Hello readers, I received some more stitching today so have felt back to normal. Perhaps I need to feel like I have a purpose to feel normal lol? Who knows. I'm just gunna make the most of feeling good :o)
I'm meeting up with a friend tomorrow and I'm hoping to bake a cake before I meet her at lunch time and will take some with me for us :o) yum! (Fingers crossed!!)
I've not spent any money today - yey! - But I will be on the look out for the few items I'm still after - teapot, vintage pyrex etc - and I'm also gunna pick up them hot chocolate sachets for Sweden. I shouldn't spend more than £10... If I do, there had better be a good reason for it!! Eeek! Altho I have just remembered I need to get some money out for this years birthday cards so I can give them all to my Mum to hand out when the birthdays appear. This is the only way that most of them will be received around the time of their actual birthday! I swear I used to be organised!! Honest!
Mike has a late lesson tonight so I will get a little more stitching done before he comes home. I feel in the mood for snuggling up on the sofa with him in front of the tele :o) with a nice cuppa tesco value tea of course hehe :o)
Yes, lots of lols hehes and smiley faces... I must be feeling better! Frugal tip catch ups to follow soon...
Hugs xx
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Monday, 28 January 2013
AWOL
Sorry I'm away from blogging at the moment. I'm really not feeling my normal self. I'll be back soon xx
Saturday, 26 January 2013
Not a good day
Money wise, it's brilliant, I've not spent a bean. But emotion wise it's been a crappy day. Just lately I've been hating my life. Now don't get me wrong, as far as lives go it's a pretty good one. It just doesn't feel right. Maybe it's my depression sneaking back on me, I don't know, but I don't like it and feel there's nothing i can do to change it.
All I want is to live a simple life, in the middle of nowhere without the need for much money. Growing our own fruit and veg, keeping chickens etc. It might sound boring but I long for a simple, slow paced life where you work hard for your own benefit and not to line the pockets of the big bosses. Having your loved ones as the priority in your life.
I feel out of kilter with the world and don't belong here. That feeling sucks.
No tip today but I will do two tomorrow instead.
Hugs xx
All I want is to live a simple life, in the middle of nowhere without the need for much money. Growing our own fruit and veg, keeping chickens etc. It might sound boring but I long for a simple, slow paced life where you work hard for your own benefit and not to line the pockets of the big bosses. Having your loved ones as the priority in your life.
I feel out of kilter with the world and don't belong here. That feeling sucks.
No tip today but I will do two tomorrow instead.
Hugs xx
Friday, 25 January 2013
Frugal Tip #25
Nearly forgot lol!
#25 - Homemade Washing Powder
Something which we saw on SuperScrimpers and looking to give it a go :o)
1 Bar of vegetable oil based soap
Soda crystals
Essential oil
1 pint water
Boil 1 pint of water
Grate soap and put into the boiling water
Once melted turn off heat
Measure out 150ml of soda crystals top up with water to 1 pint
Put into saucepan and mix
Add 20 drops of essential oil
When it looks like risotto put into a jar
Put about 1/2 cup full into the drum of your machine
(the woman used a hairspray lid for this but if you use your baking measuring cups you can find out how much 1/2 a cup is and try lids, containers etc to work out the same quantity)
If you've tried this or have other methods of making it, please do let me know :o) I would love to read your recipes and experiences. Also, what's your favourite scent to use? The woman on tv used lemon...
Hugs xx
#25 - Homemade Washing Powder
Something which we saw on SuperScrimpers and looking to give it a go :o)
1 Bar of vegetable oil based soap
Soda crystals
Essential oil
1 pint water
Boil 1 pint of water
Grate soap and put into the boiling water
Once melted turn off heat
Measure out 150ml of soda crystals top up with water to 1 pint
Put into saucepan and mix
Add 20 drops of essential oil
When it looks like risotto put into a jar
Put about 1/2 cup full into the drum of your machine
(the woman used a hairspray lid for this but if you use your baking measuring cups you can find out how much 1/2 a cup is and try lids, containers etc to work out the same quantity)
If you've tried this or have other methods of making it, please do let me know :o) I would love to read your recipes and experiences. Also, what's your favourite scent to use? The woman on tv used lemon...
Hugs xx
Another Day Without Money...
Well, it's only 10:42am so there's still time lol. But I'm not going anywhere, there's food in the cupboards, freezer and fridge so all is well with the world :o)
I'm meeting a friend next week in town and I'll grab the few bits I need to get and have a mooch for a teapot etc that I want, but only at a cheap price, I can wait for it, it's not essential.
Cook from frozen lamb chops tonight courtesy of Aldi. Might do mixed rice and veggies to go with it. Think I might crack open the butternut squash and see what that tastes like. Ooh and the salad leaves too... Mustn't forget them!
Had planned on having a Swedish day today
and do lots of studying and watching of Swedish media such as Wallander (without subs). I'm feeling somewhat lazy but I know I have to do it. Ok, so I don't actually *have* to do it but I want to be as good as I can be at Swedish once we're out there so I can make the most of the trip - through my eyes of course. I haven't eaten yet so I may watch something English whilst I eat - chomping makes too much noise and I can't concentrate very well lol so English is the way to go. Then I shall study and watch Swedish after... Yes, that sounds like a jolly good plan to me! :oD Only 3 weeks to go! Yippeee!!! A little scary but exciting too :o)
Found my toothpaste is 1/3 off in Tesco at the mo' so I'm hoping to find some and stock up! If I bought 10, for example, I would save £4.50 as the last one I bought from Superdrug was 45p more. I think I will only buy 5 though as I don't really want to spend £20 all in one go and on toothpaste lol! If my teeth weren't sensitive I would buy cheaper ones but I tried the whitening version of the same brand which is for sensitive teeth and it made my teeth sensitive again so I went back to the regular version and have refused to change again. I'm very naughty though and only brush my teeth once a day so it lasts twice as long as it *should* do. I went to the dentist last year, first time in about 6 or 7 years and she said I obviously look after my teeth really well so that makes me happy and I feel it's enough, at least for now anyway. She did tell me I needed to have my wisdom teeth removed but that's a whole other scary and fear provoking story! The idea of having a regular tooth removed fills me with dread, let alone this! I don't even know if I could do it... And the cost - £0 as it's on the NHS so it isn't even a matter of money. Sigh.
Anyway, a humble day at home, eating home cooked food, homemade entertainment and homemade love of my family. What more could I ask for today?
Hugs xx
I'm meeting a friend next week in town and I'll grab the few bits I need to get and have a mooch for a teapot etc that I want, but only at a cheap price, I can wait for it, it's not essential.
Cook from frozen lamb chops tonight courtesy of Aldi. Might do mixed rice and veggies to go with it. Think I might crack open the butternut squash and see what that tastes like. Ooh and the salad leaves too... Mustn't forget them!
Had planned on having a Swedish day today
Found my toothpaste is 1/3 off in Tesco at the mo' so I'm hoping to find some and stock up! If I bought 10, for example, I would save £4.50 as the last one I bought from Superdrug was 45p more. I think I will only buy 5 though as I don't really want to spend £20 all in one go and on toothpaste lol! If my teeth weren't sensitive I would buy cheaper ones but I tried the whitening version of the same brand which is for sensitive teeth and it made my teeth sensitive again so I went back to the regular version and have refused to change again. I'm very naughty though and only brush my teeth once a day so it lasts twice as long as it *should* do. I went to the dentist last year, first time in about 6 or 7 years and she said I obviously look after my teeth really well so that makes me happy and I feel it's enough, at least for now anyway. She did tell me I needed to have my wisdom teeth removed but that's a whole other scary and fear provoking story! The idea of having a regular tooth removed fills me with dread, let alone this! I don't even know if I could do it... And the cost - £0 as it's on the NHS so it isn't even a matter of money. Sigh.
Anyway, a humble day at home, eating home cooked food, homemade entertainment and homemade love of my family. What more could I ask for today?
Hugs xx
Thursday, 24 January 2013
No Spend Day
I've been reading about "no spend days" and I seem to have quite a lot of them unless I go into town. I used to quite easily spend £50 a day on stuff that I didn't actually need, even though they were bargains, I didn't need them. That was when I decided enough was enough and to not go into town and shop as a hobby, an expensive one at that. I now only go if I need something and think twice about stuff I don't need. As soon as we're back from Sweden I will be counting how many spend days and no spend days I have each month and tell you how much I spend when I do hand over the well needed cash.
