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

BigMummaF

I'm surprised one of the arty-faction amongst us hasn't begun a lucrative side-line on 'Congratulations on the Laying of Your First Egg' cards...would make an absolute fortune from this thread & would mean financial security for life :rotfl:
The soup was OK; didn't add tarragon or the little sachet of flavour from the noodles but a liberal sprinkling of black pepper hit the spot..maybe salt would have been a good idea :rolleyes: but I don't add any if I can help it. I broke the noodles up into weenie bits--mainly for Pup's benefit--& as I've never had them before I wasn't sure I'd like them either. A bit of cornflour & the kernels sliced off the cobs made it an interesting dish that was incredibly filling.
I was curious to see you make fajita from cooked chicken Nyk. Again this is a dish I've only made twice now & followed the instructions [sort of :shhh: ] on the packet of delicious seasoning by using raw meat. *NB.Disclaimer! Both the first preparatory kit & branded seasoning were purchased at a heavily discounted price!* I'd be most grateful for your version tho, as I will inevitably forget to f@rt about sometime in future.
Someone has mentioned [probably GC] boning a chicken, then stuffing it & sewing back up :drool: so may give that a go but will have to practice more as my meat got hacked off in lumps Afraid I don't do "pretty" in many areas of my life, especially where practicality is the presiding factor...my dad always said I should have been born with a spout :eek:

Frugaldom

Good morning

Frost and sunshine has turned to rain here, not so good for outdoors but less condensation to mop up indoors. Lighting fire to help dry it all up, as the slow cooker was on overnight for stock and it's back on now for the soup.

BigMumma - fajitas just done exact same way as with raw chicken but in less time. I bought the tiny jars of Kn0rr Texas BBQ sauces from Appr0ved F00d, I think they were about 20p each, so I fry off some onions & peppers then just add contents of one of the jars along with the chopped chicken in the frying pan. When I'm organised enough, I usually try to have the tortillas cooked and keeping warm in the oven but more often than not, I end up cooking them as we eat them, same as always happens here with crepes. I don't do organised or methodical, let alone present anything nicely. :rotfl:

Hope the roast cooks up how you like it, SL

Bails - the free chickens and coop sound great, they'd have been rehomed instantly if anyone had advertised them about here! However... adopts sensible head and voice of reasoning... you still have quite a while before you get home, you'll have work related, house related, budget related and day-to-day related planning to deal with. Hen keeping isn't a 5 minutes a day job, nor is it 'free'. Depending on how many hens the OP has, it could cost a fair few pounds through the winter and the birds could stop laying. Plus, I think I'm right in thinking you'll be saving for a wedding? I know it seems crazy but the amount you'd spend on keeping them from now until you get home would probably be enough to buy a new coop and some point of lay hens when you returned. Why is the friend giving everything away? I still think it's great that you want to keep chickens, though, and will expect you to be joining our ranks as soon as you can.

whitewing

Bails, I'm in agreement that your life is changing so much at the moment that it can seem a little wobbly and out of control. I am also in agreement that you need to enjoy the moment. (I wish I could apply this theory to me).

We have a busy week ahead with half term soon, scan, serious family stuff (can't say a lot; I am resilient but trying to be supportive without enabling things to go on as they shouldn't). I am having another month of being unable to overpay mortgage, but managing ok on the rest. Xmas presents mainly organised (not going to Centre Parcs this year; having a rational moment).

Am very, very much looking forward to a 3 day weekend trip to London at the end of the week with DH. We're going to a show with my friend and a group, and then to a restuarant for a bday meal for her. Then Sun & Mon to chill and explore. DH wants to go to the Tate. I will abdicate all responsibility for planning and trot around merrily after him. Hoping to visit the Cath Kidston shop though. DH has withdrawn cash for my Xmas present, and I know he has only bought one present so far so am hoping to influence the rest, lol!

DH's citizenship ceremony is next month, and coincides with another birthday, so we are going to make a day of it. Then of course, Xmas to look forward to in Dec, so should be a good rest of the year, albeit with some nasty bits too.

I got a phonecall out of the blue last week from a headhunting firm. Apparently I'd been highly recommended to them. This was for a role similar to one I'd done 7 or 8 years ago, with people I'd lost touch with. The chap wouldn't tell me who'd passed the details over but I was very touched that someone not only remembers me from that long ago, but actually kept my mobile number and still thinks highly of me. It made my day, and has given me such a confidence boost. Anyway, i have moved counties since then and changed lifestyle so it will go no further. But for a brief moment I forgot I was pregnant, and actually got quite excited about all the possibilities still ahead of us in life.

See sophiesmum, I get excited over small stuff too. I would be thrilled with my first egg. I am still very excited over my new bathroom fan and towel radiator.

