Live on £4000 for a year - Part 3

sophiesmum_2

hi Marru:p
How is the walking going? and the choccie challenge?
I have put something small in post today for the little person in your house:D

slowlyfading

sophiesmum wrote: »

The piccy has cherry toms and two big toms, green tomatoes, blackcurrants, gooseberries, blackberries and courgettes.
Still in garden, more of all the above, (except courgettes,)radish, beetroot, leeks, runner beans, french beans, strawberries, cucumbers, peppers and chillis, chives, parsley, mint, basil, oregano,carrots, baby apple tree, rhubarb,and a few spuds.

Wow, that's amazing. I'm in awe.

sophiesmum_2

slowlyfading wrote: »

Wow, that's amazing. I'm in awe.

Actually i am still quite amazed when things grow:rotfl: it is only my second summer growing stuff and I am still learning but it is very satisfying eating your own stuff, and very annoying if the slugs eat it first:rotfl:

sophiesmum_2

Good morning frunchkins:D
Early start for me today, couldn't sleep:rolleyes: Made my green tomato chutney last night so another 4 jars of HM produce now in my stores to mature:D
Plans for today:

• Go to costco for oldies
• Fill car up at cheap garage on the way
• visit parents on way back
• Definately go and check out blackberry sites
• Cook tea for oldies
• Go for a swim and sauna

F&V and frugal storecupboard menu plan
brekkie- porridge with prunes, OJ (2)
lunch - tuna salad sandwich (HG slaad )on HM seeded bread (1) HM yoghurt with tinned mandarins (1)
tea - roast chicken dinner, 3 veggies, rhubarb crumble and ice cream (4)(with oldies)

Have a lovely day everyone:D Think I will go and look for blackberries now while it is quiet, OH doesn't get home until 8am;)

Janey51

Nyk Electrical Safety Cert is supposed to be renewed every 5 yrs. When we used to rent a house out it cost £75 to have everything checked and we had to have a special circuit board that tripped out if a tenant plugged a faulty appliance in which cost £200 ten years ago.

NZ trip....DH and I went 6 yrs ago (when we had money :rolleyes: ) when DS and DIL were married. Its such a lovely country and so laid back. When DIL's relatives have visited the UK we always had them to stay and DH would do dinner parties for them. We had a couple of Burn's suppers complete with haggis being piped in.
I had some lovely cards from NZ when DH died and they said they are looking forward to returning our hospitality.

DH had just finished re-doing the dining room (in true frugal fashion) before he died and I am having a dinner party in DH's honour in a couple of weeks.
My nephew was learning to cook from DH so he is going to be chef. I am going to do the puddings and be general kitchen hand :rolleyes:

There will be 7 of us and I hope DH will be here in spirit.

Going to Mr A on the Friday before to pick up the ingredients so hope we can find a few whoopsies.
I can get vegs from friendly gardener as mine aren't ready.
Starters will be choice of home made pate with HM Melba toast or HM soup with fresh rolls.
We are having roast pork with loads of fresh steamed and roast vegs and 2 special sauces plus HM apple sauce and HM stuffing.
Puds will be HM lemon meringue and a chocolate one which I still haven't decided on.

We will finish with cheese and home made biscuits.

DH had a lot of HM wine so that will be served plus a bottle of special port which he had.

I'm looking for ideas for some nibbley type things to have with pre-dinner drinks. Something different from the usual nuts, crisps and olives

I cut the grass yesterday and have hurt my back :eek: so will have to try and get it to recover today. I had to move a huge stone dragon so I could get all the grass cut. DH could do it no bother but it weighs nearly as much as me. I know I should have strimmed round it but wanted to do a proper job :rolleyes:
He always said I am too stubborn.:o

Although I wouldn't recommend it, grief is the most frugal way of living I have found. I really don't want to be bothered with anything but I must plan ahead.

looby-loo_2

Hello, I've not been around much and haven't read anything except for this page - I'll look back later. Sophiesmum, I'm so impressed by your veg, especially the tomatoes. ~Mine are still at the flowering stage and there aren't really many flowers. They are all leaves - I think I fed them to well for then to bother to make fruits.

I did get back from holiday yesterday and picked 2 cucumbers, some courgettes and 3 types of beans, although the runner beans are way behind too.

I went to pick the gooseberries which were not quite ripe before I left on Monday. There were just 5 from 4 bushes. Where did they go

Sophiesmum, don't you find it a bit scary that blackberries are ripe already? They were always an autumn fruit to go with the apples when I was a child. We would never think find them before the last week in August, yet I too have them ready. I've made blackberry ice cream.

