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

looby-loo_2

I think I missed posting on Part 3 of the challenge altogether although I did keep reading.

I've no idea where I am with the challenge but things aren't too bad, here in spirit. The allottment has done well with basic produce - I don't bother with fancy stuff as I can fill up what I can manage to dig with ordinary. Best this year has been parsnips, I have a proper crop for the frist time after germinating them on kitchen roll and planting them in modules using tweezers. Worth the effort as I have a row of about 40! I also 'found' a butternut squash/pumpkin type thing growing up the middle of the runner beans. The plant was up to the top and and the fruit was the size of a large aubergine before I noticed it. I love garden freebies! Been making jams, chutney, etc. I'm considering a hamper for my mum this year. She has normally done her own but not this year.

I bought a dress from an outlet for £25 but can use it for 2 weddings and a graduation and as that is the only clothing I have bought this year I don't mind. My MIL left all her jewellry to her DD in her will, over £10,000. I have no problem with that as her choice, however, I now find she left my DD a small gold ring. Well SIL gave DH the said ring and even he was - lost for words. It is very tiny, like a childs and whatsmore it is bend, dented and twisted. She knows about her nannies jewellry and that she will get a small plain ring but she is going to be so disapointed about the condition. I won £50 on premium bonds last month and I'm tempted to go and buy a second hand ring from the local jewellers and never tell my DD. DH says this is dishonest but I want her to have a good memory of her nannie.

Good Luck with the teaching career SL, you will be fine with a year under you belt. It make me wonder where 30 years + has gone and reminds me why I'm doing this challenge. I'm giving up August 2011 which will be my 55th birthday. I'm hoping not to take my pension till 60 so it isn't reduced so I'm trying to put by enough for a frugal 5 years.

cw18

Well, I live and learn.....

Decided to make some flapjacks while tea was cooking.... mainly 'cos my sweet tooth has been kicking in biiiig time the last couple of days, and I've managed to resist all temptation to buy sweets, cakes or biscuits.

DS mentioned the oven was still on when he collected his tea, but - most unlike him - let it drop when I said I knew and it needed to be as I was cooking (and didn't even open the oven for a look).

He's just been down, took a long sniff (not that I can smell them anymore), asked what I'd been baking, and went to investigate. On spying the flapjack he asked if he could have some - and walked off with no less than 3 of the 24 slices I made....... and I didn't even know he liked flapjack !!!!


Going to have to find another recipe to try though - these aren't nearly syrupy enough for me Nor are they soft enough but I don't think they'd have cooked properly if I just left them in for a slightly shorter time

Brighton_belle

cw18 wrote: »

Going to have to find another recipe to try though - these aren't nearly syrupy enough for me Nor are they soft enough but I don't think they'd have cooked properly if I just left them in for a slightly shorter time

CW, I find if you take them out when still soft, they harden as a bit more as they cool.They don't take long to cook. Perhaps divide next batch in to 2 and cook one for less and the other for even lesser (scuse grammar:D) to see how they compare in the oven is enough.
I have just altered our recipe gradually, as I don't like them too sweet. I do add chopped dried apricots - divine, though add a cost of course. I also use up the weetabix left overs that I save in aplastic tub and use weight for weight instead of oats.

cw18

can't split a batch as I've no small tins..... as it is I had to double up the recipe as the only suitable one I have is a reasonable amount bigger than the size it said to use (and I know that won't have helped with figuring out quantities / cooking times)

biggest issue is that they're not sweet enough though - so would have to throw extra syrup and/or sugar into the next attempt anyway.... I can cope with dryer ones as long as they're sweet enough/actually taste of syrup, but these don't

Pretty certain DS won't eat them if I start adding stuff, as he's totally averse to fruit of any description (other than in a fruit cake/malt loaf/weetabix bread). Just been talking to DD on the phone, and she threatened to 'try' some of tonights tomorrow !! But a quick chat about variations has determined that (while she'd pinch it all if it just had glace cherries) she won't go near it if I add coconut - and I know DS certainly won't touch it with that As Cherry & Coconut is my all-time favourite, it sounds like I could be making heaps of that once I find a basic recipe that works :rolleyes2

