Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

savingqueen

bexster1975 wrote: »

Hello

Just a note to say, Aldi voucher will be in tomorrows mirror, not next Thursday which is last thurs of month ( naughty Aldi!)

Bexster

thanks for that, I need to stock up on some bits and payday for us is tomorrow so perfect timing (due to Xmas) I will share with the doorstep thread

maryb

The Aldi voucher is valid for a week so I buy two papers and use the second voucher on the following Thursday. In two shops I can pretty well stock up for the month and then just top up with fresh stuff in between

cheerfulness4

Lynplantinum, AP foods is Approved Foods. I haven't ordered from there for a little while but they can be good for certain things if you keep a watch and then buy up! I love their olives especially.

http://www.approvedfood.co.uk/latest_products

All this talk of greenhouses and boats cruising on the river is giving me a lovely tingly feeling for the coming summer. I can't wait! I have such plans for this tiny garden of mine. Alan Titchmarsh will be arriving with his camera crew by the time I'm done.

You did really well with those bargain Celtic-moon. :T I love hearing what everyone gets and how they translate it into meals. I'm nosey.

IrisViolet, I used to shop just once a week when DH worked away in the week. It did actually work out better for me then as I had less temptation but these days I'm back to my old way of shopping, cherry-picking the bargains from various places and I'm fortunate enough to have DH home during the day sometimes to help out with the car.
I'm sure you'll get your budget where you'd like it this year, what with scratch cooking and sharing our bargain hunter tips on here.
Do the kiddies enjoy a bit of cooking? Mine got cooking and gardening lessons at home so they learnt 'from plot to pot.' Let me put my feet up once a week while they cooked, too.

I've weighed my wool and I have plenty for this waistcoat so I'll just have lunch and then off I go with it. :j I'm so excited to learn a new skill. If I can crack circular needles then there are loads of free patterns on Drops Knitting that I can't wait to get stuck into.

I've not done a thing today. When I came downstairs this morning I had the delicious sight of a totally immaculate house (I'm not a perfect housewife by nature) but after killing myself cleaning up for company yesterday I left myself nothing to do.
All I've done is eat hot crumpets, drink hot chocolate and watch the snow falling. So pretty.
I've never felt so lazy but I love it!

Plans for today are now, make lunch, knitting and make a big pan of HM Leek & Potato soup for when DH gets in tonight to warm him up. Oh and I have got an Onion, herb and Olive loaf nearly done in the breadmaker.
vhalla, I couldn't resist.

nursemaggie

Congratulations Cheerfulness' DH. How about card covered in sticky backed Plastic for your dividers.

vhalla1478

Cheerfulness, the loaf is wonderful - I managed to make one this morning - thank you so much1

cheerfulness4

Maggie, I was thinking along similar lines and may just have the size cardboard I need tucked away.


vhalla, so pleased you liked it. My peeps just gone so DS is getting mine out as I type. It smells scrummy!
(ooh get me, I sound like Mary Berry with my 'scrummy's)

jackyann

When my kids were at school, it was acceptable to sew black patches on knees of grey school trousers - you could buy them in haberdashery shops and they looked a bit like "racing driver / motorcyclist" patches which made them acceptable to kids.

I think they grey uniform trousers are a conspiracy between manufacturers & schools! They are so impractical & expensive compared to jeans

meritaten

Lynplatinum wrote: »

I remember nail varnished tights too! did yours used to itch half way through an evening out - just where the nail varnish was????:D

Whats AP?? Cheerfulness4 plse?

Another No Spend Day - v proud of myself!!

Question: I have a friend visiting in February. I have no double glazing!!! Dont really want to leave heating on all night but I have no electric blanket for her bed either. I dont want her to be cold - I have duvet; couple of fleece blankets.
Now a fleecy underblanket/matress protector is on order from club book (using free comission money I have earned :-). But a wheatbag would also be a help - I have lavender harvested from last summer but am wondering about the wheat for these things. Do you need a special sort? Can I just buy it from local health food shop? Or where? Any help please. Many thanks

Lynplatinum - you don't actually need wheat, you can use your bogstandard rice (dried please not the cooked!). the cheapest you can find. and with a teaspoon of your lovely dried lavender it will make lovely 'wheat-bags'. Same 'cooking' instructions, just a minute or so in the microwave for a lovely warm fragrant bag.

cheerfulness4

Really glad Onion bread was mentioned earlier because it made a lovely addition to my HM Leek and Potato soup. Just the thing on a cold winters day.
It also made use of some of those YS leeks I got recently.


My lunch was very economical too as I used one of my YS pears with my 9p dolcelatte cheese to make a lovely salad. (while I watched the snow outside!)

The last 3 crackers from the pack we bought last month has now been eaten and I lgot a pack of my YS pine nuts out the freezer as I like a teaspoon or 2 sprinkled over my salads. I was shocked when I noticed the price. Cheaper than I'd thought.

Even when we're minimising our spending there's still no need to go without if we're eagle eyed when looking out for bargains, is there?
I split a little tin of stuffed olives from AP foods between my onion loaf and my salad. A really tasty days food for very little money. :T DS his happily eating spag bog with the last of my turkey mince from the freezer, a tin toms and a YS mascarpone & basil pasta sauce. The other two thirds of the cooked bolognaise sauce will be used in a lasagne on Saturday.

Finally about to cast on my waistcoat after taking the afternoon to finish unravelling my unfinished jumper. Quite nervous.

cheerfulness4

meritaten wrote: »

Lynplatinum - you don't actually need wheat, you can use your bogstandard rice (dried please not the cooked!). the cheapest you can find. and with a teaspoon of your lovely dried lavender it will make lovely 'wheat-bags'. Same 'cooking' instructions, just a minute or so in the microwave for a lovely warm fragrant bag.

I can vouch for that, too. I made some a few years back. They work very well.