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

GreyQueen

Well, last night's veggie chili, my first adventure into t.v.p mince, was a truimph. It was rich and glossy and in no way inferior to beef mince chili, my normal style. Thanks to those who sent cooking tips.

I had a revelation this morning. I'd spent £1.32 at the health food shop on 500g of t.v.p whereas I normally spenf £1.45 at the butcher on 500g beef mince. The difference is, I have cooked a huge pot of chili, fed us and have loads left over and I still have more than half the t.v.p mince left in the cupboard. :idea: So, bearing in mind that I definately overdid the soya mince, I could get 3-4 pots of veg chili for the price of once pot of beef chili !

It's a happy thought.

I have sorted thru my toiletries which live in a storage stool in the bathroom and tend to suffer from out-of-sight-out-of-mind syndrome and have discovered that I have lots of just about everything. I shall shop at home for the next few months.

Now off to the lottie (day off) to finish the potato planting session if humanly possible and then can use the rest of the week to crack on with other things. A gardener's work is never done...

Hope everyone is having a good day and if you spot a spherical yellow object above your head outside, it belongs up above Provincial City and has been stolen. Kick it back this way please as it's a bit chilly and grey without it.....:rotfl:

purpleheather2810

It's a glorious day here. Eldest is off sick from school - has been sick since Thurs night - but seems through the worst of it. She's much brighter today and playing on the postage stamp with her little sister. The bug hit me like a train on Sat morning but passed quite quickly, fortunately.

Very proud to announce that I have made some recurrant jelly - my first ever attempt at it. We are running the freezer down and I found 2 ice-cream tubs full of last year's redcurrants. Being as I'm planning to cook roast lamb (part of our bargain half lamb from friendly local butcher) for Mother's Day I thought homemade redcurrant jelly would be useful. In fact it will become Delia's redcurrant, orange and mint sauce. Leg of lamb will be roasted simply with slivers of garlic and rosemary plonked in here and there. I need to impress with this meal, but keep OS where possible. Not sure what I will do for dessert - in the past I would have bought one but with money being as tight as it is, I think I might make a cheesecake. Mum likes lemon and ginger (as do I) so something along those lines would be good. Also I don't have a loose-bottomed tin - do I need one?

Gailey I hope you got your nap x

GreyQueen I have some TVP in the cupboard. I sometimes throw a handful in with my mince-based dishes, as I also do with lentils, but I worried it would be bland on it's own. Apparently not! I will try it!

Desperate_Housewife_2-2

Had some over ripe bananas and a lot of milk so made 2pts custard, put some in a trifle and made little lock and lock boxes with bananas and custard for OH for his packed lunch!
Cleaned the house, walked dog, done some studying and now sat with feet up reading...very cosy with dog on my knee, I've got 1 1/2 hours before kids get home so may have a nod zzzz

jediteacher

dollydaydream07 wrote: »

arrggghhh garage have just rang gonna cost close to £300 no idea where we going to get money from as we are already £150ish overdrawn can go another £100 overdrawn but anything after £250 we start to get charged on

Poor you Dolly. We're in the same boat at the moment. My car went in today and I'm just dreading the phone call. :eek: Big hugs to you as I too have no idea where the money is going to come from and it has to be paid today!

I've sat down at worked out my maternity pay for the 7 months that I am taking off work - cannot afford anymore time and ideally would need to go back sooner but I am taking a month off before the birth as I'm really struggling.
The silly thing is that I will be better off on maternity leave for the first four months than I am working. It's a crazy system. I'm a part time teacher and it made my husband realise that I'm not actually that well paid as the maternity allowance for the month is more than I actually get paid!:mad:

Trying hard to get through the laundary today so that at least something is done. My in-laws are coming down on Saturday to look after my little girl so that we can keep working on sorting out the rooms. It will be the first time I have seen them since Christmas as due to my SPD I cannot travel and my father-in-law has just undergone cancer treatment. Looking forward to seeing them. Will have to try and do a real OS lunch as between us we are both into our overdrafts and I still need to pay for the car.

