Being a 2 nurse family the pay freezes and proposed increases in pension contributions are going to put us, as a family, around £500 pm worse off in real terms in the next year or so.

Thought long and hard about this and feel that being a public spirited left wing do-gooder may be doing my family harm in the long term.

Try to shop local, use LBS etc. to support the local economy. Biking trips and holidays we always try to support the area we visit by shopping there. Buy legitimate movies/music, generally try to be good, thoughtful and ethical in work and in private life. Like to buy British, especially bike stuff.

However, I reckon it’s time I started putting me and my own above everyone else.

Only do what I’m paid for, no unpaid overtime here and there, they want me to do it they need to pay me.

Bike parts can be bought from abroad or from the bloke on the carboot sale who seems to have a neverending supply of decent parts.

Same with movies/music – download.

Xbox and PS games – carboot guys have loads of copies.

Food – Tesco/Asda etc. sod the small local (read expensive)shops.

Bike trips – reduce frequency, buy nothing whilst there, take food/drinks.

Holidays – again take own food from local superstore and a stock of bike parts so I dont need to buy anything from the local shops.

Lots of stuff can be bought second hand or from a bloke who knows a bloke.

Reckon all the above will save a fair bit of brass with not too much impact on me and mine.

Suppose lots of others are being/have been forced into this.

Are there any downsides?

Are there any downsides?

Yeah; she’s still alive….

not really, the bloke who knows a bloke can be a sketchy path mind.

Food – Tesco/Asda etc

you are playing into their hands. These are part of the overall problem.

you are playing into their hands. These are part of the overall problem.

I know Mark but there is an over riding need to look after your own.

Sometimes you have to dance with the devil whether you like it or not.

And we do have to save a big chunk of cash.

plus you know that you are wasting your time because the majority just couldnt give a toss.

Lots of stuff can be bought second hand or from a bloke who knows a bloke.

until the bloke who knows a bloke borrows your stuff without permission to supply a bloke who knows a bloke, who wants cheap knock off stuff, thus creating a new thread on Singletrack, ive just been burgled by a bloke etc………..

Agreed project but if no-one gives a **** about me shouldn’t I pass the sentiment on.

but then youll be branded a CONSERVATIVE

😆

but then youll be branded a CONSERVATIVE

Mebbe so, perhaps I’ve been misguided for all these years.

Holidays – again take own food from local superstore and a stock of bike parts so I dont need to buy anything from the local shops.

wrong answer. kill them altogether. Holidays are a luxury you can do without if you’re really that skint

I’ve been practicing the above for some time now. I get on just fine.

Not skint but feeling the need to cut the cloth accordingly.

These measures semm to have the least impact on our family.

You’ll get occasional letters from your ISP telling you to cease and desist I suspect. Aside from that it would appear to be how many people live day to day.

Sad to see that being nurses you are both being crapped on by the changes.

As for not working unpaid overtime, by do so (working) you are doing someone out of a job,the management think its great, as they get free work, but as a patient once told me when a manager went of sick in a hospital due to stress, there will be another mug along in a few days.

Dont be a mug.

Totally understand where you’re coming from beans.

It does mean THEY have won though…

slainte 😥 rob

Before you start buying carboot bike spares have alook at the stolen bikes threads on here and have a think

I work on a community team so the extra bits of work are usually to tie up a bit of patient care or add a bit of extra value to a patients (or their familys) quality of life.

But really I shouldn’t be doing it.

colournoise – I do still want to ‘stick it to the man’

ioum – I know but should I do myself out of stuff so someone else gets the benefit rather than me.

It’s the opposite for me. I go into the local shops and end up with just the goods I need. The green grocer always has a little stall outside with stuff that’s about to be out of date and is half price.
All my meals are thought of in advance and nothing gets wasted. Our butcher gives you extra meat or money off here and there when you become a regular.

I’m one of the small business people who are struggling. People aren’t using me or buying stuff that I have made in Britain. The materials I make my stuff from are all printed in Britain. It’s going to be tough for everyone.

Yes it is correct that you look after you and yours, but how about still shopping locally and using local businesses when you can.

I know Bunnyhop but tbh I feel a bit like no one gives a toss about me, so why should I care about others.

I’ll probably wake up tomorrow and buy another pair of tie-died undies from the hippy round the corner anyway.

There’s a massive difference between cutting back on expenditure and looking to get stuff that’s sourced illegally, be that downloaded or off “a bloke in the pub”.

As for the whole “buy British” thing, I just don’t get it. Do we really want a tit-for-tat trade war to ruin our £400Bn export market?

I know Bunnyhop but tbh I feel a bit like no one gives a toss about me

We all love you dangerous beans, don’t turn your back on us 🙁

Bunnyhop – Member
It’s the opposite for me. I go into the local shops and end up with just the goods I need…..

I agree with that, but what you need not what the pack size is – may be more expensive per kg but no waste – I find it better all round to buy less food at slightly higher price than a trolley full of stuff you might end up wasting.

