P&O Cruisers - What are things like where YOU are?

[Josy1953]

Just  how I feel today. 

 

[Eglesbrech]

29 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

Just  how I feel today. 

 

We all get days like that. Tomorrow will be better 😀

[Eddie99]

Time for a bit of feline obedience training?

 

[Adawn47]

 AT LAST.✨

Good evening all, it's good to be back. I've been unable to log in until now. 

Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary to those I've missed, and bon voyage to those on holiday.

Avril

 

[Josy1953]

5 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

 AT LAST.✨

Good evening all, it's good to be back. I've been unable to log in until now. 

Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary to those I've missed, and bon voyage to those on holiday.

Avril

 

Good to see you back Avril 

[Adawn47]

1 minute ago, Josy1953 said:

Good to see you back Avril 

Thank you Josy. I don't think I will dare to log out now just in case😁

Avril

[Ardennais]

52 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

 AT LAST.✨

Good evening all, it's good to be back. I've been unable to log in until now. 

Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary to those I've missed, and bon voyage to those on holiday.

Avril

 

Nice to see you, to see you nice, 

[Purdey16]

1 hour ago, Adawn47 said:

 AT LAST.✨

Good evening all, it's good to be back. I've been unable to log in until now. 

Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary to those I've missed, and bon voyage to those on holiday.

Avril

 

Glad you’re back Avril you have been greatly missed , good to see your well.

[Adawn47]

3 minutes ago, Purdey16 said:

Glad you’re back Avril you have been greatly missed , good to see your well.

 We're both very well thank you, just really frustrated at not being able to reply to posters that were worried. I hope you had a good holiday.

Avril

[Eglesbrech]

@Adawn47 we all wondered where you had got to. good to see that all is well.

[Josy1953]

We have woken up to another wet day.  I spent a long time yesterday deciding whether or not I should continue at the foodbank after getting tired of abuse because we didn't have the makes of soup and beans that the clients prefer, they don't understand that we only have what has been donated,  I have come to the decision that I am giving up so have emailed the person in charge letting him know.

I won't be working on the vaccine roll out at the pharmacy either because the number of appointments has dropped to a level that the pharmacy staff can manage themselves.

I don't know what I will do with all the spare time 🤣

[AndyMichelle]

4 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

We have woken up to another wet day.  I spent a long time yesterday deciding whether or not I should continue at the foodbank after getting tired of abuse because we didn't have the makes of soup and beans that the clients prefer, they don't understand that we only have what has been donated,  I have come to the decision that I am giving up so have emailed the person in charge letting him know.

I won't be working on the vaccine roll out at the pharmacy either because the number of appointments has dropped to a level that the pharmacy staff can manage themselves.

I don't know what I will do with all the spare time 🤣

That's so sad Josy. 

If you are desperate for food, you don't care about brands... I'm sure many of us in our lifetime have had periods living off blue and white stripey beans etc when times are tough. 

It just shows how entitled some people feel these days. 

You do amazing things and are an inspiration to the rest of us, such a shame not everybody appreciates your efforts. 

Andy 

[Eglesbrech]

16 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

That's so sad Josy. 

If you are desperate for food, you don't care about brands... I'm sure many of us in our lifetime have had periods living off blue and white stripey beans etc when times are tough. 

It just shows how entitled some people feel these days. 

You do amazing things and are an inspiration to the rest of us, such a shame not everybody appreciates your efforts. 

Andy 

It’s a real pity when volunteers are treated like this in any sphere of life.
 

Just out of interest I did a little experiment with the “yellow” label own brand items and directly compared them to a more expensive version.

 

I picked items I use a lot and opened the two cans side by side. Here are my conclusions (based purely on my taste buds and preferences). On balance they are absolutely fine, a few examples.

 

Beans - I prefer the brand version, thicker sauce and nicer taste (or perhaps it’s just more what I am used to flavour wise).

 

Pasta - no difference in texture, flavour or cooking. Cheap brand slighter smaller tubes. At a third of the price well worth the difference.

