Live on £4,000 for a year - 2009, Part 3

Skint_Lynne

Hi everyone,

I've had a busy week, 1st 2 days in the shop, wednesday, blackpool, yesterday whitehaven and today, Glasgow, Dunoon (on the ferry from gourock), and back in to see someone on the way home.

I've been saving the tesco points Cheryl, I've got around 6000 points just now because I do the christmas savers scheme. This is mainly due to the amount of fuel I am using for work. I try and fill up at mr T's but I've got a nectar card and sh£ll card as well, but not got as much on these.

I've done the recycling as well, you only get points on the cans now and only if they are aluminium. Your dad's were possibly all tin sft.

I've had around 600 points so far from the tins, but I've got a whole load to take to the recycling point just now, I might do that tomorrow evening if it is dry. My family drink a lot of juice, so much so, I've got a couple of black bags worth of cans per month out of it.:eek: I personally do not drink fizzy juice, I don't like it and I am glad as it costs a fortune.

I came off the christmas savers so that I can double my clubcard points up. When the vouchers come through I'll stock up on some bits for christmas. I must sort through what I have just now so that I can plan what I need to purchase.

Off for a bath now. xx

savingfortravel

Skint_Lynne wrote: »

Hi everyone,


I've done the recycling as well, you only get points on the cans now and only if they are aluminium. Your dad's were possibly all tin sft.


Off for a bath now. xx

That's must be right...he's only after beer cans now! :rotfl:

sft

grandma247

cw18 wrote: »

I cooked mine for 6 hours - 1st hour on low, then knocked it up to medium. Ended up putting it through the blender once cooked as there was masses of liquid, and it now looks a bit like a murky brown lemon curd Not sure whether it's going to set enough to be spread on toast though - I could end up with a lot of pureed pear to use with sponges or as a topper on vanilla ice-cream :rolleyes2

Started off with 3.25kg of pears (as they came off the tree) which was about 2.4kg once peeled, cored and bad bits removed. Have ended up with almost bang on 5lb (a smidgen over 2.25kg) of pureed stuff to put in jars.

Umm Cheryl it is supposed to be cooked for the 12 hours so it comes out toffee coloured thats possibly why yours is very liquid too. It will of course be yummy as a sauce for icecream etc. as it is.
this is how mine looked (not my photo)

aeb_2

Hello, I'm still hanging on, not doing very much but everything is so much effort I feel like I'm buzy all the time. So envious of all the preserving you are all doing. I'm only managing freezing as standing is not possible and even walking about before and after if I sit to stir is an effort. I have picked some blackberries and elderberries and have my eye on the cobnuts as they require no stretching or bending.

My little helpers are experts at digging potatoes and pulling carrots, picking tomatoes (I made an automatic watering system by connecting a hose to the water butt and making holes along the last 10' with a darning needle. I bent the end over and tied it with string. It waters too well I think - the toms are all leaf and not so much fruit but they look after themselves) Runner beans did well in the end. Of course no new stuff will be planted until next spring.

Babies are due end of Sept but I am told to expect them any time from now on and so I am being very careful, every day is a bonus. What will be will be and I am content with the state of the house. We will be warm and they will all have a bed/cot. Much of it is still in a state of disrepair, mainly windows which are taped and padded with newspaper etc but hey ho, it's not so bad that the health visitor minded too much.

The builders did a great job on converting the end of the house. In the end it was all done for just under £3000 which was mainly for putting in a stair case and a bathroom, plastering and electrics. Kitchen units from ebay - £15. Also getting another electric meter was mega bucks. But it is let to a nice couple who I hope will stay a while.

SFT - poor you and the roof, my roof is OK'ish, it is the windows which are falling out. Duck tape works wonders - and did you know you can paint it:rotfl:

Can you tell me what canning is if it is done in jars? Am I missing something here or are you using tin cans? I bottle fruit in jars in the oven and it works well although you have to be mega careful. Interested please.

