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any ideas on how to live on fresh air?
- By Tricia
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Fri 4 Jan 2008 16:25
I am having one of those carers days where am fed up of living on what feels like nothing. It is only the love of the person I care for which keeps me going.
Like most carers we live on a broken shoe string. Am feeling really fed up of having to think of how little can I feed a family of four on. Over the years life did not seem so bad when I got child tax credits for my eldest two. That stopped when they got older now aged 19 and 21. The 19 year old is doing odd jobs and not many hours a week so get very little if anything off him for his upkeep. The 21 year old has gone back to college and because she is at home she only gets the Adult Learning Grant but that just covers her travelling to college and her expenses of books etc while at college. So in reality am surviving on my carers income topped up with income support and my youngest benefits along with his DLA which most of his DLA is used up on him to care for all four of us.
Still got the usual bills mortgage which I have to pay interest on is as my son is working, insurances which are incurred when you have a mortgage i.e. house building and content, gas central heating insurance and life insurance. I am just managing to keep the car on the road by limiting to just using the car once a week to go and get shopping also gives us a way of getting out of the house, (my son finds it difficult to leave the house unless it is on his terms due to his condition.)
Sorry having a right old moan on here today, those who know me will find it out of character but am human like the rest of us and have my off days.
But what I would like to ask is there anyone who knows of any web sites which provide meals on a broken shoe string? Something that would make a change from mashed potatoe and beans with egg. A site which provides healthy meals as I tend to live on starchy foods which tend to fill me up quickly and cheaply. This has caused my weight to increase along with other factors as I know it won't just be the food that causes weight increase.
Hope this does not sound too depressing reading and I hope that there is someone out there who can throw any light onto pointing me in the direction of eating a healthy diet on fresh air!
Replies
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By babs50
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Re: any ideas on how to live on fresh air?
Fri 4 Jan 2008 16:40hey tricia , sorry ur not feeling up 2 par, cant really help but didnt not want 2 reply as it was you that helped me get in2 chatroom . feel free 2 have a good moan + if it helps 2 get it all out by writing it down then go 4 it ! will get back 2 u if i come across any sites or cookbooks. xxx
- By Tricia
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Re: any ideas on how to live on fresh air?
Fri 4 Jan 2008 16:48thanks babs yes probably just having one of those days.
It is that time of the month for my daughter but I think must also be that time for me too as I come out in sympathy for her.
Worst times is if she has been out drinking I always get her hangovers and she never suffers. Should try it the other way round where I get myself drunk one evening but knowing my luck I will still be the one suffering!
- By marie66
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Re: any ideas on how to live on fresh air?
Fri 4 Jan 2008 20:14Aww tricia (((Hugs)))
Let's just hope things are a bit brighter soon.
January's always a bit of a tricky month.
marie x
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By ginger31
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Re: any ideas on how to live on fresh air?
Fri 4 Jan 2008 20:58Hi Tricia,
Don't ever worry about having a moan...always happy to listen!! We are in much the same boat as family tax credits stopped when my daughter started her hairdressing apprenticeship at 16 and son at college, nearly 19 but getting EMA. How do they expect us to feed the same family with £80 a week less budget? DLA for my husband goes out as fast as it comes in, always behind with some bill or other...am typing this wearing my coat and woolly gloves too expensive to put the central heating on!
Actually I thought I would write a line to cheer you up but have probably depressed you even more
As for food we are on the 101 ways with mince diet and exist almost entirely on the tesco value range..you have to laugh or you'd cry!!Have a cheery hug anyway ((
))
Take care, January is always a hard month.Love Louise xxxx
- By marie66
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Re: any ideas on how to live on fresh air?
Fri 4 Jan 2008 22:18Value range? is there anything else??
marie x
- By westener1
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Re: any ideas on how to live on fresh air?
Fri 4 Jan 2008 23:58it annoys me when so called dieticians tell you eat fresh fish etc we would love to, just before xmas i went to my dr for diabetic clinic when he wieghed me he said exellent you've lost nearly a stone he asked me what i was doing when i said i couldn't afford to eat properly he thought i was joking.
one tasty meal for a change and cheap is tinned tomato's and rice, open the tomato's into a saucpan add a little mixed herbs, then add a tablespoon of lemon juice,add a little tobasco let it cook through for approx 5mins,then remove from heat,cover and and let the flavours blend for about 30mins,then reheat and serve on bed of rice. you can vary the herbs,i have used a tin of pineapples as well in with the tomato's. perhaps we can start up a cooks corner on the site.