You can also grow quite a bit yourself in spring/summer, even a windowsill can support a few pots of cherry tomatoes, salad leaves and herbs, if you have even a small garden space then plenty of stuff can be grown in tubs/bins/boxes if you don’t want a permanent veg plot.

Do we really want a tit-for-tat trade war to ruin our £400Bn export market?

We export tat and import.. what?? 😯

But most folk seem to get the dodgy stuff while I’m still goody two shoes – often folk with a lot more disposable income than me.

big lols at richpenny

You just sound a bit stressed which I understand, being skint in the UK is like having no water in Ethiopia it is the be all and end all. Has one of you looked at working in a private hospital, would it pay better? Could you move your role in the NHS to another better paying dept? What about being an on call nurse going to oil rigs or something, does that kind of role exist?

dangerousbeans – Member
But most folk seem to get the dodgy stuff while I’m still goody two shoes – often folk with a lot more disposable income than me.

Why stop there? You could always mug someone or do a few break-ins.

tails –

Private tends to pay worse in general,especially in my line. Qualified recruitment tends to go that those who can’t secure an NHS contract do bank work and finally get low-paid offers from private sector providers.

Most trusts are on recruitment freezes so not much scope.

Not much call for LD nurses at present on the rigs either.

Reckon the missus might be up for it though. 😀

You’re probably right about just being a partial downer. Wish i could go back in time though and not become a nurse.

I know your pain, we’re a dual NHS house and while my wife is on maternity I’m having to work crazy overtime to get ends to meet.

The thing is, you can still have luxuaries, you’ve just got to pick them. We’ve started getting an organic veg box. Though this seems frivlous, it covers all our fruit and veg needs, encourages us to cook (which we are good at, but we;re also lazy!) and stop us popping to tescos for a pepper and coming home with £20 worth of nothing!

I’m riding more, but instead of going on “guaranteed” good rides that involve driving into the dales or the peaks I’m getting the ordanance survey out and steadily checking every wooded area in Leeds for trails (cheeky or otherwise) I even asked some local kids to show me local trails and came away with a bizzare route which involved being chased by goats and jumping through a fence!

We don’t go to the cinema, I don’t really go to gigs anymore or go for beers in town (though a 3 month old tends to stop those things anyway).

Despite all this and more cutting back, ends wont meet for ever and there is no margin for error or savings to fall back on. I’ve sold bikes to get the car repaired, my camper van is up for sale and I’m actively looking for new jobs, despite spending the last 10 years trying to get the job I have, at the end of the day, as I’m sure you are aware, two band 5’s do not make 10!

dangerousbeans – Member
Private tends to pay worse in general, especially in my line.

You need to pop that up in a few of the other threads…. 😉

The thing is, you can still have luxuaries, you’ve just got to pick them. We’ve started getting an organic veg box. Though this seems frivlous, it covers all our fruit and veg needs, encourages us to cook (which we are good at, but we;re also lazy!) and stop us popping to tescos for a pepper and coming home with £20 worth of nothing!

Agree

We have been doing this since we moved in to house about 18months ago. Box of local biodynamic farm veg, pint of milk, loaf of bread and 6 eggs for about £15 a week. There is always stuff left over come wednesday new basket time and we eat well as a consequence every night. We add decent meat when we can but all in all it means we eat very well and our food spend is tiny.

The odd time we have come back from hols with no basket and gone to supermarket has left us aghast at the high price and poor value of supermarket veg.

It’s all about priorities innit. But then we don’t have a car to finance so not fair to compare our household to others i would imagine.

dangerousbeans – Member
…I feel a bit like no one gives a toss about me, so why should I care about others….

Comes to us all at some time mate, don’t lose sight of all the good stuff you’ve got in you life, even if it seems you haven’t, and hold onto it.

…I feel a bit like no one gives a toss about me, so why should I care about others….

Welcome to the real world.

Beans – money ain’t everything – infact its not a lot at all. You have something that money can’t buy – indeed several things. You have a great family- nice kids and a lovely wife, you have rewarding job where you know you are doing some good and you have health and happiness.

As for money – yes cut your cloth accordingly and watch where it goes but don’t panic about it. You still have enough. Remember what you have – don’t worry about what you haven’t got.

think positive – look at what you have not at what you haven’t. IMHO you guys have a huge amount in intangibles that many would love to have. Don’t loose sight of them.

Folk like you make the world a better place – both in your work and in your joy in life.

biodynamic farm veg ?

is that veg ?

aye but with Real Taste.

I know Bunnyhop but tbh I feel a bit like no one gives a toss about me, so why should I care about others.

This is one of the situations when faith in the big G can help. Refer to other thread 😉

I think we might be with you, too.

My pay freeze is looking set to continue and there’s going to be 5% less take home every month when the pension changes bite. My wife gets punched, bitten and spat on by kids for £10 an hour (plus does 50% over her hours for no pay) with no chance of a pay rise now.

But, given that we already shop at Aldi, have a crappy old car, go on a UK holiday once a year, we’re going to struggle to cut back too much. I supposed the monthly donations to charity can go.

I don’t spend anything on bike parts at least, because I’m working six days weeks at the moment so never actually get to ride it or wear it out.