Live on £4000 for a Year, 2009 Challenge, part 1

cw18

After the cheapest mince (padded out with lentils these days), chicken is our second largest meat in terms of use. I've also got no bacon in at the moment -- we don't use it often, but I like to have some in for that 'once in a while'.

Also -- just picked this up from my Moneywize email

The Bank of England has cut interest rates to their lowest levels in its 315-year history.

The central Bank's Monetary Policy Committee has voted to cut the official interest rate by 50 basis points to just 1.5%. This is the first time interest rates have fallen below 2% since 1694. However, economists generally expected rates to be cut by the full 1% today.

Experts say that such a low official interest rate means we are very close to the limit at which lenders can profitably offer mortgages.

Doesn't look promising for people trying to sell their houses -- nor for those with savings

purplevamp

CW - I got that email as well. I'm quite angry at the fact that savers are (in effect) being penalised for being careful with their money :mad: . My ISA rate has dropped to 0.5%-1.9%.

On the chicken front, we also mainly have chicken and mince as our main meat. My DH has said he now only uses 2 chicken breasts in his curry (the only meal he really cooks :rotfl: ), he used to use 4!! I've also noticed the price of economy bacon has gone up from 99p to nearly £1.80 within the last few months. Vegetarians have the right idea, veggies are way cheaper. I may make one meal a week veggie. My well trained DH spent only £3.93 on apples, potatoes and oranges (no bananas in co-op).

sophiesmum_2

Looks like I need to get to costco and stock up on some bacon,will have to take a few crumbles out of freezer to make room:o , 2.5 kg pack is £7.89 no vat , so about £1.43 lb for really nice bacon:D

If i get two packs (11 lbs) that will keep us going for a good while, DD likes bacon in her pasta and OH likes a bacon butty at weekends sometimes.
cw - fancy a ride to costco sunday??

cw18

sophiesmum wrote: »

cw - fancy a ride to costco sunday??

Yes pleeeease Depends what time though

Busy trying to work out how to make space in my freezers to get as much meat in as possible -- looks like we're on roast lamb tomorrow and probably roast chicken over the weekend, as these take up much more space in there on a 'number of meals' basis than anything else I've got stashed :eek: Plus the lamb is plenty for while elder DS is still here (goes back Sunday - needs to be at the airport by 3:30pm I think, which means leaving here about 2:30)

Frugaldom

My bargain buy fruit bushes have arrived! At the price, I was expecting tiny little sticks but got a lot more than I bargained for - the blackcurrant bushes and half the raspeberry canes are nearly 3' and, apparently, I could get fruit this year! :j As this is all part of my longterm self-sufficientish plan I am delighted at the prospect of having my own fruit sooner rather than later.

In true frugal fashion, I have saved a handful of the lentils that I had rinsed & soaked for sprouting to see how they do. No posh sprouter, though, just my plastic carton with kitchen paper same as primary school days.

Going to watch the Victorian Farm programme tonight to see if I can get any good ideas from that. I did try playing free bingo but my Internet connection can't cope with the G@la site. :rolleyes:

Hoping for dry weather tomorrow so I can plant the fruit bushes; that will stop me from going shopping for another day. :j

skint_chick

bails - i would talk to your doctor again because the antibiotics aren't clearing the infection properly thats why it keeps coming back. I had the same prob with t'other womens infection and eventually got a really strong antibiotic and instead of spreading out treatment over a week it was 3x2 tablets for a day. It worked because it was concentrated.

If you put a teaspoon of bicarb of soda in a large glass of sugar free cranberry juice and cut out as much sugar as poss for the next few days that should help ease your symptoms. Feel better soon

shaz_mum_of__2

sophiesmum any chance of a definitive what you can sprout list all i know is tomato seeds are poisonous

Nyk great news on the fruit bushes i bought 10 canes for a tenner last spring they looked like dead sticks but soon grew .........only had about a raspberry per cane but expecting more this year . Also planning strawberrys in hanging baskets and tumbling toms too. hows the potato planting going ...had the topsoil for the new raised beds delivered today so hubby will be busy and i will be project managing

Fizzel made me laugh that you cleaned with stardrops ......how many bottles of actifizz do you have???

Had a busy day with docs and physio today so a bit sore but manage a stockpile stocktake / rotation/ tidy and wrote a list of low stock items

Off for a long soak

Shaz

looby-loo_2

nykmedia wrote: »

My bargain buy fruit bushes have arrived! At the price, I was expecting tiny little sticks but got a lot more than I bargained for - the blackcurrant bushes and half the raspeberry canes are nearly 3' and, apparently, I could get fruit this year! :j As this is all part of my longterm self-sufficientish plan I am delighted at the prospect of having my own fruit sooner rather than later.

Hoping for dry weather tomorrow so I can plant the fruit bushes :j

You could make cuttings to increase your bushes.
http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/blackcurrant_page2.asp#blackcurrant_plant

sophiesmum_2

Hope you get the weather for your planting plans Nyk, I put some blackcurrants in last january and was rewarded with quite a good crop of berries in the summer - so you have a good chance of being in production soon:j

Of all the things I have tried lately I 'm really excited about the sprouting seeds and pulses:j I can't believe bails, BB and everyone were quietly getting on with doing this and didn't tell us how easy/ great it was for the frugal kitchen naughty frunchkins:rotfl:

Off to the gym now for a swim and jacuzzi and sauna - catch up with you later.:D

fizzel81

too many bottles of it to count, but i do still like my stardrops and its alot easier to have bowls of water and a microfibre cloth than spraying activfizz and cleaning that way, the activ fizz i can use for quik wipe ups etc but my stardrops will still be used for bigger cleaning jobs, ie bathroom, kitchen, tiles,skirting boards, floors and so forth.

dinner went down well, something i think i will cook again, next time with more sweet potato and no chips just having it with something like bread, i may also get away with using cheaper sausages

i do spray the activfizz to clean the shower though, saves me climbing in with a cloth and anything else, i can spray on leave a few mins and wash off