Extending our house without extending ourselves beyond our means

PurpleFairy26

Just 1 day until payday and it will be most welcome still trying to work through things at home that we have a stash of and meal plan around those. Found some carob powder this morning at the back of a cupboard whilst looking for yeast so will investigate recipes for that.

I thought I had yeast in beforehand is started making malt loaf in the bread,asked so I have all the ingredients in the pan, apart from yeast. Hmm. Will pop and get some post school run.

Picked loads more tomatoes this morning, lovely to put some in daughters lunchbox in my bid to reduce plastic in our lives I was looking to get a small flask that I could put a drink in for her lunchbox rather than use cartons with plastic straws. They're not easy to find as most are to big when I happened upon one in our garage this morning that I had forgotten about. Will give it a good clean with bicarbonate of soda and see if it still leakproof :T

We were due at friends this weekend who have had to cancel so whilst it's a shame we won't see them it means I can get much of the spare room done on Saturday afternoon whilst DH is working and we can have Sunday as a relaxing family day

I'm only at work half a week next week so I need to plan some seriously productive time to maximise opportunities. Will make a list in my bullet journal

brizzlegirl

Glad you’re using the bullet journal. I find it really helpful to have my thoughts in one place. We are also making a push to using less plastic...quite easy when you get into the swing of it. Flask sounds good.

Have a great weekend x

PurpleFairy26

Yesterday I ordered a couple of things to help us move forward to reducing plastic. I am however keeping the :money: faith as I removed the breadbag from my basket when I realised it looked like a cotton pillowcase with a tie on it and I will fashion my own from a cotton pillowcase instead.

I also called and negotiated with out broadband provider to increase our service and downgrade the price :T must update sheet

First mortgage overpayment for BTL has been made today :T it's only small but I we have to start somewhere

I also called the builder yesterday and he is coming next week to make Final plans and go through the quote and process one more time. Hoping we can start in January latest. Scary stuff.

Am off work today, so have some jobs to do, including taking back one item to be exchanged and another to be refunded. I am also going to step up my 'where is the cheapest place to buy different food from' by calling in at a L1dl on the way back from the town I'm visiting for exchange. I'm hoping to get a run in too if time allows before I have to pick the smalls up.

I also need to check out how much paint I have as I want to make a start on the spare room or bathroom at some point. Hmm, busy, busy, busy. So much for a few days holiday :rotfl:

PurpleFairy26

Got £70 back in vouchers for the two items. L1dl was good, I got a free box of chocolates and a voucher for 5 more weeks for a different item each week. Not sure I'll use them all but I have a number of items added to my list as cheapest place to buy.

I've spent some time on a diary on here I stumbled across, which I have had loads of inspiration from. Downloaded an app they mentioned and whipped up an inspirational tea with a previously cooked chicken leg, orzo, left over cabbage and some other veg :money:

Also made some sausage rolls and a batch of bolegnase and managed a visit to a community orchard (still too early, need a few more years :rotfl:) will go to another next week that's about further out.

Treadingonplaymobil

I went to a community orchard yesterday too! Ours is heaving and I came back with a big bag of apples to process. I'm going to try to go every couple of days as it's only a 15 minute walk away, and bring back a bag full to cook/freeze/turn into chutney or crumble or whatever.

Hurrah on the plastic reduction! I've sewn a few bento bags (look on pinterest for patterns) which are pretty easy and very pleasing, and are useful for storing bread etc in. I also use them to store random things in the freezer once they are already frozen loose on trays, like muffins or flapjacks.

We are waiting for a quote from a builder, but ours will only be an outline one. I am desperately counting down to getting our work started!

foxgloves

I have access to an ancient orchard in a public park, but I'm usually so overwhelmed with apples & pears from our own old fruit trees that I've never picked any from the park. My foraging on the fruit front is usually blackberries & elderberries with occasional rosehips & haws if I want to make hedgerow jelly. Oh, & sloes sometimes, though I've been making blackberry & apple gin or blackberry & pear vodka in more recent years.
We are reducing plastic waste at home too, PurpleFairy.
F x

PurpleFairy26

Visitors how lovely have a :coffee: I would offer you some of my apples but I know you both have enough of those :rotfl:

Yesterday was a good day in the purple household (apart from mr PF having to work, he did however get paid very well for it:A) I made some things, red cabbage and apples in the sc, all nicely portioned in the freezer, welsh cakes, some of which are nice,y in my tum :rotfl: and our family favourite at the moment lemon drizzle tray bake :T

I've got 2 bags of apples and I'm going to spend some time this afternoon peeling and stewing and chopping to make chutney, crumbles and other bits for the freezer. Have already got part a bag of chopped left over apples in freezer so will add these in too.

I'm also going to go fo a long (for me anyway :rotfl:) run. As I didn't have to rush back for small people or family plans it gives me a bit more time to be out for longer. I'm going to go soonish so I can then get back and get on with my jobs.

There is also the spare room to think about painting, but I think that can wait until tomorrow.

In money news food spends are low, which is good. The new way of shopping is working out for us so will continue and see where we get to. I would call in WIP.

We've still 3 weeks until payday but money all in the right place and I've skimmed 250 out of our spends to see if we can save that on top of normal. Will see how we go.

Used an instant voucher yesterday to get 8% discount off some paint. Bought it whilst in the shop as I didn't know how much it was going to be :T

Must reconcile my just for points cc today too.

Treadingonplaymobil

Oooh welsh cakes! I haven't made those for years. That's going on the list for this week. I am also plotting chutney, crumble prep and anything else I can think to do with apples this week. I was wondering about attempting to just preserve some slices in syrup in jars. I don't think my freezer is up to the job of the amount I have available!

Good luck skimming off the extra £250, that's a good chunk extra to be saving.

PurpleFairy26

I'm thinking dried apple rings too maybe TOPM if I can get the to dry in the oven. And stuffed apples for puddings. The apple making things have had to pause today though as I need to paint a room as unexpectedly a man is coming tomorrow to put skirting on and a new door :T

Post dropping smalls off at school, I have managed to get to diy shop, get what I need and get back (dropping fleabay parcel off en route) and done 2 coats and I look more presentable than I thought I would for the school run :rotfl: will try a 3rd coat later if I can

That would leave me tomorrow morning to clean downstairs (no point doing upstairs until man has gone, although the is the tidiest worker I've ever met but still, dust gets places ....) and some more exercise which would be productive.

Must go and get smalls from school

crazy_cat_lady

I am SO jealous of your cooking and prepping foodstuffs. The lemon drizzle traybake sounds amazing, and I think I'm going to have to attempt Welsh Cakes sooner rather than later.