Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

good_advice

I am going to minimise my electric cooking tonight by...
Steaming all veg.
Was going to make a cauliflower cheese = 1 pan for cheese sauce
was going to boil the potatoes on the hob for mash = 2nd pan on hob.

Instead just going to use my electric steamer to cook cauliflower, carrots and potatoes.
Will be putting the half size oven on for 1/2 hour for the steak pie.

Remembering to leave oven door ajar when finished to let the heat come into the house.

Hard_Up_Hester

Today I've made a banana loaf from a manky looking banana I used a foil tray that came with pigs in blankets in, I got 3 of them reduced to 50p for 10 PIB's.
I made some toast topping, I grated all the oddments of cheese left over from Christmas, mixed with a tablespoonful of milk, added a pinch of mustard & mixed it all together I've made this with chutney or curry powder added, but this time I've left it plain. This is yummy spread on toast & melted under the grill. It makes a nice snack or sometimes I serve it with a bowl of soup & to make a meal.
Hester

System

Loving this thread...will definitely read more. I want to grow more veg of our own this year, if we can...will need to look up how first though...LOL

Mrs_Cheshire

cheerfulness4 wrote: »

Good Advice, I just keep hearing 'a capful of vinegar' so sounds like you are doing as the others. I guess experiment until you feel it makes a noticable difference to your laundry.

According to Thompson & Morgan there's a fair few things that can be done now to getthe growing year begun. I'm determined not to spend copious amounts of money at the garden centre this year.
A few years back I set myself the challenge of spending none other than compost. I grew everything from seed or cuttings. It truly was the best year ever for my huge garden I had back then.
With my little pocket size garden now I should be able to do wonders if I prepare early and plan it carefully.
Off to plan and plot my 2015 garden. Its going to be the best ever!!

Could you share your tips for the garden, we've only got a small garden and want to grow vegetables but other than a few pots and some very clay based soil we don't have any other space We tried the milk bottles last year, but think we positioned it in the wrong place as nothing really grew.

Mrs_Cheshire

good_advice wrote: »

Delighted to see a sunny day with some wind here in Hampshire. I was up at 7am to get the washing machine on so could get the clothes out on the line.
I saw on the news a lot of countries have snow. How useful snow could be = a new toy for people to have fun with.
A way of keeping milk or other bottles/cans cold - stood out in the the snow.

Making do yesterday = I provided a HM cooked meal to a visiting family. Sharing what you have is caring :0)
Gave them a choice of several meals I had in the house and they chose 1/4 burgers and frys. How quickly it was turned into Hm McDonalds by me!

Making do = I now have x3 FREE magazines to read. Dare from Superdrug, Asda magazine and Boots, Health & beauty.

Making do - I saw people in Asda yesterday buying bottles of fizz from the fridge located by the checkout. Why O why? Wait till you get home and put the kettle on :0?

Making do and no carpark fee's. My Oh drops me off at the supermarket and then goes off to the park with free carparking to exercise himself and dog for an hour :0)

Share a smile today!

Sounds like you had a very frugal day, just a word about the bottles of fizz, not everyone has access to a kettle or even drinks hot drinks (me included), I know they are expensive but if that is the only thing handy when you're out and about then you will buy it.

GreyQueen

Mrs Cheshire, do you have (or can you borrow) a compass? It's great to establish where the south is, and you want to plant veggies in the part of the garden which gets the most light from the southerly direction. Walls which face south and have space in front of them for veggies or pots are great, esp if the wall is pale. Lovely spot for tomatoes.

You want to have maximum light and minimum shade. A hedge or shrub will take moisture and goodness from the soil for the same width sideways as it is tall, remember.

Clay soil isn't idea but soil isn't a fixed thing, it's constantly changing, so you can modify it by digging in organic matter. Digging with a fork will help break up the clay. It will be a work in progress, it's not something you can do in one spring and that's it, sorted, for ever.

At this time of year, I'm not planting anything but I am working on the soil with the digging fork and including organic matter and horse manure. Only manure which has had time to age should be dug into soil you intend to use for root crops as it's high in nitrogen and this makes root veggies grow fangs instead of a single root and they turn coarse, too.

Of course, if comedy veg a la Esther R are what you're aiming at, the more the merrier. Manure can sometimes be obtained in aged condition, sometimes you get it quite fresh and need to pile it up for a few months to let decay take some of the excess nitrogen away.

good_advice

Mrs_Cheshire wrote: »

Sounds like you had a very frugal day, just a word about the bottles of fizz, not everyone has access to a kettle or even drinks hot drinks (me included), I know they are expensive but if that is the only thing handy when you're out and about then you will buy it.

Rairly will I buy a drink out. If I am going on a day trip I take my plastic drink bottle.
On the rare occasions I do buy an extra drink it most likely to be a bottle of still water with a drink spout. My thinking is if any drink does go down my top it will not stain and look a mess for the rest of the day.
Mrs Cheshire I am surprised you do not have a kettle to make a hot drink as soon as you get home after a supermarket shop.

silvasava

Mrs Cheshire - there's a Greenfingered thread on here for loads of help/tips/info. A tip I I got was to buy the 'living lettuce' & plant it in a bigger container. It lasts for weeks as a cut & come again crop & very MS

vhalla1478

Apropos drinks - make some lemon (or orange) barley water; Wash 3 tbs pearl barley in sieve under running water. put two pints of water in a saucepan with the pearl barley, bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain into jug, (but don't throw out the pearl barley, put it into soups or casseroles), add juice of two lemons or oranges or a mixture and sugar or honey to taste. Delicious in any case and very comforting warm if you have a cold.

eastcott5

American web sites for mending/sewing on U tube are great. Turned my grandson into a shepherd last Xmas - using old t shirt and tea towel and bits and bobs. Also made a fitted cushion for a old wicker chair that I wanted to use in our bedroom- home made piping and everything. The demonstrators all seem to have 'crafting' rooms that would put Singers to shame - but I usually manage on the dining table and floor.

Gardening - the 'cottage small holder' web site has some great ideas/tips for cheap recipes and preserves - hedgerow jam and so on. Public library of course - if you still have one.

There was a TV program years ago when the 'Nationwide' programme set out to find the countries 'most thrifty' couple, - they didn't look particularly happy and made a shoulder of lamb last for ever - so don't get too bent out of shape and enjoy the challenge.

Have survived 2 redundancies and a firm going into insolvency. Now retired and still at it.