- By Tricia
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Re: any ideas on how to live on fresh air?
Sat 5 Jan 2008 00:24thanks westerner that sounds tasty shall try it out this next week.
yes we live on Asda smart price foods (my son who is autistic will only eat asda smart price fish fingers excellent value at 29p for a packet of ten and their sausages 89p for a packet of 20) However it does worry me is that with them being so cheap but as long as he eats them as he won't eat anything else I have little choice. (he is almost six foot tall and a strapping lad too which is hard to beleive with what he eats)
We also have a Herrons freezer shop and a Farm foods which is next to each other. I shop between them as there is big difference on certain products, and one of them also does the seconds of well known brands at a fraction of the price.
Pleased that we have not used the fish fingers or all the sausages so enough to last until the end of next week that will save me having to go to ASDA. So shall go to the farm shop and get the sack of potoatoes just hope they have not increased in price too much over the Christmas holidays as they were excellent value he week before Christmas at £4.75 for a four stone bag..... so mashed potatotes, baked potatoes, chips, roast poatotoes, sliced and baked potatotes for the next month ........... and of course potatoe skins............. waste not want not!
Any more ideas on how to cook potoatoes on their own would be greatfully accepted. Just as long as you don't say what my daughter said, "Paint potatoe prints!"
Hush she wants to be a social worker! Say no more hee hee
- By westener1
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Re: any ideas on how to live on fresh air?
Sat 5 Jan 2008 12:49hi tricia i do my own potato wedges by cutting thick chips coat them in olive oil add whatever herbs or spices even curry powder if you like, my friends nearly always ask where i bought them from so they can get some, as for the mash again i just mash in a little bit of onion,and a bit of parsley or mint,then pour some gravy over it hmmm.
p.s i have used the above tomato recipe with potato instead of rice.
- By morello
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Re: any ideas on how to live on fresh air?
Sun 6 Jan 2008 12:04I use a lot of lentils and split peas, which are I believe good for you, and you can add pepper and stock cubes and diced pots and carrots or any other cheap veg you can get your hands on, makes a warming soup with bread and lasts a couple of days if you add more ofthe stock cubes and pots. Cant say you will stay thin, but hey the NHS wont treat any of us soon for being overweight. Saw a dietician who was amazed at what I had to survive on. They eat loads of expensive fruit and best veg and lean meat. Wow in my dreams. Maybe as a carer we will get special dispensation for treatment if we are over weight. LOL
Mo
- By Tricia
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Re: any ideas on how to live on fresh air?
Sun 6 Jan 2008 14:45thank you everyone for your suggestions. I made the potatoe wedges lastnight for my son as he does not like jacket potatoes but loved the potatoe wedges. I put them into a dish and put a little bit of oil in and tossed the potatoe wedges in it then seasoned with fine sea salt and garlic. Yummy!
I have got some soup mix in so shall soak that over night and make some soup tomorrow made with ham stock cubes which is cheaper than buying a ham shank. I can then use up some of the huge turnip which is my bargin of the week from the fruit and veg shop (25p for a turnip which will feed the five thousand, ok exaggerating but it's like that huge turnip out of the tale of The Enormous Turnip) along with carrots, onions and of course bulk it out with potatoes.
My son's face (19 year old) lit up when I came in with a pack of bacon pieces 2lbs for 99p from our local freezer shop beautiful smoked slices too good to put into soup. He said yummy bacon sandwiches all week for me!
Another favourite of my lot is sausages, onions and mash. I put the onions on a very low heat while the potatoes and sausages are cooking it gives the onions a lovely creamy taste and for the gravy use shop economic brand vegetable stock cubes with a little corn flour to thicken the gravy.
Thanks once again for your ideas and for making myself realise there is more to potatoes than boiling them to a mash and frying them to clog our veins with fat.
Got me thinking though am sure us carers could get together and write a book of our own recipies on a broken shoe string!