NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

cornishgirl18

Afternoon all. Have had a productive few days. Yesterday did lots of cooking to use up the leftovers -Homemade Carrot and Lentil soup, Pear and Blackberry (from the freezer) Crumble, Cranberry and Orange Flapjacks and a Banana and White Chocolate loaf.

Got a grocery delivery coming later (working full time with small kids it is a necessity!) but its my first grocery shop since 22nd Dec so not bad going. Last year I began to do the downshift challenge and a lot of what I buy now is from the value range - hubby and kids don't seem to notice. I cook everything from scratch so tend to up the flavour of things with herbs (from my herb garden), spices and seasoning. I bake cakes, biscuits, flapjacks at the weekend for lunchboxes etc.

With baby 3 on the way in 12 weeks I had a sort out of the baby clothes too yesterday. The only thing I needed were some newborn vests so mananged to pick up 10 for £3 from the charity shop this morning. Also found my SIL's old buggy in FIL's barn.

The kids are out playing with their friends, hubby is rendering a garden wall and I plan to do some more decluttering this afternoon...although there is not much left to declutter!

Tea is going to be leftover pasta which I made yesterday -fried off some onion and garlic, added tub of defrosted passata from the freezer (tomatoes from MIL), stirred in some leftover boursin and the last of the maple roasted gammon. It was lovely. Will do some frozen peas with it tonight.

Later I need to research greenhouses. Hoping to pick one up on freecycle although next door neighbour whose house is for sale seems to have the steel frame (all the glass blown out) - I wonder how easy it is to replace greenhouse glass?? Might ask if he is planning on taking it with him.

Hubbys job later is to move everything from our office into guest bedroom (so it will become an office/guest bedroom) and start sanding down the windows and walls ready for decorating. Its the smallest room in the house and perfect for a nursery!

bexster1975

Hi cornishgirl

A local glazier should be able to cut you panes of glass for fitting. I only know that as dad was a glazier prior to retiring and he got his greenhouse from a neighbour for free, he had to dismantle and a couple of panes of glass needed replacing so he cut hem. Sadly he is not remotely local to you or he could probably have helped

Bexster

117pauline

One of my resolutions is to post everyday.

Yesterday a NSD and today will be too.

Off out to the garden for a little "paced" tidying in a moment as I have only just come round. Holidays do this to my sleep / awake pattern and I am finding it hard to get back on track.

I too am starting my gratitude journal again. Just with one thing a day until I start seeing the joy in life again. So this thread is my first entry into the gratitude journal.

Thank you again for being such an encouraging and supportive crew - we will go far

Nargleblast

Another idea for using up herby garlic soft cheese - stuff chicken breasts with it then wrap them in streaky bacon or pancetta. Gently fry or cook in oven - very nice.

Mission to town successful - Pink Lady apples seven for a pound in greengrocer - would cost three times that much in a supermarket. Steak pies from butchers stall, very reasonable. Dry cured bacon fifty pence cheaper for six slices than in supermarket. Bought some posh cheese and butter from a deli stall - butter similar in cost to supermarket but on the whole I think the buy local plan is workable. The few bits I got from a supermarket ( a little Sainsbugs local) came to just under a fiver, I would normally have spent twice that, and I managed to avoid wandering around a large aircraft hangar of a store with the rest of the world.

Heffi1

Well I had to pop to the supermarket today to pick up some bread and milk, took the opportunity to buy a few bits for the storecupboard and have spent the last couple of hours batch cooking for the freezer, just a beef casserole which is in the slow cooker now for dinner this evening, so even though I bought more than I had planned, I have managed to get ahead of myself with some cooking, so not as bad as I first thought.

The wind is howling and blowing rubbish up and down the street, someone on FB said their fence blew down, it is miserable, but I am not going out again today so not too worried.

To those that were asking (thank you) I am doing a combined social sciences degree, with I thk psychology, but I fancy forensic psychology, even though I am not too sure at the moment what that will entail. I am fascinated in how we tick, what makes us do what we do and can we change the negative things about ourselves, or are we destined to carry on. I am sure I will make my mind up eventually, at the moment I am in the first year, so it is all about social sciences and the assignment I am working on is about consumerism, the winners and losers in the battle of the high street, so it is very apt right now, what with this thread as well.