Had a somewhat lazy day today. I had planned on going into town to get the drink sachets - hot chocolate, coffee, from Poundland for Sweden but I was too tired and really couldn't be bothered. So, I stayed home and finished watching the first series of BBCs Survivors and then I watched Cast Away with Tom Hanks - I have seen it before but not for many years. It was good :o)
We had the two pork belly pieces in a sauce that I picked up for about £1.26 each a while ago. I definitely wouldn't have paid full price for them as they were tiny for the original cost! Although they were nice and it was nice to try them :o) they tasted like pork ribs you can get in a sauce but without the bones and sticky fingers lol. We had potatoes - boiled then swooshed around in butter and rosemary, carrots, courgette, sweet potato and parsnip. Whilst the big oven was on I also made an apple crumble. Our bellies are so stuffed though that we haven't had any yet! It'll be a yummy treat though for later on tonight if we start getting peckish :o) I reckon no more than £5 for the 3 of us including cooking fuel? Maybe a bit more, but definitely filling and definitely cheaper than eating out or having a takeaway :oD
Hugs xx
Had a somewhat lazy day today. I had planned on going into town to get the drink sachets - hot chocolate, coffee, from Poundland for Sweden but I was too tired and really couldn't be bothered. So, I stayed home and finished watching the first series of BBCs Survivors and then I watched Cast Away with Tom Hanks - I have seen it before but not for many years. It was good :o)
We had the two pork belly pieces in a sauce that I picked up for about £1.26 each a while ago. I definitely wouldn't have paid full price for them as they were tiny for the original cost! Although they were nice and it was nice to try them :o) they tasted like pork ribs you can get in a sauce but without the bones and sticky fingers lol. We had potatoes - boiled then swooshed around in butter and rosemary, carrots, courgette, sweet potato and parsnip. Whilst the big oven was on I also made an apple crumble. Our bellies are so stuffed though that we haven't had any yet! It'll be a yummy treat though for later on tonight if we start getting peckish :o) I reckon no more than £5 for the 3 of us including cooking fuel? Maybe a bit more, but definitely filling and definitely cheaper than eating out or having a takeaway :oD
Hugs xx
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
My wrist warmers
One of my wrist warmers made by moi. Iv not taken a photo of my hat as its not as easy or exciting lol but i will one day :-) hugs Xx
Frugal Tip #23 & #24
Just in case I don't blog later or forget the tip I'm about to give, I thought I would do it now :o)
Frugal Tip #23 - Emails
Delete straight away any emails from shops and stores telling you about tempting, mouth watering sales. Don't even open them to have a look, coz if you're like me, you will be tempted to buy something which you probably don't even need. I have so much stuff which I don't need and have because I like to have them. So much craft stuff which again I don't need, don't even use but which I like to have them because they're nice, I'll use them at some point or it was cheap etc etc. I haven't even done any crafting for ages except for crochet and a bit of sewing the other day... Which I think I will bulk blog and give you tomorrows tip now...
Frugal Tip #24 - Repurposing Clothes
I have now had white girl dreads for 9 months and as such have difficulties finding hats that fit! Even men's hats are too small. So... I decided I would make one using as large a size reduced fleece nightshirt from Primark as I could find. It was £6 down to £3 and I sat and unpicked the seams which was very satisfying believe it or not lol. I then measured my head and worked out what size I wanted, cut it, sewed it and now I have a hat :o) I didn't stop there though... I also made myself some wrist warmers and Ayse says she would like a pair two. So, £3 for 3 items = £1 each plus fabric still left over for other projects. Not bad, not bad :o) I will take a photo at some point and aim to upload, also at some point in the hopefully not too distant future!
I am now gunna get dressed and snuggle up under the throws on the sofa with a nice cuppa tea and watch something nice on my laptop :o) - price? Free :o) I did think about going into town but that price - not free :o( so I'm just gunna chill at home, open up the curtains and keep an eye out for any falling snowflakes. Hehe I love the Swedish word for snowflakes - snöflingor - sounds like you're flinging snow around hehe :o)
Hugs xx
Frugal Tip #23 - Emails
Delete straight away any emails from shops and stores telling you about tempting, mouth watering sales. Don't even open them to have a look, coz if you're like me, you will be tempted to buy something which you probably don't even need. I have so much stuff which I don't need and have because I like to have them. So much craft stuff which again I don't need, don't even use but which I like to have them because they're nice, I'll use them at some point or it was cheap etc etc. I haven't even done any crafting for ages except for crochet and a bit of sewing the other day... Which I think I will bulk blog and give you tomorrows tip now...
Frugal Tip #24 - Repurposing Clothes
I have now had white girl dreads for 9 months and as such have difficulties finding hats that fit! Even men's hats are too small. So... I decided I would make one using as large a size reduced fleece nightshirt from Primark as I could find. It was £6 down to £3 and I sat and unpicked the seams which was very satisfying believe it or not lol. I then measured my head and worked out what size I wanted, cut it, sewed it and now I have a hat :o) I didn't stop there though... I also made myself some wrist warmers and Ayse says she would like a pair two. So, £3 for 3 items = £1 each plus fabric still left over for other projects. Not bad, not bad :o) I will take a photo at some point and aim to upload, also at some point in the hopefully not too distant future!
I am now gunna get dressed and snuggle up under the throws on the sofa with a nice cuppa tea and watch something nice on my laptop :o) - price? Free :o) I did think about going into town but that price - not free :o( so I'm just gunna chill at home, open up the curtains and keep an eye out for any falling snowflakes. Hehe I love the Swedish word for snowflakes - snöflingor - sounds like you're flinging snow around hehe :o)
Hugs xx
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
Final Spend?
Hello readers, how are you all doing? Are you coping ok with the snow if you live in the UK?
I think I have pretty much made my final spend for our trip to Sweden - yippeee! I bought our remaining thermal vests off ebay. All I wanna get is some hot chocolate sachets and coffee sachets to see us through our week there. Poundland here we come lol. Then I think we're done and dusted :o) woo hoo! I look forward to many no spend days in the future :oD
Dinner tonight was chilli with our Aldi mince and very tasty (and cheap) it was too :oD and it has fed 5 of us with fully bellies :o) awesome! And a few mince grains left in the freezer too.
Mike is really getting into the frugal mood too which is great! Makes life a lot easier when you're not trying to do it all yourself or battling with someone who's doing the complete opposite to yourself. He still fills up the sink to wash up and leaves it to "soak" all the time, but I'll get him sorted eventually :-p baby steps lol. One day he'll have as little water as possible with a tiny squirt of liquid and will wash it all up there and then lol. He mostly fills the kettle by mug so he's catching up with my frugal ways :o)
Frugal Tip #22 - Kettle filling
Fill your kettle only with how much you need. Use your mug to measure the amount you need. If you're on a water meter then you'll be charged less for not guessing the amount of water to use and it'll be quicker to boil so will also cost less in electricity too.
Hugs xx
Dinner tonight was chilli with our Aldi mince and very tasty (and cheap) it was too :oD and it has fed 5 of us with fully bellies :o) awesome! And a few mince grains left in the freezer too.
Mike is really getting into the frugal mood too which is great! Makes life a lot easier when you're not trying to do it all yourself or battling with someone who's doing the complete opposite to yourself. He still fills up the sink to wash up and leaves it to "soak" all the time, but I'll get him sorted eventually :-p baby steps lol. One day he'll have as little water as possible with a tiny squirt of liquid and will wash it all up there and then lol. He mostly fills the kettle by mug so he's catching up with my frugal ways :o)
Frugal Tip #22 - Kettle filling
Fill your kettle only with how much you need. Use your mug to measure the amount you need. If you're on a water meter then you'll be charged less for not guessing the amount of water to use and it'll be quicker to boil so will also cost less in electricity too.
Hugs xx
Monday, 21 January 2013
Oops £30 Spent Today...
On a food processor from Tesco:
Reduced from £60 to £30 and seems to have quite a large volume area compared to the mini/compact ones I've seen at £15 which one review said was good for one person but not for a family or even a couple. So... I bit the bullet and ordered it. It will definitely get used as I hate cutting onions for starters - they make me cry and my eyes sting and they become very very painful (I now like to avoid crying where possible lol!). I can't wait to make coleslaw!! My arms and wrists kill when I grate carrot (due to dodgy muscles) so this should make my life sooo much easier! I've been looking on Freecycle and Gumtree for a while and haven't seen anything local so I decided it was time to spend some money. Sigh.
We're gunna have the salmon parcels (?) we got from Aldi last week, brown rice, the remaining bag of salad leaves and some carrots. For some reason I love having brown rice with salmon! Yummmm! Altho I am very naughty and add a large dollop of buttery substitute on top of the rice hehe. Tastyyyy!! I have taken a look at the salmon pieces and they are really small :o( so if we like them, I might try and make them myself next time. We have the pesto and now we'll soon have the processor I can bread crumb some bread really easily and coat some salmon myself :o) sorted!
Ooh did I tell you? We had them reduced lamb steaks yesterday - omg they were sooooo goooood!!! I love grilled lamb mmmmm! I'm pretty sure all 3 plates were clear at the end lol :-p Hmmm maybe a chilli tomorrow using the free flow mince we bought at Aldi last week... I think we have all the ingredients for it :o) maybe get a bag of tortilla chips for madam. She loved the taccos we had and we told her it was pretty much chilli without the rice in a big tortilla chip so I'm hoping we can get her to eat chilli again - altho I don't hold much hope on her eating the kidney beans but never mind lol. Mmmm chilli.... Can you tell I love food? :-p I doooo it's so nice and tasty and yummy! And even nicer and more tasty if you manage to make it on a budget hehe.
Hmmm...
Frugal Tip #21 - Inventory
Make a list of what ingredients you have, even if it's just in your freezer and if you're feeling a bit skint one week, try and make meals from what you already have. Use the internet to search for recipes and don't be afraid to be inventive with what you dish up next to each other. Taking inventory will also help when coming to write your shopping list and you won't end up buying stuff you already have and don't need, especially handy if you don't have the space to store it or if it's perishable.
We're gunna have the salmon parcels (?) we got from Aldi last week, brown rice, the remaining bag of salad leaves and some carrots. For some reason I love having brown rice with salmon! Yummmm! Altho I am very naughty and add a large dollop of buttery substitute on top of the rice hehe. Tastyyyy!! I have taken a look at the salmon pieces and they are really small :o( so if we like them, I might try and make them myself next time. We have the pesto and now we'll soon have the processor I can bread crumb some bread really easily and coat some salmon myself :o) sorted!
