50p a day til christmas, healthily?!-Weezl's next challenge (part 2)

jackieglasgow

Evening all, I just wanted to share my delight with you, and thank you all again for all your advice, chat, and ideas. These last months of eavesdropping have been great for me.

It was my younger son's birthday yesterday, and we are skinter than skint just now. Thanks to you all, we found some fabulous bargains in HB for his gifts (branded figures which he had wanted reduced to £1.99 each!), and I decided to try the Millies Cookies recipe which you've mentioned here once or twice.

His older brother helped with the decorating, and we had a brilliant time doing this together and hiding it on Friday night. We worked out it cost us £1.05. Usually we spend about £20-£20 on a birthday cake, which is always the highlight of my boys' parties, and we have a frame full of pictures of the boys with their cakes. sad, i know!

Anyway, younger son was OVER THE MOON with his giant cookie (sweet tooth just like his mum), and we sliced it up like a pizza for everyone to try, then because we had run out for the adults, I simply threw another one together and it was ready in 15mins from start to finish.

I know this all sounds like Bragging, and it is, but only because I am so delighted. My boy said he had the best birthday ever, and a day I was dreading because I only had about £20 to spend, turned out to be the nicest day I've had for a very long time.

Thanks so much, all of you. My very own :As

In_Search_Of_Me

aww jackie thats a gorgeous post and I know that out weezl will be v proud of you and o dount picking up hints for bdays for ferg!! Its funny isnt it how we used to spend a bomb when now we can create things with pride and cheaper! (nd cheaper and then cheaper again!). As for the millies recipe I've resisted to date but some contributors could well be on the way to millies cookies anon!!
Know what you mean phizzmum re crumbles...def a winter thing me thinks - like patchwork just cant face it in summer!!

boredofbeingathome

I agree ISOM, a lovely post and those days are always the best.

Sian_the_Green

Aww Jackie, sounds like you are a lovely mum and I think the big thing is the effort you put in, that is what I remember most about my birthdays growing up, Mum making a cake for me, playing games at my party... I think money is the least part of it. Good to have you around

Confuzzled

shaz_mum_of__2 wrote: »

swetcorn salsa
yummy

Shaz

ooh do you have a recipe for this please shaz?

SunnyGirl

Jackie What a fabulous birthday party! I'm glad you all enjoyed it. When I look back over the years (I'm only 42 btw ) it's not the days that we've spents loads of money that I, or the kids, remember, it's the days when we put a party on for next to nothing, went for a walk & a jam sandwich picnic, played dominoes/cards/board games together & sat & watched movies with home popped corn that spring to mind. What lovely memories you are giving your children - of creativity and using what's available and your skills :T

shaz_mum_of__2

Phizzimum - i think you can just add lemon juice as a pectin substitue in strawberry jam

Jackie - thats a great tale and welcome

confuzzled - halved cherry toms,canned sweetcorn red onion fresh coriander all sprinkled with lime juice you can add avocado too if not weight watching! like me


oh and thanks for the link sunnygirl

Shaz

Elfinwings

Morning everyone - I've been offline since Wednesday last week - been away creating a wedding cake, and happy to report it all went well :-)

Ceridwen - Certainly a thought about the book, not sure I'm much of an authoress though, and frankly, this thread should be made into a book!

Frugalista wrote: »

I'm sort of halfway between Hereford and Worcester Are you on the Worcester side of Evesham?

Hi Frugalista - Nice to know there is someone else near me! I am on the Worcester side, between Evesham and Pershore.

Elfin.

p.s. the scone-topped crumble was a great success, thanks for all the suggestions!

Sian_the_Green

So Weezl, shall we have a whip round for some leccy so that you can be on here more often, we miss you on your thread! One of my housemates is the loveliest girl but is a nightmare for power etc, she takes 20 min showers, leaves her laptop plugged in constantly and puts all the lights on, she doesn't cook much though so I guess it is swings and roundabouts! I once was out and realised I had left a sweet potato roasting in the oven for 7 hours! he he, not much left of it when I got in. We had a quarterly bill of £85 for electric and gas each (3 of us) which I don't think is too bad given that we have a dishwasher and housie uses the tumble dryer to do her uniform every other day

phizzimum

shaz_mum_of__2 wrote: »

Phizzimum - i think you can just add lemon juice as a pectin substitue in strawberry jam

wow, never knew that! makes sense as DD tried the sugar and said it tasted lemony - looked at the ingredients and it contains citric acid.

Elfinwings wrote: »

Morning everyone - I've been offline since Wednesday last week - been away creating a wedding cake, and happy to report it all went well :-

ooh, impressive! any photos?

Sian_the_Green wrote: »

So Weezl, shall we have a whip round for some leccy so that you can be on here more often, we miss you on your thread!

couldn't agree more!

(very proud of myself cos I managed a multi-quote!)