Skint_Lynne

Hi guys,

Well, my wee pal is away to India (and his mum and dad). They left this morning. I love my brother to bits, but we are so different. They are flying business class from Scotland to Dubai, then Dubai to India and they are staying at Claridges hotel for the evening. Then they are going on to SIL's parents for 3 weeks. Oh, and I forgot to mention that they were picked up in a fancy merc complete with chauffer. (I think this is the wrong spelling for fancy car driver).:p

if I was going, I would do cattle class and stay in a youth hostel, (maybe not quite, but nearly the truth).:rotfl: Oops, I forgot how I would get to the airport, either drive myself and park in the long stay, or get a taxi, complete with fag smoking glesga cabbie.:rotfl:I am such a classy chic!

My brother phoned a short while ago, and the first part of the journey was good and the wee one was well behaved. He is really good for being a small person.:rolleyes:

I myself have been good today, I was tempted to go for a take away, but instead made my dinner.:A

It's the other sister's birthday on Tuesday, so another cake is required, hopefully I can manage a photo this time.

I'm off to bed, it has been a traumatic day tearing myself away from my most fave person. Nite nite all. xx

BigMummaF

cw18 wrote: »

can't split a batch as I've no small tins..... I have used the lids to my casserole dishes at times, if you don't mind them a particularly depth

biggest issue is that they're not sweet enough though - so would have to throw extra syrup and/or sugar into the next attempt anyway.... I can cope with dryer ones as long as they're sweet enough/actually taste of syrup, but these don't Basic/value chocolate melted over them :drool:

Pretty certain DS won't eat them if I start adding stuff, as he's totally averse to fruit of any description (other than in a fruit cake/malt loaf/weetabix bread). Just been talking to DD on the phone, and she threatened to 'try' some of tonights tomorrow !! But a quick chat about variations has determined that (while she'd pinch it all if it just had glace cherries) she won't go near it if I add coconut - and I know DS certainly won't touch it with that As Cherry & Coconut is my all-time favourite, it sounds like I could be making heaps of that once I find a basic recipe that works :rolleyes2 Mine too [she says with puppy-dawg eyes:o]

Pork shoulder couldn't be cut as it literally fell to pieces--the way we like our meat--& the whole dinner was m-m-mm even if I did forget the parsnips! I thought it was only me who liked apple sauce with my roast, but two of the offspring declared an interest a couple of weeks back. Yesterday I sliced up a couple of granny sm1ths & laid them in a casserole dish with a bit of water & left them to soften in the bottom of the oven--no sugar so v.waist-line friendly, & used up the older apples from the bowl :j

Tis sooo weird, but I too, was seriously considering flapjacks while the oven was on ...only reason I didn't was No2 & I have our weigh-in this week :eek: I will make some soon tho as I'm like you Cheryl, where I get a seed of an idea in my head & it has to germinate for a few weeks before it's ready for planting out. And yes. I am getting my lingo sorted ready for my grow-a-thon next season :rotfl:

****ETSay..Could you dry the newspaper bricks in the airing cupboard, or fix up a little shelf across the stair-well? I'm picturing the sort of grill bit from a bbq, so the air can go thru, & then placed up in a corner where you wouldn't bump your head as you used the stairs. I've found it is the best place for drying laundry indoors, as any heat naturally rises....

Frugaldom

Good morning

Well, it's back to normal here, bad back or not, as HS got fed up having to get out of bed early to let the chickens out. It lasted all of 6 mornings with 7.30am to 8am (not 7am, notice!) starts but by yesterday I was ready to send him packing and start searching for a new HS! My last one used to start work at 5am, so early starts were par for the course.

It's a beautiful morning here. Washing machine just finished, so clothes can go out on the line. All the feathered stock were done by 7.30am, by which time there was a terrible ruckus going on in the front garden! On closer inspection, they were in a very irrate state all clucking, squawking and quacking at... A TINY MOLEHILL appearing on the front lawn! :rotfl:DS was hoping to catch a glimpse of the mole on his way out to work. Oh, and my little silkiechick (now full grown and laying) has decided that she wants to play at being broody! :rolleyes:

I have another LETS buddy visiting today to discuss some admin work I've been offered plus, hopefully, a delivery of some surplus potatoes.

