make do and mend for tougher times

Cheapskate

Morning all

We had HM leek and potato soup yesterday, too, as it felt a bit back-endish here. Bread not HM, but got from the half price shelf in the local baker, so the whole meal cost just under £2 in ingredients, plus a penny or two for the SC, fed all 5 of us, plus 2 big bags gone in the freezer - think I'm safely back on the frugal bandwagon now.

Going to unearth the last of my spuds today, the slugs have now eaten most of the leaves, so no point leaving them any longer. Also going to field behind mum's house, there's a pear tree there that might have some fruit on. If so, I'll cook them down with some I got cheapish in Ald! and save for crumbles.

I'm going to pick my mum's brains for some reminders of what she cooked for us in the 70s when we were seriously poor - can remember some of it, but it would be a useful exercise so I've got some frugal family recipes to fall back on along with stuff I've picked up here and elsewhere. As we didn't have a 'fridge until I was 11, she must have been quite inventive!

A xo

Cheapskate

fuddle wrote: »

Wet! Having a laugh though. Fil works in cs so going to go visit him later

Loving that you're wanting a trolley!! Pics when you choose


this made me giggle. I'm a really bad person with a wicked sense of humour. Dimwits or what eh?

No, you're not, cos I giggled a bit, too!

Reminds me of a time years ago when a neighbour put all her washing to peg out in 2 black bags on the path (laundry bin was broken or something), went inside to do another job first, then came out to find the bin men had taken them! :eek: She was livid as it was school uniforms X4, very expensive in the 70s! :rotfl: None of the neighbours (mum included) ever put anything in a black bag that wasn't rubbish ever again!

mardatha

When we moved to the house before this one, my daughter was 15 and a nightmare. She didn't want to move and was drama-queening like hell all over the house. I told her to get her clothes packed into black bags NOW or we were moving without them. She did it, then threw them downstairs in a temper and they went all the way down two flights to the rubbish pile at the front door....which my OH then put out for the bucket lorry. She arrived in the new house with just the clothes she had on. I was so bloody livid I didn't speak to her for a week .

grandma247

My black bag incident is not quite so dramatic as the others here but I once was having a clear out from under the stairs in our flat and put several black sacks in a pile then put a load of toys for my then youngest further away ready to put back. Dh and his mate took the rubbish and the toys. Boy was I mad!

Not only were the toys expensive, being mostly early learning centre when they were good quality when I bought them, but most were ones I had kept from my eldest who was then 17.

I ended up visiting car boot sales and managed to replace almost all of them and only recently gave them all away.

Malfiore

kittie wrote: »

I was just browsing on the spices of india site, (one of the best shops ever) and I saw a very good value pressure cooker. So cheap

http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/acatalog/Hawkins-Classic-Pressure-Cooker.html

Ooh, I've been looking for a pressure cooker on freecycle; this one is lovely!!

kidcat

Just popping in quickly, have been reading whilst on the move so cannot reply, we are off out again today to safari park (2 for 1 in local paper)

We lost loads that were black bin bagged when we moved both last time and time before - my dad doesnt even check. Just assumes which is maddening especially as he is usually the one packing the black bags!!!

Have decided to take £60 out of my emergency fund and go out and buy cereal, sugar coffee and tea. We use loads of cereal in a week and the price is already rising, I am hoping if I can buy 40 boxes its about six months worth, then I will keep buying as normal until the price really rockets then I am cushioned. Coffee OH uses one jar a week of the cheapest possible, since I discovered he just pours it into his cup. So if I bought 20 jar it covers me for six months.

Will then concentrate on pasta and rice as I shop buying extra each week.

ITs DD 18 in 8 weeks and I have done nothing towards it so will be making that the mission for Friday when OH at work. She is having a party and driving lessons so its the party that really needs organising, booking and a DJ. Food I am going for big pans of chilli, veg curry and a stew, served with rice. Will then have time to splash on making nice desserts.

mardatha

TY kidcat - could anybody else who notices big price hikes please mention it in here ? It would let us know what's going on day to day.

fuddle

Cs bargains.. Style on a shoestring book, a croft in the hills book, size 6 knitting needles, wooden letter rack to repaint and candle holder with candle. Spent £2. Need to get in cs more!