 

Canned chopped tomatoes- slightly thinner that the more expensive brand but actually contains less salt (and interestingly shorter shelf live so a year rather than two so the can is probably thinner).

 

Chick peas - smaller than the more expensive brand so they don’t look as good but taste the same when made into hummus or added to a curry etc.

[brian1]

A bowl of cherry tomatoes in the microwave with a fry up beats tinned toms hands down.We've always shopped for reduced stuff.My Mrs caught the double reduce lady in Sainsbury yesterday and got a shed load of fish and meat for peanuts.IE 2 salmon fillets for 2 quid.

[purplesea]

53 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

We have woken up to another wet day.  I spent a long time yesterday deciding whether or not I should continue at the foodbank after getting tired of abuse because we didn't have the makes of soup and beans that the clients prefer, they don't understand that we only have what has been donated,  I have come to the decision that I am giving up so have emailed the person in charge letting him know.

I won't be working on the vaccine roll out at the pharmacy either because the number of appointments has dropped to a level that the pharmacy staff can manage themselves.

I don't know what I will do with all the spare time 🤣

I am sorry to hear that you have been subjected to so much abuse after all the time and effort you have contributed to helping other people. 

 

[grapau27]

11 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

 AT LAST.✨

Good evening all, it's good to be back. I've been unable to log in until now. 

Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary to those I've missed, and bon voyage to those on holiday.

Avril

 

I'm pleased to hear from you Avril and that you are both okay.

Graham 

 

[kalos]

Morning all and great to see Avril back but a shame that Josy has been treat in such a way .

I personally have to watch my sugar and salt in tinned goods(not by choice) and as posted

the salt content can be a lot better in a cheaper tin of tomatoes anyway.

The way the world is going some are in for a rude awakening ,they have never had to go

without but will be doing so and it's no good abusing the people that are trying to help you.

 

A lot of people are going to come a cropper when it comes to Christmas and they go out

overspending on not just a gift but expensive gifts they know they cannot afford.

It will be everyone's fault but theirs. The real meaning of Christmas seems lost on them .

I see supermarkets according to the papers, such as Asda are rationing how many eggs

you can buy but fear not we are in the middle of November and they should be getting 

more eggs in very soon . I used to like the ones with a little pack of Smarties inside 😊

 

[twotravellersLondon]

1 hour ago, Josy1953 said:

I spent a long time yesterday deciding whether or not I should continue at the foodbank after getting tired of abuse because we didn't have the makes of soup and beans that the clients prefer, they don't understand that we only have what has been donated

 

For someone who's given so much time and effort that's a very brave decision... but it's good to remember that the feeling of entitlement of a few people is overwhelming compensated by the generosity of others.

 

We never take anything for granted. When we moved to our present home over 40 years ago, it left us virtually penniless. We has £1 in our bank accounts, less than that in our pockets and no family support. And a mortgage interest rate of over 18%.... Yep! That's really... 18%... it's not a typo!

 

Despite both being in full-time employment we were, what many would now call poor but we considered ourselves fortunate in many ways... and never had any state benefits until our pensions... that we worked and paid for over 80 years between us.

 

For years after we were married, we had no carpets, very little furniture: we built our own bed, upcycled junk (now known as shabby-sheek)  and we made do and mended. In those day... many will remember that shops would take a deposit on items and then payments each week or month and the goods were only released after the final payment was made.

 

We had no double-glazing, no central heating: only a coal fire in the living room and a two-bar electric heater in a box room... that we couldn't afford to use. We kept one room warm in winter, knitted and stuffed sausage-dog draft excluders, kept tea warm with a tea-cosy, scavenged wood for the open fire toasted stale bread over the embers for a late supper.

 

We didn't have a tv: let alone subscription cannels and the only people who had "mobile phones" were millionaires in chauffer driven limos. We couldn't afford to go to the theatre, pub or a restaurant... even the cinema was a rare treat. And the very idea of finding enough money to attend a gig or a concert... well the Lottery hadn't been invented then!