Ooh did I tell you? We had them reduced lamb steaks yesterday - omg they were sooooo goooood!!! I love grilled lamb mmmmm! I'm pretty sure all 3 plates were clear at the end lol :-p Hmmm maybe a chilli tomorrow using the free flow mince we bought at Aldi last week... I think we have all the ingredients for it :o) maybe get a bag of tortilla chips for madam. She loved the taccos we had and we told her it was pretty much chilli without the rice in a big tortilla chip so I'm hoping we can get her to eat chilli again - altho I don't hold much hope on her eating the kidney beans but never mind lol. Mmmm chilli.... Can you tell I love food? :-p I doooo it's so nice and tasty and yummy! And even nicer and more tasty if you manage to make it on a budget hehe.
Hmmm...
Frugal Tip #21 - Inventory
Make a list of what ingredients you have, even if it's just in your freezer and if you're feeling a bit skint one week, try and make meals from what you already have. Use the internet to search for recipes and don't be afraid to be inventive with what you dish up next to each other. Taking inventory will also help when coming to write your shopping list and you won't end up buying stuff you already have and don't need, especially handy if you don't have the space to store it or if it's perishable.
Sunday, 20 January 2013
Mike's Pork Balls and Snow
Yeps it is Mike's turn to make the pork balls today (aka faggots). He's making them for stepson's work lunch as he loved them so much.
We had a wonderful time today playing in the beautiful snow. Mike, Ayse and myself had some fresh air, exercise, fun and got to try out our Sweden gear (snow boots etc) and realised where we had to improve - making sure there were no gaps between trouser legs and boots, jacket cuffs and gloves! We were rolling in the snow, throwing snowballs at a couple of metal posts trying to hi them, attempting to make snowmen, snowdogs and realising that a loaf of snowbread is pretty much our limit lol! We had a mini wander up the alley just because. It was brilliant :o) and most impressive of all? It was free!! :oD yep, we didn't have to spend a single penny on all that fun :oD
I had some leftover chicken noodle soup for lunch which was yummyyyy and Mike had some celery, cheese and toast. Ayse had a fried egg sarnie. So pretty much a cheap lunch too :o) I even thought that if I were living on my own, I reckon I could make a whole chicken last all week! That was a pretty cool thought lol!
Frugal Tip #20
Get out and play! Have fun where you can outside, get some free exercise and free fresh air.
We had a wonderful time today playing in the beautiful snow. Mike, Ayse and myself had some fresh air, exercise, fun and got to try out our Sweden gear (snow boots etc) and realised where we had to improve - making sure there were no gaps between trouser legs and boots, jacket cuffs and gloves! We were rolling in the snow, throwing snowballs at a couple of metal posts trying to hi them, attempting to make snowmen, snowdogs and realising that a loaf of snowbread is pretty much our limit lol! We had a mini wander up the alley just because. It was brilliant :o) and most impressive of all? It was free!! :oD yep, we didn't have to spend a single penny on all that fun :oD
I had some leftover chicken noodle soup for lunch which was yummyyyy and Mike had some celery, cheese and toast. Ayse had a fried egg sarnie. So pretty much a cheap lunch too :o) I even thought that if I were living on my own, I reckon I could make a whole chicken last all week! That was a pretty cool thought lol!
Frugal Tip #20
Get out and play! Have fun where you can outside, get some free exercise and free fresh air.
Saturday, 19 January 2013
Sleepy Day
Got woken by Mr Postie ringing the doorbell this morning but I let him off as he had a package for me from a wonderful friend I met on Youtube. She wanted to offload some cross stitch supplies on me as she doesn't stitch anymore and thought I would get more use from it than she would. THANK YOU ANGELA!!! She really is a wonderful lady and even though we have never met, I still class her as a friend and know she would always be there for me :o) she rocks!
Had chicken soup again tonight for dinner - yum! I was gunna have it for lunch today too but I had some of Mike's cake instead and it filled me up. Oops! I'll finish off the first batch for lunch tomorrow. Mike has just come home with some reduced lamb so we'll be having grilled lamb tomorrow with hmmm I don't know. We still have salad left but also loads of veg and rice too. Maybe chips? Who knows? But I'm sure it'll be tasty :oD
Frugal Tip #19 - Yellow Stickers
I'm not sure if I've given this as a tip before but I'll say it anyway :o)
Look out for yellow stickers at your local supermarket. Find out when they do their final reductions on their stock that's on the use by date and go around that time. Make sure you put it in the freezer straight away though and not left in your fridge beyond the date shown.
Had chicken soup again tonight for dinner - yum! I was gunna have it for lunch today too but I had some of Mike's cake instead and it filled me up. Oops! I'll finish off the first batch for lunch tomorrow. Mike has just come home with some reduced lamb so we'll be having grilled lamb tomorrow with hmmm I don't know. We still have salad left but also loads of veg and rice too. Maybe chips? Who knows? But I'm sure it'll be tasty :oD
Frugal Tip #19 - Yellow Stickers
I'm not sure if I've given this as a tip before but I'll say it anyway :o)
Look out for yellow stickers at your local supermarket. Find out when they do their final reductions on their stock that's on the use by date and go around that time. Make sure you put it in the freezer straight away though and not left in your fridge beyond the date shown.
Frugal Tip #18
Oops I forgot to blog yesterday as I was so tired but here is number 18:
Frugal Tip #18 - Use Less
Basically if you use less then you have more remaining which will last you longer.
*Reduce your sugar in hot drinks by half a teaspoon each time until you get to as low as you think you can go then reduce it once more for a while longer and see if you can get used to it- you can always go back up to the more comfortable amount half a teaspoon up if you decide it's not for you.
*Use half the amount of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel etc that you normally use. Do this on a day that you're not going out so if you feel like it wasn't enough you can go back to your previous amount. On the next day you stay home decrease by just a quarter this time and see how you go.
*Try reducung the amount of washing powder/liquid you use. Most people find there's no difference and by doing so can make it last twice as long.
*Reduce the temperature on your washing machine to 30C for regular clothes. You might like to keep it slightly higher for whites, sheets and towels.
*Reduce car use - this will use less petrol/diesel.
*Ketchup etc. Put less on your plate, you can always squirt out more but you can't really scrape the unused sauce back into the bottle.
You can pretty much use this idea of using less with everything.
Frugal Tip #18 - Use Less
Basically if you use less then you have more remaining which will last you longer.
*Reduce your sugar in hot drinks by half a teaspoon each time until you get to as low as you think you can go then reduce it once more for a while longer and see if you can get used to it- you can always go back up to the more comfortable amount half a teaspoon up if you decide it's not for you.
*Use half the amount of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel etc that you normally use. Do this on a day that you're not going out so if you feel like it wasn't enough you can go back to your previous amount. On the next day you stay home decrease by just a quarter this time and see how you go.
*Try reducung the amount of washing powder/liquid you use. Most people find there's no difference and by doing so can make it last twice as long.
*Reduce the temperature on your washing machine to 30C for regular clothes. You might like to keep it slightly higher for whites, sheets and towels.
*Reduce car use - this will use less petrol/diesel.
*Ketchup etc. Put less on your plate, you can always squirt out more but you can't really scrape the unused sauce back into the bottle.
You can pretty much use this idea of using less with everything.
Thursday, 17 January 2013
Just a quick Post
Yes, just a quick post (or I intend it to be lol, but I am rather known to ramble some!).
I sent off my cross stitch today - YEY!!! Had to pay for special delivery which was £6 odd but I will get that back :o) I didn't go into town so I have spent zilch today :o) Mike on the other hand went to Tesco and picked up some reduced ready cut mango as I think he wants to make sorbet. In this weather I might ask for hot custard to go with it lol!! We're expecting snow tomorrow!! Yey I can try out my new snow boots before we go to Sweden haha! Mike has the day off work tomorrow so I'm dragging him into town so I can go to the bank and Primark to try and get some more thermal vests for me and Ayse.
Dinner tonight was made from me picking the rest of the meat of the chicken carcass and Mike made a korma using a jar we had in the cupboard. I think we worked out it cost less than £2 for the 3 of us :o) yey! We also had chicken sandwiches for lunch using some of the salad leaves I picked up the other day. Tomorrow we're gunna be slow cooking chicken soup!! Maybe break the carcass into two halves and do another batch on Saturday. It's only a 3 litre pot and I don't wanna be using the gas hob for that length of time. Mmmm I love the smell of chicken soup boiling down :oD YUM!
Well off to snuggle up in bed now (it's half 10pm) and watch an episode or two of The Colony season 2. Am loving this show. I think I need to learn mechanical engineering and stuff or befriend many people with skill sets needed in such a situation, just in case! They've made generators, windmills and all sorts! I'm very impressed with their ingenuity! Ok an a tad jealous lol :-p but if someone needs to communicate in another language or make the house look pretty with cross stitch then I'm your gal hehe :oD
Night, night and hugs xx
Oh! Frugal Tip #17 - Packaging
*Recycle old jiffy bags and padded envelopes that you receive in the post. use a piece of paper or even the back of a used envelope to write the address and then tape it on and tape it all up nice and secure using wide, clear tape. If you're in the UK you can usually get a pack of two from Poundland and 99p Stores.
