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

YorksLass

Floss said:

YorksLass said:

I'm on the look out for some new flannelette sheets; one pair is relatively new but the other two pairs are wearing rather thin after many years of use.  It's some time since I bought any so I dare say I'll be shocked at the price!      

Look in charity shops, as new ones are nowhere near the same quality.

Thanks, I'll try that but I doubt I'll find any; people seem to be hanging on to things for longer nowadays as budgets get squeezed.  I've done a bit of internet browsing for some and, as expected, I was shocked at the prices!  M&S ones confused me - they're "brushed" on only one side - what's that all about?      

Tonight's liver, bacon & onion casserole is currently in the SC to be served with mash and mixed diced swede and carrots.  I cooked the rhubarb yesterday and it's not going to make it as far as a crumble - it's nice as it is.      I used up the last of a jar of honey for sweetening it - it was originally clear honey but had crystallised.  I know you can make it runny again by standing the jar in hot water but I just added a little boiling water and gave it a good stir.

This morning I booked my Sainsburys Xmas delivery slot; they officially open on the 23rd but I have a delivery pass so was able to do it a week earlier.  I've put what I think I'll need in the trolley but know it will be altered (probably several times) before then.

joedenise

Don't think you can get proper flannelette any more, everyone sell brushed cotton now.  It's still much warmer than cotton though.  I think I'm going to have to dig mine out shortly now it's getting colder!  

Siebrie

Approved Food has a Flash Deal going which includes vegan items.

Longwalker

My brushed cotton I got from a QVC Northern Nights TSV about 15 years ago and its better now then when I bought it - finally stoped shedding  

Even on TSV it wasnt cheap, but its lasted well. Not cold enough to put it on so far, but we had a frost last night, temps hovered around Zero, so I think it will be put on soon enough

MrsStepford

Husband is well into the swing of (a) using the Tefal soupmaker to use up bits and bobs of veg and (b) the slow cooker, to cook supper at weekends.

He paid off the last of the mortgage last month, so paid off three years early. The saving pays for the car, including insurance, tyres etc. 

I check the Lidl leaflet every week and husband vacuums up offers on a Thursday evening if he can. 

When husband retires, I expect that he will be making yogurt, cream, porridge, flaxseed bread, soup, stews, casseroles, curries etc.

Re: bedding, have you tried chums.co.uk ? They do electric blankets, cotton candlewick bedspreads, quilted bedspreads, brushed cotton flannelette fitted sheets, Egyptian cotton sheets, fleece throws, flannelette pillowcases and duvet covers and more. 

Asparklierblonde

Heading firmly into winter here. 

We have lots of wood chopped, and the coal bunker is full. Heading back to the title of the thread, are we feeling the pinch? Massively.

Every pound is accounted for and has to be squeezed to do the work of three on occasion. We have a smallholding, rearing pigs, sheep, hens and ducks, and feed costs cripple us. But there is nothing quite like eating your own lamb and pork 😊😊

Back to basics is the name of the game here. I will not compromise on keeping the house warm - 1835 build, 1200 feet up - you let the cold creep in and before you know it damp and mould are rife. Dehumidifier run 24/7 in the kitchen (damp rises through the stone floor), at least one fire burning basically all the time. 

We don’t eat out, travel far, buy new - but we DONT go without. It’s all about priorities. After school tonight we’ll be watching hocus pocus with hot chocolates and HM cake. It sounds twee but we enjoy it and that time cuddled on the sofa with the dogs is my happiest place ever. 

Take care everyone  and remember, you never know who might be struggling, despite outward appearances. Kindness is everything xx

DigSunPap

I have had to really cut back on my food shop. Thats where I feel i have been hit the hardest along with fuel. I switched from Sainsbury's to Aldi at the start of the year and it has made a huge difference each week.

thriftytracey

I have started repairing clothes.  I looked on YouTube and learned how to turn up a pair of denim trousers without having to cut off material, so that saved about £25.  I sewed up a tear in a pillowcase, OK you can see it but saved it from being used as rags.  I sewed up some holes in various leggings and as they are dark colours you cannot see the repairs.  I've got a super king size cotton sheet to repair next.  It cost about £30 originally as it was Egyptian cotton high thread count.  I did try an iron on patch but that came off so going to sew it  It is quite a big tear but I don't want to have to buy another sheet.  I actually find hand sewing quite soothing!  I hated sewing classes at school and never finished anything.

YorksLass

@MrsStepford - Thanks, yes I did try chums.co.uk but they only had flannelette sheet sets (one fitted, one flat and a pair of  pillowcases) in the double size and I wanted a pair of flat ones, preferably without pillowcases as I have more than enough of those!

@joedenise - Yes, I think brushed cotton seems to be the name nowadays rather than flannelette.  Perhaps they think that's more appealing.     

Anyway, I've had a good google around and have ordered a pair of flat ones from Ideal Textiles that have good reviews and are reasonably priced; they should arrive next week.  The two pairs of older ones that I have aren't wearing thin, they're just not as fluffy as they used to be, so not as warm and you really can tell the difference when compared with the newer pair.  And they're not wide enough either.  They were when I bought them as we had a standard depth mattress then but have since replaced that with a deeper one so there's no leeway for tucking in.  I think I'll cut two of them in half and sew the cut halves onto the other two down the sides IYSWIM then they'll definitely be wide enough and we'll still have a spare pair.

We've just had a text from PowerGrid to say they've had a Met Office red alert for bad weather from tonight through tomorrow and Friday courtesy of Storm Babet - I hope we're not in for power cuts.      

With that in mind, I did my small top up shop yesterday so I don't need to go out and I've also cancelled my flu jab appointment for Friday.  It's a long walk to the surgery and back and I don't fancy being out in a storm, so I'll have to re-arrange.  I also picked up four books from The Little Free Library to add to my winter reading pile.

I'm supposed to have a grocery delivery tomorrow too but if it gets cancelled it's not the end of the world, although I am running short of fresh F&V.  Still using up odds and ends and today I've used most of a tub of cottage cheese for a cheat's version of a large curd tart and used the pastry trimmings for small jam and lemon curd tarts and mince pies.  Tonight we're having a frittata to use up some LO baby potatoes and a couple of slices of thin ham, along with some salad bits and a few oven chips.

@thriftytracey - Well done on your repairs.  I too find hand sewing relaxing along with cross stitch and knitting, but I've never mastered crochet.  My late DM taught me to hand sew and knit and her older sister taught me machine sewing.  At school we hand sewed a needle case and an apron that we used for cookery classes and a machine sewn blouse that I actually did wear. 

flipflopflo

I inherited my Nans cotton sheets and as they started getting thin in the middle she would cut them in half, turn them so the outside was the inside and the then sewed them back up with a flat felled seam on her treadle. I have now done the same with a few of the unsewn sheets on my treadle. I have made handkerchiefs with any that are now not worth saving as sheets and I have a basket on the bookcase on the landing full of them so people can help themselves.