 

We had no transport: not even a bike and so we had to walk everywhere... even a mile and a half carrying the groceries. There was no holiday travel... no easy jet, no weekends away in yet another tourist trap

 

We made a chicken into six or eight meals and used the carcass for chicken noodle soup, we grew our own vegetables and use gluts of lettuce for soup. We foraged for mushrooms, berries and crab apples. We pickled, made chutneys jams and preserves to see us through the winters. 

 

We used shoes until the soles wore through, stitched leather patches on jacket elbows. We wore clothes until they weren't even fit to give to the charity shop. 

 

But like millions and millions of others we worked our darned socks off... often doing 50 or 60 or more hours a week... without really thinking that we were really paying the price for a war in Europe that had ended before we "Boomers" had been born. 

 

But... Just think... we can now call up the Largo from Dvorak's New World Symphony on youtube and look back at these "Good Old Days" as if they were ancient history! Perhaps sucking a famous original boiled sweet as we do so!  

 

 

However... very seriously.... there are many other ways to help and support and befriend folk and neighbours who are in need in these times.

[Son of Anarchy]

More than happy with buying shops brand stuff, including their budget ranges.

 

The Ole Lady can be a bit picky though.  Tomato soup has to be Lidl, not Aldi.  Butter has to be Aldi!

 

Lidl's in store bakery has some good choices.  Every now and then, Lidl have plastic crates with a selection of fruit and veg for about £1.50 or £2.  We usually get one of them if they've got them.

[Harry Peterson]

13 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

 AT LAST.✨

Good evening all, it's good to be back. I've been unable to log in until now. 

Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary to those I've missed, and bon voyage to those on holiday.

Avril

 

Good to hear from you again Avril. Glad you’re both well, and that it was just that login problem that caused everyone so much grief. If we had any personal details stored on here the frequent IT problems would bother me!

 

TalkTalk however, under that useless Dido Harding, was another story - still getting scam calls as a result of that, complete with name, address and of course phone number. The accident claim ones are funny though - my wife tells thanks them nicely for calling at such an opportune moment after just having lost a leg. Odd that they never stay on the line. She’s lost 11 legs and 9 arms now, so even answering the phone’s slightly tricky.
 

[Josy1953]

Like most of the contributors to this site we were "poor" when we married but we just got on with it, there was no such thing as food banks and our parents couldn't afford to subsidise us.

We struggled having to pay a 15% mortgage, we could only afford one car and just like now didn't live on a bus route so I was used to walking 1.5  miles to catch a bus to work and the same coming home, I only drove to work if DH was working nights.  We made do with my mum's old fridge freezer, DH's aunt's old cooker and his sister's old twintub washing machine.  We slowly replaced things as we could afford them.  We had been married for 2 years before we could afford our first package holiday to Cavtat.

We can now appreciate what we have now knowing that we are fortunate enough not to have to worry about the current economic situation.

 

[Adawn47]

51 minutes ago, twotravellersLondon said:

 

For someone who's given so much time and effort that's a very brave decision... but it's good to remember that the feeling of entitlement of a few people is overwhelming compensated by the generosity of others.

 

We never take anything for granted. When we moved to our present home over 40 years ago, it left us virtually penniless. We has £1 in our bank accounts, less than that in our pockets and no family support. And a mortgage interest rate of over 18%.... Yep! That's really... 18%... it's not a typo!

 

Despite both being in full-time employment we were, what many would now call poor but we considered ourselves fortunate in many ways... and never had any state benefits until our pensions... that we worked and paid for over 80 years between us.

 

For years after we were married, we had no carpets, very little furniture: we built our own bed, upcycled junk (now known as shabby-sheek)  and we made do and mended. In those day... many will remember that shops would take a deposit on items and then payments each week or month and the goods were only released after the final payment was made.

 

We had no double-glazing, no central heating: only a coal fire in the living room and a two-bar electric heater in a box room... that we couldn't afford to use. We kept one room warm in winter, knitted and stuffed sausage-dog draft excluders, kept tea warm with a tea-cosy, scavenged wood for the open fire toasted stale bread over the embers for a late supper.

