50p a day til Christmas - healthily?! Weezl's next challenge...

Plum_Pie

MrsM, does the parkin taste strongly of banana? I'm imagining it as one of several flavours because of the spices, dark sugar etc, is that right? It sounds lush anyway.

I notice the difference between different priced pastas. I'm considering going back to the pricier stuff as I'm starting to think I eat less of it because I'm more aware of the cost (and because I enjoy it more and therefore feel satified more quickly!)

MRSMCAWBER

Hi Plumpie

I can't really taste the banana much..i think it more for making it moist... I had a piece this morning and already the flavour is getting better :T I think when i make it again i will use part syrup and part treacle as i love the darker stuff and add a bit more ginger ..... it would be really scrummy warm with custard....something i may try this weekend

I often find the really cheap pasta a bit chewy..so buy a slightly better brand..I just have to watch myself here as im sooo lured by the wiered n wonderfull shapes that i don't normally see in the UK

Well I finally grabbed the bull by its horns and rang Lakeland :T Im really happy as i got :-

• standard remoska... now £89.99 -but they honoured the summer price of £79.99
• the remoska pan seperator £16.99
• 6 x 500ml bottles of ecover washing up liquid... 79p a bottle..instead of £1.58 and cheaper than the washingup liquid i get out here

it should have come to £116.46 and i paid £98.72 as i pay 15% vat not 17.5% ....so a saving of £17.74 :j plus the free gift -silicone utensils... and no postage as i got it sent to hubbies BFPO work address And hubby will transfer the money back to my UK account as its a xmas pressie;)

Im hoping that it will save on gas costs as my mum hasn't had her oven on since she had it about 2 weeks ago i think... It drives me mad putting the whole oven on for 2 of us ..so fingers crossed for this... it should be here in 3-5 working days

right of to x stitch i go again

cw18

foxy-tigger wrote: »

Have you tried the cheapy pasta from morrisons?? That is 19p for a bag of fusilli 500g (if I remember correctly!) and the pasta is really lovely. a lot better than the value version of Tesco's stuff?! that isn't the best.

Don't have a Morrisons in easy reach Or nowhere near as easy as Mr T anyway..... we have two of those much closer, one of which is walkable if the weather's OK (just over a 3 mile round trip). Also have a Mr A that's closer, though I do need the car for that one really. Will try and remember to pop into Morrisons next time I'm in Bolton, but depending which bus I get in it's off the route and not by any of the stores I go in for either.

But thanks for the heads up

cw18

MRSMCAWBER wrote: »

It drives me mad putting the whole oven on for 2 of us ..so fingers crossed for this... it should be here in 3-5 working days

I rarely do anything for 3 of us that needs a full size oven (electric here) -- 1 garlic baguette or a dozen sausages or 3 quarterpounders (grill's been bust since just after Easter) don't merit the cost......

But my microwave is a combi, so that gets used as an oven on a regular basis instead. And even when elder son was home on leave in July most stuff for 4 of us would still fit in the combi, although one or two meals were a tight squeeze

Probably only use the full oven once or twice a month now (things like pie/kiev with chips, as I can't get my chip tray into the combi and it won't take two smaller trays and cook properly even using the stacking rack), whereas it used to be at least twice a week -- and even more when hubby was working nights and buying (and cooking) oven ready meals for himself on an almost daily basis :eek:

Probably explains why my electricity useage graphs are down on last year (when I was off work on long term sick. so cooking for us all every day but still using the main oven without always checking if the stuff would fit in the combi - have now discovered my roasting tin fits), and last years were down on the year before (when hubby was working nights).

When I compare gas/electric bills with friends in smaller houses and work colleagues (from single blokes in flats to families in similar sized houses to ours) I regularly get stunned looks at how low our bills are -- but I still think they're higher than they need to be

littleredheadedgirl'75

some chinese supermarkets sell large bags of dried mushrooms quite cheaply,could work out cheaper than porcini etc?also holland & barrett shops have a 10% off for over 60's day(varies from shop to shop).
l was wondering if anyone on here uses MOC's at their asda or tesco?

MRSMCAWBER

Evening all

Just had a rather nice dinner of soyabean casserole with rice n peas (hubby had chilli).. I concocted it the other week and frozen it in portions for myself..yummy and healthy -lots of courgettes, aubergine and tomatoes from the garden, onions, peppers and mushrooms from the freezer and dried soya beans -ooh and smoked paprika ...will definitely be doing it again :j

Hubby came home with 10lb of apples from his ex-bosses garden they are cooking or eating apples and apparently when his cooking apples are ready he is going to bring me some of those as well :T . Hubby was saying that we don't buy bread or anything and he was so envious as his wife doesn't cook -so im getting hubby to let him know that im more than happy to take fruit he can't use, and give him some back in the form of pies, cakes, bread etc ..sounds like a good exchange to me ..
The apples i have now are going into the basement until the weekend when, hopefully we will get some blackberries to go with them..
Im looking for preserving ideas that don't require freezer space... so i might make apfelmuss and bottle it ...or some chutneys/pickle using my courgettes/aubergines from the garden..but we don't use very much of that kind of thing...any suggestions welcomed
right im back of to x stitch
have a great evening all

munchki

Good evening everyone.....

Well some things are looking up around here....

hubby is doing a bit of lorry driving...he positively hates it but needs must while he continues to look for something else.

went to the GP this week and got stuck on blue diet pills, which I hate and was told that my blood pressure was dangerously high and that I need to take time to chill out....so more xstitching for me i think. Also have strict orders from the GP to aim for a stone in weight loss by the 17th of September. I mostly eat healthy so this is going to be tough.

Got some apples from a friend last weekend. bigger than crab apples but still small. Not sure what I am going to do with them yet....open for suggestions please. if DH is around this weekend maybe we can go bramble picking.

Gave up trying to get jars and lids so found some on ebay for £36 for 100 jars including all the lids and free shipping. got them in less than 36 hours. Will have tons of jars for a long time.

Going to make some normal bread tonight and then going to make some courgette bread tomorrow. Made some plum jam last week and it is lovely.

Hope everyone is well, safe and happy. Big huge huggles to those that need them.

Will stop waffeling now and go back to the dark corner for a bit. I hear xstitch calling!

kath xx

cw18

munchki wrote: »

Also have strict orders from the GP to aim for a stone in weight loss by the 17th of September.

I think that's a bit of a tall order...... especially as the medical people all say 1lb-2lb a week is the 'safe' rate of weight loss. To lose 14lb by 17th September you're looking at an average of 3.5lb/week :eek:

munchki

cw18.... that is exactly what I said to the GP, guess she is just very worried about my bp at the moment which has been very high. Certainly going to be a challenge to saythe very least EEK!

These tablets dont let the body absorb most of the fat in food, which I eat very little of anyway. Guess will just have to see what happens. But I must admit, I look at everything now that I eat, really hard at times. Need very low fat but things that taste good as well.

In_Search_Of_Me

Just popping in before bed and packing for tomorrow. Minor op so wont be in for a few days (just a fatty lump - nowt sinister!). Saw mr & mrs weezl who are ok and getting there but much to do...not frugal for me today but will be for rest of the week!! hugs all and have a good few days. Lovely to see some geeky maths - bizzarly have missed it so ta