Carrot cake in the oven

Ali-OK

Hi SS,

Hope you are ok and just busy with all the great stuff going on.

Don't worry about readings with Daligas, the annual date is the only important one so they can create your annual bill and move you onto the new one.

Definitely supporting you on your last year of your degree. That's really exciting to know you're coming to the end of it.

Have a lovely weekend and thinking of you. xx

liltdiddylilt

Hey you.

I hope you are doing ok and riding out the rough stuff as everything gets sorted. Don't forget to take some time for you..

Thinking of you.

Big hugs xxx

supersaver1000

Oh my goodness! I'm not sure how that happened? I was sure this last blip on the job-landscape would take us right off course, so although I looked at my signature, I just didn't have the heart to change it.

Well.... I'm taking a few minutes with a cup of tea and a cold in bed on a Saturday morning and decided to bite the bullet, and wey hey! What'dyknow! My card minus savings balance is a whole £1000 down since January. Amazeballs:D:T

Savings up by £500, card balance down by £500. I love it when a plan comes together, especially when I was just plodding along! Just goes to show how MSE is a way of life and it works! ah, NOT on target for debt neutral by August, but could be under £5k

I'm still paying £25 a month for our barcarlays account, which needs to go. They are kicking us out anyway to an ordinary account, so I just need to work out which bits we need i.e. RAC, holiday cover (as if) and get those elsewhere first

I've also been watching Ali's gas adventures closely and will be dilly dallygassing along soon. I took mine out in June, so I need to watch the request for an annual reading doesn't end up in spam. Good to know. Ta Ali. Xx

DHs business is going well. He took out a loan and got a great rate, thanks to MSE. It felt slightly wrong taking on more borrowing, but he needed to set up properly and he kept costs down so now has a great safety fund - even though in his first proper week he's made close to £1k (and that was a part week!). He's been advised to become a limited company so I need to research that, especially as we wanted to put all his start up costs on this years SA form. May have to hold off limiting until next new financial year. It will also mean a business bank account is required.

Thank you Liltster. I am following you and glad your review went well, and a bonus! Truly deserved. Part of the reason I've been so busy is my social life - been socialising out with ex-colleagues and friends once or twice a week recently and had a whale of a time. Slightly stressing with my homework backlog but, it's been great - I've been putting off meet ups due to money and time, so it had to be done and we've been very MSE.

Right, I think that's all the news (apart from I'm loving my job at the moment - don't like to say it and jinx it, but I love my colleagues, my job, my office and the location :rotfl:).

Take care all, have a great weekend. Xxxxxxxxxxx

Ali-OK

Excellent to read your update - so pleased for DH's business too starting so well. Limited Company is great for paying less tax/NI as can take dividends - Alex runs his business that way.

And great on the financials as well, even if debt neutral is a little further away, it's wonderful you're in control of it all, enjoying work and have come so far. Well done :T:T

Yay to a busy social life too and richly deserved :j

Daligas don't send a reminder for end date, so pop a note in a diary or calendar. June will soon be here at the rate this year is flying by!

Happy Saturday

supersaver1000

Thanks Ali, and thanks for your support. Honesty really is the best policy, but it's so hard to think straight when it's your child's happiness. xx

Brogden

So pleased everything is coming together so well SS1K

Brogden x

supersaver1000

Thanks Brogden, it feels like it's been a long slog and still a way to go, but taking control is a good feeling.

liltdiddylilt

What a fab update to read!!! Lovely to hear what is going on at your end. Yes MSE is a way of life. I am a ninja saving turtle and this month declared I am most definitely hardcore. :rotfl: - I walk to work, take my lunch to work, donate to charity monthly, try and pop in a bit more exercise, have as many no spend days as I possibly can, don't spend on toiletries, or clothes, or newspapers. I budget my monthly shopping and write a list. I even kind of meal plan.

I've never been this organised in my life. But it is paying off :rotfl: - have to say though. I think you might be more hardcore than me... because if I left my monthly challenge it would all go to pot!

Am very proud that you have managed to pull it down even with the job changes and everything else! Well done you!! xxx

supersaver1000

liltdiddylilt wrote: »

What a fab update to read!!! Lovely to hear what is going on at your end. Yes MSE is a way of life. I am a ninja saving turtle and this month declared I am most definitely hardcore. :rotfl: - I walk to work, take my lunch to work, donate to charity monthly, try and pop in a bit more exercise, have as many no spend days as I possibly can, don't spend on toiletries, or clothes, or newspapers. I budget my monthly shopping and write a list. I even kind of meal plan.

