Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - Part 3.

rubytuesday

LolaLemon wrote: »

I think hampers are great mooloo, u can pick stuff up throughout the year to speak the cost. A movie night hamper is good, couple of cheap dvds, bottles of POP, big bags of m&ms, popcorn. I've seen in magazines reusable stripey popcorn cups like the ones u used to get in the pictures.
Bookworm box, cheap books, add in bookmarks, book light, some snack bags

I did a movie night hamper for my eighteen year old daughter and she loved it.

As she was eighteen she was allowed a wine gift box in it with chocolates and glass that I got cheap in the Bhs pre Christmas sale.

Had a lovely day today - open day where my dance therapy is held with a delicious free buffet and barbecue and I put a load of cheap plants including strawberries and a huge sage.

LolaLemon

For those of u who are interested and or can get to it. Come to this; was here 10 years ago and was fab. I'm excited to see the magic numbers on Sunday nite.
http://www.tallshipsracesgreenock.com/

redglass_2

tumptyteapot wrote: »

just booked a 2 night holiday at Brean Sands p o n t i n s - £89 through kgb deals, though I have just read some reviews of it and it looks terrible! anyone been?

Is that KGB as in the Russian secret police? It must be a terribly strict holiday camp.

Edited to add: Crikey, Tumpty, I've just seen the reviews....can you cancel without too great a loss?

millionaire_in_training

I think I'm coming over for that at some point Lola. Would love to see Lulu

paidinchickens

tumptyteapot wrote: »

just booked a 2 night holiday at Brean Sands p o n t i n s - £89 through kgb deals, though I have just read some reviews of it and it looks terrible! anyone been?

just read the reviews:eek::eek: However DH booked us a short break to spain £60 each as a surprise and I asked if he checked on TA to see what it was like, of course he hadn't. Well it scared me half to death......far worse reviews but we decided to go and if it was terrible book somewhere else. When we got there it was fine, a little shabby but the people were lovely so I am glad I did not listen. On the other side of the coin we have been places that have shiny, fabulous reviews and when we have got there it has been awful. Just pack your G&T and I'm sure you will be fine

slowlyfading

:hello: judee and welcome to the thread :j

lingojingo

tumptyteapot wrote: »

just booked a 2 night holiday at Brean Sands p o n t i n s - £89 through kgb deals, though I have just read some reviews of it and it looks terrible! anyone been?

We used to go there alternate years when I was a child in the late 60s and early 70s!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think it was new then, and we always seemed to have a great time, but that's from a child's perspective of course. One year I learnt to swim there, so maybe the weather wasn't so good?

LolaLemon

millionaire_in_training wrote: »

I think I'm coming over for that at some point Lola. Would love to see Lulu

I'm working sat night, in a pub on inverkip st, unsure if they extended opening hours, I remember last time it was 24hours drinking. And inverclyde is the only place to have curfew, used to be half 11, recently changed to midnight. Yea we are that backwards.

They have free stuff for kids, face painting, clowns n lots more.
Don't take ur car! They are charging £10/15 to park! U can park on streets abt 10 15 mins walk away and in town they have a shuttle bus. Also if u get train, get off at cartsdyke, its just up the street from where its all happening.

I'm getting excited now, can't wait for it all to start, me n son went up to Lyle hill (can see up n down the clyde and across to faslane, pure beautiful, if u take the car, go up their for a look) we went to watch the ships coming up the Clyde from Ireland, looks like lots of pirate ships from up their with their masts down.

The town is awash with sailors!

LolaLemon

redglass wrote: »

You can use crab apple jelly recipes with the quinces you get on japonica trees - I've done this for years. With japonica quinces, though, you should cut out the cores as they sometimes harbour minibeasts. The quinces make a nice golden jelly and you can add spices to taste.

Weezl's site has a recipe for apple butter to use on toast. http://cheap-family-recipes.org.uk

LolaLemon, non-Christmassy food sometimes gets very cheap during the festive season. I practically filled my freezer one year with stuff nobody would eat because it wasn't festive. Worth having a look.

I am still fighting my way through my "Italian" kitchen to get to the bread (how expensive is bread just now!) as tinned tomatoes in varying degrees of squashedness haha are everywhere, have loads of random tinned beans, harricot n others that I don't know what to do with, to add as well. Massive packets (sized like dried dog food packets) of pasta shapes where only £2 a pack, yet the 250/500g packets where over a pound each. We go through a lot of pasta in here. It's just a great filler food that can hide or use up a multitude of veg.
We use turkey from roughly April to Septl/Oct as it is soo much cheaper than pork or lamb minced.(son doesn't eat beef, has always taken 1 bite then said no more, then is ill after, turns out his dairy gallery is cow specific)

millionaire_in_training

Will probably just go during the day as need to drive as I am from across the water. My pal stays next to the ice cream shop in Greenock so might park along there and walk in . We'll see but no way am I paying £15 for parking that's shocking :eek:.