Frugal targets for today:

• I weeded big weeds from the planted part of the lotty yesterday. Today I will hoe to keep them down.
• Feed to raspberry plants after they fed me so well

• Deadhead the flowers so they keep flowering, spread some out for seeds next year
• Baking - make bread, pastry cases for filling with fruit, muffins using dried cranberries saved from last Christmas
• Let out more of DH trousers - this evening
• Vis
  it mum - take her 3 bunches of lilies (from the market bought for £2)

Remember the sun cream everyone!

lyndasharp

sophiesmum wrote: »

Glad that Bf's family turned out to be lovely:D can't have been easy for you turning up to meet them for the first time alone.
Fingers crossed about the job, will you actually take it if you are offered the chance?? or will that depend on Bf and whether he decides to stay or go?

Aaaargh, just did a reply and it vanished. Start again.

It depends on whether Derry would pay me a sensible amount, if they offered me the job at the lowest end of the pay scale it'd mean a big pay cut, and although things are cheaper over there it'd mean shared houses for another 3.5 years and I'm not sure I could face that. It depends on whether my current boss can offer me anything to keep me here - one of the permenant guys is retiring next year, and if they were thinking of giving me his job it may be worth staying. Plus it does depend on bf as well!

It seems really strange that by the end of this week I'll have a good idea of where my life is going for the next few years.... industrial object restoration in Swindon or book restoration in Derry :eek:

bails

Morning everyone!

Wow, SophiesMum, all that produce looks amazing! :T Puts my few spinach leaves to shame Oh well, hopefully next year I'll have more of a clue and will also have the beds/greenhouse etc already there to start earlier. How much space do you have to grow so much? I think this may be my downfall (although the hanging baskets are a great idea for next year too), along with the slugs (although I can't cut them in half :eek:). I'd love a raspberry and gooseberry bush, would I need to get them now for fruit next year? We are going to chop down our plum tree as it's diseased, let the ground 'breathe' for a while and then plant another fruit tree in its place, any ideas (we already have an apple tree)? Keep the photos coming, v inspiring!

The dinner party sounds fab Janey, watch out for frugal gatecrashers

Lyndasharp, sorry to hear OH is being a little strange, maybe he's pulling back a bit in case you do go to Derry and he doesn't feel able to come with you? Blokes like to protect themselves too.
Mumzy, have fun with your new man!
My plans for today:

• start 5-a-day (been food shopping finally!)
• drink 2 litres water (been hopeless at this recently)
• restart meds (now have new supply)
• washing load (on already)
• sprout seeds (started)
• tidy kitchen
• pick (the few) berries I have
• go for a long walk and picnic with OH
• check out the blackberries on the way

Have a fab day everyone (Marru, quick paperwork sort first then enjoy the sunshine and look forward to tomorrow) xx

wendywitch

I don't have time to catch up with all the posts I've missed sorry but just needed to nip in to update my sig.
Had a busy few days running around for others, hospital appointments and one of my best friends came down to visit for the weekend so lots of catching up had to be done
Went to see UB40 in concert with my Dad yesterday for his early birthday present (which I now owe money to my Mum for ), weren't allowed to take anything in with you so had to buy drinks there - Dad paid £6.50 - 2 large bottles of water and 1 large cheese burger.
I've had a lot to pay out recently so I really don't think I'll make the challenge but still I know I haven't actually "wasted" the money as a large lump went on vet bills and smaller amounts on birthday and Christmas presents as I don't have separate budgets as some do.
Well, off to put more cream on my sun burn and get ready to take the kids to the local carnival.

mama67

nykmedia wrote: »

Now I'm upset. I signed up for evey possible Tesco mailing and have never received any, at all. I'm beginning to think that AOL must filter them out as spam. I've checked my settings and all possible addresses are included, they just don't seem to be getting through. I find this happens a lot with AOL, but don't know it until someone mentions something that I should have received and didn't. I know it's easy to just make up a new email address but, to be honest, working online daily means I receive hundreds of emails as it is and havin g to log into another service is something I am just not prepared to do as it takes up too much time filtering through all the junk.

I'm seriously considering giving up my Tesco points saving, along with my Tesco cc, as I was so annoyed at how many restrictions are imposed on the Deals. Can anyone tell me what they do with their points that makes it financially worth their while collecting them? I'm open to suggestions, as I don't want to miss out on anything that helps my frugal lifestyle

Nyk, I just collect them as and when and then it is extra money saved in readiness for Christmas either to use for treats or to be able to use instead of cash to use the cash in another store.

Not the best way of using them but seems to work for me.

I used to save the vouchers each mailing and then use them to do the grocery shopping whilst on holiday again extra money to use for spendo, but last year decided to just save them for Chrimbo.