No T Words mentioned at all - a fresh start

[Deleted User]

what an enormous sense of relief to hear from you malarkin, by golly you soon get attached to virtual friends

Its a nice day again and uplifting so I have been doing some more sorting. Oh I shall have to keep myself in check in future, never mind the money saving aspect when it comes to buying things for christmas and birthdays years ahead, especially when I can`t find things when they are needed. Skin products have been another downfall and I have just been through what I have, double checking for parabens as I see it has raised its ugly head wrt various cancers
http://www.live-naturally.co.uk/article/Parabens-and-their-effects

I feel grateful that I have mainly only bought a certain few brands in the past years eg
a`kin
http://www.mypure.co.uk/akin-skin-care-b98?gclid=COLy1vjNhq4CFZIifAodxgtb5w

faith in nature
http://www.faithinnature.co.uk/?gclid=CKbkqpvRhq4CFUYRfAodYHA6cw

liz earle and l`occitane which I started from my qvc days and good old bar soaps

I have found a half used bottle of boots volume shampoo which contains parabens and also an impulse-buy expensive shampoo containing the nasties too. They are going into the utility room and I`ll use them for non skin uses like washing gardening gloves

re the A`kin link, I have accumulated some from mypure as they have amazing bargains from time to time but I am being good and deleting their e mail offers.

My real aim is to get down item to one in use and one standby

wrt money saving then the best I did in the past was to use my ebay profits to buy rolls of first and second class stamps. I did that about 6 years ago and relatives laughed at the time. I have lots left but the stamps are also great as presents.

I have wool, lots and lots, in fact a big stash and spread out so it doesn`t look so big. Knitting too much these days gives me pins and needles in my hands, so I`ll crochet blankets. They`ll be appreciated as presents in years to come. I have to come to terms with myself, two of us these days and no longer catering for 5. It`s a mindset that started when I was the eldest of 7 children and obviously took on some of the housekeeping at a young age. Somehow, I have to free my brain and become minimalistic and tbh the charity shops benefit because that is where I go with a bit at a time. I give a bit and then forget about it, last week it was fantastic bedcovers but the children don`t want flowery covers so no point hanging on any longer and if someone benefits then all to the good

Phew!!!

flowertotmum

Morning..malarkin so glad your home and warm hun..was quite worried about you..

We have snow and lots of it..been outside with girls on our old fashioned wooden sledge..up and down the hill and up and down the hill and up and down the hill lol...was fun..for them i mean.My older girls have all rang and been asking if i have taken little ones out..and then spent ages on the phone saying how much they loved it when they were little...was lovely to hear it and how they have just come in from taking their littlies out to play in it...kittie i know what you mean..i am lucky to have my 2 little ones and i did find it hard to adjust to it just being me and hubby and ds at home..i love going to the local charity shop and finding little things that my 2 will love and practical things too..also i am lucky that i have 2 gd who are very girly and love what granny gets them..its weird me being a granny..when we go to playgroups together we get funny looks but thats not my problem.

I don't actually use soap at all on my family..it makes our skin go all weird and feels tight,itchy so we don't bother..warm water and a flannel will do,bubblebath i do buy but only the natural organic stuff..and its only now and again as its expensive and a bottle can go in a week..

Well our chickens are in total shock this morning..opened up the shed to let them out and it was a stampede as normal..but then the brakes went on and whoa nelly..what the heck is that all over?????..took them ages to come out and then it was funny..have you ever seen a chicken tiptoe..me neither but i did today lol.

Got a nice bit of beef in the oven..with home grown veg for dinner..got a recipe for easy choclate muffins..going to make some later if they turn out ok i will post for you all..
Please everybody take care and keep warm
love
ftm

scottishminnie

Well, it's cool in Scotland but nothing llike you guys have so hopefully you are still keeping warm. Glad everyone made it home safely -it's one thing walking 7 miles but the prospect in dark and snow is something else!

Nothing exciting to report from my end -

I picked up some Birds Rum sauce in asda today for 10p - bb date March 2013 so should be ok for Christmas 2012. I've no idea what it is like but for 10p I thought it was worth the chance.

I currently have a batch of Twinks hob nobs in the oven and another waiting to go in. I had some stork which needed used up so it's well gone now! That must be one of the most well used recipes ever - I've lost count of the number of times I've given it to people.

I've been thinking of making my own granola as I like it but think the price of ready made is simply outrageous. I have 20 sachets of Oat So Simple porridge and half a box of cheerios which I must use up first though.

I vowed to make something new each week and I've started well - yesterday I made buttermilk chicken breasts which hubby said were great so that's another one to add to the tried and tested list. I have a recipe for creamed corn casserole but I need condensed cream of celery soup and I can't track it down at Asda or Tesco - I'll try Sainsburys next weekend.