I sent off my cross stitch today - YEY!!! Had to pay for special delivery which was £6 odd but I will get that back :o) I didn't go into town so I have spent zilch today :o) Mike on the other hand went to Tesco and picked up some reduced ready cut mango as I think he wants to make sorbet. In this weather I might ask for hot custard to go with it lol!! We're expecting snow tomorrow!! Yey I can try out my new snow boots before we go to Sweden haha! Mike has the day off work tomorrow so I'm dragging him into town so I can go to the bank and Primark to try and get some more thermal vests for me and Ayse.
Dinner tonight was made from me picking the rest of the meat of the chicken carcass and Mike made a korma using a jar we had in the cupboard. I think we worked out it cost less than £2 for the 3 of us :o) yey! We also had chicken sandwiches for lunch using some of the salad leaves I picked up the other day. Tomorrow we're gunna be slow cooking chicken soup!! Maybe break the carcass into two halves and do another batch on Saturday. It's only a 3 litre pot and I don't wanna be using the gas hob for that length of time. Mmmm I love the smell of chicken soup boiling down :oD YUM!
Well off to snuggle up in bed now (it's half 10pm) and watch an episode or two of The Colony season 2. Am loving this show. I think I need to learn mechanical engineering and stuff or befriend many people with skill sets needed in such a situation, just in case! They've made generators, windmills and all sorts! I'm very impressed with their ingenuity! Ok an a tad jealous lol :-p but if someone needs to communicate in another language or make the house look pretty with cross stitch then I'm your gal hehe :oD
Night, night and hugs xx
Oh! Frugal Tip #17 - Packaging
*Recycle old jiffy bags and padded envelopes that you receive in the post. use a piece of paper or even the back of a used envelope to write the address and then tape it on and tape it all up nice and secure using wide, clear tape. If you're in the UK you can usually get a pack of two from Poundland and 99p Stores.
Wednesday, 16 January 2013
Woo Hoo!
Why the woo hoo? Because I've finished my cross stitch!! Woo hoo!!! The thread arrived in the post today so it is all completed :o) just gunna wash them tonight and hang them up in the airing cupboard so Mike can iron them for me in the morning all ready to be posted :oD I might naughtily go in to town and have a mooch in the charity shops again to see if I can find 1) a teapot, 2) pyrex dishes 3) a recipe tin. Altho I was thinking I might just use what I have and create something for my recipes. Perhaps some kind of junk journal...
Mike has just been sent on a secret errand for me :-p a Freecycler put up an offered ad for... wait for it... a Chinese take away 2013 calendar!!! Hehehe I've not told Mike what he's picking up (hence the "secret" errand) so I'm hoping he'll burst out laughing when he collects it :-p We still have out 2012 one hanging up and I'm wondering whether it would have stayed up all year if we hadn't found one?? Yep, most probably!
Bought a small whole chicken when we went to Aldi so we had that tonight with beetroot salad that I picked up yesterday and some rice flavoured with a couple of sachets that you get in dried noodle packs. It was yum! And there is still a bit of chicken on the bones so that will be picked off and I might use it in sandwiches or a curry. I don't know yet, depends on how much comes off. Then the best bit? Chicken soup made from the carcass! :oD Yummmmm!!!! Oooh I do love homemade chicken soup lol!! Smells so good during the day too. We cook it down in the slow cooker and the house smells so gooood!
Frugal Tip # 16
Boil your chicken carcass! Add a carrot and onion (no need to chop, just peel) and a stock cube or celery etc if desired (it's all down to personal preference and what you've got in the fridge) and let it do it's yumminess. Strain off then add some leftover cooked chicken and noodles at the end if you want too as well. Yummy yummy chicken broth soup :o) great when you're ill too.
Hugs xx
Mike has just been sent on a secret errand for me :-p a Freecycler put up an offered ad for... wait for it... a Chinese take away 2013 calendar!!! Hehehe I've not told Mike what he's picking up (hence the "secret" errand) so I'm hoping he'll burst out laughing when he collects it :-p We still have out 2012 one hanging up and I'm wondering whether it would have stayed up all year if we hadn't found one?? Yep, most probably!
Bought a small whole chicken when we went to Aldi so we had that tonight with beetroot salad that I picked up yesterday and some rice flavoured with a couple of sachets that you get in dried noodle packs. It was yum! And there is still a bit of chicken on the bones so that will be picked off and I might use it in sandwiches or a curry. I don't know yet, depends on how much comes off. Then the best bit? Chicken soup made from the carcass! :oD Yummmmm!!!! Oooh I do love homemade chicken soup lol!! Smells so good during the day too. We cook it down in the slow cooker and the house smells so gooood!
Frugal Tip # 16
Boil your chicken carcass! Add a carrot and onion (no need to chop, just peel) and a stock cube or celery etc if desired (it's all down to personal preference and what you've got in the fridge) and let it do it's yumminess. Strain off then add some leftover cooked chicken and noodles at the end if you want too as well. Yummy yummy chicken broth soup :o) great when you're ill too.
Hugs xx
Frugal Tip #15
...Which I forgot to add yesterday...
Don't throw out your empty margarine tubs, ice cream tubs, large yogurt pots with lids etc as you can use them for storage if you bulk cook or just have a little leftover. These can be put into the fridge or freezer for another day. A homemade ready meal :o) perfect for when you don't want to cook and don't want to spend any money at the supermarket :o)
Hugs xx
Don't throw out your empty margarine tubs, ice cream tubs, large yogurt pots with lids etc as you can use them for storage if you bulk cook or just have a little leftover. These can be put into the fridge or freezer for another day. A homemade ready meal :o) perfect for when you don't want to cook and don't want to spend any money at the supermarket :o)
Hugs xx
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
A New Addiction???
I have just come back from Tesco after getting a few bits that Aldi didn't have and managed to spend £20.63 :-s them damn yellow stickers!!! (Reduced items). I will list them for you. I did get quite a few bits altho I was hoping to get them cheaper due to offers but never mind... Perhaps they had gotten wise to it lol.
White bread flour - 66p
Chilli con carne mix - 49p
Stock cubes - 10p
Loo rolls - £1.96
Teabags - 27p
Coffee - 47p
Stuffing mix x2 - 15p each
2 Grapefruit x 4 - 39p each (reduced from £1.25!!! Who would pay this, I don't know!)
Beetroot salad x2 - £1.05 each - buy one get one free (reduced from £1.50 was hoping to save £1.50 but saved £1.05)
1kg Fusilli Pasta - £1
Large chicken - £3.35 ~(reduced from £5.61)
Mixed leaves salad x2 - 65p each (reduced from £1 each, 2 for £1. Was hoping to save an extra £1 but only saved 30p making it £1 for 2 still)
Puff pastry x2 - 89p each (reduced from £1.50)
Tinned tomatoes x2 - 31p each
Pork belly with honey and ginger glaze and a hint of chilli x2 - £1.59 each (reduced from £4, buy 2 for £6 - again was hoping to save an extra £2 but didn't)
4 Organic kiwi - 59p (reduced from £1)
Mango x2 - 85p each (reduced from £1.50) LOVE LOVE LOVE mangoes!!! Yummmm!!!
Loose mushrooms - 55p
Total - £20.63
Saved an extra £1.35, due to offers on reduced items, not quite as much as I was hoping for but never mind. I still got some amazing bargains with the meats which are now in the freezer. Loads of meals just waiting to be cooked now :o) shouldn't have to do a big shop for 2 weeks I reckon! :oD if not more! - Fingers crossed!
Need to get back to stitching now. Had to ask them to send me some more thread as I ran out of one colour :-s just hoping it turns up tomorrow, otherwise they may not get it back in time :-s eeek!!
Hugs xx
Chilli con carne mix - 49p
Stock cubes - 10p
Loo rolls - £1.96
Teabags - 27p
Coffee - 47p
Stuffing mix x2 - 15p each
2 Grapefruit x 4 - 39p each (reduced from £1.25!!! Who would pay this, I don't know!)
Beetroot salad x2 - £1.05 each - buy one get one free (reduced from £1.50 was hoping to save £1.50 but saved £1.05)
1kg Fusilli Pasta - £1
Large chicken - £3.35 ~(reduced from £5.61)
Mixed leaves salad x2 - 65p each (reduced from £1 each, 2 for £1. Was hoping to save an extra £1 but only saved 30p making it £1 for 2 still)
Puff pastry x2 - 89p each (reduced from £1.50)
Tinned tomatoes x2 - 31p each
Pork belly with honey and ginger glaze and a hint of chilli x2 - £1.59 each (reduced from £4, buy 2 for £6 - again was hoping to save an extra £2 but didn't)
4 Organic kiwi - 59p (reduced from £1)
Mango x2 - 85p each (reduced from £1.50) LOVE LOVE LOVE mangoes!!! Yummmm!!!
Loose mushrooms - 55p
Total - £20.63
Saved an extra £1.35, due to offers on reduced items, not quite as much as I was hoping for but never mind. I still got some amazing bargains with the meats which are now in the freezer. Loads of meals just waiting to be cooked now :o) shouldn't have to do a big shop for 2 weeks I reckon! :oD if not more! - Fingers crossed!
Need to get back to stitching now. Had to ask them to send me some more thread as I ran out of one colour :-s just hoping it turns up tomorrow, otherwise they may not get it back in time :-s eeek!!
