Start of my downshift from full time to part time work

Amishwannabee

Weeks have passed but have been busy plugging away at stuff even though not posting here.
France was fab and weather was glorious - temps never dipped below 26 degrees in the daytime. I tried kayaking for the first time ever and really enjoyed it though my lower back was stiff as a board by the time we finished! even though we had a couple of stops en route as well. Great fun though.
Back home - gradually decluttering things via Ebay and charity shops. Getting the house straighter slowly but surely.
Tomatoes all done and dusted but raspberries still producing and made more jam at the weekend. Yum.
Have also made more wine with some of the raspberries which is popping away in the kitchen. That means this year we have made gooseberry, blackcurrant and raspberry - very productive for us and hopefully all tasting good.
Trying to do as little spending as poss on my days off aka NSD. This works sometimes but not always. Actually had an almost NSD on Saturday which was remarkable. Needed a new blouse to go with my skirt for an evening wedding do so looked at M&S - too expensive. Went to charity shop and bought ideal blouse for £3. Even got complimented on it!
Earlier in the day used our National Trust membership to visit a lovely property and took our own picnic due to glorious weather we have had. Then in the evening at wedding reception there was leftover wine from wedding breakfast available for guests - so no bar bills!
Today going to Wilkos to buy more wine bottles to fill up with our produce. Going to the gym to keep up the fitness regime. Doing some knitting or sewing hopefully later ths pm.
Another day off tomorrow then back to work. Making the most of it all.

Amishwannabee

Phew! Dentist seen today and no probs - hurrah! next apptmt made for Oct 2012. what a relief.
Got wine bottles today from Wilkos to start decanting some of the wine. Did not get to gym but will go tomorrow instead. Plenty of washing/ironing done and made a double lot of chilli in the slow cooker. Going to make WW chicken korma for tea tonight which is always lovely and goes down well with everyone.
Tomorrow - no car but will have fun pottering and not spending anything after spends today.

Kaz2904

Very interested in your wine making, where did you get the recipes from may I ask? I want to get into home brewing when I get the house a bit more up together. I made elderflower champagne last year. 1 batch was delicious and the other (double) batch was revolting. I ended up using it as descaler for the rest of the year

I hope your back continues to improve and look forward to hearing more of your tales in the future

Amishwannabee

Hi Kaz. We use an old book called "Home Winemaking" by H E Bravery which was recommended to us by B-i-L as he has used for years. Book first published in 1969 but reprinted several times since. Just took a look on Ebay and there are several books by H E Bravery currently on there as well as other writers if you are interested. We like ours though as it is quite simply written and does not start using thermometers etc. We obtained demijohns via Freecycle by the way and the rest of the equipment via a home brew place still open near us and also Wilkos. Hope that you have a go soon and enjoy the end results. We have had a couple of disasters in the past but they were not that bad as fruit was usually free and just granulated sugar used.

Kaz2904

I may have a look then. I bought DH a book for Fathers day but don't know where it is. It's the cost of alcohol too really. He was getting through a box per week (3L= 4 bottles) but has cut right down because I kept on and on about the cost to our finances and his health. We must have been spending £60 per 4 week period on wine which is too much.
If he drinks 2 bottles a week it's still £8ish. I wonder how cheap we could make our own wine? It's gotta be cheaper than £4 per bottle! I can't drink wine any more, it makes me really ill. I think it's brewed too quickly with added sulphides and turns my stomach so badly the next day. I would like to try our own to see if that is less awful. I've made some raspberry vodka which I had the other night. The added advantage to that is that there's more in the glass so you drink less and there's less units than in wine. Much better for you. When I finish the vodka, I've got a fair amount of sloe gin to drink too. That's lovely with tonic water

geoffky

I am 47 and my wife is 44. i retired at 40 and my wife works 9 hrs a week just to see her okd workmates....It is the best thing i have done and not a day goes by without me not doing something that i could not have done had i been at work. I worked away for many many years and missed out so much and now i am being rewarded from that hard work.. go for it..we are mortgage free and that takes a big monkey off your back..

Amishwannabee

Geoffky - Wish I could say we were mortgage free - 7 years to go but the endowment is dire and we just keep for the insurance cover. Going to transfer interest free portion of mortgage over to repayment to clear it and then just have what there is of endowment for other things eg youngest going to uni by then. Ho hum! when we took it out in 1993 thought we would be so rich in 2018.
Kaz - your wine bills might have to continue for a bit longer as you would not drink any you made for at least 3 - 6 months if not longer depending on the recipe so it might be worth starting to collect the equipment so you can have a go as soon as poss? Once you are in a winemaking cycle you will have some to drink, some settling and some in the early stages of production. Hope you have a warm place for them to sit and ferment. My b-i-l used to live in a maisonette and kept the demi johns up the entrance stair case!

GooeyBlob

Kaz2904 wrote: »

Very interested in your wine making, where did you get the recipes from may I ask? I want to get into home brewing when I get the house a bit more up together. I made elderflower champagne last year. 1 batch was delicious and the other (double) batch was revolting. I ended up using it as descaler for the rest of the year

There are plenty of winemaking recipes and tips on this thread:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/12823

Amishwannabee

Have not had to trail round supermarket this wkend as had a money off first delivery voucher to use so plucked up courage and booked it all online. Took me ages though. However, have realised that I have plenty of store cupboard items now but not much else (!) so think will have to go to the supermkt anyhow by tomorrow at least. What a pain.
Think that I will need a different mindset before attempting to do another home delivery order.
Today I plan to go to gym, then mum and sis coming round for a short visit. Ironing to do, roast dinner to prep for teatime, quick cleaning flickround and then back to work tomorrow. Roll on midweek....

Kaz2904

Annoying when that happens isn't it?
I am getting a fruit and veg box delivered on Friday. It will be the third company I have tried over the years. I've only gone with these because they emailed me (they must be an offshoot from the previous company I used) and said I could have a 1/2 price box with a free bottle of wine so £9.85 = an extra large fruit and veg box + bottle of plonk
I do hope that they work out ok because it is a cheaper way to do it as long as the fruit and veg doesn't just rot like it started to do late last year.
I noticed that our local butcher will give a 10% discount on orders of £50 and above so may investigate their offers too. Would be worth doing a once monthly meat shop if that was a viable option. Would need a monthly menu plan too though. I expect it would work out as buying chickens, gammons and minced beef and making lots of pies and stuff.