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

grandma247

Hex does he like soup? You could serve a nice filling home made soup first. Going without yourself is not a good idea and will make you ill eventually.
I do things like mash up any white beans and add to sausage meat for patties or sausage rolls, brown beans for burgers added to mince and onions and you can add them to pies too as well as stews and soups.

floss2

HariboJunkie wrote: »

...Want to have a look at the storecupboard today and keep a wee list in my purse of what needs topped up so if I seen any of it on offer I can snap it up. I need the list as I often forget my shopping list and then wing it when I get to the supermarket convincing myself that we have run out of certain things, only to come home and find I have 10 tubs of butter...

We have a little list beside the wooden spoon pot, the rule is when you have had the last but one serving of something you write it on the list....but this doesn't work when DH is painting and "eating" kitchen roll :rotfl:

mardatha wrote: »

....This will sound mad...but since its you lot I know it will be ok I have pretty Ikea net curtains that have gone grey. I have lots of soap colouring dye and wondered if it would work on the nylon of the nets... I have deep crimson and purple and violet and between them all it might do a nice pale mauvey shade that would look better than the grey/white..?...

Have you tried soaking them in a nappy soaking solution or Glo-White? It has always worked for my grubby nets in the past

lizzyb1812

Mardatha - Glo-white works well - I can get it at Morrison's down here

Hex2 - I've done the same calculation re chickpeas. Kidney beans however are cheaper in the tin - Tesco 16p

I'm waiting for the "3rd bad thing" - wounded my ankle last week, had a bad fall on Sunday and only my left arm is not bruised :eek:, wondering what the 3rd thing will be .....:(

Watching my baby butternut squash is interesting - it's obviously not the same variety as I grew last year as the squash are stripy green, not beige, and they are more rounded - oh well, squash is squash and I love 'em all.

Will be freezing basil later - about the only MS thing I can work up the energy for at the moment. Still, it's sunny so may sit in the garden instead of working in it :rotfl:

shelley_crow

Ds1 DIY haircut went a bit wrong, he is now the proud owner of a mohawk! It might be unconventional but it's better than the £12 the hairdressers wanted for a haircut for a 6 year old. I'm a bit nervous as to what haircut ds2 (11 months) will come out with so I've told OH to pack his barbering set up for the time being.

taurusgb

Well I've been languishing in a hospital bed since being rushed in with an agonizing pain in my left side on Saturday morning. Pain is due to a hugely enlarged spleen but so far they can't say why. Blood is all wrong too - not clotting for one thing apparantly. I've been very lucky tho as am in a single bed side ward with en suite facilities.
Been reading the thread avidly using my phone - not too sure how well posting from it will turn out so apologies if it's hard to read.
Have no idea how much OS is going on at home.....not much is my guess!

hex2

Huge hugs Taurus, hope your lovely cat is coping without you too! Is it giving you time to catch up on some reading?
Thanks for the suggestions Grandma247 and the kidney bean figures lizzyb

I went out to pay some cheques in, and the £1 shop actually had some of the 8 packs of freezer tubs so I can carry on batch cooking. I feel better knowing I am doing something to ward off the inevitable crisis. That said the other day I came home and he had eaten a tin of tuna, a tin of hot dogs, a tin of beans and the tub of HM chilli I had left out for his lunch. I wonder about writing the cost of things on top of the tin so he understands why it isn't an option but then I feel like I am nagging/treating him like a child. I bet it was easier when things had sticky price labels on!

greenbee

Hex - try approved foods for pulses and tinned stuff (and loo paper...). I've just stocked up on dried and tinned stuff (lots of olives...) and as a bonus, it is all delivered...

toothfairybuttkicker

Dunners wrote: »

Evening all - just a quick question I was hoping someone may be able to help with.....trying to dip our toes into growing to save a few £££s and really enjoying it. We have strawberries in hanging baskets which have been really productive, I was just wondering do I need to do anything with the long "runners" which have grown - I've confused myself by googling it! Also, have a gooseberry seeding which has flourished into a mini bush - I know that it's not likely to produce fruit this year, but should I really have two to pollenate each other or will I get fruit from just one?
Sorry for the daft questions

check out last week gardners world. there was a full segment on this

Reverbe

Hex get a sharpie and write the cost on the top of every tin so at least the gannet can see the cost..

ceridwen

aplaceinthesun wrote: »

Ceridwen - can you use extra virgin olive oil OK for frying ? will be handy if so, I thought you could only use it for salad dressings and using neat ...... I have some nice tasty organic ev olive oil which I have just used for dressings but theres loads of it (must just buy a small jar next time...) and I cant see it all getting used up for this purpose. If I can fry with it that will be great !

.

Well I use it for sauteing things all the time - and the answer is "I think so AFAIK". Its the only oil I normally have in - though, at the moment, I'm still planning on getting round to a bottle of walnut oil I got in after having read its nice drizzled on top of something like lentil soup. Must use it...must...as it was RATHER expensive.

As for the half mug worth I have from yesterday - its sitting in the fridge whilst I try and recall whether I read something somewheres about one shouldnt re-use fat or oil that has already been used for sauteing/frying in (something to do with chemical reactions - and was it something along the lines of something to do with antioxidants or something????). Dunno - any chemists around who can tell me whether its safe to re-use it for cooking something else with (whether it having transformed in a way that wouldnt be healthy for me)??

********************

...and speaking of experiments - must get my act together as to what to do with tayberries. Thats today's "food I havent tried yet" experiment - I'm now aiming for several new to me foods per week. Dont ask why - but its that policy of mine of "Must try everything (vegetarian) at least once"..