Hugs xx
Monday, 14 January 2013
Aldi Shop
Had a little snow falling this morning which was fun :o) I have trouble keeping my eyes off the beautiful falling snowflakes so it was probably a good job it didn't last long as I had to do some speedy stitching! I'm finally on the last piece - number 6 - and will wash, iron and send it off on Thursday to be received on Friday :o) yey! Then I can get sorting out around here and get some Swedish studied! Omg there were some beaautiful skies in Northern Sweden last night!!!
Frugal Tip #14 - Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe
I never NEVER use a spag bol sauce from a jar and I love to pack my spag bol full of healthy veggies :o)
Ingredients (amounts and veggies can be varied to taste)
Onion
Mince
Mushrooms
Tinned tomatoes (I use 2 for about 5 portions)
Dried spaghetti
Beef OXO cubes (I use 2)
Bell pepper
Mixed herbs (or ones of your choosing)
Cheese
Optional salt and pepper to taste
Method:
I like to boil my mince in some shallow water (from kettle) then drain and place back into a saucepan and crumble the oxo cubes and stir add chopped or sliced onions, chopped or sliced pepper and mix. After a few minutes add chopped or sliced mushrooms and tinned tomatoes. Stir around, add some herbs and stir some more and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes whilst you cook your spaghetti per pack instructions.
When you feel the sauce is ready, place spaghetti on your plate, sauce on top and if desired, grate some cheese on top :o)
You might need to tweak it to your tastes but I find it makes a yummy wholesome meal and much better than a jar which I find too rich and saucy lol.
Hugs xx
Sunday, 13 January 2013
Sooo Sleepy
I couldn't sleep last night and didn't go back to bed until half 6!! Got out of bed around 2 and went downstairs and started to watch the first series of The Colony. I'm really enjoying it :oD I would love to know how I'd fare in a restart situation like that, would definitely bring out hidden characteristics in yourself! I seem to be obsessed with Apocalypse type programmes lately :-s Doomsday Preppers, Derren Brown Apocalypse and now this?! Altho I used to watch Dark Angel many years ago and I'm sure plenty more so I guess it's always been there, I just have more opportunity now with the internet and sky tv. I think the world could probably do with some kind of disaster, if only there was a virus that attacked only murderers, rapists and arseholes... A culling of the bad, let the good rise from the ashes and bring about a better world that doesn't revolve around money, crime and selfishness. Ok, so that would never happen but hey, it's a nice idea lol :-p
As I was too tired to go to Tesco, we're having spag neo tonight - Spaghetti Neopolitana. I don't know if it's the correct name for it but it's Mike's spaghetti dish made with tomatoes and cheese. It's using all stuff we have in the cupboards and we have enough for packed lunches tomorrow so all is good :o)
Frugal Tip #13 - Food
*Try and use up what's in your cupboards, fridge, freezer. This way it saves it going out of date and saves you money. The most bizarre concoctions can be quite tasty. Think of it as a Masterchef Mystery Box lol
Hugs xx
As I was too tired to go to Tesco, we're having spag neo tonight - Spaghetti Neopolitana. I don't know if it's the correct name for it but it's Mike's spaghetti dish made with tomatoes and cheese. It's using all stuff we have in the cupboards and we have enough for packed lunches tomorrow so all is good :o)
Frugal Tip #13 - Food
*Try and use up what's in your cupboards, fridge, freezer. This way it saves it going out of date and saves you money. The most bizarre concoctions can be quite tasty. Think of it as a Masterchef Mystery Box lol
Hugs xx
Saturday, 12 January 2013
12 Days In...
Had some free entertainment tonight after dinner. Ayse's been learning "The Cup Song" so gave a demonstration for Mike at the dinner table which led to me getting Wenty (laptop) and pulling up some videos of Stomp on Youtube for us to watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0XdDKwFe3k&feature=share
Hehe just seen that you can actually add links to your blog! Awesome! Fingers crossed it works lol :-p
Hmmm Frugal Tip #12 - Entertainment
*Free entertainment is all around you
*Instead of the cinema, buying, or renting a dvd or new film on Sky Box Office etc, have a regular swap of dvds already owned with friends, family or co-workers. Make sure everyone has stuck a label with their name on inside the cover so it gets returned to the right person. If you have 10 people to swap with and you all have 10 dvds to pass around, that's potentially 90 new ones for you to watch
*Make use of websites such as 4od and youtube
*Download free books, all the classics tend to be free. Also fanfiction could be fun if you like certain films, tv shows. You could also decide to write some fanfiction to share
*Have a family game of charades or play board games. Many families have a weekly game night
*Take the dogs out for a walk as a family
Just remember, it's the people you do the activity with that make all the difference. You could pay to go to the cinema with someone you don't like and end up having an awful time whereas watching a dvd at home, snuggled up on the sofa with a loved one for free would be so much nicer. Make the most of what you have and who you have. Can you tell I watched Derren Brown's Apocalypse today? It was awesome! Two parts roughly about one and a half hours in total :o) Did you see what I did there? I noticed you can change the wording for the link!!! Hehe I'm so proud of myself lol!! One day I will get the hang of this technology malarkey and know what I'm doing!... Maybe!
Hugs xx
Friday, 11 January 2013
Awol Yesterday
Sorry for being awol yesterday but I was too tired to blog... But I will make up for it with 2 frugal tips today :oD which I'll type up first so I don't forget to write later :-p
Frugal Tip #10 - Shopping, errands etc
*Try and do all your errands in one go, especially if you use a car or paid public transport for this
*Make a list and work out your route and order which will use the most petrol
*Stock up on non-perishable goods so you don't run out and need to make a special trip to replace
*If you start to run low, make sure to top up on your next shop before you run out so you can replace immediately
Frugal Tip #11 - Posting items
*If you need to post anything, cards, letters etc. Make sure to get to send them on time or early so as not to need to pay for first class stamps. It'll only save you a few pennies here and there but it will soon add up
*If you use a lot of stamps and Royal Mail raise their prices, stock up on stamps whilst they're still at the lower price
We opened up one of the posh custards we bought for 15p yesterday :oD It was very tasty!! Mike made a fruit cake in the bread maker and we poured some over a slice each. It was very rich and very filling! Weighed a tonne too! I had some more for breakkie today and after slathering it in custard, whacked it in the microwave for a couple of minutes :oD yum! Kept my belly happy for quite a while too :o)
Started on number 5 of 6 cross stitch pieces today - yippee!!! I need to send them off Thursday to be received Friday, so the deadline is getting closer and closer. I think it should be ok :oD Just need to stitch like mad lol! We have about 35 days until we go to Sweden so I need to cram in some Swedish study too :-s eeek!! Am feeling very rusty and I would really like to hone my skills before we go... Altho I don't know how much I'd use it when actually there lol. I hardly said 2 words in Greek when we went last year! Oh well, it's fun to recognise words :oD and if someone doesn't actually know English, I can give Swedish a go instead :o)
Hugs xx
Frugal Tip #10 - Shopping, errands etc
*Try and do all your errands in one go, especially if you use a car or paid public transport for this
*Make a list and work out your route and order which will use the most petrol
*Stock up on non-perishable goods so you don't run out and need to make a special trip to replace
*If you start to run low, make sure to top up on your next shop before you run out so you can replace immediately
Frugal Tip #11 - Posting items
*If you need to post anything, cards, letters etc. Make sure to get to send them on time or early so as not to need to pay for first class stamps. It'll only save you a few pennies here and there but it will soon add up
*If you use a lot of stamps and Royal Mail raise their prices, stock up on stamps whilst they're still at the lower price
We opened up one of the posh custards we bought for 15p yesterday :oD It was very tasty!! Mike made a fruit cake in the bread maker and we poured some over a slice each. It was very rich and very filling! Weighed a tonne too! I had some more for breakkie today and after slathering it in custard, whacked it in the microwave for a couple of minutes :oD yum! Kept my belly happy for quite a while too :o)
Started on number 5 of 6 cross stitch pieces today - yippee!!! I need to send them off Thursday to be received Friday, so the deadline is getting closer and closer. I think it should be ok :oD Just need to stitch like mad lol! We have about 35 days until we go to Sweden so I need to cram in some Swedish study too :-s eeek!! Am feeling very rusty and I would really like to hone my skills before we go... Altho I don't know how much I'd use it when actually there lol. I hardly said 2 words in Greek when we went last year! Oh well, it's fun to recognise words :oD and if someone doesn't actually know English, I can give Swedish a go instead :o)
Hugs xx
Wednesday, 9 January 2013
My Tummy Rules The Roost
(Or at least it rules my body lol) I went into town today and bought the pig livers. I made the faggots pork balls and I did not like them at all! The whole dinner was quite pants to be honest! Well, the carrots were ok lol. I made instant mash with Sainsbury's basic powder - yuk! Pork balls - yuk! Mike ate his up and said they were ok. Ayse was freaked out coz some of the inside was pink - think was the bacon. My tummy just freaked out coz it knew what was in it. It wasn't a success lol!! I think I tried a bit of liver and it was even worse than the rest of the meat lol! It was almost enough to make me vegetarian again! I won't make it again that's for sure and should Mike or Adam want some there will be plenty in the freezer lol!
Edit: Just found out that the cat likes them! Hehe.
Ayse had pasteena for dinner (pasta in veggie oxo cube) and I just had a bowl of cereal.
Sing with me "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger la la la la" yeah, let's just hope I don't wake up dead in the morning lol.