Hello everyone. Not always reading now, and not posting as much. Feeling guilty as know I need to get back on track. Did sit down with DH last week and do a list of priority spending for the rest of the year though.

shaz_mum_of__2

Cheryl - just for you a really old WI recipe


Flapjacks

7oz margarine
4 tbsp golden syrup(gently melt these 2 together)
10oz oats
6oz sugar (granulated is fine )

mix all together then into a swiss roll size tin press down cook at gas 4 for 20-30 mins or until golden brown

a spoon ful of mincemeat stirred in is nice too

I sometimes make twinks hobnobs as a flapjack and add seeds and dried chopped apricots


Got a batch of homemade mincemeat on the go the house smells like christmas....

Off out to a party shortly so no cooking today .............well maybe some soup later and the sourdough bread i have stared yesterday

cw18

Thanks Shaz


But.... please can someone tell me what size a 'swiss roll sized tin' is The Gas Mark to Centrigrade conversion I can cope with, but I'm useless with "average" tins/pans/cups !!!!

Kittikins

Shaz - could I be cheeky and ask for your mincemeat recipe please? DD adores mince pies and I'd like us to make our own this Christmas (ok, who am I kidding, she'll happily eat them all year round!)

Brighton_belle

SM - I'd have thought you's have been a bit more pleased about your first egg than that...all a bit low key...:rotfl:. I bet it was BB what done it:D

sft - another wannabe childrens writer here. Long term novel project on the go, and I have had some children's poetry published in anthologies by McMillan etc. Well done on side stepping the policitcs :T.
bails - so, I have 11 months to lose 1/2 stone to fit into my glad rags eh:D. If you want to share some secrets, you can always ask me to shut my eyes. Some lovely advice sharing as usual from the forum. And you always find a way through to a better place.
Nyk - I have a new, very fetching young spanish woman for a lodger and my car needs cleaning: perhaps your DS would care to pop down?:rotfl:
Lynne - bails put it better than I can re child support issues. It is so enraging.

Whitewing - hope you have a great time with DH's citizenship ceremony. And how lovely to be remembered & wanted by a headhunter even if you can't take it up.

It is good to have another lodger installed, even if it always feels a bit odd to have someone new at first. We've had a months gap which hurts financially, but it has given us a chance to refresh parts of the house that really needed it and get a few others bits and pieces sorted. It will also be good for us to have to keep up to speed with cleaning etc as we very easily don't bother much and then too much piles up.
Priority now is to refill the emergency funds pot that we had to dip into and then build on another £500 on top that would tie us over any lodger gaps in the next year or two. It's been 5 yrs since I last had to advertise, so i now feel up to speed on how and where so I think we could fill the room quicker next time, and of course, we shouldn't need to do as much work on the house for some time.

Skint_Lynne

Good afternoon everyone,

I had a bit of a lie in today and then unexpectadly went to mum's for breakfast, my dad needed a lift somewhere, so I am back to have a bath and then slice the roast down. It is really tender, but crumbly, so I've put it in the fridge to see if this helps. It's cooled down enough to do that. I got loads of gravy off of it as well, so that is currently in the freezer so that the fat goes to the top and I can scrape it off.

I'll maybe make some yorkshire puds again, I hope they work.:rolleyes:

Thanks bails and bb for your thoughts re: childcare. It really hacks me off that someone can walk away and just stop providing for their child. I know that not all men are like this, DH's friend is currently in the same position as my own friend, only DH's friend is a man, his wife left him suddenly, though he is providing for his child and the wife is the one who is out of order. He gives in all the time though, as he is frightened that she'll stop him from seeing the wee one. I think that she thinks he is a cashline machine. You are so right bails, a lot of folks are actually getting back at the other adult and not even considering the child, which is very wrong. The wee fella seems happy enough which is the main thing. DH gave me some old army bits he didn't need anymore for him as he is into history and war so he was delighted!

I may get the presents out on the bed this afternoon to see what I will need for christmas, I'll see how things go.

Will check in later. xx

cheerfulness4

Awww, dashing on for a read but couldn't leave without congratulating SM on THE EGG. How exciting. :j

May many more quiches find their way into your freezer in the coming months. I'm so jealous.

shaz_mum_of__2

Kittikins wrote: »

Shaz - could I be cheeky and ask for your mincemeat recipe please? DD adores mince pies and I'd like us to make our own this Christmas (ok, who am I kidding, she'll happily eat them all year round!)

i am following this one but have added some dried cranberries and substituted cherries for the mixed peel and port instead of brandy

Lynne i got my prezzie stash out and wrapping paper etc to see what i need the other day i think all the grown ups are sorted! also got a few bits for the kids but need much more have some charachter bedding and towels coming from halfcost which will plug the gaps for the littlies


Cheryl

i think a swiss roll tin is 11x7 inches (ish), mine are actually the old trays toffee used to come in when you bought it loose and the lady bashed it with a hammer to break it up........................ gas 4 is 180c or 350f