On a more positive note I did the weekly shopping using the guide on the Tesco/Asda thread and from a £35.85 shop I have got a voucher for £35.56 so that can pay for the next shop.

helen_jelly

Afternoon everyone

Gailey - hope baby comes very soon - you do so much, puts me to shame

I;ve had this bloomin tummy bug all weekend, feeling terrible but its DD's birthday today and we're off to Pizza Hut tonight [using vouchers] so will have to be cheerful for that

MOT - both our cars are due, DH is being done tomorrow, we also can't afford to have them fixed and DH is trying hard to find a bit for his car to fix it in time for the MOT but is struggling, if breakers haven't got it then its a new part which is £61 and on top of that we've just had to buy my car a battery for £56, we have no money so talk about robbing Paul to pay Pete!!!

Have a good day everyone

Helen

cbsexec

Hi Gailey

Im a lurker on this thread (but love it) but thought I'd say hello as I live near Crickhowell!!

Hope the baby comes soon

gailey_2

cbsexec wrote: »

Hi Gailey

Im a lurker on this thread (but love it) but thought I'd say hello as I live near Crickhowell!!

Hope the baby comes soon

If you see crazy woman with ford ka this week looking lost its my mam!

Shes just down the road in aber.she sort of knows crick shes been there enough.

Did get mynap babys woke up perky I woken up feeling no better alwasyfeel bit spaced sleepingin day.

donenohousework.
did school run just about to take eldest to rainbows.
then will put tea on as want kids in bed on time tonight.

not sure what time hubbys home but try get house tidy just in case by some miricle baby decides to arrives tonight planning home birth my mams paranoid wont betidyenough for the midwives.

Hubbys fending for himself well taking his son to maccy dsso no doubt come back hungry plus leftover sausage casserole from yesterday in fridge.:D

Think im having covent garden soup I brought on offer.
planning bath
early night.

like to watch one born at 9pmc 4 in bed dont know why as terrafies me but makes me laugh at same time!:rotfl:

Jedi teacher-sounds like you doing well,very organised hope you not feeling too bad,This tesco asda thing did wonder if was con but sounds like quite a saving.would have thourght tesco would watch asda prices quite closly? but guess only percentage would claimback.

Got sent 15quid ocado voucher typical as pretty sure ocado and waitrose dont deliver to my postcode as would try it

Was thinking how expensive mobility is these days.

factor in drivinglessons-test-notcheap
insurance
tax
petrol
costs of running car.

makes me worry that cars will be for privilaged few.
public transport is hugly expensive crowded and unreliable.
Wonder why uk cant be more like europe.
wouldent mind if they reinvested but cant see how they do.
Things never get any better.

modern_millie_2

Dolly, jedi and Helen, I feel your pain. Sometimes seems as though all my economising and OS ways are pointless when faced with garage bills for £100s. I think we will have to go back to one car shortly as, even after £220 worth of work at recent MOT, garage said we would need about another £600 worth in the next few months. From past experience this will involve endless diary sessions and hanging around for 2 hourly buses, but will have to be done. At least other car is only 4 years old and lowish mileage, could be worse. Washing machine and dishwasher are also on their last legs, dishwasher will not be replaced (well only by OH!) .
However, have had a NSD today and grocery budget is looking good, may make some of Shegar's ricepud later. Got to go to pick up DD now, hope everyone is coping.

born_blonde

I just filled my car £70, it might last the month. School run 12miles a day, trip to Morrison's once a week 13 miles, who'd choose to live in the country these days. Just waiting for a Camper due at 2pm. probably another no show, why oh why can they just not call?
Still cleaned my caravan( more accurately called my spare room) today and took photos of my commanche montana folding trailer tent so you never know I might actually put it on Gumtree. Will certainly have it on show at Easter when the camp-site will be full.
Now back to work.

jediteacher

Well good news and bad news about the car. After waiting all day for the garage to ring to let me know what was going on I rang them to be informed that their MOT tester is off sick and they could not do my MOT!:mad: They obviously knew this, this morning so why they didn't call me to let me know is beyond me. Wouldn't have minded as much if they had let me know so the car has to be in for another day which means another day of borrowing my husbands car to take my daughter into nursery. This means hubby will have to catch the bus which is more expensive than driving to work so we are out of pocket there too! The garage is too far for me to walk to and I cannot get a bus due to barely being able to move due to the SPD! The good news is that the centre was going to charge me £175 but I have said I was quoted £135 and will not pay a penny more especially as they have mucked me around. They have agreed to this and thrown in some other checks that would have cost me another £90 (air-con etc). Will check to make sure that they have done the checks tomorrow. Not a happy bunny at all.

Right need to wake up my daughter to go and collect hubby from work. :cool: