It was getting tough in 2006 and the workhouse still threatens us in 2011

westcoastscot

Hi,

I love the frontier stove! Would really love one - living as I do on the midgy west coast we bbq/cook outside often in winter - I use a chiminea with either wood or paper bricks on it for keeping a coffee pot warm and making baked potatoes, adding bbq coals for cooking meat if we want it - lovely to garden around also. If I didn't already have one I'd def invest in the frontier though.

I have a multi-fuel stove which heats my house/water - its on 24/7 year around. I'm going to look at ways to cook on it this winter - unfortunately its almost set totally into the chimney breast - around 6" out is all, which is enough to rise bread and keep the coffee hot. The top lifts off to give a hottish plate around 6" wide, about 18" long, but I haven't found anything yet that is the right shape to cook on it, apart from loaf tins - would like something enamel or pot ideally. Would also be interested if anyone has ideas for cooking in the stove - its quite a deep one, and you tend to lose your baked pots if you just pop them in foil!!! I think I need something to hook onto the basket, maybe to use with the doors open???

I'm very envious of those that have enough produce from their gardens to store - ours has been pants this year. Have ordered a book on hydroponics, so going to read up on that. When I was further north last year I visited Achiltibuie last year I almost bought a starter kit, but going to see if I can rig something myself. Have had a wee look online and it doesnt seem too complicated.

WCS

Beccatje

Things are really tight here at the moment.. with summer hols meaning I don't make much money. I'm a childminder in my home but this time of year everybody is taking their hollidays so no kids coming in = no pay for me!..

AARRGGHH.. so now it's a few days till pay day and there's no money left!
We won't starve, luckily.

I did learn a few things during my time here on the board.
So just now I was pondering what on earth to make for dinner.

I've got potatoes, and andives growing in the garden. so it'll be mash with the two mixed together. (favorite meal in holland.. stamppot)
and for meat and gravy I dug up a jar of stock I made months ago from a rabbit we ate. The bits of meat in there will get stirred into the mash and the stock will be used for gravy.
Stammpot is traditionally served with either bacon or sausage, but hey.. I'm not fussy. lol!

Kids are not so pleased though. We ran out of dishwasher soap... But I do have 6 bottles of fairy liquid in my pantry. So they are having to wash up by hand now. Won't kill them. lol!

I will be on the lookout for a bargain of dishwasher stuff next month... and try to stock up on that..

These are hard times.. and it seems to be getting harder.. I'm dreading September, when the Government announces the new budget plans for next year... brrrrrrrrrrrr... hard times ahead!

toottifrootti

does anyone have suggestions or news of cheap hand wash - i have carers that come in 3 times a day and they are always washing their hands so needs to be medicated and good value so i could a stock in?

bluebag

Beccatje wrote: »

Kids are not so pleased though. We ran out of dishwasher soap... But I do have 6 bottles of fairy liquid in my pantry. So they are having to wash up by hand now. Won't kill them. lol!

I will be on the lookout for a bargain of dishwasher stuff next month... and try to stock up on that..

These are hard times.. and it seems to be getting harder.. I'm dreading September, when the Government announces the new budget plans for next year... brrrrrrrrrrrr... hard times ahead!

If I run out of dishwasher stuff, I use a dessertspoon of automatic washing powder(has to be for automatic machines as this is low foaming) in an emergency. Make sure it's on a cycle that rinses well.

Times are getting harder, we will all need our best OS money saving skills an the support this forum gives in the months ahead.

I am hoping the winter is mild to give us all a little help with keeping warm. No news is good news when it comes to the budget.

Forgot to add I use Mr T's value dishwasher tablets and find them fine. I got a load of special offer high brand ones but to be honest I can't see any difference in the cleaning, may as well save the money.

GreyQueen

Gonna be taken offline by my dial-up imminently but have jsut come back from the lottie and caught up with the thread.

Seakay, I'm gonna take the camping biscuits camping....yeah!

SoftStuff, sorry you've been poorly, was just wondering where you've been. Get well soon.

Dug up 2 more rows of spuds, not too many per root but they are massive. I mean, passers by on the street were remarking on them. I played it nonchalant, y'know, but I was a wee bit proud.:o

Catch you all up on Monday. GQ x

redlady_1

Can someone fill me in on the Dutch oven please? What can be cooked in it (joints, chickens etc?) Are they any good?

Rosanna79

Toottifrutti
Do you have Home Bargains near you? We had to drastically cut costs after my medical retirement and having been a nurse/ health visitor I'd always used Carex but found the CERTEX brand at H/Bargains did the same job for a fraction of the cost. Believe me I'm still a fanatical handwasher and it works well. Good luck with that.

davethecat

Door Curtains..

Apologies if this has been mentioned, but i have just purchased a pair of 90x90 curtains from Argos for £8.99! they are perhaps not in my favorite colour scheme but anything to keep the house toasty this forthcoming winter! i'll be using one at the front door and another on the hallway / lounge door. There are quite a few pairs in various sizes going on the clearance section!

Rosanna79

What's an Ozpig?

Great to hear of other's allotment harvests and in some ways I envy you. However actually getting down to an allotment would be a bit of deterrent for us. I seem to find it easier to do an hour's gardening in the kitchen garden at the back of my house in a morning in my dressing gown!!! Does anyone else have this ridiculous habit of wandering around outside before getting dressed? Always done it for some inexplicable reason which is probably why d/gowns are forever adding to our weekly washloads!

Although we have a chimney in the back of out house and could, theoretically have the gas fire removed and open fire put in we've always hesitated. Neither of us has the experience or inclination to set a real fire and multifuel burners are extremely strictly controlled in our town's smokeless zone it seems. Also as neither of us is getting any younger and my knees do not permit any bending these days it does seem easier to turn on the gas fire in the back to supplement the central heating in the winter months. I like the idea of solid fuel but suspect the practicalities are unlikely to work for us at our age.

When OH cleared the back garden to lay out the kitchen garden he took down 21 leylandi on his todd and built a wood shed which housed this and other assorted timber. We've given all this to our younger neighbours today as they do have an open fire and will find a use for it. We're having to look at what backup electric heaters we can use this winter as it's true that gas is rapidly becoming much more expensive. OH is clearing out the wood shed to store a good bit of stuff from the garden shed so I can half of the shed as a 'potting shed'

Does anyone have the problem of greenhouse cucumbers turning yellow despite regular watering and feeding? OH wanted to throw these out but thankfully the wife of the neighbours can use them for pickling.

I do love it when we collaborate to avoid waste!- they're a lovely family and we're very lucky to live near such nice people. We've a jar of pickled cucumber and onion to try out-- not sure about this but will give it a go.

lucielle

Hi, can anybody tell me if you can put soda crystals in the dishwasher as mine just isn't doing a very good job. I've checked the arms and just wondering if it needs a good wash out.
L