Sun is out and going to beach to throw pebbles in sea

Popperwell

kidcat wrote: »

Have decided to take £60 out of my emergency fund and go out and buy cereal, sugar coffee and tea. We use loads of cereal in a week and the price is already rising, I am hoping if I can buy 40 boxes its about six months worth, then I will keep buying as normal until the price really rockets then I am cushioned. Coffee OH uses one jar a week of the cheapest possible, since I discovered he just pours it into his cup. So if I bought 20 jar it covers me for six months.

Will then concentrate on pasta and rice as I shop buying extra each week.

Hope you have a great day Kidcat...

I had a quick count of the cereal I have in my food store(remember I'm single)I have 35 boxes:eek:they are ok well into 2013 and probably will be ok after the date to eat...

Charity shops are great Fuddle but some are better than others and depends where they are...sounds like you got some bargains...

SpikyHedgehog

grandma247 wrote: »

Has anyone tried this for fleas? I know of several Americans who swear by this stuff even one who had fleas infesting her yard.

I had heard of it, I remembered, when you posted about it, but I'd already got the spray from the vets, so will use it this time, & take the time to see if we can get the diatomaceous (sp?) earth easily in the UK.

It kills Slugs too!

kittie wrote: »

I was just browsing on the spices of india site, (one of the best shops ever) and I saw a very good value pressure cooker. So cheap

http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/acatalog/Hawkins-Classic-Pressure-Cooker.html

at long last, the painter has made a date to finish painting outside, too high for dh but we have been waiting for almost a year! jobs must be growing on trees these days

got to go back pages through the posts, interesting all the time, so many different topics. Knitting going great, one child cardi finished 3 more to go and will get 4 gorgeous items from £10 of kemps yarn
http://www.samueltaylors.co.uk/sirdar-pattern-leaflet-2318.ir?cName=knitting-crochet-books-patterns-patterns-sirdar
very easy satisfying pattern and doing it in a pale mossy green plus a pale purple, was very lucky with colours sent from kemps

Quite tired of preserving now and it reminds me of last year but only basically drying this time with a bit of jam and bottled stuff, Freezer is full. Garden/allotment stuff has the autumn feel and one blackberry bush is done with fruiting so am cutting the fruiting branches off while I can see them. Marrow thinks it is autumn and has packed up and purple sprouting has sprouted too early. Spent an hour sorting my seed stash yesterday, will not grow some plants again

completely going off caulies as had a glut all at once and green bags aren`t all that good. Made curried caulie soup yesterday and froze two boxes but no room left. Caulie cheese again today, oh no!!

Kittie, that cardigan looks so sweet! But I should knit for my boys before I do something for my niece that I might not see her wear... I've nearly finished a wrap for myself - I used a lacy scarf pattern but thicker yarn & needles, so its too wide really for a scarf. Then I need to tackle a jumper I've been doing for too long for DS2, I'd gone wrong on the first sleeve for the 2nd time, so put it away for 18 months... Hoping the body will be an ok size still & I don't have to rip the front & back out too.

Cheapskate wrote: »

Morning all

We had HM leek and potato soup yesterday, too, as it felt a bit back-endish here. Bread not HM, but got from the half price shelf in the local baker, so the whole meal cost just under £2 in ingredients, plus a penny or two for the SC, fed all 5 of us, plus 2 big bags gone in the freezer - think I'm safely back on the frugal bandwagon now.

Going to unearth the last of my spuds today, the slugs have now eaten most of the leaves, so no point leaving them any longer. Also going to field behind mum's house, there's a pear tree there that might have some fruit on. If so, I'll cook them down with some I got cheapish in Ald! and save for crumbles.

I'm going to pick my mum's brains for some reminders of what she cooked for us in the 70s when we were seriously poor - can remember some of it, but it would be a useful exercise so I've got some frugal family recipes to fall back on along with stuff I've picked up here and elsewhere. As we didn't have a 'fridge until I was 11, she must have been quite inventive!

A xo

We were vegetarian since the early 70s, when I was 2, so I don't remember any meat dishes. I do remember mum would do curry & rice 1 day, then cook leftover rice with milk & sugar for rice pudding the next day, & that would be our dinner. & cheese & potato pie, & home made pizza that we'd have hot 1 day, then cold the next.

I don't think we thought about fridges & freezers so much back then.