I am struggling today though, my assignment is due on 15th Jan and I am about 200 words short at the moment, and have hit a wall, I keep re reading what I have written and cannot see what to add. So I may leave it alone for a day or two and see if inspiration comes to me.

Wish me luck

eandjsmum

Happy New Year. Have done first food shop since before Christmas, I have taken advantage of YS bargains esp party food as it is dds birthday this week. Spent the morning beetling about in the garden I now have a collection of plant labels to clean this week. I have also sorted out my seed collection .


On Mondays womens hour there I an article on how having less possessions can make you happier.


Also Tonight the big allotment challenge.

suzybloo

Things going well in this household, even had a refund from the local co-op as I took a macaroon bar back I bought on Monday, which was out of date so £1.05 returned to the budget, and whilst taking that back I took back a glass lemonade bottle - so another 30p in the purse. Normally I would've just binned the out of date product and recycled the bottle, but not this year! OH was a wee bit embarrassed as we were not even buying anything but hey-ho, I will not be swayed!

Leftovers here tonight for tea, and have sausages defrosting for hm sausage roll chips and beans for tomorrow's!

ArthriticOldThing

Well I had to go out this morning as part of my regular volunteering job so I made good use of the journey and popped into the local small town. Only bought couple necessary food items but was delighted to find two perfect things to put towards my annual present list. They were from a charity shop and are brand new. Yay!!!! I try to get ahead with gift buying whenever possible as I hate last minute - usually expensive - purchases.


I think I remember that one poster (think was MaddieMay) said she had Pernicious Anaemia, I was diagnosed with it last year. I also have Psoriatic Arthritis.


This afternoon I am going to dig out an unfinished scarf I was supposed to be crocheting for Christmas and get it finished (will take a few days as arthritis in hands means I can only do a little then pause a little). Will then be able to add it to the gift cupboard.


My dinner is going to be a chilli made by DIL - so no cost to me!

CAFCGirl

JackieO wrote: »

CAFCGirl I'm a bit tied up this weekend ,but I have a breadmaker that you can have if you want its never been used, and is just sitting on top of the cupboard in my kitchen.PM me if you want it I'd like to see it go to a good home
Cheers JackieO xxx

Oh you are beyond lovely. PM to follow

I_want_a_baby wrote: »

Just got our milk delivery which will definitely help with our no supermarket challenge and found/remembered I had ten packets of bread mix bought cheaply from approved foods so I can use this with the new to me kenwood chef for our bread supply once the pittas/rolls are used up.


ETA: my sister has also left half a block of Boursin garlic cheese left - any ideas on how to use this up? If I made a basic white sauce could I add it to this? What could I use it with? Pasta or turkey sliced? Thankyou!

First day of no supermarket challenge here too, and been out and done the food shop, found a butchers but wasnt bowled over with choices, still got more to try next week. Veg went very well in asian grocer.

As for the boursin - pasta sauce, stuffed chicken, toasted sandwich filling, on jacket potato or in a potato gratin is lovely too

kittie wrote: »

we went shopping this morning and was at aldi for 8am. We bought pilates equipment and various stretching and strengthening items, a trolley lot and all for around £90, which would cost several hundred more in specialist shops. Most are neatly stored in a basket on the floor in our living room, visible but not in the way and so easy to pick up and do a bit eg the kettle weights, just a few arm movements with them, nothing strenuous. Dh also got a gym ball, a big roll. a medicine ball and some wrist supports, knee support and socks. Such excellent prices https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/friday-2-january/

So jealous of your fitness purchases. I cant justify anymore as I still have a gym membership (being cancelled), and a set of Kettlebells, dumbells, yoga mat and blocks.... I did however get two of the books as theyre come in useful for my Open Uni degree longer term, as I'm studying Sport and Fitness

1of3

Hi All

Yesterday was an NSD.

Today wasn't however as I picked up a few small xmas gifts for next year so will keep me from overpaying for stuff in a panic next year.

I've also made a list of stuff that wasn't used over Christmas this year so we can cut down/not purchase same next year.

I am not planning a grocery shop until at least Mon/Tue of next week