Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - Part 3.

redglass_2

LolaLemon wrote: »

No, but me n son have severe allergy, as bad as a peanut allergy, so we avoid everything and try and not eat food that has been contaminated/touched cows stuff.
We do use goats milk n yogurt, and some soya, but have to watch as we take reactions to some soya as well.
We also don't eat beef. So a lot of food is excluded from us.
I normally just make sandwiches, salads, fruit... but who am I kidding, I want to impress haha.

Pin wheel sandwiches sound good. Thanks

I'm not great at picnics, but how about carrot sticks and hummus, banana butties for kids, peanut butter and raisin sandwiches, strawberries...actually I've just realised this is pretty much what you said you did anyway, sandwiches, salads, fruit... If you grow any of the stuff yourself be sure to mention it and get brownie points. Can your bloke give you any tips as to what the rest of them eat?

LolaLemon

redglass wrote: »

I'm not great at picnics, but how about carrot sticks and hummus, banana butties for kids, peanut butter and raisin sandwiches, strawberries...actually I've just realised this is pretty much what you said you did anyway, sandwiches, salads, fruit... If you grow any of the stuff yourself be sure to mention it and get brownie points. Can your bloke give you any tips as to what the rest of them eat?

They have their own chickens, for both eggs and meat, eat the best quality meat from the best butcher around, with the prices to match. The sister is the best cook ever apparently.

I've picked up some hummus and salsa, got carrots, celery and peppers for dipping in. My friend brought me a fruit box for making them lunch on Wednesday, has a lot of stuff I don't even know what it is, so I'll make a fruit salad to take with me, I have bananas going off, so will make a banana loaf or cupcakes. I might make a chilli con carne n take wraps or even taco shells... I just don't want to have loads of boxes n tubs n rubbish.

Anyone got a good chilli recipe?

Aril

Hello fellow frugallers:j
Good to come back to more good news- well done on the allowance Tumpty and thanks for the link to the free films Grandma247. LadyMay- hope you enjoy the trip to France. Please could you let me know how you made your bodyscrub- I am really keen to make as much from home as possible now!

Not posted much this week as RL keeps getting in the way but am being positive about my new start as finish work today. Have used the quiet time this week to join some more survey sites and have discovered that the mysupermarket site has a tab for offers which I've used to plan my shopping a bit better. I'm still making my folk art owl cushion using scraps from my stash and I am planning to use one of OH's old shirts for the backing- I'm planning to dye it a more suitable colour using cold tea and think I might chuck in a couple of ex white :eek: bras to see if I can change them to a nude colour and extend their life a little more.

My first frugal plans for next week are to do a complete stocktake of what I actually have in food wise. I have been working my way through the contents of the freezer and will defrost it before recommencing whoopsie hunts to refill it:D Am hoping aswell to do some blackberrying as would like to get two demijohns going- the batch from last year is heavenly.

Tonight Mr Gnat Bottomed and I are going to get squiffy on a bottle of pink Cava that a very naughty student brought in for me:D

Aril

PS for any cardmakers £land have a lovely set of mixed colours of tissue paper.

tumptyteapot

LolaLemon wrote: »

Need help need help need help

New guy has invited me n wee man to the beach at the weekend, if its nice, with his sister n her 3 kids (& most likely his parents will happen to 'turn up'). I'm rubbish at picnics, please give me easy things to make that does not contain milk, cheese or yogurt, that a 4 year old will like. I'm not aiming to impress, just that I can be confident that I won't kill anyone if they take some.

woo, how exciting. my 4 year old ate
houmous, french bread, breadsticks, onion bhajis, rice cakes, banana muffins (I have a vegan recipe somewhere if you want), vegi pasties.....

tumptyteapot

Did anyone go for the free Daily Mail railcard? They have just emailed me to offer me another for a year half price, which is fab, I nearly bought a full price one last night! I would have been gutted to have missed out on saving £14! And it gives you free youth hostel association membership too, though last time I looked at YHA prices they were well out of my league - does anyone here go youth hosteling?

