General Chat

My partner is useless with money, as are his family. Where I am always aware that there is disaster around every corner, he believes that something will turn up.

Many people seem to think that the something that will turn up is another loan. The woman in question was falling deeper into debt as she was now using a money lender.

I just can't believe how generous our benefits are, especially now I have found out that we are entitled to a rent rebate as well. I paid the rent without claiming it for three years and more, didn't think we were entitled.

Thankfully my new oven has got two shelves, my old one, provided by the landlord, only had one shelf...that was a lot of fun when cooking a Christmas dinner.

Common sense is what I would call it, as well as thrift. The oven's on...cook in it.

I hear of lots of people who don't actually use leftovers now. They roast a chicken, and only use the breast meat and just throw the rest away...yet there's loads of lovely moist meat on the legs and thighs which can all be put in a curry, or a pie. Cook up the bones and make a soup, etc. A chicken will last two of us until Wednesday.

My Gran taught me all I need to know about thrift and cooking. She was a country Rector's wife through the rationing in WW2, and there's nobody knew more about stretching food, making it go furthest, preserving, baking, and so on.

we often cook tomorrows dinner if we are using the oven
or my butler cooks us stews or soups
that last more than one day and very yummy

It's only recently I've had to adopt that kind of mind set Sharron and I do wish I had been better equipped for it. I quite agree it would be a worthwhile life tool for children to learn x

Totally agree with you Sharron. But do you mean thrift instead of the word meaness.
That is rather expensive electricity she is paying for, I think.
If my oven is on, it is stuffed to the gills with other things, such as you have mentioned. I am all for the thrift.

Julia in Derbyshire

IThere was a programme on the television last night about poverty and, watching it, it occurred to me that people really have never been shown how to handle money.

A woman, struggling to feed several children, was saying that she doesn't use her oven as cooking a roast costs £3.50 in electricity.Immediately my tight little mind was thinking what else you could cook for the week while the oven was hot. Plan round it, have a couple of days run up and you could have ready two or three pies,a couple of cakes, some buns for the children's lunch boxes and a pan of mash to make the leftovers into a shepherd's pie.
I doubt she had ever thought that way or even been shown that way of thinking.My saviour was a very good friend who makes me look like I burn money.She showed me the ropes so why is nobody showing them to those living in poverty? Maybe this recession is the wake-up call that we all needed.