Anna 1 Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Just picked up on this thread as I haven't been around for a few days. I'm glad I didn't see the programme as I know it would have really upset me, but it's very heartening to read everyone's comments and realise that we're not alone in our decision to boycott the supermarkets and really research the food we buy before we even contemplate eating it. The MOTH and I have had a pretty disastrous week one way and another involving our car dying rather spectacularly and having to make the necessary purchase of a new one - something we can really ill-afford. We've just managed to buy our first home this year (both in our mid-30s) and frankly find ourselves struggling financially at times. Things would probably be somewhat easier each month if I shopped at Tesco buying 'Tesco-value' everything - in fact our food bills would probably go down by two-thirds, but there's no way that either of us are even prepared to think about doing that. I'm not trying to be a martyr or pat myself on the back or anything, but I think that if people consciously 'vote with their feet' on issues like this, then sooner or later it's going to have an effect. Well done to everyone who watched the programme, and particularly to anyone who wtched it and found themselves reacting to it by changing their shopping habits. We're all with you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popcorn Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Hi Anna, Just going slighty off topic with you - My husband and I are in the same situation with the house thing. I find it so annoying that we are priced out of the housing market, and we both have good jobs and work full-time. We've just bought our second house, and for our money we only really got a bigger garden in a nicer area. (I say 'only' - but we do love it) We have a bit of space that we can extend onto, which was why we bought the house, but that's years away. We too, are the same with food. I'd rather go without, than buy economy stuff. Sorry to hear about your cat, hope it wasn't too stressful for you and her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Hi Gina and Anna - I agree with you about the cost of food - since I entered my 30s I really started thinking about what I was eating and have really tried to stick with good quality food - since moving to a slightly more rural area I have found far more farm shops / farmers markets that really help - but it could be really tempting to stick with the cheap stuff not thinking of the welfare of the animals (or the producers if the stuff comes from abroad). We are not in quite the same boat as you - but we certainly were when we got married in 1989 - we were pushed to buy a flat by the bank manager who had to "sell" only to have the housing crash and our flat halved in value within six months. It took 6 years of real hard work and scrimping and saving to even get even with our mortgage - we were really lucky not to be made redundant. When I look at housing prices now I cant see how any first time buyers can cope (the average house price in Poole, Dorset has gone up to £180,000....!) I say we all go round to Janes for dinner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popcorn Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 I say we all go round to Janes for dinner I'll second that Mel There's no way we could have afforded anything at all if we hadn't have bought our little terrace back in '96 for a comparitively small £35,000. Infact, if we were buying now, we couldn't afford to buy the terraced house at what we sold it for The world has gone mad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna 1 Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 It sure has! At least we haven't gone with it!!!! Hopefully Jane's expecting us???!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherhen Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Hi Anna Well if any of you venture up here, drop me an email Re tight finances - been there, done that! What I do have, come down through the family from Great Grandmother who was a miners' wife in Co. Durham and had 20 children, but only 12 got to be adults, is a good selection of recipes that make a little go a long way. I'll post some tomorrow. Having these meant I could buy meat of a welfare standard that met my requirements but get a lot out of it - the flavour goes a lot further when it is good meat At the moment we are having courgette soup several times a week . This is one of my made-up recipes but very delicious - involves gammon stock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popcorn Posted August 4, 2005 Share Posted August 4, 2005 Oh yes please Jane - recipes would be lovely! We venture up to South Sheilds occasionaly to visit friends. Wished they lived closer, it's a long way up the A1! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted August 4, 2005 Share Posted August 4, 2005 Yes please Jane - lots of scrummy recipes. We do lots of entertaining and I spend ages scouring cookery books / websites - but it would be good to try something that has already been done (if you see what I mean ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