Altho I have been feeling a bit rough all day (maybe the idea of liver kicked in early?) and I came over all hot in the queue for the bank, my back was killing me and I couldn't wait to get home. I did have a look in the charity shops. Didn't seee much but I did buy a small vintage cookware pot for 50p :oD it made me happy lol :-p
Frugal Tip #9 - Meals
Don't be afraid to experiment with meals... Just make sure you have something edible close by in case it doesn't turn out right or you don't like it.
Hugs xx
Edit: Just found out that the cat likes them! Hehe.
Ayse had pasteena for dinner (pasta in veggie oxo cube) and I just had a bowl of cereal.
Sing with me "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger la la la la" yeah, let's just hope I don't wake up dead in the morning lol.
Altho I have been feeling a bit rough all day (maybe the idea of liver kicked in early?) and I came over all hot in the queue for the bank, my back was killing me and I couldn't wait to get home. I did have a look in the charity shops. Didn't seee much but I did buy a small vintage cookware pot for 50p :oD it made me happy lol :-p
Frugal Tip #9 - Meals
Don't be afraid to experiment with meals... Just make sure you have something edible close by in case it doesn't turn out right or you don't like it.
Hugs xx
Tuesday, 8 January 2013
Sleepy Day
...So I decided not to go into town but spent the morning asleep on the
sofa instead and the afternoon stitching. Had a really bad night's sleep
and felt somewhat zombiefied so I'm going into town tomorrow instead. I
was hoping to get an early night tonight but I watched some tv and then
decided I had to finish the piece of stitching I was on and start the
next one (4/6) and I've just done half an hours worth and it's now 23:48
according to my laptop and I really should be getting to bed and
getting a good night's sleep!
<<Zombie photo was gunna be here but they were too scary and bound to give me nightmares tonight so instead I shall put a piccie of....>>
He's so much cuter and I would much rather be counting these tonight :oD Awwww I want one!!
Frugal Tip #8 - Sleep
Make sure you get enough sleep at night so you can do all you want to do during the day. That walk home from work so you don't have to pay bus fare. That veggie chopping so you can cook from scratch instead of buying more expensive ready made meals or take away. Yeah, I know, easier said than done! We don't go to bed intending on having a crap night's sleep, it just happens. But in an ideal world, this would be an awesome frugal tip lol.
Sheepie hugs xx
<<Zombie photo was gunna be here but they were too scary and bound to give me nightmares tonight so instead I shall put a piccie of....>>
He's so much cuter and I would much rather be counting these tonight :oD Awwww I want one!!
Frugal Tip #8 - Sleep
Make sure you get enough sleep at night so you can do all you want to do during the day. That walk home from work so you don't have to pay bus fare. That veggie chopping so you can cook from scratch instead of buying more expensive ready made meals or take away. Yeah, I know, easier said than done! We don't go to bed intending on having a crap night's sleep, it just happens. But in an ideal world, this would be an awesome frugal tip lol.
Sheepie hugs xx
Monday, 7 January 2013
Snowflakes and Chocolate Cake!
Well, It's 23:59 as I start typing so I just about count this as a blog entry on the 7th Jan :-p
Made a yummy beef casserole today with the stewing beef I bought yesterday, bulked it out with cannelini beans (forgot to soak them overnight but weren't hard at all so slow cooking them all day did the trick!), pearl barley and the rest of a dried casserole mix from Sainsbury's. It was yum! And I even manage to portion out 4 extra tubs for another day or two as well :oD they'll go in the freezer :oD
I'm off into town quickly tomorrow morning as I want to try and get a lasagne dish so I can bulk make tomorrow and get the second one portioned out and froze too (can you see a theme here? Lol). If I've got the oven on, I might as well make the most of it so I might even make an apple crumble too... Ooh I'll get one of them posh cheapy custards out when I put the tubs in the freezer! The chest freezer's in the garage so trips must be planned lol :-p I wanna try and get some vintage cookware from the charity shops as they always seem to have funky patterns and are made better than todays, and hopefully cheaper too! I'm hoping to find some of the white ware with black snowflakes! They remind me of my Mum as she has some, and even Mike has somehow managed to get a plate and mini bowl from somewhere - I think they must have been borrowed from his Mum and not taken back lol!! Plus, I love snowflakes so... Win win! :oD Must remember not to spend too much tho! I did try a request on Freecycle but didn't have any offers so...
I found a picture! There were some other cool snowflake designs too! I loved the crisp ice blue colour! Eeee you just gotta love retro! It's so funky and FUN!!
I also want to try and get some pig livers for the "pork balls" I wanna try and make. Hmmm there was something else I wanted to get from Sainsbury's but I can't remember what now...
I read out instructions and measurements to Mike tonight and he made a choccie cake and sauce in the microwave -
http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/8763/lois--7-minute-gooey-chocolate-fudge-cake.aspx
We used an 850 watt microwave, regular granulated sugar instead of caster sugar and it took 8 minutes to cook not 5. It ended up as a sponge island with a choc sauce sea around it lol. Wasn't bad. And we served it with cream still in the fridge from Christmas.
I guess I best get to bed as Ayse is back to school tomorrow so it's back to the early mornings! Eeek!!
Bought the last pair of ski gloves needed for our trip too! £2.99 incl p&p from ebay :oD I've been lucky in that the 2 pairs I've bought I was the only bidder :oD Awesome!!! Just need more thermals too... Then I think we're done :oD
Oh... Frugal Tip #7 - Shopping
Don't be afraid to check out ebay and charity shops for bargains! One shop in town has ski gloves (in the sale) for £11.49! I'm so pleased to have won the ones I did on ebay, although they're not new and it's not as easy to take back if they're too small, but definitely worth a try in order to save money :oD
Hugs and snowflakes! xx
Made a yummy beef casserole today with the stewing beef I bought yesterday, bulked it out with cannelini beans (forgot to soak them overnight but weren't hard at all so slow cooking them all day did the trick!), pearl barley and the rest of a dried casserole mix from Sainsbury's. It was yum! And I even manage to portion out 4 extra tubs for another day or two as well :oD they'll go in the freezer :oD
I'm off into town quickly tomorrow morning as I want to try and get a lasagne dish so I can bulk make tomorrow and get the second one portioned out and froze too (can you see a theme here? Lol). If I've got the oven on, I might as well make the most of it so I might even make an apple crumble too... Ooh I'll get one of them posh cheapy custards out when I put the tubs in the freezer! The chest freezer's in the garage so trips must be planned lol :-p I wanna try and get some vintage cookware from the charity shops as they always seem to have funky patterns and are made better than todays, and hopefully cheaper too! I'm hoping to find some of the white ware with black snowflakes! They remind me of my Mum as she has some, and even Mike has somehow managed to get a plate and mini bowl from somewhere - I think they must have been borrowed from his Mum and not taken back lol!! Plus, I love snowflakes so... Win win! :oD Must remember not to spend too much tho! I did try a request on Freecycle but didn't have any offers so...
I also want to try and get some pig livers for the "pork balls" I wanna try and make. Hmmm there was something else I wanted to get from Sainsbury's but I can't remember what now...
I read out instructions and measurements to Mike tonight and he made a choccie cake and sauce in the microwave -
http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/8763/lois--7-minute-gooey-chocolate-fudge-cake.aspx
We used an 850 watt microwave, regular granulated sugar instead of caster sugar and it took 8 minutes to cook not 5. It ended up as a sponge island with a choc sauce sea around it lol. Wasn't bad. And we served it with cream still in the fridge from Christmas.
I guess I best get to bed as Ayse is back to school tomorrow so it's back to the early mornings! Eeek!!
Bought the last pair of ski gloves needed for our trip too! £2.99 incl p&p from ebay :oD I've been lucky in that the 2 pairs I've bought I was the only bidder :oD Awesome!!! Just need more thermals too... Then I think we're done :oD
Oh... Frugal Tip #7 - Shopping
Don't be afraid to check out ebay and charity shops for bargains! One shop in town has ski gloves (in the sale) for £11.49! I'm so pleased to have won the ones I did on ebay, although they're not new and it's not as easy to take back if they're too small, but definitely worth a try in order to save money :oD
Hugs and snowflakes! xx
Sunday, 6 January 2013
2nd Shop of the Year and Under Budget!! :oD
Yep, just did my second budget shop and came away with £1.97 out of a £25 budget :oD
Items I bought were:
Tin of hotdogs x2 - 55p each
Tin of baked beans - 28p
Tin of garden peas - 21p
Stuffing mix x2 - 15p each
Pork mince x2 - £4.39 each, 2 for £6 (saved £2.78!!)
Stewing beef - £2.02
Streaky bacon - £1.06
Beef mince - £2.34
BLT sandwiches x4 - 25p each (reduced from £2 each)
Breaded chicken, frozen - £1.15
Bread x5 - 23p and 20p each
Hula hoops (7 pack) x2 £1 each
Citrus fruits - £1.19 (reduced)
Mushrooms - 75p (reduced)
Apples - 82p
Small potatoes - 69p
Bananas - £1
Total = £23.03
I originally picked up the mushrooms and they were reduced to 89p which I thought was good... Then I went round to the normal fruit and veg isle and saw them in their usual spot reduced to 75p! Needless to say I swapped them over lol. Was hoping to get some meaty bargains but never mind. I've sorted out 4 peoples lunches, got loads of food in for the week and have stocked up the freezer with bread :oD I wanted to try out Frugal Queen's faggot recipe:
http://frugalincornwall.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/saving-time-and-money.html#comment-form
but they didn't have any pig livers so I shall have to seek them out elsewhere and try them then. Could make for an interesting meal and I shall call them pork balls instead so as not to have Ayse turn her nose up at such a weird name lol :-p
Now on to stitching! Sigh, a stitchers work is never done :-p altho I will have a 25p BLT first lol!
