How to Get Through The Tough Times The Old Style Way.

NualaBuala

Good luck with the interview Linda, fingers crossed!

Kidcat, any update on your eviction? Hope you get something sorted.

Lesley_Gaye wrote: »

did a LOVELY soup yesterday using cauliflower bits from the greengrocer's cheapy box, plus all the stalks, including the green leafy parts, from a 'proper' cauliflower

1 cauli, or equiv in stalks
1 lge onion, chopped
1 med potato, chopped (didn't peel it)
2 cloves garlic
2 sprigs parsley, a bay leaf, sprig thyme
30g butter (I used butter, but any oil would do, didn't think of it until after I'd finished making it)
1 litre stock (veg water, stock cube etc)
100g cheese
100g red lentils
good tsp smoked paprika


sweat all the veg, garlic, herbs and paprika in the butter/oil for a few minutes.
add everything else except the cheese and simmer gently for 20 minutes. remove the herbs and whizz

stir in the cheese, don't allow to boil after the cheese goes in or it will go all stringy

you don't HAVE to have the herbs or the paprika, they do give extra flavour tho

serves 4-6 and is quite filling and very delicious

I've got to share this gorgeous recipe from Lesley Gaye on the Frugal thread. It was really cheap to make (I used a reduced cauli I got at closing time at the market plus and old parmesan rind for flavour). And it tasted like a luxury treat supper, really yummy.
I think we need (affordable) treats more than ever when times are tough.

jackieglasgow

Welcome Luis, have you checked https://www.entitledto.co.uk to see if you're getting everything you are entitled to benefits-wise?

Nuala that soup recipe looks lovely thank you. I like seeing recipes on these threads.

kidcat

Nuala - have decided to ignore the eviction notice until we know whether we have won the bid for the house - sealed bids on Monday - then will either ask for an extension for DD16 exams or until the exchnage and basic work are complete - I estimate I need another two months - and I do not feel its unreasonable to ask for the extra time - especially as they have been planning this for months.

suzybloo

Great to see this thread back, I didnt post much but enjoyed reading it.
To get through the tough times ahead, I am going back to the way that my Mum ran her house when we were little, (early 70's). Every Friday the weekly monies are divided up into envelopes to know that the bills are accounted for, it was always was home made meals on the table too, we never ever had take away meals. Many things were knitted and sewn, mended and handed down. This is the way that our household is going, and has been over the past year. No food was ever thrown away as money was tight and everything that could be used would be used. Its amazing when you stop to think how much you took in without realising when you were small, The baking, mending, budgeting, cooking etc all skills up until recently that were looked down on by some classes in society - however - no matter what you have materialistically it will be these skills and the comradery between people who know these skills and want to learn them that will come out the other side, hopefully unscathed and stronger appreciative people.

zarazara

I agree about affordable treats. I have a list of them writtendown in a file. They include long soak in a hot bath instead of a shower; painting toe nails;dressing up ! even for everyday household work,its amazing how putting on a decent ironed blouse and clean pair of jeans with a scarf or neckless lifts the spirits,no need to dress shabbily just because we aint got much spare money; the occasional flowering plant or bunch of flowers or magazine or DVD, I try to budget for something once a month,otherwise it all becomes drudgery.

Butterfly_Brain

Luis ((((Hugs)))) it makes my problems sound minescule.
We could be £390 pm worse off if my DLA renewal fails, but I have done the sums and we could just scrape by but we will only have £50 pw left for shopping- luckily I foresaw the condems vicious attack on the sick and disabled and have stocked up on lots of things like toilet rolls, washing powder, deoderant, shampoos etc, filled the freezers with meat and stocked the larder. So we do have a good back up.
It looks likely that the car will not pass its MOT so the money taht I have saved for new Double glazing might have to be used for a new car.

jackieglasgow

Butterfly Brain, have you looked into buying the windows from a company who builds them themselves, we have a few of them around here, and they are very reasonable? Then you could employ a joiner (or get your very capable OH to give it a try) to fit them for you, my OH says fitting windows is nowhere near as difficult as these companies would have you believe. You could also do, for example, the front windows all at once, and then the back windows later in the year when you've saved up enough. Also, companies like Screwfix do double glazing if your windowa aren't a peculiar shape or size.

elisamoose

So glad we Are back here.really did not like it in the Arms!

ifonlyitwaseasier

wahey!!!!!!!!!! we got our OS back

no offence to the arms crowd but it was a bit off topic for OS-ness and i like the community feel this thread and it's predecessors had/has on OS.

well i'm planning on baking soon, can i have a mini poll, carrot cake muffins or choc eclairs?
that and i'm going to treat hubby tomorrow, he doesn't know that yet but he deserves sthg nice for putting up with me and looking after me while i was jobhunting

ioiwe x

Mrs_Veg_Plot

Glad we are back here. I liked the arms but somehow it's more homely on here.
Had Fa*m F**ds scampi with chips tonight and 17p Te*co value mushy pease. The peas were great. That showed OH who pulled his nose up at the thought of them. Have tried making my own mushy peas but they were not good. Must need more practice.

Working an extra shift tomorrow (a late) so family are having pot luck frozen HM meals and I will take one to work for supper.

Got watchers on a couple of things we posted on e bay so fingers crossed there. They are the girls things though so any money made will be divided between them.

Reduced the grocery spend significantly this week but not enough to balance out the overspend on the first two weeks of the month although I did top up a lot on store cupboard stuff.

Seedlings comming up a treat in the kitchen. If things go well we will be over run with tomatoes in the summer.

I agree with zarazara and the affordable treats, the list is very smilar to mine although I also have things like the warm crust of a fresh HM loaf on mine.