Not mentioning the T word at all

xx_Jo_xx

I got a quote from a gardener once to help with mine, and they quoted me over £200... I asked them to break it down for me, with the intention that I might get a few of the jobs done at a time rather than forking it out in one go...

They wanted £80 just to cut the hedge! I dont think he wanted to fob me off as he didnt want the job cos he tried ruddy hard to convince me it was reasonable... :eek:

I know not all are like that though, but he knew i was desperate for someone to do it and think he tried to take advantage.

Id told him I had others coming to price too and if he was comparable, Id call him back, needless to say, I didnt!

Hobsons_Choice

We paid less than £80 to have three huge conifers lopped to a reasonable size this year. He's a professional tree surgeon as well and did an excellent job. Just shows, you have to shop around don't you, and get at least three quotes for everything? We've had people knocking on the door asking for the work and wanting to charge twice as much!

*Chattie*

All the talk of knickers and tights caught in trousers reminded me of going to the hairdressers who has her salon attached to the house so uses her own washing machine and dryer, one day as the junior shook out the robe to put on a client out flew a very sexy pair of black thongs

Lovely sunny day here again so no gloom and doom about.

Liking the idea of a planning meeting in the pub we used to have the best PTA meetings in the pub the boring stuff got done super quick.

rising_from_the_ashes

Hobsons_Choice wrote: »

Just shows, you have to shop around don't you, and get at least three quotes for everything? We've had people knocking on the door asking for the work and wanting to charge twice as much!

Totally agree with that one!

Had my gutters cleaned out a few weeks ago - asked the window cleaner how much they charged and he said "£20" which seemed pretty reasonable so went ahead.

There was a gardener type guy in the street the other day that I was chatting to and he said he did gutter cleaning etc - out of curiosity I asked how much and ..... £60:eek:

I think he knew by the look on my face that I wasn't too impressed!

xx_Jo_xx

Oh - I wish I could put a nice stew in my SC! When its cold and horrible outside, its nice to have something warm and tasty... alas, its going back in the box and Im having beans on toast... (trying to use up what I have left). LO is out for his tea tonight, so I dont need to worry about him!

What have you guys got cooking away today... that way I can think about yummy food when Im eating my beans

Also, I was wondering... Im toying with the idea of a breadmaker. I couldnt justify it before as I didnt have the room to keep it. But now that I will have a bigger kitchen, and will be in the back of beyond Im giving it some consideration. Is it worth it, and does it work out to be more economical than buying store bought bread, including the cost of electricity? What do you guys have and how do you find it? If you could, would you have bought something else?

Anyway - cuppa tea i think then back to packing xx

CCP

xx_Jo_xx wrote: »

Also, I was wondering... Im toying with the idea of a breadmaker. I couldnt justify it before as I didnt have the room to keep it. But now that I will have a bigger kitchen, and will be in the back of beyond Im giving it some consideration. Is it worth it, and does it work out to be more economical than buying store bought bread, including the cost of electricity? What do you guys have and how do you find it? If you could, would you have bought something else?

I don't think it works out cheaper than pre-packaged sliced bread, but if you like baker's-style bread then I'm almost certain it's cheaper than that, particularly if you can get good flour cheaply (Approved Food is great for that - I can't remember the last time I bought full-price wholemeal bread flour :money:).

You also know precisely what's in your bread - no artificial additives, and you can control how much sugar and salt you use - and you can make pizza bases, flavoured bread, fruit bread, rolls... can you tell I love my breadmaker? :happyhear My first one came from my grandmother, who got one for her birthday, used it twice and decided it wasn't for her: when it died I got a new one within a week as I couldn't bear to be without it!

And, just BTW, I really fancy beans on toast for lunch now - it's a pity I'm at work and have no chance of having any!

Draagonfly

Brrr chilly here too...ice in the birdbath when I opened the curtains this morning...however I'm still resisiting putting on the CH

Yesterday I bought some fingerless mitts for taking to work, even if the rest of me is warm I can often get painfully cold hands when typing so I'm hoping this will help!

I'm popping my SC on in a while to do braised puy lentils to have with pork steaks for tonights meal. Insipered by xx_Jo_xx I'm going to have beans on toast for my lunch, cheap, filling & tasty...yum

katieowl_2

CCP wrote: »

I don't think it works out cheaper than pre-packaged sliced bread, but if you like baker's-style bread then I'm almost certain it's cheaper than that, particularly if you can get good flour cheaply (Approved Food is great for that - I can't remember the last time I bought full-price wholemeal bread flour :money:).

You also know precisely what's in your bread - no artificial additives, and you can control how much sugar and salt you use - and you can make pizza bases, flavoured bread, fruit bread, rolls... can you tell I love my breadmaker? :happyhear My first one came from my grandmother, who got one for her birthday, used it twice and decided it wasn't for her: when it died I got a new one within a week as I couldn't bear to be without it!

And, just BTW, I really fancy beans on toast for lunch now - it's a pity I'm at work and have no chance of having any!

I think mine (breadmaker) has saved me loads not specifically on the cost of the bread, but because I'm not running into the supermarket every time bread is the only thing I need, and coming out with other stuff. OK a lot of what I might come out with is whoopsies but really I can get by without a lot of the time.

It's great to be able to know you will never run out of bread all the time you've remembered to be flour and yeast! I costed the cooking of a loaf at 5p in electricity BTW if that helps work the costs out, and the biggest loaf my machine makes takes 600g of flour.

Kate

Fruball

I cooked oxtail in the SC overnight and it is lovely - I just added carrots, a leek, mushrooms and water then shook in some gravy granules and herbs. Having never cooked it before, I worried I wouldn't like it but its lovely.

I actually think its nicer than stewing/braising steak as it just falls apart and is really tasty. Going to try shin next as that is cheap too.

However, now its been mentioned, I fancy beans on toast No chance though as we hardly ever have bread in the house.

xx_Jo_xx

:rotfl: typical - I dont have any bread either, so no beans on toast for me!

I do have a potato though, so that is now in the microwave... I dont really like microwaved 'baked' potatoes, but beggars cant be choosers and all that. Mmmmm your SC contents sound yum - although Im leaning more toward the pork steaks and lentils than the oxtail... only because Ive never tried oxtail, but having now read your description - I just might in future!

Thanks for the feeback on the breadmakers - i will look into it and post you all some linkys before I buy and you can help me with my shop

Im thinking along the lines of Kate, if I dont go, I cant buy anything else - plus the cost of fuel running out to the supermarket just for bread! But on the basis it can be used to make all sorts of goodies, which would save me more money effectively and more cooking from scratch at home - SOLD!!