Hugs xx
Edit: Frugal Tip #6 - Don't forget to check produce at the supermarket, even if reduced they might be reduced further somewhere else!
Items I bought were:
Tin of hotdogs x2 - 55p each
Tin of baked beans - 28p
Tin of garden peas - 21p
Stuffing mix x2 - 15p each
Pork mince x2 - £4.39 each, 2 for £6 (saved £2.78!!)
Stewing beef - £2.02
Streaky bacon - £1.06
Beef mince - £2.34
BLT sandwiches x4 - 25p each (reduced from £2 each)
Breaded chicken, frozen - £1.15
Bread x5 - 23p and 20p each
Hula hoops (7 pack) x2 £1 each
Citrus fruits - £1.19 (reduced)
Mushrooms - 75p (reduced)
Apples - 82p
Small potatoes - 69p
Bananas - £1
Total = £23.03
I originally picked up the mushrooms and they were reduced to 89p which I thought was good... Then I went round to the normal fruit and veg isle and saw them in their usual spot reduced to 75p! Needless to say I swapped them over lol. Was hoping to get some meaty bargains but never mind. I've sorted out 4 peoples lunches, got loads of food in for the week and have stocked up the freezer with bread :oD I wanted to try out Frugal Queen's faggot recipe:
http://frugalincornwall.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/saving-time-and-money.html#comment-form
but they didn't have any pig livers so I shall have to seek them out elsewhere and try them then. Could make for an interesting meal and I shall call them pork balls instead so as not to have Ayse turn her nose up at such a weird name lol :-p
Now on to stitching! Sigh, a stitchers work is never done :-p altho I will have a 25p BLT first lol!
Hugs xx
Edit: Frugal Tip #6 - Don't forget to check produce at the supermarket, even if reduced they might be reduced further somewhere else!
Saturday, 5 January 2013
Frugal Restaurant Eating
I'm feeling happier about having to go out to a restaurant tonight and we've even managed to look at their menu online and work out roughly how much we'll need for the night. All 3 of us know what we're having so fingers crossed it won't be too painful when the bill comes!
Frugal Tip #5 - Eating in Restaurants
*If you can choose where to eat, have a look round at their menus, see if they have any deals or offers on any specific nights
*If possible, look at the menu in advance so you know roughly how much cash to take with you, if you haven't got the money to buy the tasty looking dessert that the woman on the table next to you is eating then you won't be tempted to buy it
*Order some table water rather than buying expensive drinks
*Don't feel that you need a starter
*Don't feel that you can't share a side order with someone else at your table
*If you want to finish the night off with something sweet or a coffee, have something at home when you get in
Fingers crossed for a pleasant evening. It should be, but if the food isn't nice then it'll hurt even more when handing over the money as I'd know we could have eaten better at home for a lot cheaper :-s
Hugs xx
Frugal Tip #5 - Eating in Restaurants
*If you can choose where to eat, have a look round at their menus, see if they have any deals or offers on any specific nights
*If possible, look at the menu in advance so you know roughly how much cash to take with you, if you haven't got the money to buy the tasty looking dessert that the woman on the table next to you is eating then you won't be tempted to buy it
*Order some table water rather than buying expensive drinks
*Don't feel that you need a starter
*Don't feel that you can't share a side order with someone else at your table
*If you want to finish the night off with something sweet or a coffee, have something at home when you get in
Fingers crossed for a pleasant evening. It should be, but if the food isn't nice then it'll hurt even more when handing over the money as I'd know we could have eaten better at home for a lot cheaper :-s
Hugs xx
Friday, 4 January 2013
No Spend Day :o)
Yes indeedy I have spent £0 today :oD I haven't really done much else either though so... I have however done a lot of stitching which is always a good thing when you have a deadline creeping closer and closer! Just been looking on ebay for some ski mitts for our trip to Sweden and I'm hoping to borrow a pair too so that will mean only one pair to buy which will be awesome! Picked up some soil found on Freecycle today so I'm hoping I can put that on my potatoes - I saw some little green leaves poking out the top of the compost in there so I'm hoping that they're from the potatoes and not weeds :-s I wouldn't mind having some kind of composter to put our veggie peelings in so that might be worth a look into, although it would have to be quite a small contraption. I wanna grow some garlic and ginger too so I will do some searching around on Youtube once I've sent this stitching off and have some spare time again. I hope to one day have my own home with some land so I can plant oodles of veggies... I think I've said that before but I don't mind saying it again coz I really really want it!! Lol :o) One day...
Veggie garden at Ham House Estate. I have no idea where it is but doesn't it look awesome?!!
Frugal Tip #4 - Free Gift Tags
You need never buy gift tags again!! Just recycle your old birthday or christmas cards. I like to use a scalloped circle punch to punch out different parts of my old cards but you could use decorative scissors or even just plain scissors or a craft knife and ruler. You can either attatch these tags straight onto the gift with sellotape or punch a hole in the tag and use some string/wool/cotton and then tape this onto the gift. I know I've mentioned this before but I just felt it deserved it's own place amoungst my frugal tips :o)
Every bit of frugalness helps :o)
Hugs xx
Frugal Tip #4 - Free Gift Tags
You need never buy gift tags again!! Just recycle your old birthday or christmas cards. I like to use a scalloped circle punch to punch out different parts of my old cards but you could use decorative scissors or even just plain scissors or a craft knife and ruler. You can either attatch these tags straight onto the gift with sellotape or punch a hole in the tag and use some string/wool/cotton and then tape this onto the gift. I know I've mentioned this before but I just felt it deserved it's own place amoungst my frugal tips :o)
Every bit of frugalness helps :o)
Hugs xx
Thursday, 3 January 2013
One Step Forward...
...And two steps back. That's how I'm feeling at the moment with regards to money. My step son turns 21 tomorrow so will be having money for his present and as he has an older brother, he kind of has to have the same amount as he did (I personally think it's too much but don't really have a say in it). So that's one big chunk of money having to be spent. The second chunk of money we have to spend though, is really pissing me off. He's having a family meal out, I'm guessing he arranged it with his Mum. We weren't consulted about it but are expected to be able to afford to go and we can't really not go. For myself, Mike and Ayse I think it'll cost about £50!!! To me, that is sooo much money! Almost 2 weeks worth of food shopping spent in one night on food. I feel like eating dinner at home and then sharing a pizza between the 3 of us there. It wouldn't bother me to do that, after all, what's more important? The food or the company? Grrr! We're definitely eating from the freezer! I have gotten out leftover chicken korma for me and Mike tomorrow and we'll just need to boil up some rice. No spending there. Saturday is the meal so even if we do eat prior to going it'll only be something on toast - tinned spaghetti, scrambled eggs or something. No spending there. For Sunday, I'll have a rummage around in the freezer, see what meat needs using up.
Mike made some bread today, had to buy some powdered milk for it - £1.15. Also had to buy some more regular milk - £2.78. Looks like we'll be under £25 for this weeks groceries though :oD I need to source some cheap and tasty recipes for next week as I don't think we have much more to scrounge out of the freezer lol. I can feel a slow-cooker casserole with a little meat but plenty of veg and pulses coming on :o)
Hmmm any more news? I'm enjoying Mountain Men :o) just watched the second episode :o)
Used the new to us sky control - it's so nice to be able to press the tv guide, i, play and volume buttons lol!!! Love it! Just gotta wait until the rest of our programmes come back on the planner after their christmas break so we don't miss any lol, then we can swap the actual box too.
Hmmm as for my frugal tip for the day... I would say don't settle down with anyone who has an ex wife or kids but that would be mean and just display the unhappiness and lack of control I'm feeling at the moment, which would be wrong and unfair. So....
Frugal Tip #3 - Lists
Write a list of items you *need* to buy - stuff you have no choice in the matter of and which you can't do without. Also write a list of items you *want* to buy. These are items which you can do without but if you find one really cheap and can afford to buy it then you would consider doing so. These want items can also be looked at in a few weeks time and you might even realise that you no longer want something on there and it can be crossed off the list and you can feel happy knowing that you didn't buy it and that you've just saved yourself some money :o)
Another important list to make is for when you go food shopping. Make a meal plan for the week and maybe even have a couple of meals which you could swap out depending on if there are any reduced items or offers which would make sense to buy instead. Don't buy anything that's not on the list unless you need it and had truly forgotten to buy it.
Another list which is useful to do, especially at the start of the year is a list of birthday presents you need to give. Write down all the people and write down how much you want to spend on them or what you want to make for them and if you need to buy any materials for them, how much they would be. Total the amount up and this will help you plan for saving money for them. You can also do this for Christmas too.
Can't wait to get this weekend over with so we can continue NOT spending so much. I'm hoping the changeover of suppliers will be on the quicker end of their estimated time too! I read an interesting quote on someones blog or website recently. It went something along the lines of:
We are the only animal on the planet fool enough to pay for our food and housing.
Yep, that made me think. Life is definitely weird and definitely and unfortunately centres around money. Perhaps other species have it better than us?
