the plus side, I do find it very useful for pies, pasties, jacket potatoes (microwaved first and finished in the air fryer), scampi etc when I don't have (or want) the oven on.

Like you, we eat at the table - never got the hang of balancing a plate on my knee!  

I wouldn't say we've cut down on food, it's more we've altered the way we eat.  As an example, we probably eat less meat than before and have smaller portions of it but make up the difference with more veg or plate fillers such as Yorkshire puddings, stuffing, dumplings etc.  We have stir fries, pasta meals, various types of fish and salads more often than we used to do.  Home made soup features regularly at lunchtimes and, as I enjoy baking, it's very rarely that I buy shop bought cakes etc.  All in all, we probably have more variety and a more balanced diet than before.  Being retired, I have the luxury of time to shop around for the best value for money, enjoy being in the kitchen and am fit enough to do that, but do appreciate that's not the case for everyone.  And a lifetime of stretching out the budget goes a long way too!  

JIL

A town near us has a number of homeless people and they are usually outside a big supermarket. Parking is £1.50 but if you spend £5 in the shop you get your parking fee refunded. I always pop in to get some essentials.

My husband waits outside for me. I was in the shop for about 15 mins. He saw the homeless people get handed many £5 notes in such a short space of time, as well as a few sandwiches and teas from greggs next door. 

On the subject of airfryers, I bought one a few months ago and it has cut down my oven usage to once or twice per week.  I like the fact it starts cooking immediately, so a jacket potato for example, microwaved for 5 mins and crisped up in the airfryer.  I do use it for all sorts of things. 

Horses for courses. 🙂

YoungBlueEyes

Same here @Pollycat @YorksLass. We haven't cut down what we eat but eat a little less of certain things sometimes. Himself used to be a chef so he (and now me too :rolleyes: ) like meat from the butchers, fish from the fishman etc when possible.  Often I'll do a veggie something rather than buy cheap meat, we prefer good but less of it, itms? I did the slow cooker chickpea curry that someone described on here - v good it was, and yesterday I did the gammon+coke slow cooker thing, that I also read about on here and it'll do us 2 more days as a hot meal then poss a day of sandwiches

No air fryer here. I have an oven, a microwave, a slow cooker, and a 3 tier steamer.  Oh and my mother's pressure cooker. 

If switch the oven I put plenty in and then freeze any extras I've cooked. When I make a stew/soup/curry I make a good whack of it then portion it up for the freezer.

So there's cutting back, then there's cutting back. I think we eat well for not much money, but then we don't have kids or allergies to account for.  I do have time to research and shop and cook properly, and I'm an avid reader of this forum which has been so helpful to me in so many ways over the years. I am deeply grateful.  

CKhalvashi

YoungBlueEyes said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

I don't carry cash either but if I see a homeless person seeking charity outside a supermarket I tell them I don't have anything on me, but make a point of asking if they would like anything to eat / toothpaste etc. 9/10 times the answer is no.

The answer is no because some of these people now are professional beggars, and do very well out of it.

I remember watching a prog a wee while ago about exactly this - some beggars were making a very good living doing it. It was mainly in London and other major cities tho IIRC.

Just to emphasise - some people, not all, and not everywhere.

The worst one I think I've seen was at CDG Airport last year.

Quite respectable woman asked if I had a few Euro on me, answer was no, but I did have some doughnuts (security tagged from the day before) that had to be eaten before security. The response when offered them was 'oh, so sorry, I can't'.

I was at a restaurant the other night (not as a customer) and the chef kept asking for cigarettes. I went back in this morning to take OH a sandwich (its run by a member of her family) and was surprised to see a box of Marlboro Red behind the bar that he left for me yesterday, so some beggars are nice

Toonie

Pollycat said:

We are considering buying an airfryer.
We never buy anything without first deciding if it will actually benefit us and which brand/model is best for our needs.
I'm not yet convinced that it's for us.
I do a lot of batch cooking and reheating in the microwave and also use my slow cookers a lot in winter.
I'm happy with how we do our home made wedges (tossed in olive oil and herbs/spices) and cooked in the oven.
We usually have something else in the oven at the same itme.
So I'm not sure I want something that makes 'amazing chips' and 'delicious fried chicken'.

Whilst I do enjoy the fried chicken I can make in the air fryer it's certainly not the be all and end all. I was chatting to a friend yesterday about air fryers as she was contemplating buying one and I told her it really comes down to what types of cooking you find yourself doing. I suggested she think of it as a mini oven rather than a "fryer". As she mostly uses the hob, steamer, and grill, it probably isn't worth her while. Whereas we use the air fryer probably 6 out of 7 days. I use it for roasting vegetables, cooking whole chickens, meatballs and burgers, making bruschetta, jacket spuds, wedges, breaded chicken, fish and pork, etc. It's also handy for making simple and quick lunches for myself as it's minimal fuss and heats up very fast, (plus not having to bend or reach is easier on my dodgy arm and knees).

I'm lucky in my local market as there is a great fruit and veg stall with very tasty produce. The guys who run it are lovely and throw in extras for regulars. I got some wonderful large red apples and a bunch of bananas for a couple of pounds on Friday. The apples have been stewed with raisins in the slow cooker and are being used for breakfast. The bananas will see me through to Thursday as an afternoon snack.