The Simple Bare Necessities feat. Gratitude & Recipes

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning Dear Hearts :hello:

I forgot to mention that I am seriously considering joining Frugalwoods 'UFM - January'. In some ways, I wish I had the 8a11s to join Frugaldom's challenge here on MSE, as at least it is UK based and most ideas are easily transferable between participants. A North American based challenge, does present differences in approach, systems and priorities. However, it is the concept of living richly without undue expenditure that I need to concentrate on. I know that I need a 'framework' to work within, to get best results, so I'll opt for the Frugalwoods 'month' model. But I do implore you to check out Frugaldom's work - they have achieved minor miracles of rich living on a teeny, tiny budget and generously share that knowledge with others. I'll start with Frugalwood's 'month' and who knows, if I really 'rock' it this time, I may sign up for the remaining 11 months of Frugaldom's challenge....... :rotfl:

Logging all expenditure is going to be back on the agenda in January. It works for me and keeps me on the straight and narrow. Anything that I save at any point, at the moment, is going towards the heating bill. I expect it to be higher, because we have been using it But I won't compromise on comfort and safety with a small in the house. Having said that, Greying Towers would still seem cool to some visitors. We do not walk around in our bikinis.... oh no we do not.............

Tea this evening will be soup. I have a load of veg stalks and bendies to use up..... don't all rush around to come and partake of such delish sounding nosh, will ya?? :rotfl::rotfl: I]Greying sending self up....[/I

Right, I've a load of things to attend to, and if i'm honest, have no clue where to start Best try and find the beginning of the string I guess, and work in from there..........

Ta for popping in and reading. Appreciated. Greatly.

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

Morning lovely Greying :hello:

I have already signed up for the Frugalwoods challenge too :j I did it last year, to great effect :money: Really made me think about taking food everywhere, not just hopping in the car, spending less even when we did go to a cafe etc. I didn't find it vexing that she is based in America, it was all stuff that can spread. But then I'd got a bit spendy and you are already super frugal so it will be interesting to see what changes you can make

Mmmm, bendy soup... (and you've just reminded me - I had a sausage butty for tea last night so didn't have leftovers, which means I've got no lunch! :eek: Fortunately we still have bread in the freezer from last week's party (now let's see you all rush round to Cheery's house for some frozen sliced white :rotfl: :rotfl: ) Best get toasting!

rtandon27

...between bendy soup & frozen bread I think we have an mse feast on our hands!

:D:D

Greying_Pilgrim

Ay up rtandon - FEAST indeed! :D:D

Cheery - I've popped in to report that I have signed up! Yes, having done the July UFM, I know that.......... I'm not going to be able to report saving SHEDLOADS of dosh. I think I have to be honest about that to myself and others from the get go. However, I do believe that focus will aid my simple living. You're very kind to mention my already frugalish ways, and it does sometimes frustrate the h3ck outta me that I can't wave a magic wand and suddenly live for free! :rotfl::rotfl:BUT having said that, there is always wiggle room and 2 biggies that i have already identified are; writing every expense down and eating down stores. Those are what I have let slip. Also, i got a great deal of........ motivation? from doing the 'why are you doing this?' exercises in June/July, so I'm sure that re-visiting that will provide me with a little mojo and motivation boost, which is sorely needed. Whilst the time line has been longer than anticipated/i would have wanted, we have achieved more progress on the house etc this year than I thought we would. We've along way to go, but we've made a start - that is often the hardest bit, isn't it?

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

Certainly is lass I'm very fond of the phrase 'a year from now I will be so glad I started today' - so very true

Tis most vexing that we can't wave a magic wand and suddenly live for free :rotfl: :rotfl: You're right though, there's always a bit of wiggle room, even just a teensy bit. We've been doing a LOT of convenience spending this year with the house sale etc Lots of takeaways and eating out So those things can definitely go (although where we're moving to there will be no possibility of a takeaway :eek: so we may have to squeeze a couple in before we go for old time's sake! :rotfl: )

There are some things that I *could* lose but I'm not really sure I want to Pretty sure that makes me a bad person

I think it'll be interesting for us as our expenses will change drastically after we move (hopefully Feb) anyway, and will take a bit of getting used to. House costs will increase - we'll have a mortgage for a start :eek: but also insurance will be more expensive I imagine. Then the gas is an LPG tank - I have NO idea how they compare to mains gas, and we have a septic tank rather than mains drainage - again, NO idea of costs (hmm.. Cheery is currently pondering her 'planning ahead' skills and thinking she should have done more investigation... :rotfl: ). The water bill will be cheaper, council tax more expensive (I already checked that). Oh, and we'll be getting a second car :eek: and adding a commute where we currently have none :eek:

<faints>

Hmm, maybe we'll have to forego that takeaway after all :eek:

<goes off for a lie down>

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

My dear Cheery - it is all going to be fine. There will be changes and differences, but also opportunities and scope. I for one can't wait to be invited to 'Mr Cheery Farmer's Summer Music Festival'. I shall bring my own artisanally hand-crafted tipi to sit in..........