MSE things today - apple and blackberry with instant custard - 8p for tea, swapped bag of runner beans for 3 big courgettes, 3 x spag bog padded out with my carrots, french beans and peppers, to stock up freezer for after birth, oh dear, can't think of much today

cw18

mine's not terribly far off that colour....... seemed to be an awful lot of liquid come out of the pears though, and the only way I could see of reducing it was to empty it into a pan and reduce it. Didn't fancy the extra washing up, but perhaps I should have tried that

I wacked it up to medium for 5 hours, 'cos I didn't want to be bottling it after midnight - I didn't get it started until mid-day as it took me a lot longer to prep the fruit than I'd expected :rolleyes2

cw18

*** waves to Aeb ***

Glad to hear you're still hanging on in --- and sounding positive about it all too

grandma247

Cheryl. It probably would be better if you cooked it overnight if you make it again and leave the lid cracked open a touch to let out some steam. The ripeness of the pears would also be a factor in how much liquid you get. Reducing it in a pan would certainly work but as you say it is more washing up.
Sound like you had a bit of a stressful day too.

aeb it is amazing you have hung on this far. I hope everything goes well for you and your babies and you manage to hold on a bit longer. My last was bad enough at 9lb 5oz I dont even want to think about carrying three of them.

Canning in jars is bottling but with a pan called a pressure canner you can safely do veg and meat. Apparently it used to be done in tin cans and some communities in America still do it that way. The pan is not the same as a pressure cooker but it can be used as one whereas a pressure cooker is not really suitable as a canner. I tried apple sauce in my pressure cooker last year , it came out of the jars a bit and it was more toffee coloured than creamy. Still tasted ok though.

Hardup_Hester

Morning all
I was asked to work a couple of extra days so never did manage to get to the charity shops, but I'm busy altering the clothes given to me by a friend, 10 tops, 5 skirts & 4 trouser suits. The tops are fine, but as she is 5'6 & I'm 4'11, all the skirts & trousers need shortening. Hubby will be glued to the TV today watching the GP, so I will have plenty of free time to sew. I spent £20 on sewing consumables from Jaycotts, but I needed a leather needle as I have some badges to sew on a leather waistcoat, with what I get paid for doing that & the money I didn't spend at the charity shops, I think I'll count them as cancelling each other out.
Hester

sophiesmum_2

Good morning frunchkins:D
Today is planned to be a very productive day if things go to plan:D I intend to make lots of lovely stuff in the kitchen, and try out the pressure canner for the first time :j:j:j,have also got 6.5 litres of 5 bean vegetarian chilli cooking in the slowcooker whilst I get on with other stuff.
I need to turn this lot below into meals for freezer, chutney, jams and pickles.

Picked my tomtoes from greenhouse aas don't think they will ever go red

Gooseberries and blackcurrants from my fruit bushes, which have been in freezer waiting to be used.

cukes from greenhouse, potatoes from my growing bags, onions courtesy of mum's garden,apples from friend's tree, crab apples foraged, blackberries foraged, plums were reduced to 40p for 2lbs in Mr A, where I also picked up two packs of runner beans for 10p, and a pack of peppers for 10p.The two mangoes were from frugal neighbour:D


Total cost to me for everything on the table ready to process was 70p:j:j:j.
I will update later with what it all eventually ended up as:D:D:D

Grandma - you were right about the jars.... need more jars:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

DdraigGoch

By crikey, SM - you've put me to shame! Well done. Have a happy day processing.

Hello *waves from Wales* to all my frugal friends - hope that life is going well/better for you today. Sorry not to have been around much, but ...... *TA DAH* ..... am finally getting the Duchy Manor House [rotfl] renovated. Woohoo! Heat and warm water at last!

Last year it was very hard to get the main room above 7' on really bad days, most of the time it was miserable. This year's going to be different.

Best of luck and I hope the Bank Holiday weekend brings you joy.