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Make Me Rich 5: The damn sheep keeps getting in the way of the camera

Former_MSE_Andrea
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Comments
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Okay, this is a complete guess. Please feel free to delete it if either my suggestion is factually wrong, or it is too close to Martin's solution in the programme.
Could she set herself up as an animal welfare charity?
One would think this would potentially increase her income (new opportunities for government/lottery funding and donations) and reduce outgoings (do charities pay VAT? Even if they do, it would give her a stronger negotiating position with suppliers).
Then could she sell her home to her charity? Thus both wiping out mortgage payments and, hopefully, giving her a lump sum.
I don't know the details, but does this seem feasible to anyone?0 -
Funnily enough that was a suggestion i thought of for the programme but then discounted, whilst in could help (and charity law isn't my thing) the crucial problem was 'she spends too much' whether this is as a charity or not is irrelevant - simply needs to spend less.Martin Lewis, Money Saving Expert.
Please note, answers don't constitute financial advice, it is based on generalised journalistic research. Always ensure any decision is made with regards to your own individual circumstance.Don't miss out on urgent MoneySaving, get my weekly e-mail at www.moneysavingexpert.com/tips.Debt-Free Wannabee Official Nerd Club: (Honorary) Members number 0000 -
You could quietly slip a note to some of those radical animal rights nutters that she is taking part in medical research experiments, and they'll march along and hopefully 'rescue' the animals (i.e. set them free/steal them/take them away).
That's what they've done to a little farm here in Yorkshire :mad: Apparently it's ok to use violence to hinder research but that's another story and I won't rant on because you probably don't have much time on your handsThat, is an excellent question...0 -
MSE_Martin wrote:The crucial problem was 'she spends too much' whether this is as a charity or not is irrelevant - simply needs to spend less.
...Cue Alvin Hall cutting up his cakes to illustrate this!0 -
Could she charge to see the animals?
Links with local schools etc?"This site is addictive!"
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Preemie hats - 2.0 -
I have just come back from holiday, but one of the places we visited was Newquay Zoo. I know other Zoos adopt the same idea, but could she not start a sort of 'adopt a animal' system? She gets to keep and care for the animals but has some sort of income coming in for their upkeep. I dont know how the ins and outs work as i never went into it, but it seems a good idea to me.This is a system account and does not represent a real person. To contact the Forum Team email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com0
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I guess she needs to explain the financial situation to the animals and they all have to look at saving money.
From now on it’s bulk bought non-branded feed, rather than whiskers, for example. No new toys until the old ones are completely chewed to pieces, coats and blankets from the charity shop, etc.0 -
Daedulus wrote:I guess she needs to explain the financial situation to the animals and they all have to look at saving money.
From now on it’s bulk bought non-branded feed, rather than whiskers, for example. No new toys until the old ones are completely chewed to pieces, coats and blankets from the charity shop, etc.
Sorry folks butThis is a system account and does not represent a real person. To contact the Forum Team email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com0 -
MSE_Martin wrote:Funnily enough that was a suggestion i thought of for the programme but then discounted, whilst in could help (and charity law isn't my thing) the crucial problem was 'she spends too much' whether this is as a charity or not is irrelevant - simply needs to spend less.
OK, here's my guess: you suggested that she eats the animals one by one until she reaches an equilibrium between what she can afford versus her lower costs owing to having fewer animals. Along the way she gets to save some money.
A propos, here's a tasty recipe we can all try:-
CAT AU VIN
Ingredients
Tibbles, skinned and hacked into 6 or 8 pieces, viscera and carcass saved
an onion, a carrot and a few peppercorns for the stock
150g pancetta or unsmoked bacon in the piece
30g butter
2 medium onions
a large carrot
2 ribs of celery
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbsps flour
2 tbsps cognac
a bottle of red wine
4 or 5 small sprigs of thyme
3 bay leaves
40g butter
12 small onions, peeled
200g small mushrooms
boiled or steamed potatoes, to serve
Put Tibbles, its guts and any bits and bobs of bone, flesh and feline slurry into a deep pan, cover with water, add an onion and a carrot, half a dozen whole peppercorns and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and let it simmer until you need it.
Cut the pancetta into short strips; they need to be thicker than a match but not quite as thick as your little finger. Put them, together with the butter, into a thick-bottomed casserole - one of enamelled cast iron would be perfect - and let them cook over a moderate heat. Stir the pancetta from time to time - it mustn't burn - then, when it is golden, lift it out into a bowl, leaving behind the fat in the pan.
Season the cat with salt and pepper and place the chunks in the hot fat in the casserole, so that they fit snugly yet have room to colour. Turn them when the underside is pale gold. The skin should be honey coloured rather than brown - it is this colouring of the skin, rather than what wine or herbs you might add later, that is crucial to the flavour of the dish. Lift Tibbles out and into the bowl with the pancetta. By now you should have a thin film of feline goo starting to stick to the pan. This is where much of your flavour will come from.
While the dead cat is colouring in the pan, peel and roughly chop the onions and carrot, and wash and chop the celery. With Tibbles out, add the onions and carrot to the pan and cook slowly, stirring from time to time, until the onion is translucent and it has gone some way to dissolving some of the pan stickings. Add the garlic, peeled and thinly sliced, as you go. Return the cat and pancetta to the pan, stir in the flour and let everything cook for a minute or two before pouring in the cognac, wine and tucking in the herbs. Spoon in ladles of the simmering stock until the entire cat's dismembered corpse is covered. Bring to the boil, then, just as it gets there, turn the heat down so that the sauce bubbles gently. Cover partially with a lid.
Melt the butter in a small pan, add the small peeled onions and then the mushrooms, halving or quartering them if they are too big. Let them cook until they are golden, then add them to the cat with a seasoning of salt and pepper.
Check the cat after 40 minutes to see how tender it is. It should be soft but not falling from its bones. It will probably take about an hour, depending on the type of cat you are using. Lift the cat out and into a bowl. Pick out stray hairs (yours and the cat's).
Turn the heat up under the sauce and let it bubble enthusiastically until it has reduced a little. As it bubbles down it will become thicker - though not thick - and will become quite glossy.
Return the cat to the pan and serve it to one of the dogs. Or eat it yourself with potatoes.
Then there's my special Roadkill Bourguignon, but that's probably enough for today.0 -
Anybody got any serious suggestions? Come on folks, giving the animals a good talking to or eating them isnt really an option.This is a system account and does not represent a real person. To contact the Forum Team email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com0
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