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Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

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  • nursemaggie
    nursemaggie Posts: 2,608 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 1,000 Posts
    Welcome Skintoap from another Skint oap. I have found I have made the biggest savings from switching to getting most of my shopping from either Ald! or my local market. I am lucky in that my local market has had lots of awards for it's food and I can buy quite a lot of things there.

    It also pays to shop late in the market and get things they are selling off because they do not have any cold storage. Saturdays are particularly good for this.

    The other thing I have done is learned to shop around for some things or buy own brands. It pays to unit price everything. We do have a little more time to shop around than those who are working.

    Another place to save is Asian supermarkets or Asian brands like KTC which are British, they are based in Birmingham. You would be surprised how many things you don't think of as Asian they sell and the quality is good..

    Another use of your scraps of sock wool is mittens and gloves for any children in the family because they like lots of different colours.
  • vhalla1478
    vhalla1478 Posts: 490 Forumite
    Afternoon All,

    And welcome skintoap - yet a third one here - but becoming solvent so I'm not grumbling - well not much:D.

    I've managed to get all the tasks I set myself finished today - the washing and ironing, baking a loaf of bread for a friend who isn't feeling 100% at the moment and I've done my rug quota again so feel I've had a productive day. And here's another recipe to celebrate - sorry, dieters! I thought also that it might elicit a comment from Prinzess, like Cheerfulness, we haven't heard much from either of them lately. Cheerfulness, I do hope your friend is on the road to recovery - what a terrible shock for his family and friends.

    Chocolate Biscuits with Soft Chocolate Centres

    - makes 30 biscuits and you'll also need two cutters, one about 4cm and one about 5cm

    140 grams butter, 140 grams caster sugar, 2 egg yolks, 255 grams self raising flour, 30 grams cocoa powder, 30 squares of chocolate (milk, white or plain).

    Grease a large baking sheet. cream the butter and sugar together until pale. Beat in the egg yolks, then add the flour and cocoa powder to make a dough (the mixture is meant to be dryish). Turn out and knead, then place in fridge for 20 minutes or so.

    Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees/gas5.

    On a lightly floured surface, roll out a third of the dough thinly, then cut out 30 rounds with the smaller cutter. Spread them out on the baking sheet and put a square of the chocolate in the middle of each one. Then roll the rest of the dough out. cut out 30 rounds with the larger cutter and place them on top of the chocolate, pressing gently all the way round to seal the edges and to keep the chocolate in. Cook in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes and eat them hot or cold.

    I hope you enjoy them.

    Viv xx
  • nursemaggie
    nursemaggie Posts: 2,608 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 1,000 Posts
    mmm... those sound nice vhalla think DS will love them boubons are his favourite.
  • Bubblesmum
    Bubblesmum Posts: 1,778 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Evening all

    I have been a lurker now for a while, and really appreciate you sharing your MMM's which are often inspiring.

    Just eaten a make a Do dinner, eating our way through the contents of the freezer, and limiting ourselves to £10 a week groceries plus our veg box. We are going on holiday in 6 weeks and spending too much on Mr Oc@do.

    OH has just appeared for our household business meeting... So story of puppy and boots will have to wait....
    As a dear MSE friend says “keep plodding” or
    What does the saying say.... When life hands you lemons, make lemonade
    Or as my Mum would say, brush yourself down, tomorrow is another day or
    Fake it, to you Make It

    Please say hello my new diary: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6578460/still-dancing-to-blow-the-debt-clouds-away
  • nursemaggie
    nursemaggie Posts: 2,608 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 1,000 Posts
    Welcome Bubblesmum If you are going self catering someone has asked for ideas today was going to post but those who have have done so well I thought it did not need any more. Only so much you can eat in a week.
  • Bubblesmum
    Bubblesmum Posts: 1,778 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    nursemaggie wrote: »
    Welcome Bubblesmum If you are going self catering someone has asked for ideas today was going to post but those who have have done so well I thought it did not need any more. Only so much you can eat in a week.

