Breaking Through, Travelling On

Goldiegirl

Hello there, glad the wedding went ok, and that you enjoyed everything

Sounds like you are settling back nicely too, so it's all good!

When we go on our little cruise in August we have some Scottish ports - i think we have Greenock for Glasgow, Portree, Stornoway and Kirkwall. I'm looking forward to it

Karmacat

Hi there!

That cruise is sounding better and better, Goldie, and your chances of fine weather are good too.

I got all the CDs out yesterday - sending dozens of photographs here and there, some very large, its just *easier*. Really wanted to finish the wedmin yesterday, but it wasn't to be; at least I've started to unpack the last of the case including the shoes that are to go on ebay Plus I have two hours client work today.

So, next week its finances nitty gritty stuff, and after that its writing and alongside both are any decluttering and selling stuff and gardening I can do. Space is all! After which comes cleaning the house :D

Just off for ten minutes around the site ...

Karmacat

I wasn't planning to do this today, but I've just ordered up my monthly Sainsbo delivery (making sure I wasn't wildly overpaying for things that are cheaper with Asda) and also decided to do a bulk buy at Healthy Supplies - I've used them before, and for bulk foods for vegetarians, they can't really be bettered. My parcel is 9kg in weight, per kilo its cheaper than anywhere else I can get it from, and I pushed loads in there to get free delivery too I store my nuts and seeds in the freezer, so they're all safe too.

Spent a lot, but I'm a happy bunny as a result, and I got Nectar points on all of it. I've also earned 75 yougov points the last few days - weird! Happy its the weekend, I'm going to stop now.

xxx

Goldiegirl

I've started eating more seeds and nuts, and I intend to start buying in bulk. The packs I buy from Sainsburys are tiny, so it'd be much more cost effective to in larger quantities.

I had no idea that seeds and nuts could be stored in the freezer - how interesting!

Karmacat

Goldie, those little supermarket packs are usually better value than Holland and Barrett (who I loathe and despise ) but pumpkin seed, for example, works out at £8.50 per kilo at Sainsbo, whereas at HSupplies they're £5.99, or even £5.69 if you buy 3kg!

With 9kg bought by a single person, freezer storage makes sense, to preserve the oils in the nuts and seeds from going rancid ... I just have enough in ordinary temp. storage for a couple of weeks.

My Bonus Bond vouchers have turned up - I was going to use them for food from Iceland, but I never buy £10 of food from there in one go, there isn't enough I like. Maybe this autumn, when I could spread my wings a bit. Or put them by for what Christmas presents I'm still buying, from Debenhams. Choices, yay :j

I'm hoping to be able to finish tidying this weekend, then Monday a few phone calls cancelling official appointments for this that and the other, then Tuesday, I can get back to writing. Bliss. Oh, and trekking through the jungle a.k.a. my garden :j

ZTD

Karmacat wrote: »

Goldie, those little supermarket packs are usually better value than Holland and Barrett (who I loathe and despise ) but pumpkin seed, for example, works out at £8.50 per kilo at Sainsbo, whereas at HSupplies they're £5.99, or even £5.69 if you buy 3kg!

Don't forget to look in the "Baking Supplies" aisle of the supermarkets as well for things like those. If you want dried fruit for "Healthy Eating" it's an arm and a leg. If you want it for "Home Baking" - it's only a leg.

Karmacat wrote: »

With 9kg bought by a single person, freezer storage makes sense, to preserve the oils in the nuts and seeds from going rancid ... I just have enough in ordinary temp. storage for a couple of weeks.

Also store them in air-tight containers with as little dead space as possible. Going rancid is just stuff combining with oxygen. No oxygen - no combine. I'm talking proper air-tight - glass and metal - not blow-moulded plastic.

Karmacat

I don't actually have the energy to *go* to the shop, Z so I just put "pumpkin" in the search engine on the site, for instance, and inspect the results. Its pretty efficient, as long as you remember that they'll still try to bamboozle you about weight per 100g/per kilo, etc etc.

Ouchie, blow-moulded plastic ... I might have to put my hands up to that, I just keep them in the original packaging

Felt much better today once I got outside - not only lovely and warm, even though grey, but also important stuff to be done - cutting the foot long grass :eek: and weeding. Binbagful, hurray and stopped now

smallholdingsister

I wonder if nuts and seeds are good value on amazon?

Karmacat

Oh! Goldie shops on there, but it never occurred to me. Rats!

Just had a look ... no, they're bad value, I'm afraid. I bought 500g black eyed peas for £1.04, on Amazon they're £1.29. I was going to do more examples, but it looks so illogical and expensive, I'm not going to follow through. It was a good idea, though, SHS, thank you!

ZTD

Karmacat wrote: »

I don't actually have the energy to *go* to the shop, Z

Even in the "virtual" aisles, it's the same. "Baking X" is often a 5th of the price of "Kids' SuperFood X"...

Karmacat wrote: »

Ouchie, blow-moulded plastic ... I might have to put my hands up to that, I just keep them in the original packaging

Plastic has the gas tight properties of cotton wool -that's why metalised mylar was invented. The fact that such a thin layer of aluminium kicks plastic all over the park shows how dreadful it is.

Karmacat wrote: »

Felt much better today once I got outside - not only lovely and warm, even though grey, but also important stuff to be done - cutting the foot long grass :eek: and weeding. Binbagful, hurray and stopped now

Take plenty breaks - its not like it'll disappear during the night.