 

We didn't have a tv: let alone subscription cannels and the only people who had "mobile phones" were millionaires in chauffer driven limos. We couldn't afford to go to the theatre, pub or a restaurant... even the cinema was a rare treat. And the very idea of finding enough money to attend a gig or a concert... well the Lottery hadn't been invented then!

 

We had no transport: not even a bike and so we had to walk everywhere... even a mile and a half carrying the groceries. There was no holiday travel... no easy jet, no weekends away in yet another tourist trap

 

We made a chicken into six or eight meals and used the carcass for chicken noodle soup, we grew our own vegetables and use gluts of lettuce for soup. We foraged for mushrooms, berries and crab apples. We pickled, made chutneys jams and preserves to see us through the winters. 

 

We used shoes until the soles wore through, stitched leather patches on jacket elbows. We wore clothes until they weren't even fit to give to the charity shop. 

 

But like millions and millions of others we worked our darned socks off... often doing 50 or 60 or more hours a week... without really thinking that we were really paying the price for a war in Europe that had ended before we "Boomers" had been born. 

 

But... Just think... we can now call up the Largo from Dvorak's New World Symphony on youtube and look back at these "Good Old Days" as if they were ancient history! Perhaps sucking a famous original boiled sweet as we do so!  

 

 

However... very seriously.... there are many other ways to help and support and befriend folk and neighbours who are in need in these times.

I think there are many of us who can remember having to live like that. Thinking back, yes it was hard, but in some ways we were lucky, because we hadn't been used to living in the way they are now, which is why they are finding it more difficult to cope. We had to save for what we wanted and make do with what we could afford, but now many are living beyond their means with the   live-now-pay-later attitude, and those that fell into that trap are most likely the ones struggling now.

Those around my age will have coped through 3 recessions and I learned many lessons that have stuck with me. The main ones being no debt, and no waste. 

Avril

[mrsgoggins]

2 hours ago, Son of Anarchy said:

 

Lidl's in store bakery has some good choices. 

 

Unusually, we were in Lidl last night at 7 pm; the time when bakery goods are reduced by 30% if you have the App.  I didn't expect to see any of my favourite GI loaves at that time, but oh joy, they had 4 left and so I got them all (2 for my elderly neighbour). What a bargain. Isn't it surprising what a little lift like saving £1.80 can give you?

 

On the subject of Lidl and my neighbour, she likes Warburtons tea cakes, which, when I add on to my Tesco order for her, are £1.20 a pack.  In Lidl, I can pick them up for 79p a pack. What a difference!

[brian1]

2 minutes ago, mrsgoggins said:

 

Unusually, we were in Lidl last night at 7 pm; the time when bakery goods are reduced by 30% if you have the App.  I didn't expect to see any of my favourite GI loaves at that time, but oh joy, they had 4 left and so I got them all (2 for my elderly neighbour). What a bargain. Isn't it surprising what a little lift like saving £1.80 can give you?

 

On the subject of Lidl and my neighbour, she likes Warburtons tea cakes, which, when I add on to my Tesco order for her, are £1.20 a pack.  In Lidl, I can pick them up for 79p a pack. What a difference!

We've got the Lidl app.2 quid off a whole cooked lobster,total 8 quid.Also a free loaf of bread,we're getting the cheesy loaf tomorrow to go with the lobster.Not impressed with Lidl bakery here with people not using tongs or gloves.Lidl Italia is like a fuel rod handler in a nuke power station,a lot more hygienic.

[zap99]

4 hours ago, Josy1953 said:

We have woken up to another wet day.  I spent a long time yesterday deciding whether or not I should continue at the foodbank after getting tired of abuse because we didn't have the makes of soup and beans that the clients prefer, they don't understand that we only have what has been donated,  I have come to the decision that I am giving up so have emailed the person in charge letting him know.

I won't be working on the vaccine roll out at the pharmacy either because the number of appointments has dropped to a level that the pharmacy staff can manage themselves.

I don't know what I will do with all the spare time 🤣

I don't blame you. Some Folk think they are entitled to your help. They ain't.