Tea has been scoffed. You know sometimes made up/kitchen sink soups don't work? Well, for once I was lucky, and it did I used an onion, 2 sticks of celery, a garlic clove, 4 bendy carrots, 1 unbendy parsnip, 1 lone potato (too small to bake), stem bits from the 29p cauliflower and 2 broccoli stalks, a stock cube, a sprinkle of Jalfrezi curry powder and a splodge of tomato puree. Luckily for me, the other ingredients didn't let the brocolli stalks dominate, in flavour, nor colour. And it was a really nice soup blitzed with the stick blender and served with a swirl of yoghurt. Real use-up, cost next-to-nowt fare :j

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

giving - good quality, but finished with/outgrown things to the chazzer

receiving - an invite to lunch :j

visiting - somewhere different because we had a car and fuel......

Ta for popping in. Very much appreciated.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

Mmmm, funny night's sleep last night. I went to bed early, but BG was having none of this thing called 'sleep' and stayed awake and active, long after 'bedtime'. I'm not sure what the issue was - I mean, i'm sure it's related to 'growth' in some shape or form, but I'm not sure what was actually keeping them awake. Still, they eventually fell asleep in the most uncomfortable of locations, and I was able to transfer them to their cot and slink away to my own bed...........

I really should get on with my crafting. I think I just need to pick it up again and start. Waiting for my missing mojo ain't cutting it.

I'm not sure what is for tea - but I've not done my meal plan, so it's my own fault. However, I've got a rough idea of what to do for the rest of the week, so it really is only tonight that I have got to give 'serious' consideration to. What ever we end up having, I don't want to have to purchase anything for it, so it will all be from stores in some way or other.

Yesterday, I did pick up a couple of packs of the 'vintage' cheddar in the iceyland offer of the week. It's not cheaper than our usual cheese - despite being on offer, but I'm hopeful that it'll have a bit of bite, and I can use (some of) it for our Chrimbo Eve lasagne.

Technically, I need to buy nothing today, and I really should stick to that I guess. But I am wondering whether to pick up a couple of things that I know we'll need, and it might just be easier to get them today, rather than Friday or Saturday, when the crowds will possibly be building. I'll have a think. BG is currently having a little snooze.... they are probably tired :think:............ so no real rush to get out of the door.

Right, can't think of anything else MSing that I need to report on.

Have a great day, one and all

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Oh, I did forget to mention that yesterday in h3ron foods, I picked up a couple of S0re3n (makers of malt loaf), Christmas spiced fruit loaf (dark green packaging). They were 39p each, (BB 18th Jan, I think). I had seen them originally in mrAl, for...... 89 or 99p?? And had nearly bought one. I'm glad i held off and paid less, for no other reason than I wasn't overly impressed I'm sure malt loaf recipes have changed since I was a nipper, but this was dry - and yet the minute you tried to cut it, it squished flat, and you couldn't really reshape it DH had wittered on about toasting it. No chance. There was hardly anyroom to spread a bit of marg on it. The remaining loaf will most likely be served under custard. Must invite INOD around......... :think:

Greying X

EssexHebridean

If you ever see the "Salted caramel" individual portion malt-loaf offerings from the same maker Grey - avoid like the plague. You could be days getting THAT from round your teeth. :eek: They regular malt loaf though, I like. None of your marg nonsense though - butter all the way, and plenty of it! ::p rotfl:

If the "Vintage Cheddar" is the Wyke Farms one then it's pretty much the only standard cheddar we buy these days - it's glorious!

Greying_Pilgrim

EH - it wouldn't have been worth getting the butter to room temp. softness to spread on this version of the malt loaf, it was too wee! And would be a waste of good butter. No, I'm afraid the cheese was from that city with a cathedral..................... I did pick up a 250g piece of 'special reserve' Double gloucester for £1.25 in h3ron today. I don't know which supermercado it is from, but it was made in the wallace & gromit land creamery So I hope it's good

Was thinking about you when I kept hearing the iceyland advert on the radio. They are quite specific in excluding the hebrides in this offer... quite tickles me every time I hear it - dunno what the hebrides has done to not benefit from average priced cheese offers.............................

Greying X