There's a payment in from eBid for another magazine I've sold, so that's another £1 for my cash-neutral challenge. Today I'm going to plow through all my little accounts like the [STRIKE]CAH[/STRIKE]CHAROOTS quit smoking savings, the weddING overspill, Icy Icy rainy day savings, £2 coins etc so I can scrape as much as possible into my ISA in the hope of filling it by April 2010.

Findingmyfeet - :T:j:beer: - you have a home and no mortgage, that is amazing! With only one debt to clear, you should be feeling really proud of yourself, not ashamed for having that one debt.

Welcome back Ram & Looby - it may take some time to catch up with the posts but the spirit of the challenge lives on within you - there is no known cure, it's chronic. (Although never having won a million, I can't say if that would count as a cure. :rotfl:)

Has anyone wondered what they do if they did win a million? After the initial shock, would we suddenly become wild, uncontrollable spendaholics or would we still be going through cashback, doing the daily scratchcards and searching for codes, vouchers and whoopsies? I seriously think [EMAIL="I@d"]I@d[/EMAIL] still expect the cashback and only buy bargains, just that the bargans would be bigger - like a £500,000 house for £450,000 :rotfl:

cw18

cw18 wrote:

can't split a batch as I've no small tins.....

BigMummaF wrote:

I have used the lids to my casserole dishes at times, if you don't mind them a particularly depth

don't own any casserole dishes either - never make a casserole in the oven, always a stew on the hob.
actually, I do have a couple of very small pyrex ones, but far too small for using this way

cw18 wrote:

biggest issue is that they're not sweet enough though - so would have to throw extra syrup and/or sugar into the next attempt anyway.... I can cope with dryer ones as long as they're sweet enough/actually taste of syrup, but these don't

BigMummaF wrote:

Basic/value chocolate melted over them :drool:

What a waste of flapjack and chocolate :eek:
No, I'm not a fan of coated flapjack

cw18 wrote:

As Cherry & Coconut is my all-time favourite, it sounds like I could be making heaps of that once I find a basic recipe that works :rolleyes2

BigMummaF wrote:

Mine too [she says with puppy-dawg eyes:o]

Don't think there'd be any left by the time I got to the PO




Just back from my Monday stint at school. Ended up spending at least half my time in the Reception class instead of Nursery, which was fine as I know a lot of the children from their time in Nursery last year. A few eyed me up as I walked in, but once a number I know the names of had come and said hello / asked why I was in their class / dragged me into their activities the ones I don't know also seemed happy enough to have me help them out when needed.

Off to sort myself out an early lunch though, as the change of class meant I didn't get any 'spare' toast from Nursery snack time

findingmyfeet

hi everyone,
its been a beautifully sunny day here today, got the laundry almost dry and just stocked up the wood ready for lighting the woodburner tonight. Taken my gas/electric meter readings as ive decided to take them in hand and try to reduce them-doing ok at the moment as only using gas for cooking til it gets much colder.
Starting to look over my grocery spends again and making a list of meals we like etc to plan for the next month if not the next 80 days to the end of the year.
Also looked through my stash of jars and found i have 4 large and 2 small dowe eg**rts coffee jars, so i intend filling them with homemade sweets/fudge for the litteluns in the family and putting a nice homemade label on as part of their xmas pressies. Off to have a cuppa and see what else i can think of whilst im in the mood

lyndasharp

I had a lovely time at the Knitting and stitching show, and only bought one new project, so I was fairly good... I thought I'd been non-MSE by not getting my tickets early enough to take advantage of the advance prices, but on the shuttle bus to the show (from the car park) someone was selling spare tickets at less than the advance price! I'm not sure when I'll have time to start my new kit though, as H2B is now designing lots of cross stitch patterns for me. As long as they work when stitched we'll try selling some.

Spent a scary amount in Asd@ yesterday, but I think we do now have enough cheese and meat for the next month. They'd discounted the goats cheese, mmm tasty. Also bought 2 months worth of cat food from the pet shop.

There's someone interested in H2B's flat as a buy to let investment - finally! It would be great to get rid of that, it's costing £600 a month for mortage and council tax. They are going round it with a letting agent before making a final decision about making an offer...