Live on £4000 for a Year, 2009 Challenge, part 2

sophiesmum_2

Congratulations candygirl on the birth of Layla, hope you enjoy her.:j

sophiesmum_2

Good evening frunchkins:D

Been out pottering in my garden area for quite a while, OH came down with me and was chatting and plotting ;)whilst I was working, so seeing the benefits of the new garden furniture already:D(and he brought me a cuppa)
Everything is starting to flourish now in the garden, over the last week the fruit bushes have really come on, the baby apple tree is flowering, the rhubarb has grown about a foot and the first gooseberries have appeared. Just going to give it another week I think and then the cherry tomatoes can go out in the hanging baskets.
My mum popped round with a few surplus plants today too so broccoli and runner beans to add in somewhere - (she bought these and they are further on than my home grown ones.)
Took friend to town earlier but didn't buy any veggies this week - want to use stuff up from freezer, did buy some fat balls for the birds though but was only 98p so cheap day for me today:D

Had an e-mail from on line bookies to tell me there was still £15 in my account from last year when I did some matched betting so have withdrawn that towards my extra income mini challenge, also had a letter from previous mobile contract provider saying that there was still £37 credit on the account so written to them and asked for a cheque to be sent to me - 12 months since contract ended !
So quite a productive day and have already made over the £50 I was challenging myself to:j
sft - sounds like you are getting the hng of the boots points maximising;)

Have a good evening everyone.

shaz_mum_of__2

redglass wrote: »

Shaz: how do you make rhubarb schnapps? I have some nice rhubarb coming up.

i Have used the recipe here


http://unboughtdelicacies.blogspot.com/2009/04/rhubarb-rhubarb.html

first time for me but it smells delish!!

Had some homemade beer tonight ...........believe me i am practically teetotal but i love making it...................this was my first attempt at beer and i thought i had messed up but it was a lovely hoppy beer 40 pints for a tenner(cost of a kit plus sugar) very frugal

investigating a hedgerow beer next nettle perhaps or dandelion!!

Shaz

Brighton_belle

hello all. Had a lovely walk today although it includes a confession...
perhaps the evidence should be presented:



yes, I bought us some sandwiches,a tea and a flap jack:o. There, I've said it - the shameful confessions of a would be frugaller. But it was a lovely day and worth celebrating as I was going to walk back for the first time as usually I get a bus and OH walks. It was also a small individual little cafe full of homemade stuff that was fairly priced. And it's only the second use of allocated 'outing funds' this year.

Like the sound of your new garden furniture already paying dividends SM

Like the look of the new haircut idea skintchic - on your recent record I'd say it was worth the risk:D
cw - it seems appalling that siblings can be sent to separate schools. that must make life as a parent extra difficult and potentially be distressing for the children.

Frugaldom

Just another quick visit, hope everyone has had a good day.

Just looking at the calander and it's only 5 more days until we are one third of the way through this frugal challenge, so anyone who is starting over, GOOD LUCK. It does get easier once frugalising becomes second nature - even with the extravagances.

Loads of lovely walks being taken, I see. And I think a bit of an 'extra' by way of a snack should be allowed, BB, but take a picnic next time and get someone else to carry it. :rotfl:

Congratulations on arrival of DGD, Candygirl. Hope mum and baby are both doing well.

CW, glad your DGD got into preferred school.

SM, I really hope the good weather keeps up for your trip north on Monday. I'll save you some garden items from my van load that I got today and then you can help me decide what to do with a water wheel. :cool:

Redglass, thank you for the 'sloe' suggestions

Shaz, I'll need to get the demijohns unpacked and make a start on the winemaking soon. If I'm going to have frugalite neighbours, I should have frugalite-friendly refreshments for sipping [STRIKE]on the patio[/STRIKE] [STRIKE]by the pool[/STRIKE] by the duck pond.

Bails, chicks are doing fine - another picture for you as evidence


Truffle still has bendy feet and Bailey now thinks he's a bantam!
How will I ever be able to part with them??

Brighton_belle

But the trouble is Nyk, we'd already had lunch and hadn't planned to need to eat, I just came over all ravenous and needed fuel:D. And it enabled me to save the bus fare home...and as I do all the cooking and food prep, can't this count as a holiday, as we never have any other holidays? Sometimes, always having to pre plan food can be a little waring on the soul n'est pa?
I can see I shall have to do some frugal atoneing...I have just made a lge batch of flapjacks for OH lunches, and a couple of cakes for visiting tomorrow. And made some more HM yogurt, using my yog starter that's been going for months now without me having to buy a fresh starter.

patchwork_cat

Hi - I have been reading a bit first time poster on this thread, poor frugalista unfortunately - must try harder! skintchick flicky style might well suit a round face, I call it newsreaders hair! My hairdresser always laughs ( not nicely - don't know why?) when I say this, but basically because I think it is a professional looking, but stylish cut for a woman over 35 - exactly the cut in the picture, I think that would suit a round face.

Frugaldom

Good morning all

BB, you have more than made up for the slightly unfrugal snack between meals. We certainly do all need a break or holiday(ish) treat now and again, even if we don't go on actual holiday. My longterm goal is to make life a holiday, so I indulge in things like the garden and the livestock. Not sure how I'm going to make life in Frugaldom self-funding, however, as I want to keep all the chicks that have hatched and there are only 2 hens laying but 3 of us to feed. :rotfl:

Patchwork Cat, I haven't seen you around before now, so, welcome to the frugal living challenge thread, feel free to pop in anytime you're passing.

Have a good day, everyone. I hope the sun is shining wherever you may be.

cw18

Nyk : I love the photos of all your chicks..... and so do my GD's, though they always ask if there are any more pictures of the baby ducks

Ah well - off to sort some more boxes !!! Went through about 14 boxes yesterday - 7 of which are now repacked and in the car to go to storage (I need to fill the rest of the boot this afternoon, so I can justify the trip down before putting the rear seat back in position for collecting my GDs tomorrow morning), and all the rest are sitting empty to allow a major sift through boxes of randomly mixed up stuff today. In the process I got rid of just a couple of carrier bags of rubbish, but I did also more than half fill my paper recycling sack.....

(I did bring one new 45 litre box into use yesterday though - and it's already almost full of Leg0!!!)

redglass_2

shaz_mum_of__2 wrote: »

i Have used the recipe here
http://unboughtdelicacies.blogspot.com/2009/04/rhubarb-rhubarb.html

Thanks, Shaz, :T that looks lovely and easy and I've printed it out. It says on the site that the oxalic acid in rhubarb gets into the stems in June and makes them poisonous ! :eek: Didn't know that! Do people on this thread stop picking their rhubarb in June?

I've been making nettle soup, made like spinach soup with potatoes and a bit of veggie stock, and it was very nice. I've been eating nettles for years. If anyone would like to try this, but is nervous, boiling or steaming them really does kill the sting, but forget all that stuff about 'grasping the nettle' - they stung me even through my gloves, :rolleyes: so it's back to scissors and a plastic bag for me in future. Only use the fresh young top leaves and again, stop in June or as soon as they start to flower, because then they become harsh tasting (and more importantly, laxative! Unless you stand in need, as it were ). I suspect that if you cut them down and they grow back, the new leaves must be the same as the early leaves, ie tender and not likely to send you dashing to the loo, but I haven't carried out any experiments...