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

Softstuff

Today has been a "novel" one. Tumble drier is dead, but at least I found out where the lumps of plastic in the laundry had come from. A very kind new neighbour who is an electrician came to look at my oven which is dodgy, and my hob where only 1 hotplate works. As a result, I have still one hotplate, but my built in oven is now disconnected and sitting by the bin waiting to go to the tip.

So all recipes for microwave baking or cooking with 1 hob gratefully received :rotfl:

I still have no job and am becoming pretty disheartened. Since I resigned from the job from hell we've been statistically very unlucky. The TV, laptop, xbox, extractor fan over the oven, the oven and the tumble drier have all broken in that period of time (the hotplate died long ago), and the bedside lamp is looking pretty perilous. Try as we might to budget and live on sod all, I'm starting to think my household appliances are just out to get me!

silvermaid

Thanks for the recipe DesperateHousewife, I have copied it and will try it soon.
GreyQueen I put leftover chillis in the freezer as the packs usually contain more than we need at one go. Also DH produces loads in the summer and autumn and although he makes loads of delicious salsa we always have surplus to requirements so they go in the freezer too.
Hugs softstuff you sound like you are in a hard place at the moment.
Washing out on the line waiting to meet the yellow disc - hasn't happened yet.
Lunch is going to be leftovers from the weekend.
Dinner will be chorizo beans and jacket potatoes (DH makes a JO recipe with pork, chorizo and black-eyed beans which is lovely and we always have lots of the bean mixture left over which goes in the freezer.)
Silver x

flowertotmum

GreyQueen wrote: »

I've come to think of this thread as the source of all wisdom so I'm sending out a flare about the chili peppers.

I bought these as a bagful as part of a 3 bags for £1 deal in the whoopsie section of my greengrocer last Friday. Used 4-5 of them in my chili last weekend but now have 12 left. I don't want to make another batch of chili as have no freezer space and equally don't want to waste them. It's hating the thought of the waste more than the money and I've tried giving them away but no friends in reach have a chili pepper deficit at the moment.

All ideas gratefully recieved....


Calling Hardup Hester if you're reading this thread.

I was gutted on Sunday to find that the frugal-in-cornwall blogspot which I'd been reading daily for about 6 months (although I was never an official follower) had disappeared overnight. Feel strangely bereft that this lovely, lively blogger has dropped out of sight. Your own blog today mentions that it was a result of a spiteful attack on her personally so I'm guessing you have some communication? Could you please send her good wishes from me and beg her to come back into the blogosphere? The world is a slightly worse place without her sharing her life with the rest of us.:(

Hi greyqueen..i too am upset that the frugal queen has been personally attacked and closed down her blog..i love reading her she is so honest forthright and down to earth..shame on those who did this to her...
Harduphester..if you have any communication with froogs..please give her my best and love..and to ignore the haters and love the lovers...i will miss her..i look forward to reading her ...it seems that there have been lots of personal attacks on a lot of blogs lately..3 that i know of..these people are cowards and not worth bothering with...
ftm

jumblejack

Softstuff wrote: »

Today has been a "novel" one. Tumble drier is dead, but at least I found out where the lumps of plastic in the laundry had come from. A very kind new neighbour who is an electrician came to look at my oven which is dodgy, and my hob where only 1 hotplate works. As a result, I have still one hotplate, but my built in oven is now disconnected and sitting by the bin waiting to go to the tip.

So all recipes for microwave baking or cooking with 1 hob gratefully received :rotfl:

I still have no job and am becoming pretty disheartened. Since I resigned from the job from hell we've been statistically very unlucky. The TV, laptop, xbox, extractor fan over the oven, the oven and the tumble drier have all broken in that period of time (the hotplate died long ago), and the bedside lamp is looking pretty perilous. Try as we might to budget and live on sod all, I'm starting to think my household appliances are just out to get me!

Softstuff, you really need to get in contact with your local freecycle group. As long as you regularly check your emails, they could kit you out within a month, possible within a week or two!! Google freecycle and contact your local group on the site.
Hope things start looking up for you!!!

charlies-aunt

Was handed note by milkman this morning - milk up 3p per bottle from end of week.