I've never been this organised in my life. But it is paying off :rotfl: - have to say though. I think you might be more hardcore than me... because if I left my monthly challenge it would all go to pot!

Am very proud that you have managed to pull it down even with the job changes and everything else! Well done you!! xxx

Thank you Lilty, but I was never that organised when I was looking after a jelly-like small person. It was as much as I could do to get to nursery, work, then order a take away. But thank you kindly. For your compliment. It's lovely being on this journey with you. Xx

supersaver1000

Yay hay, here's GPs yoghurt recipe. :j

Greying_Pilgrim wrote: »

Good evening (again) :hello:

Right, I am going to post the recipe that I have been following to make plain yoghurt. I realise that there are infinite ways to make yoghurt, plus you can use different milks, slow cookers, organic/non-organic starters etc etc.

However, I will just put up the method that works for me, it isn't the only method, and I'm not claiming it as such. And, as you know, I'm still active in this yoghurt adventurizing, so now that I have a recipe that I am comfortable with, yes, I too will try s/s or skimmed milk, UHT, soya milk, coconut milk etc etc and possibly report my failures and successes here

I also used Liberte yoghurt (0% greek style) as my starter. As far as I am aware, Mr S is the only s'market that stocks it and frankly, if you look up the price for a 500g tub, you will demand my MSE 'stalwart' badge back off me and show me the door. However, I purchase mine when they have it in stock at H*ron fo0ds......for 40p a 500g tub.......:money:However, I am now at the end of my starter, so if there are no tubs in stock, I'll have a go at using some of the made yoghurt as my starter.

Ingredients

500ml Milk (I use ald* whole milk - the blue labelled container)
15g (dry weight) Skimmed milk powder (= 2 x 15ml tablespoon)
2 x 15ml tablespoons of 'live' starter yoghurt

Utensils

A saucepan to heat milk (pref non-stick)
A food grade thermometer
A thermos flask, with a capacity of 0.5l minimum, but pref 0.7 or 1.0l. Also, the wider the neck, the easier to clean out.
A small bowl
A whisk

Method

Remove your 'starter' yoghurt from the fridge and allow it to come to 'room' temperature whilst you get on with other tasks. (if you have frozen your starter, it must be fully de-frosted and brought up to room temp)

Fill the thermos flask with water from a recently boiled kettle and close the lid. Set aside.

In a small bowl place your milk powder. Add in a small amount of your milk, whisking together to form a smooth liquid - no lumps or gritty bits. Set to one-side.

Put your remaining milk into your saucepan and put it on your stove on a moderate heat. Take your bowl of reconstituted milk powder and pour it into the saucepan stirring briefly to combine. Set the empty bowl to one side.

Heat the milk gently and steadily to a temperature of 85 degrees centigrade. The milk will begin to form bubbles on the surface and a slight skin may begin to form. Once the milk has reached 85 degrees centigrade, turn off the heat source and set the pan aside in a safe place (it and the contents are hot, and will burn/scald - take care).

Allow the milk to cool down to 46 degrees centigrade. This will take approximately 30 minutes, but is of course dependent on the temperature of your kitchen the weather etc. so check reasonably frequently - especially as you get nearer to the required temperature.

Working carefully but quickly at this point, take a little of the milk from the saucepan and put it into your mixing bowl. Add in the 'starter' yoghurt and gently mix the two together to fully combine - then pour this back into the saucepan - there is no need to stir.

Carefully empty the water out of your thermos flask and pour in the milk and yoghurt starter mixture from the saucepan into the warm flask. Seal the flask.

Set the thermos to one side in a safe place for 8 - 12 hours.

Open the flask carefully. The yoghurt may well appear to of set 'solid'. Carefully tip the flask over a container - a large bowl is ideal, you can always decant it into something prettier later - and allow it to flow from the flask. It may require the use of a spoon to encourage it out, in which case, it should exit the flask with a satisfying 'plop'.

The yoghurt may be stirred at this point if you prefer a very smooth yoghurt, and it will go thinner if you stir it. I prefer to leave it in its lumpy form. Put in a covered container and refridgerate for a couple of hours (it may well thicken up some more if you do this).

Enjoy. You have just made 500ml of natural yoghurt.


I hope these instructions make sense. If they don't then please query it with me.

Greying