23rdspiral

meg72 wrote: »

I dont think you were ripped off at all.I think they sound quite odd but then you did take it to so i took it to the greasyest, overall wearing bike shop i could find. the chaps were like steptoe and son,
Wonder what Halfordswould have charged you.I think you have a find with your pair seem very honest.

Very envious of your Cross stitch find.

thanks. it was being so far out of my comfort zone that made me worry so much i think. when i asked in halfords a year ago, the man didnt even know you could get a folding bike that wasnt a brompton! so of the bike shops avalible to me i think i made the right choice, they've been there donkeys years and it's not every day you get a free comedy show...even if i was the fat lady butt of 1/2 of the jokes... seriously it was a mix of steptoe and son and the 2 ronnies!:rotfl: (and that well set bloke that dressed up as an old lady in a head scarf and sniffed whilst adjusting his bust with his forearm... cant remember who that was though...)

good luck with the bike rising. i'm just hoping for good weather to get out this weekend after all the jobs are done.

do all you stitchers here know about the Cross Stitch Cafe? we're a nice bunch i promise. and always willing to help out with chart advice ect. https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2943532

rubytuesday wrote: »

Had an early morning swim in the outdoor pool so have had a little spend.

wow! that sounds wonderful. i wish there was one near me. and well done on the early mornings :T i know how both extreems feel too.

PIC well done on the carpet :T

cw18

23rdspiral wrote: »

(and that well set bloke that dressed up as an old lady in a head scarf and sniffed whilst adjusting his bust with his forearm... cant remember who that was though...)

I think you mean Les Dawson. Never did anything for me, but I seem to remember him like this in some shows

23rdspiral

cw18 wrote: »

I think you mean Les Dawson. Never did anything for me, but I seem to remember him like this in some shows

that's him! thanks. that was going to bug me. not really my thing either. but i was trying to look on the bright side. comedy not insults said with a smile!

rubytuesday

Not long got back from a lovely swim again and need to cobble something together for dinner.

Had a little spend today as it's chocolate florentine day today - dark chocolate and stem ginger today and I also bought some cheeses.

I bought a huge tomato plant from the garden centre where I attend my dance therapy for £2 and had so much attention when I in popped to the shops with it on the way home!

I told the woman in M and S who served me that it was a marijuana plant!:rotfl:

She did realise I was joking!

Will catch up with all your posts later x

rising_from_the_ashes

SandraScarlett wrote: »

Blimey rictus, if you're only 20, live with your parents and take home £3,000 a month, can you get me a job where you work please!

xx

redglass wrote: »

Never mind the job, I'm moving in with his parents. :rotfl: Rictus may well get to be King of MSE at this rate! Go, Rictus!

Can I come too? (please, pretty please)

Sandra hope your trip to Brighton was lovely, I was born near there but moved when very young - I keep meaning to visit to see what it's like but just never seem to make it!

Ladymay - enjoy France!

Aril wrote: »

My first frugal plans for next week are to do a complete stocktake of what I actually have in food wise. I have been working my way through the contents of the freezer and will defrost it before recommencing whoopsie hunts to refill it:D

On my "to do" list as well - I need to work out exactly what I've got as need to have as much in as poss before my op and meals prepared/frozen to last the 1st couple of weeks as I won't be able to move around a lot.

My "2nd" freezer (kindly donated by DM) badly needs defrosting. It's great having the 2nd one (one with fridge is small) as I can take advantage of whoopsies, cheap meat etc and stock up. Badly need to do it before I need to put all the beans etc in. Also hoping for a bumper crop of blackberries this year - picked loads last year (free in the woods) and they've lasted the whole year which is fantastic.

A couple of bags left .... I'm going to eat well this weekend as there's a whole chicken as well as a bag of apples in the freezer that needs emptied:D so roast chicken and apple & blackberrie crumble for Sunday lunch I think (any excuse!).


A week until my hols:j not going anywhere but looking forward to catching up with people I never get time to visit, doing some maintenance jobs around the house/garden.

I must get the rest of the peas picked & frozen tomorrow so hoping for a nice day again.


Need cheering up, I've been catching up on the pets board and 3 people have lost their beloved ones today - it's so sad as you get so attached to them it's heartbreaking when they have to leave.


Have a great weekend everyone.