Our lovely milkman is throwing in the towel - has handed his notice in as he knows he will lose customers, the dairy franchise have increased the rent on his milk truck and lowered his margin - after paying for his truck and diesel - he earned £48 last week and just can't afford to continue. It looks like the beginning of the end of door step milk deliveries in our neck of the woods - which will have a big impact on the small isolated village communities around here - most don't have a bus service.

I must have my head in the sand - didn't even know that there was a budget tomorrow - in my present pessimistic mood - I can't imagine that it will bring much joy

ginnyknit

I have to agree with Mardatha, growing as much as you possibly can is the way to go. I feel soon meat will be an utter luxury as whoopsies are getting scarce. But there are plenty of options for stews and casseroles with just a little meat ( or none) in them. My son asked me the other day why I bought cooking bacon? Well son Id rather have a butty full of bacon for a quid than a couple of mean rashers :rotfl: So I am filling the freezer with bacon and will do much magic with it, although I have to dig around on the supermarket shelves to find packs with lovely thin rashers in.

So am off to erect my new little greenhouse in the sunshine and do a few more trays of seeds. Then its 50p sausages with honey and mustard, carrot mash and boiled spuds for tea - yummy.

Red_Doe

Hi greyqueen..i too am upset that the frugal queen has been personally attacked and closed down her blog..i love reading her she is so honest forthright and down to earth..shame on those who did this to her...

Please, add my name to the list of folks who did follow her blog and would like to see her back. The pettiness and meanness of some folks online who have nothing better to do than to hound others is beyond belief, but that`s one of the drawbacks of the Internet, the ability to remain anonymous yet reach out and hurt others. As someone who at one time was on the receiving end of such behaviour, and still stuck it online, I really hope she does the same. Her blog is an inspiration to so many and I was always cheered by reading it.


I agree with others re the cost of meat. I`m lucky enough to have access to some wild, free meat by way of bunnies, but shop bought meat is usually outwith my budget, more so because there`s no supermarket within eighty-odd miles of us. I wasn`t a huge meat eater anyway, but you know what makes folks on a tight budget really feel deprived instead of canny, is that the choice is taken away from us. So many folks are now OS because of dire necessity. Sometimes, it`d feel nice to have the choice...am sure most of us would still be OS...but not having the choice, well, that can be a bit of a downer sometimes.

modern_millie_2

I've been thinking about this issue for the last 3 - 4 years -came to the same conclusion as Ceridwen and GQ - costs will continue to spiral and we will have a time lag before public transport and energy efficiency (cheaper alternative to oil or electric heating) improve.
If I had been on my own I would have moved some time ago - as it is we decided to wait until DD finished A levels, then make a decision whether to stay in this area or move away - but having waited this long I am more and more sure that we will have a better quality of life if we move to a town. I would love to be able to walk to the shops, library etc., feel that one or no car is enough, be able to visit cinema or theatre without a 26 mile round trip. No doubt there will be drawbacks - I just hope we have not completely missed the boat and can't sell the house!
Have not done much with our veg patch this year - still a few leeks in there - will be potatoes and leaf beet as usual - we are hopeless gardeners - and maybe some salad leaves.
Shopped for my old gent today - find this really difficult as my instinct is to look for bargains, but I just have to buy what's on the list! Had to restrain myself from choosing cheaper alternatives!

Red Doe, you are right about feeling you have the choice in economising - OH and I discussed for 5 mins yesterday whether we should go out to eat - decided against, but felt better knowing it was a possibilty - very lucky in this respect.
Waiting to see if DD needs transport into town for concert - 26 mile round trip again - might be cheaper to rent her a flat there;).

Hope everyone's car probs are sorted out today, good luck with the tooth GQ.

Kittikins

I'm going to miss Froogs too hope she'll come back, I love her blog (((frugal queen))) if you're reading

Pitlanepiglet

I'm another Frugal Queen fan so please pass my best wishes along as well.

I'm full of cold at the moment so am just lurking!