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

thriftylass

All this talk about HM food made my mouth water. I tried baking bread before but it was never a big success til last night (and this was the simplest recipe so for). Made a crusty white loaf and BF liked it too. It could just be a bit fluffier (maybe let it rise longer next time). It still cost me roughly the same as a MrT value loaf but then we normally buy a tiger loaf (cheap toast for work for me, though) to have with our tea. Have to search this this site for other easy things to make.....

BigMummaF

I've been having a waffle on the Grocery Challenge about how to organise my spends, but have now decided that everything bar utilities & housing will be lumped together with food. I am, however, keeping better check on exactly where the money goes. For example, £6 for the window cleaner last week & no idea how much for the annual service on the fire extinguishers tonight--:rolleyes: it was around £40 last year for the 3 + some carbon monoxide alerts. We've an extinguisher at the bottom of the stairs [just outside the kitchen] & two of the three cars carry one SIZE=1]cuz they do far more miles per annum than I[/SIZE & a chap comes round to clean & top them up.
Me muvva has kindly been keeping an under-the-counter type freezer in her spare room & we both have bits in there. I bought it originally with the idea of going to PYO in the summer & filling it with bargains for crimbo, but with us both having to get new fridge freezers over the past 12 months, it has become an overflow from the noticeably reduced space for day-to-day things. I'm going over to defrost & make a note of what's in there, then hopefully there'll be enough room for a couple of bags of MrT's sausage rolls, on offer at £3 for two lots of 75 till next week. They'll do for over crimbo [& make a dinner at a push, with mash & peas yumyum :drool:] & work out a better ppk than the value ones we usually have--just hope they taste as good!
Kinda making inroads with the freezer & stores, but had a bit of a spend-up last week as I need things like salt & yeast soon. [If I don't get it when I think of it, I have a habit of thinking I already got it, even though I'd only thought about it the time before , even if it's not crossed off my list :doh: ] The remaining pork joint was scrummy & the crackling came out the best I've ever done :j & today three packs of sausages in various taste-ways & sizes will make a couple of toads & some cold for tomorrow's lunches. I did my first bacon joint in the slow cooker last week--maybe left it a tad too long--very tasty & went well with the cold pork one day & in the chicken & veg pie the next.
Just got to work on the offspring to eat casserole & HM soup

Frugaldom

Good morning frugalites

Glad your DD's wedding went well Grandma, it's always a relief to see things get underway without too much of a hitch (pardon the pun).

Re the oats and porridge and blitzxing them - I didn't know that! I don't have a food processor but I do have a stick blender and I will soon have a frugal jug blender, courtesy of a frugal neighbour. I am so tempted to go and make some right now but need to get 4 x quiche made first. Maybe I could make them whilst the quiche is baking and then leave pancake making for another day.

LETS trading ad went out, so all of yesterday's soup has been allocated, adequately covering my costs by way of swaps, so I am very happy at that. I also have several orders to fill for next week's meeting. Must start sorting out what to trade next.

Quite cold here and very wet. I think I'll be able to fit another bag of coal into the bunker by next week as the fire has been on the past couple of days rather than switch on the heaters. If I can manage another week or two without the storage heaters then I'll be on schedule to meet my budget target for electricity this year.

Catch up later, need to go get some cooking done.

lyndasharp

Just got back from picking up my wedding ring from the jewellers, we decided to get it polished and it's now looking lovely and shiny - only 5 months before I can actually wear it!

In other spends today, I've just ordered a new power lead for my Dyson as it's getting silly holding the cable upright while vacuuming. I refused their offer of an engineer to fit it though - I suspect that would have cost more than a new vacuum! As it is, £18 for a power lead does seem a lot, but I decided I'd prefer to pay a little extra for the genuine part, hopefully it'll then last for another 10 years!

Nyk and others, you've convinced me to sign up to LETS, it sounds useful! Any advice on what to charge for restoration of ceramics and other items? Is that something you might get on LETS? Or should I just stick to swapping the spare chutney?

mama67

Jen_31 wrote: »

Just searched for Yorkshire bank and i found this instead

My mum always used to cook her own yorkshire puddings, but recently we have been having getting frozen ones, which i like actually

She uses 4 oz of plain flour, puts it in a mixing bowl after sieving (to put air into the flour). cracks one egg into it, a little mixture of milk and water in a cup, you mix the flour and egg till it's coming together, add a little of the milk/water, then beat, and add milk/water till it's a smooth liqud really, there should be no lumps in it,

she heats the pudding tins with lard in, yes i did say lard, and then heats that, and adds the miture, then cooks till they are brown, and they are nice, i think we she stopped cooking them as i always complained about lard, im trying to modernise her, and she still uses lard in her pastry, and cooking, but i'll get her modernised, we do have oil in the cupboard, i just nudge her now and then towards it :A

oh i forgot to say she usually beats the mixture lots to get air in, and they always rise :j

Lard or even dripping is the best fat imo for yorkshires. Get the taste from the meat.

I sometimes do soem with chopped up apple in and we have those with golden syrup for pudding.

SmlSave

I sometimes do soem with chopped up apple in and we have those with golden syrup for pudding.

Nomnomnomnomnom Yorkshire puddings with golden syrup Yum.

I like the idea of putting apple in them mama67 I will give it a go and I just had a thought that chocolate and nuts would be good too

slowlyfading

Just a quick post from me. Had my first day in placement today and am absolutely shattered. it went well though, so that's good. 2nd nsd of the month for me hope everyone is well x x

shaz_mum_of__2

Bad news at the garage

the work to my car is going to be £280 thats on top of the money for hubbys car last week .............................gutting but unavoidable and the car was free and has needed nothing doing for the last 18 months .........................

Spend money on groceries today Nyk 88p on a bunch of bananas thats my only spend on groceries since saturday(that was just MrM 30p carrots x 3 bags) so my use it up storecupboard challenge is going well

Given up on the online spending diary and am now keeping a book and a folder of receipts instead as it is easier and quicker to add to and the recipts are beeing numbered in relation to the entry in the book,then i can always go back and check what it was actually for ..................needless to say this month is mostly garage bills

I have recouoped a little by buying a pre pay prescription thingy as i have a medical condition and am getting 3 scripts a month it is cheaper i got a 3 month one for £28ish so if you get 4 or more scripts in 3 months your better off ..........................i am actually in receipt of a sickness benefit but still pay for prescriptions,daft if you ask me?

I too like syrup on my yorkshires and like jamies recipe best (if a little unfrugal due to using 3 eggs) I too like lard i think it gets hotter than oil and you do only need a little bit

Hot bath waiting better go

Shaz

cheerfulness4

Feel for you over the car bills Shaz. We've just got a phone call for the MOT repairs and its going to be £520 for ours. :eek:

The MOT on my little old car is due next month, too. Feel ever so slightly sick. Oh well, such is life.

shaz_mum_of__2

cheerfulness4 wrote: »

Feel for you over the car bills Shaz. We've just got a phone call for the MOT repairs and its going to be £520 for ours. :eek:

The MOT on my little old car is due next month, too. Feel ever so slightly sick. Oh well, such is life.

Ouch .....the thing is sometimes you get past the point of no return, do I buy a new car that costs thousands and may go wrong at any minute or do I stick with this one that has loads of new parts and works ? :rolleyes:

Got a Uni reading day today and i will be reading not lurking on mse .......................................well maybe a bit :rotfl: