Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - Part 3.

silvasava

Hi all - having a 'creative' time in the kitchen today. I had some left over cold chicken, all small bits that wouldn't look too appetising on the plate. I remembered we were in the US many moons ago & I'd asked for a chicken salad & was served minced chicken in some sort of mayo sauce.I was a bit surprised but it was tasty so decided to try my own version.
I've pulsed the chicken in the processor so its still a bit chunky & added finely chopped spring onion & celery & a good shake of salt & black pepper. Mixed it all together with some Light mayo, put it in a dish with a weight on top in the fridge until tomorrow. I'll let you know what it tastes like!
I bet someone here already has a recipe though

cw18

I use those small bits of chicken to make chicken and mushroom risotto - yum, yum

23rdspiral

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Spiral, bring your own dish parties are fab! Have been to a couple and there's such a selection there's always something to suit everyone! Fingers crossed the weather picks up.

thanks, that's what i hope! i do hope you're not still panicking re the hospital appointment, you've not had your head in the sand and have been planning well. x

SandraScarlett wrote: »

Hope you've/you'll calmly telephone their accounts office and advise them that it isn't good customer service when amended amounts and accounts aren't properly recorded.

rant away sandra!
i did telephone calmly, and let the lady know that i wasnt angry with her, but that this would be a formal complaint. and no i wouldnt hold while she figured it out.... i'm glad i said that, she phoned back 40 minutes later!! turns out we were due a REBATE of about 1/2 the 30 i paid! BUT our new provider has messed up the sums and is insisting the 170 is paid to SSE and then to them. It is very complicated, i dont really understand it all. She's now raised a formal complaint with the new company and advised me not to pay the bill till i hear again.

why oh why cant these companies send an explanatory letter with such bills? why do they just jump to balif threats? i have great uncles that i know would just pay this sort of thing as they were taught to trust big companies and the governement. and they would hate to cause a fuss or be thought of as miserly or argumentative.


anyway, so i was calm, but it took ages so i was very exasperated, so when my Rental Agency messed up the payment again, i was perhaps a little harsh on them!

oh, and Direct Line have sent me a revised policy notice listing Breakdown and Hire Care - which i CANCELLED as i thought the combined cost of 150:eek: was too steep.... so i had to phone them and get to the bottom of that one. (is it now free? have you charged me despite me not sanctioning that?) ARGH! sometimes i wish i lived in a caravan and just tootled around living off grid!

and since that took half a day, i've now soo little time to move all the stuff that needs moving before this party tomorow. OH said he would forgoe the gym to help... but came in and went out running... then wasnt back/showered till 10.00pm.. which is later than if he'd gone to the gym!:mad: ARGH!!!

sorry, rant over!

76rosie

Thanks to everyone who welcomed me to the gang.

Yesterday was a NSD and so will today. I have been trying to get a bit of extra overtime to make up for the serious lack of a payrise but today so far has been horrible.

I work in ferry lane next tottenham hale. So because it's cut off as their has been a serious incident,have had to drive all the way around the A406 costing fuel.

Tottenham is so terrible now have to be more determined to save and get a flat in essex.

The extra 2 pound in fuel was my whoopsie veg for the weekend.

Hope today gets better

tumptyteapot

what a lot of posts! I've never had a problem with stealing neighbours, just ones that don't talk to me :-) Still trying to move to somewhere we fit in better.
half 9, I have 4 days off my son as he is at his dads, I have already fixed the leak under the sink (hopefully!) worked out why the boiler is leaking and that it will cost me £££ to fix it, if I can do it myself and £££££ if I have to get someone to do it for me. We have fleas now the cat has taken up residency in the kitchen and not going into the rest of the house, they have no one to live on so they are jumping on me. Flea powder is down now.
Sometimes I wish I had one of those husband things so he could be the one who went to the plumbing shop and worked out what was wrong with the thing.

Nice bit of today is that I am going to have my feet fished with a groupon voucher, pity I can't have a shower first :-)

rubytuesday

I lived in Tottenham for twelve years Rosie.

76rosie

I had my beloved picanto keyed last month too. I try to look on the bright side and know that others have got it bad too. I try to be glad when I get a bargain and made some break through but just sometimes... you get a kick.

And for anyone who lives in tottenham I live near downhills park so maybe you get my point.

However conversing with forum is helping me and if I hit my target this month, I will cut to 40 pounds next month.

paidinchickens

Sorry I have not posted very much lately but I have had a lot going on.

Decorated DS bedroom, which we have painted (paint £17) carpeted (free from skip but was new) curtains (20p jumble, new) and it looks fab!! friend came round who has just decorated her dining room and cost her £1000 was quite jealous how little we spent

DH has been in hospital and is supposed to be taking it easy but this has turned into a full time job trying to keep an eye on him. He is itching to get some more decorating and gardening done so I have had to severely put my foot down :mad: (he is driving me mad)

I have been shopping to stock up on a winter emergency kit and may have over done it on the packs of rice and pasta :rotfl: however it is unusual to actually find any value rice or pasta at mr Ts lately so grabbed it while I could.

Kitties are just about ready to go to their new homes one is going to next door and one is going to a friends so I will still get to see them all the time

I am still really fed up with vets as I have rang around them all and they are just a rip off!!! To get flea spray for the kittens they wanted me to pay a consultation of £27 plus the £22 flea spray and £30 wormer :mad: now I know I need to pay for the flea and worm stuff but £27 for a consultation .........really???? So anyway I rang round the vets who are all pretty much the same and said I was not willing to pay a consultation especially when I would be bringing mum and the two boys we are keeping to be neutered plus all the courses of injections and that they would be making enough money out of me there. if they want our custom it is up to them.
Long story short I have found a vet who checked them over for nothing and it just cost me the price of the items. The nurse was lovely and they don't try to sell you anything in the waiting room!!! I will still ring round for the best price for neutering though I know you can get vouchers for half price off this from different cat charities but I would not feel right doing this as we made the decision to let mum have one lot of babies and it would be wrong for me to expect someone else to donate money towards me wanting to have more cats, not very money saving I know but that is how I feel

Been picking buckets of blackberries for DH to have a go at making wine from scratch but I don't think that is going very well :rotfl:

Hope everyone is well

PIC xx

silvasava

Hi Paidin - hope DH is progressing well. My DH has finished the sitting room, he's done a lovely job & I'm really pleased. He worked hard on it so I didn't want to push him into the Hall, Stairs & Landing but it seems he's got the bit between his teeth & wants to get it all done (who am I to stop a willing worker BIG spendy day today as DH does not do things by half. The front door has all brass furniture, all well past their sell by date as the laquer has peeled off in some places & not in others so looks really tatty even when the unlaquered bits are polished. So - off to find new s/s fittings. I had a look round 'tinternet & reckoned it was going to cost about £100 for the lot (if we were lucky!) Managed to get the door lock & handle from a local double glazing company for £15.00 instead of about £60 everywhere else so I 'spaved' on a nice letterbox! By the way PAIDIN - any idea why my cat loves eating cobwebs? I know they have healing properties perhaps she thinks she needs a tonic. Its really funny watching her as they get stuck on her whiskers.

Hope everyone has a lovely relaxing weekend

x

rubytuesday

We may have been neighbours then Rosie but I was very happy there - forteen years ago though.