    Thank you... Self catering in away.... We are off to Trinidad to see friends who normally live in Northamptonshire but currently working there... So staying with them :rotfl::rotfl:

    We love self catering... And I often take my slow cooker with me.
    As a dear MSE friend says “keep plodding” or
    What does the saying say.... When life hands you lemons, make lemonade
    Or as my Mum would say, brush yourself down, tomorrow is another day or
    Fake it, to you Make It

    Please say hello my new diary: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6578460/still-dancing-to-blow-the-debt-clouds-away
  • Bubblesmum
    Bubblesmum Posts: 1,778 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I have started looking after a puppy two afternoons a week. A couple of weeks ago, while on a business call, the puppy, decided to amuse itself by chewing the tabs on my boots that hold the laces :eek: to the point of no return :rotfl::rotfl:

    Dear father :A came to my aid, took them to his show repairer who punched holes in the front - not pretty but definitely MMM as boots have lots of life left !
    As a dear MSE friend says “keep plodding” or
    What does the saying say.... When life hands you lemons, make lemonade
    Or as my Mum would say, brush yourself down, tomorrow is another day or
    Fake it, to you Make It

    Please say hello my new diary: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6578460/still-dancing-to-blow-the-debt-clouds-away
  • cheerfulness4
    cheerfulness4 Posts: 3,021 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited 30 April 2015 at 9:16PM
    Hello SkintOAP and bubblesmum. :) Lovely to see people joining in and hearing how they MM&M.

    Viv, how well you must know me. Post a choccy biscuit recipe and I must sense it from afar and coming hunting it out! :D
    You watch, Prinzess will follow soon as I'm sure w're kindred souls when it comes to deliciously sweet recipes.

    Thanks for your concerns over our friend. Its one of those cases where friends stand back and let all the family have their space for a while but we've been told he's now breathing unaided which is very good news.

    I have one more treat tomorrow before I knuckle down budgeting again. I've had a few treats. :o
    DH took me out shopping today to buy new shoes. I don't enjoy that normally. I have feet like flippers and just normally buy clumpy great big things. I long for winter when I can hide them in long boots.
    However, today he made a treat of a little shopping trip, with lunch included in BHS, and not one but two pairs of shoes. One glitzy pair of flipflop type sandals from Primark (who knew they did wide fitting shoes, too?) and one posh cream sandals for best from BHS.

    My sparkly leather type flipflops from Primark are just so pretty. They have thin plaited straps with clear crystals and gems on them. Not like me at all but are so 'girly' and will look fab with a tan on my feet. (I have a bottle all ready :p )

    The BHS ones are a cream/stone colour slingback with a tied bow and peep toes at the front in leather. They match a dress DH bought me a few weeks ago. Meeting with some friends on Sunday so I'll dress up for once. :D

    Of course none of this has anything to do with MM& Ming but I had to share! :D

    Looking forward to getting back to normal with my £3 a day. I feel safe with a budget. I'm not to be trusted without one. :whistle:

    But tomorrow will see me going for my last treat out when DH takes DS and I to a little garden centre for a lovely lunch. They cook from scratch and their food is incredible. Its not a chain but a family that run it. I can't wait! :j

    Some of my tomato plants are around 8" tall now. (Sungold). The others are around 5". I'm so proud. :D
    Not so proud of my cosmos. What's going on there? They must be the easiest plant in the world to grow and they're looking positively puny. :(

    MAY GROCERY CHALLENGE   £0/ £250

  • cheerfulness4
    cheerfulness4 Posts: 3,021 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Bubblesmum wrote: »
    We love self catering... And I often take my slow cooker with me.


    I take my breadmaker, my Tefal frying pan and my sharp knives. Actually I take a fair bit more but I'm not going to embarrass myself by owning to all the rest. :rotfl:

    I will admit to taking my pillow everywhere I go but I think lots of people do that, don't they??:undecided

    MAY GROCERY CHALLENGE   £0/ £250

  • silvasava
    silvasava Posts: 4,433 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Hi Skintoap :hello: welcome to the thread - you too Bubbles. Lots of help and encouragement and support here. :)
    Cheerful - your twinkly flip flops sound lovely - so great to find something 'girly' unexpectedly too - enjoy them!
    Engineer couldn't find anything wrong with my dishwasher when he came - nice guy didn't charge me. He thinks its probably the programmer playing up. If it carries on I'll probably get a new one as its over 10 years old although my last one was over 20 before it expired! My cold seems to have gone - managed Yoga tonight & feel better for it. The forecast here for the weekend isn't great so I'm going to try a couple of Vhallas recipes - treacle tart is calling me ;)
    Small victories - sometimes they are all you can hope for but sometimes they are all you need - be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle
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