I've been thinking about Shrove Tuesday and what I can make - I normally ignore it completely but thought I would make an effort this year.I may go for something savoury - will start with a search of my humongous pile of recipe books and see what jumps out.


FTM - ignore the looks at playgroup. Yes. it's hard to tell who are mums and who are grannies but it's none of anyone elses business. I know of people my age who are grannies but I haven't given up on being a mum yet so people shouldn't be so quick to judge. They don't know what the circumstances are.

Anyway I should get off my soapbox now:D

I'm off to search that well known auction site - I have 6 nice tartan placemats but always seem to have 7 to dinner so I'm hoping I can find one more to match.

Make the most of what's left of the weekend all:)

JIL

scottishminnie wrote: »

I have a recipe for creamed corn casserole but I need condensed cream of celery soup and I can't track it down at Asda or Tesco - I'll try Sainsburys next weekend.

I love that celery soup and since campbells became batchelors the only place I have found it is Sainsburys and its on special offer 2 for £1 atm.

[Deleted User]

wow
one of the most inspiring and uplifting threads I have ever come across. I found it purely by accident. It is fab

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3668667

MaLarkin

Hi Kittie I follow her blog which is lovely. I so envy her lifestyle and her courage in deciding to go for it. There's a lady who knows what's important in life.

Something I wanted to ask you - I think it was you who once mentioned Erichinaceous (spelling?) Earth and it's uses? I wondered if you had tried it and what you thought. I read a bit about it and it seemed almost too good to be true so I'd like to know what you found.

Busy day today using bits and pieces up, lots of meals made out leftovers and reduced price things. Always gives me a huge feeling of satisfaction making good tasty meals from food I know some people would chuck out without a second thought.

I have been trying to be ethical in my food choices for a long time but just lately I have been reading about people trying to eat locally. I hope to do more of that once I get the allotment producing but meanwhile I do my best to buy British but if there is a bargain that was flown in I struggle with my conscience. My thinking generally is that surely in those circumstances it's better for me to buy it and use it rather than it end up in landfill. When did shopping become such an ethical and political minefield? :rotfl:

Kaz2904

Hi there, we're all vegging out as we're absolutely stuffed after our tea. We've had roast chicken with roast potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and onions and savoy cabbage on the side. Followed by gooseberry crumble for pudding. It was delicious.
There is plenty of chicken left too so it will do another 2 meals at the very least.
I've got tomorrows tea all ready in the sc so I can turn it on as I leave for work in the morning. Then it will be ready for DH to serve when he gets home from work tomorrow evening and there will still be enough left for me when I get home at 8.30.
Got to pop DD off to guides in a short while so I hope my buttons don't burst in the meantime!

scottishminnie

I know that feeling all too well Kaz - it was me last night! Too much plum tart I think - the plums were a little sour so I made custard to go over it which we really didn't need and resulted in hubby and I lying in front of the TV like two giant hippos - not a good look!
Did you have fresh gooseberries or was it tinned? My canadian chums swear by tinned goosegogs but I've never tried them

My road tax reminder arrived today - I'd totally forgotten it was this month. £260 for a year:eek: I keep threatening to get a smart car and then I think about how useful it would be when we have feet of snow or when I need to herd cattle from one place to another and so on. I guess there's nothing for it but to cough up.

MaLarkin - your stance sounds pretty much like mine. Whilst I try as hard as possible to buy locally I can't abide food waste. I still think people don't have any idea the real cost of what they throw away.
I also worry sometimes that because something doesn't sell well the supermarkets "punish" the supplier. So I kind of feel I'm helping in some way if I buy it. I know my thinking's a bit flawed but there you go:o
I have a bit of a problem (understatement of the year!) with the supermarkets - this was the book that started it and it's not getting any better I'm afraid.


On a more positive note - it's definitely getting lighter in the evenings which has cheered me up immensely. Also the sight of a single snowdrop in my huge garden brightened my weekend - that must have been the only bulb those dashed rabbits didn't eat. They probably had indigestion by that stage!

Kaz2904

They were frozen from MiL's allotment in the summer. About time they got used up isn't it ?

rinabean

If you buy something, you are fueling demand for it. They don't import foreign food if no-one buys. Like miserable animals in pet shops (or nowadays in classified adverts, I guess), if you care about the animals, you have to let them suffer or they'll only replace it with another, you have to let the imported food possibly go to landfill if you want them to stop selling it. I also try and buy british, but sometimes I buy imported food, and besides some things don't grow here and I don't want to go without. I just try and bear in mind that I'm always voting with my purse. But my purse is not bottomless, much as I'd like it to be!

(And now I have a massive craving for pomegranates... :drool:)