Sticking to a budget

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Well we have been using cash for the food shop for a month now and it seems to be working. I am lucky as I live near Aldi/Lidl/Asda/Morrisons so I'm able to shop around and have the time too. We use the card for petrol and non food purchases it certainly makes you more aware of what your spending. We also make up a weeks worth of menus so less waste, I also seem to of got out of this need to buy lots and stock up due to the distance we'd have to travel to shop for food before etc.. It's not been easy but when I look at our Bank balance and there's no £30 here and there out and the fridge and cupboards stuffed I realise what a bad habit I/we got ourselves into.

I'm sure you're right. 🙄

*GSM unpleasantness is in the eye of the beholder and as I have discovered, some people will see evil meaning in what you say even if all you say is 'Good morning, what a lovely day'

Why has this thread taken such an unpleasant, personal and dare I say sanctimonious turn?

Your words are clear MOnica. You continue to make your unpleasant point.

Oh for heavens sake GSM Please stop seeing devious meanings in everything. I have nothing but admiration for Norah, and have no desire to demean her, but all of us have ambivalences in our lives over all sorts of things and we can be completely truthful about everything, while highlighting the aspect of our life that is most relevant to any particular discussion.

No, the "university of life" taught me those skills.
You must have a qualification and talent for profane language to be let loose on a flat pack.

MissAdventure

I did English literature, English language, French and German at my comprehensive, as well as domestic science.

There was nothing whatsoever to do with budgeting, batch cooking, or doing it from scratch in what I learned.

I changed to woodwork lessons once the compulsory domestic science was done.

Did they teach you how to put together flat pack furniture?

I think everyone should have to do a GCSE in that.

growstuff

Callistemon21

I wouldn't; I much preferred Latin lessons to cooking.

So did I! (Not that we were even offered cookery as a subject).

I think I'd still rather do Latin Wordle than go and cook the dinner.
But I'm hungry!

Your latest post is equally unpleasant MOnica. Saying that Norah enjoys playing around with what she did, and that she has been deceptive, is tantamount to saying that she lies. ‘Not in any sense of putting her down’? Not much. You have basically called her a liar and I take exception to that.

I did English literature, English language, French and German at my comprehensive, as well as domestic science.

There was nothing whatsoever to do with budgeting, batch cooking, or doing it from scratch in what I learned.

I changed to woodwork lessons once the compulsory domestic science was done.

PS. GSM I opted to do Latin as a third foreign language, so that I could get out of lacrosse.

Callistemon21

I wouldn't; I much preferred Latin lessons to cooking.

So did I! (Not that we were even offered cookery as a subject).

GSM I think you completely misuderstood what I said. Isaid nothing unpleasant about Norah.

I have always understood that she worked hard in her husband's business, but because she was home based, also said, quite rightly, that she was a SAH mother. and now and again enjoys playing around with what she was at any time, which is sometimes a bit deceptive, but not in any sense of putting her down.

I wouldn't; I much preferred Latin lessons to cooking.

At my grammar school only those considered not bright enough to learn a second foreign language (though everyone had had to get a good pass in the 11+ to get there!) could study ‘domestic science’. So I wasn’t taught to cook at school. What a waste. I would happily have studied ‘DS’ rather than join in some of the endless sports lessons.

Norah

ginnycomelately

Very salutary reading , can’t believe paddy Ann the almost doubling of the grocery bills !! Amazing to see that from your spreadsheet, Need to show politicians, we’ve all experienced this, but to see the evidence is reassuring that we are all experiencing these rises in our costs , We are of the generation that is very thrifty with food , What hope for people who can’t cook? !!!

My young people can and do cook from organic ingredients.

Perhaps some don't know how?

I teach a cooking class to youth at Church. Maybe more classes?

I teach a cooking class to youth at Church. Maybe more classes?

Well done Norah

You wouldn't think, though, that most school pupils have Home Economics lessons at school.

I never did, apart from one year, but have still managed to throw together meals from basic ingredients over the years.

M0nica

I know very well how most people live in this country. At one end some are poor, struggling, juggling with several jobs. At the other end they are very wealthy, have staff, nannies etc etc .

In the middle the majority of households have an adequate , income, and are not desperate to make every penny work for 2, albeit they need to budget carefully - and cooking from scratch is cheaper than ready meals or take-aways, even if all your provisions are obtained from one supplier.

Why spend hours flogging from shop to shop saving 10p hear 15p there, when you can be at home with your children and a delivery from Sainsbury quickly putting a meal together cheaply from scratch?

Families affording 5 lbs of mince? Where is the difference between buying 5lbs of mince one week and buying no more for 5 or 6 weeks and buying 1lb of mince a week? Take a walk round Currys and see the size of fridges and freezers there. Lots of large fridge freezers, so somebody is buying them.

nadaturbe I understand your concern about those in poverty and very small incomes, but so often I notice on GN many people are so concerned for this group they think they comprise the whole population, bar poverty stricken pensioners. Thankfully, they do not, and discussing issues like this one, we need to look at how they fit the majority of the population, not just one small, though too large, group.

Norah I always think your claims of being a stay at home mother are deceptive. The impression I have is that you had a virtually full time job as an adminstrator for your husband's business, which happened to be based at your home.

Just trawling through the thread and found this. I can’t believe what you said about Norah. She has said that her children were very widely spread in age so she was a sahm for more years than most. Fitting in admin for her husband’s business around family duties, which obviously decreased as children grew up and left home, hardly makes her claims ‘deceptive’. You are claiming that she has sought to deceive - that’s very unpleasant,

M0nica

But threads always do wander.

Exactly. 😁

I’m sure some have no idea how to cook so well done Norah. I know some in temporary accommodation have no cooking facilities, but there must be plenty of people who do have the facilities and can afford to use them but don’t know anything about basic cooking.

ginnycomelately

Very salutary reading , can’t believe paddy Ann the almost doubling of the grocery bills !! Amazing to see that from your spreadsheet, Need to show politicians, we’ve all experienced this, but to see the evidence is reassuring that we are all experiencing these rises in our costs , We are of the generation that is very thrifty with food , What hope for people who can’t cook? !!!

My young people can and do cook from organic ingredients.

Perhaps some don't know how?

I teach a cooking class to youth at Church. Maybe more classes?

Very salutary reading , can’t believe paddy Ann the almost doubling of the grocery bills !! Amazing to see that from your spreadsheet, Need to show politicians, we’ve all experienced this, but to see the evidence is reassuring that we are all experiencing these rises in our costs , We are of the generation that is very thrifty with food , What hope for people who can’t cook? !!!

But threads always do wander.

nadateturbe

I think you misunderstand the OP.
I think we can all agree there is a cost of living crisis, food prices have soared and it affects the poorest most.

I agree. The OP was different to what's being posted here.