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

newlywed

Hello, I'm a lurker

Interesting with everyone's Lidl comments. Makes me thankful that Lidl is 10 min walk from home and Aldi is ten mins walk from work (our Aldi has mini trolleys that aren't as deep too!). I find it hard to do a full shop there so use them for specific bits and pieces - like Aldi wine gums and marshmallow sweets, Lidl chocolate spread duo, and either one of their d/w tablets.

I do find I spend less there than I would at nearby sainsbug, but I'm obviously too fussy as I can't get some of the things we like there.

I have been shopping around more - the luxury of having several smaller supermarkets all on my way home from work depending on which way I walk or which bus I get. Some of Morrisons things seem cheaper than Lidl even. But I have NEVER been able to stick completely to my list so the extra things I see by going to different supermarkets often leap into my basket

I am pleased to say I am now making meringues instead of buying them. And am very proud that yesterday I even made lemon curd with the yolks - and it does taste good too

newlywed

My dad always started HM soup with chopped onions fried off a bit, then some balsamic vinegar and some worcs sauce. Then add the veg, stock, herbs, chopped tomatoes etc whatever you're doing.

Tastes good with chopped up frankfurters in too if it's really bland soup and you're not a veggie

7_week_wonder

ChocClare wrote: »

A rather delicate question - someone, and I can't remember who, was posting on here (I think) about the possibility of having to dispatch unwanted cockerels. Our latest batch of chicks contains two cockerels and, if we can't find homes for them, we MAY end up having to go down this route as we already have two cockerels in our flock. Could whoever it was pm me with their experience of this? It's not something I want to discuss on the forum as I know it's a potentially upsetting subject. Ta muchly.

ChocClare, it wasn't me who posted originally, but I have had experience of this - I've sent you a pm

Reverbe

ginnyknit wrote: »

Smileyt, Big brands for les have an offer on Bonnie my soup never tastes as good as I expect - whats the secret?

herbs and spices.. they cost pennies and make all the difference, My soups are never the same twice cos i just chuck in a bit of this n that as the mood takes me but always tasty..

westcoastscot

It would be great to see more lurkers (you know who you are ) and returners to this thread.

Hi Haribo/everyone, you are right of course, it's no good keep popping up and passing comment and going again!!!! I do find it a most interesting thread.

I've changed my tack this year - we've always been frugal, being Island crofters until a few years ago. I've kept the same ethos - earning my money seasonally/in lots of different ways, aiming towards self sufficiency through growing/making/bartering etc - I feel this makes us less vulnerable in a changing economy. The change has come as whilst I have a small sideline crafty business (very small) that i've put effort into commensurate with money i've needed for a specific thing, i'm now concentrating my efforts on saving the resources that I have - I'm making clothes/knitting clothes for us, making/mending household items, putting more effort into baking/cooking/growing food etc as a first priority. In the past I would make something to sell if I needed money for something - now I see if I can make it myself.

The other big change for us is we've got rid of the big freezer, and now only have a small one - enough for about a week's worth of food and maybe a bit of baking. Now we don't have our own meat, it just wasn't proving its worth for us. That, coupled with our electricity going off at the drop of a hat, I've decided to go back to weekly living. I shop once a week - bake once a week - and any preserving I do is in jars.

edit; Interesting article re libraries. Sounds like a good plan to me and definitely better than the alternative.[/QUOTE]

Really interesting article. We have a small library here, but I use the Aqualibrium near where I work one day a week - its a library combined with a swimming pool!

WCS

GreyQueen

Hi Suzi, I'd long known that milk rots in thundery weather although it always baffled me as to why the fridge didn't stop the problem, I shall find out why one day and let the thread know.

Just back from the allotmentino where my carrots seedlings have grown about 1 cm in a week and the weeds have grown about 16 cm. Grrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!! Things keep disappearing under fat hen, common mallow, nettles, docks, black medic, and a few other things I see a lot of but cannot put a name to. With the rain and then the odd hot days you can almost watch things grow. Found a lovely frog, too.

I have lots and lots of Turk's Turban squash on the way.

Aren't they FUN ? :rotfl:They're supposed to be very tasty as well as so insane-looking that they make me grin, which was basically why I grew them. GQ; an odd hybrid of practicality and whimsy.

Goodness knows what's happening to the butternut squash, they're flowering but I can't find a single nubkin which looks like a proto-squash.:( Hope I get some because I love it in soups and curries.

Time to put the kettle on!

catznine

Hello again! Decided to de-lurk and add a post, Thanks for the encouragement Haribo! I don't post very often as I don't really feel I have much to contribute, today though I am feeling very happy as I managed to get a wonderful bargain kitchen trolley, the kind with a couple of stools underneath and 2 draws for only £7 :j I don't have enough work space and this solves the problem, also means I can sit down when my legs get tried! So now I can get going in the kitchen again, like the rest of you my way of coping with the rising prices is to cook from scratch, use up store cupboard ingredients (for some interesting meals:rotfl:) and preserve anything I can. Today I managed to get 5 jars of courgette and apple chutney made, courgettes from next door neighbours so will take a pot around for them to sample! I have also managed to freeze down 4 meals worth of runner beans but not had a lot of luck with the garden this year. Possibly because the veg patch is on new ground, having moved things around to make top of the garden pretty for the wedding. Duh! I am certainly regretting that this year!:o

It is certainly getting interesting in USA - my cousin puts updates on the situation on her fb page, she is pretty disgusted with them all! She is an environmentalist, gives up a lot of her time to cleaning up the beaches etc., and is fed up with the greed and wastefulness of some of her fellow Americans. Lets hope they see the light soon! Some folk out there feel that the cheap Chinese imports have done a lot of damage to the economy, but how do you avoid them, it seems to be most of the stock in dollar stores and our poundlands are full of them! I am definately going to try to buy as local as I can, and most of the plastics will be recycled/2nd hand. I would rather manage without plastic altogether but that is not easy to do! I do use a lot of cs pyrex in the fridge and freezer. Any ideas for replacements for freezer bags?

I've had requests for the fabric hearts I made for the wedding, so thrilled that people like them! Mum used to think I was a hopeless seamstress but maybe it's not to late to improve!

Softstuff - My thoughts and prayers are with your Dad (((hugs)))

(((hugs))) for anyone else needing them today

Catz x

mardatha

Westcoast - This is similar to what I've been thinking. I did want to move away from once-as-week shopping and try to cut down to once a month instead. But I have found that it doesn't help us. Only the two of us here and we don't eat a lot or fancy. And don't go out much anyway so going to Sainsbugs gets us out of the house !
I do get meat from Costco in bulk & I do have a good stash of things like tea and porridge and tins. But I discovered I can probably work cheaper if I go weekly and stick to my budget.
Re soup - whatever you find in the way of veg, fry it in BUTTER and then throw it in with stock etc - the butter makes the taste.

ginnyknit

I think you have it there Mardatha - its the butter. My late neighbour used to pass pots of soup over the fence that she had made and I know she always used butter. I have , of late, decided as there are only the two of us now we should have the taste of real butter - i dont want any additives in anything if I can help it - and boy is it nice to have a piece of toast now.

ceridwen

GREYQUEEN

Black medic?? Well - I'll be darned - I never heard of that before - so had a quick google and its not native to these here isles (could explain it then.....:cool:).

I bethought myself - it does look like it might be edible and googled that too and found that the seeds are - either raw or ground. Fancy experimenting??:rotfl: I'll hazard a guess that one could scatter the raw seeds over a salad or grind them up and use them to bulk out some flour maybe???