Hugs xx
Mike made some bread today, had to buy some powdered milk for it - £1.15. Also had to buy some more regular milk - £2.78. Looks like we'll be under £25 for this weeks groceries though :oD I need to source some cheap and tasty recipes for next week as I don't think we have much more to scrounge out of the freezer lol. I can feel a slow-cooker casserole with a little meat but plenty of veg and pulses coming on :o)
Hmmm any more news? I'm enjoying Mountain Men :o) just watched the second episode :o)
Used the new to us sky control - it's so nice to be able to press the tv guide, i, play and volume buttons lol!!! Love it! Just gotta wait until the rest of our programmes come back on the planner after their christmas break so we don't miss any lol, then we can swap the actual box too.
Hmmm as for my frugal tip for the day... I would say don't settle down with anyone who has an ex wife or kids but that would be mean and just display the unhappiness and lack of control I'm feeling at the moment, which would be wrong and unfair. So....
Frugal Tip #3 - Lists
Write a list of items you *need* to buy - stuff you have no choice in the matter of and which you can't do without. Also write a list of items you *want* to buy. These are items which you can do without but if you find one really cheap and can afford to buy it then you would consider doing so. These want items can also be looked at in a few weeks time and you might even realise that you no longer want something on there and it can be crossed off the list and you can feel happy knowing that you didn't buy it and that you've just saved yourself some money :o)
Another important list to make is for when you go food shopping. Make a meal plan for the week and maybe even have a couple of meals which you could swap out depending on if there are any reduced items or offers which would make sense to buy instead. Don't buy anything that's not on the list unless you need it and had truly forgotten to buy it.
Another list which is useful to do, especially at the start of the year is a list of birthday presents you need to give. Write down all the people and write down how much you want to spend on them or what you want to make for them and if you need to buy any materials for them, how much they would be. Total the amount up and this will help you plan for saving money for them. You can also do this for Christmas too.
Can't wait to get this weekend over with so we can continue NOT spending so much. I'm hoping the changeover of suppliers will be on the quicker end of their estimated time too! I read an interesting quote on someones blog or website recently. It went something along the lines of:
We are the only animal on the planet fool enough to pay for our food and housing.
Yep, that made me think. Life is definitely weird and definitely and unfortunately centres around money. Perhaps other species have it better than us?
Hugs xx
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
Saved £67!
Yes indeedy my wonderful Fiance Mike had the task of trying to find cheaper Gas and Electric providers. We are currently with NPower for both services and a few months ago they raised our direct debits from £100 a month to £162!!! We weren't impressed!! So Mike had a look round and inputted the meter readings and found that the Co-Op would charge us £95 a month for both!! This is cheaper than the original fee with NPower!! I couldn't believe it! I'm just hoping this includes the £60 annual fee too :-s altho as we're saving £148 a year, it would still be cheaper so... Either way, it should be win - win :oD so today my tip is:
Frugal Tip #2
Check around for cheaper service providers for energy, internet, phone etc. Take a note of any information and quotes given over the phone and look it all over before phoning them back and accepting.
Bloggy bit: We managed to find a new Sky+ box on Freecycle today :o) we were originally going to buy a new control as the one we have is very unresponsive (we got it second hand so it's been going a long time); the programmes we record also have a habit of jumping and going silent for the odd second here and there but we could have lived with that. Well, we've put up with it for about a year already lol so... But I noticed someone offering one so I emailed and voila he said we could have it :oD so fingers crossed this new one will run smoothly and we will also be able to press the play button, i button and the volume buttons will also work well too on the control :oD If the machine has more gigs than this one then that would be awesome, but not essential. We'll just have to make sure to not record too much / make sure we watch everything in a timely manner!
I also gave to Freecycle today too :o) Some crafty bits and some greetings cards that I was given and knew I'd never use. Feels good and also helps to declutter! I'm still busy stitching with the deadline coming up soon so I will need to buckle down tomorrow and get a load done to catch up for the days I missed due to Christmas, laziness and pure procrastination of which I am highly skilled at.
I am quite proud of myself today, instead of putting the heating on this afternoon I put on my hat and scarf :oD oh and drank lots of yummy hot tea! It's amazing how extra nice a hot cup of tea feels when you don't have the heating on lol! :o)
Off to do a bit of stitching then I think I'll go and watch the first episode of Mountain Men whilst I snuggle up in bed :o) I'm hoping it'll be like Yukon Men coz I love that show :oD and Alaska: The Last Frontier. I would love to live a subsistence lifestyle although I don't think my body would cope :o( (dodgy muscles, back and the whole body is dodgy or so it feels at times lol) but one day as long as we can have our own house with some land to grow our own fruit and veg and maybe have chickens too... Then I'll be happy :o) I'd just like to have more freedom and live more naturally, how nature intended... But with a flushing loo and a hot shower.
What about you, readers? What would your ideal life be like? Does it include money or freedom? Or do you think money is needed to be totally free? I would love to hear your thoughts...
Hugs xx
Frugal Tip #2
Check around for cheaper service providers for energy, internet, phone etc. Take a note of any information and quotes given over the phone and look it all over before phoning them back and accepting.
Bloggy bit: We managed to find a new Sky+ box on Freecycle today :o) we were originally going to buy a new control as the one we have is very unresponsive (we got it second hand so it's been going a long time); the programmes we record also have a habit of jumping and going silent for the odd second here and there but we could have lived with that. Well, we've put up with it for about a year already lol so... But I noticed someone offering one so I emailed and voila he said we could have it :oD so fingers crossed this new one will run smoothly and we will also be able to press the play button, i button and the volume buttons will also work well too on the control :oD If the machine has more gigs than this one then that would be awesome, but not essential. We'll just have to make sure to not record too much / make sure we watch everything in a timely manner!
I also gave to Freecycle today too :o) Some crafty bits and some greetings cards that I was given and knew I'd never use. Feels good and also helps to declutter! I'm still busy stitching with the deadline coming up soon so I will need to buckle down tomorrow and get a load done to catch up for the days I missed due to Christmas, laziness and pure procrastination of which I am highly skilled at.
I am quite proud of myself today, instead of putting the heating on this afternoon I put on my hat and scarf :oD oh and drank lots of yummy hot tea! It's amazing how extra nice a hot cup of tea feels when you don't have the heating on lol! :o)
Off to do a bit of stitching then I think I'll go and watch the first episode of Mountain Men whilst I snuggle up in bed :o) I'm hoping it'll be like Yukon Men coz I love that show :oD and Alaska: The Last Frontier. I would love to live a subsistence lifestyle although I don't think my body would cope :o( (dodgy muscles, back and the whole body is dodgy or so it feels at times lol) but one day as long as we can have our own house with some land to grow our own fruit and veg and maybe have chickens too... Then I'll be happy :o) I'd just like to have more freedom and live more naturally, how nature intended... But with a flushing loo and a hot shower.
What about you, readers? What would your ideal life be like? Does it include money or freedom? Or do you think money is needed to be totally free? I would love to hear your thoughts...
Hugs xx
Tuesday, 1 January 2013
Happy New Year 2013!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I hope 2013 is happy, safe and frugal for you all :o)
I shall start off today with:
Frugal Tip #1
A night out clubbing for free
I never pay to get into clubs so this will be free, check online or phone your local clubs for any cut off times.
If you want to be super frugal and go out for zero £ then drink tap water. I've never been charged and they sometimes even put ice in the glass too :o) If you want an alcoholic drink then limit yourself to one or two and see if they have a "happy hour" or any offers. Alternatively start the night off with a couple at home bought from your local supermarket. One of the main things to be frugal is to pay for your own drinks whilst you're out, and make sure your friends know that this is what you're going to do so that they won't include you when buying a round and then expect a drink bought back. This also helps you to drink at your own pace and drink less therefor paying less. If you drive and not bothered about drinking alcohol then you could also be the designated driver and ask your friends to buy you a soft drink or two. This will be probably be cheaper for them than paying for a taxi so they would be more than likely to accept that offer. Just make sure to sort out everything *before you go out* so everyone knows where they stand and what's happening re drinks, lifts etc.
Complete free night = only go to clubs with free entry, drink tap water all night, take some mints or chewing gum with you to freshen your mouth. Extra bonus - dancing is more fun than going to the gym and on a free night out it will be much cheaper too!
Now onto the bloggy part of today :o)
I took my daughter into town today as she wanted to spend some of her birthday and christmas money. I was very well behaved and bought us both a thermal vest for our holiday which I needed to buy. I did however forget to take a drink and some food with us so I bought 2 drinks for 89p for us and a multipack of crisps for 99p to stop the tummy rumbles. And I bought Ayse a 3 pack of hankies for £2.99 as she only has one. She likes to take them to school as if she runs out of tissues, she's kinda buggered whereas hankies dry and can be used over and over ( I wish I had have had some when I was at school!!). I'm also weaning us off of tissues although I know there will still be a place for them. Phlegm and hankies don't mix lol!!
Really disappointed last night; we bought our Chinese and they didn't do calendars this year!!! They said it was due to the recession so I guess I can forgive them :o) we bought a set meal for 2 plus some egg fried rice for little miss fussy and we still have loads left so will have that tomorrow for lunch or dinner :o) yum!
I made Mike hang back up the washing line today :-p it was lovely and sunny so I hope they've dried somewhat. They're currently back indoors on the clothes racks to finish drying. They were quite cold when they came in. Even if they didn't dry an iota, they would have aired so will smell better (sometimes they come out not smelling very nice - we use eco balls so aren't scented). I will leave judgement until the morning I think :o)
Hugs xx
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