Tips and Quick Questions on “How To Start Being Old Style”

missymoo81

Helllooooooo........ Crikey am a bit nervous now....... welcome to my saving money, old style, self sufficient ish diary.

A little bit about me .........Well I’m 28 and have just moved in with my other half, I have started a new job which unfortunately I hate but can’t leave for a year due to my contract (military). I also have to travel an hour every day to get there each way!!! Which is pretty rubbish.

Anyway am rambling. me and my wonderful other half are getting married next march (in the Maldives so need to save up every penny from now until then!!!) and want to start a family asap, which would mean me leaving my job (oh dear!!!!;)) and going part time somewhere, so we’d take a substantial cut in income, so as I love all things old style I thought I would have a go at becoming an old style person.

I have started already by trying to cook most things from scratch but am not the best cook and am just learning, and laziness sometimes takes over and not getting home until 6pm I often can’t be bothered!! But I know I can really cut our food bill down making everything and doing it this way and I know it’s healthier. To help with the money saving I’m looking to grow most if not all of our veg and to get hens for scrummy eggs for eating and baking.. None of which I have any experience of doing, so have been reading up on different threads to help me. But I have so many things to learn and know there will be the inevitable slip ups along the way, but I’m sure it will be a lot of fun. :j

So if you’d like to join me on my adventure I would really love the company and the encouragement…… speak soon hopefully…

Missy x

ChocClare

Well done you!

I cook from scratch, grow fruit and veg, make preserves, menu plan and freeze ahead, keep hens and bees, forage the hedgerows and run the car on waste vegetable oil ... and I still get (plenty of) days when I get home and my old man says, we're all shattered, shall we just get a takeaway, and I say oooh, yes please

I am sitting here typing this now when I should be outside harvesting runner beans to blanch and freeze. Meh.

Would love to join in - sounds like a brilliant idea!

missymoo81

Hello ChocClare, thank you, and lovely to meet you. Well I'm starting as I mean to go on and have picked some plums from the tree in the garden this morning, up until now I've just ignored them and most have gone bad but I managed to pick a bowl full and intend to make jam...... I'm pretty sure I'm going to make one big sticky mess but I have to start somewhere. I've also been given loads of tomatoes and some onions so was going to have a go at making chutney too, I know I'm jumping in with both feet but I want to start doing things before my enthusiasm has time to disappear??!!!

Little_Vics

oh - I may join you! Forgive the formatting in this post - laptop is playing up. Me - got v small garden plot and successfully grew potatoes, lettuce, onions & garlic this year. My issue is that I can never be bothered to harvest! Am v keen to grow lots in pots. I foraged blackberries last night (hubby climbed a wall in his climbing kit to get some!) so am making something later.

loshypops

oooh fab! I'm glad i'm not the onlt newby on the HM food stuffs!

ChocClare

One small word before you make loads of jam and chutney: are you going to eat it?

I make marmalade about once every two years because I'm the only person in the house who eats it; I am working my way through my November 2006 apple chutney as we speak, haven't started on the 2007 and didn't bother in 2008 (and won't in 2009).

Plum tart is scrumola and tomatoes and onions make the best pasta sauce ever. Just a thought - you make what you like and ignore me!

ChocClare

My daughter is watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang so the time has come to pick those runner beans and prepare them while I watch !!!!!! van Dyke et al - one of my fave films and I haven't seen it in AGES :rotfl:

missymoo81

Hi everyone, please do join in... it's lovely of you to come along..... I have a rather long journey ahead of me I think lol. so the company is very much appreciated...I'm just reading up on raised beds and think I may well start measuring up and digging out next weekend... how did you all get started and what is the easiest thing to grow, i need to grow potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, peas, onions, courgettes and cucumbers.

I have managed just about to grow some tomatoes, someone gave me a tomato plant months ago and I just put it in the ground... have watered it every now and then and was over the moon to find some tiny green tomatoes growing on it... so am crossing my fingers that they will ripen before it gets too chilly.

missymoo81

chocclare I'm watching that too, it's great isn't it.

Thank you so much for the advice on the jam and chutney. I only have enough to make a pot or two of jam I think so I should be ok, but chutney...... I might well make pasta sauce with it, will have a look for a good recipe and post it. thanks again.

Loshypops, we can both keep eachother going if you like.my other half is really into home cooked food and I love to cook it's just making sure they are edible!!!!

missymoo81

Hi ya Little Vics I think I've got some black berries too, what do you intend to do with them.... just going to nip into the garden and see how many I have......