Cooking for one (Mark Three)

bouicca21

I am impressed by how cheap your haircuts are. The downside to London is that hairdressers cost! But I am more jealous of hair that grows 'wide'. You mean you have hair that actually has body? Mine definitely grows down, i.e. Is just lank. What I would give for hair that grows wide!

PasturesNew

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

EDIT; PN - surprised a simple drycut costs so much - I was paying around £14 back in my home city and similar again here (until I swopped to the expensive one I'm now one...).

It's expensive to live/buy where I live because it's so popular with wealthy London retirees and 2nd homers. If there's lots of money splashing around then a shabby salon charging £8 can be tarted up to be a sparkly one charging £28.... or let's try £48 ... prices go up and up - so that's what every business does ... because there's enough local wealth to be able to pay for it without blinking.

Trouble is.... if your area is "good", but you're in the cheap seats ....

The College 30 miles away is about £30 for highlights, -v- the more local College 7 miles away that still charges about £70, because that other one's in a "dirt cheap area with major deprivations".

PasturesNew

I hit the shops at about 8.15, perchance 4ldi red stickers... but mostly because I was out of those little bread rolls I love.

They had a red sticker on my favourite rolls, so I got those - dated today which means I will end up having to freeze some... but then I was wracked with angst... whether to buy another pack dated 21 Oct too. I eventually decided against it and got a loaf instead.

Crumpets were purchased

I got a punnet of baby plum tomatoes with a half price sticker on, they go down nice as tomato sandwiches or in the bread rolls ... but ...

I bought a pint of milk. This pint is intended to make a giant Yorkie (hopefully today) - and with the leftover milk (dated 24 Oct) and with that bread and with those tomatoes ... I feel a savoury B/B pudding coming on, so that might be tomorrow's dinner sorted. I have onions that need using up and I have eggs, so that seems the best option with what I've got

Also bought a small bar of chocolate and 6 satsumas (special offer this week, there were six that were a good size).

I think that was the haul: Loaf, bread rolls, crumpets, tomatoes, satsumas, milk, chocolate. Spent under £3.

There was a huge bag of smallish (salad potato sized) spuds in the basics range reduced to half price, so they'd be about 75p, but I already have baking spuds in the house to plough through, so left those.

I am going to miss my proximity to both 4ldi and L1dl when I move.... not that there's any sign of movement on that front; I've also not found a house to buy that vaguely ticks any of the boxes.... so no rush.

moneyistooshorttomention

bouicca21 wrote: »

I am impressed by how cheap your haircuts are. The downside to London is that hairdressers cost! But I am more jealous of hair that grows 'wide'. You mean you have hair that actually has body? Mine definitely grows down, i.e. Is just lank. What I would give for hair that grows wide!

Don't be impressed by the cost of mine then.

I may have been paying about £14 to my hairdresser before I moved here and much the same sort of cost since moving here.

However, I've tried several hairdressers since moving here - and not thought much of any of them.

I've just had my second cut with latest hairdresser (ie the restyle has had time now to "come in fully" after sufficient growing time). I shall be sticking with this one. I took a good look at it in the mirror and thought "Hmmm...very sophisticated and rather French-looking/sharp cut:)". I shall be staying with this one then - I'm suited now.

......and they charge 3 times as much as I'm used to paying - yep...north of £30 for it:eek:.

Not sure if it's going to emerge quite so "sophisticated/elegant" looking when I get my hands on it myself to style it each day after washing it - but I can hope....:rotfl:

EDIT; PN - I see your point re the area a place is in. But there is also an element of "If you want ME - then you pay MY rate of pay for me". I know that back when I was a Personal Secretary (remember them....) I took the attitude of "Well do you want her with her slower speeds/lack of organisation/rather "rougher" than me and pay her one level of salary OR do you want me (with my faster speeds/better organisational skills/etc/etc) - but you'll have to pay more or I don't want the job....

Of course - as we know - employers in a variety of spheres decided to "pay less and get less" as time went on and thought they could get a level of employee they didn't deserve for that pay.....

But I think hairdressers may be one of the few trades where people can still "get paid what they're worth"....

PasturesNew

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

...one of the few trades where people can still "get paid what they're worth"....

It's an odd industry. When I was at school, it was the kids who couldn't read/write who were shipped off to "become hairdressers". I did the whole typing thing/shorthand/RSA III/PA ... and when I was about 21/22 I had a friend who was a hairdresser... and she earnt more than me when you added it up. She got a basic wage, she was paid an amount per haircut and she got to pocket tips.

Right then/there I wished I'd become a hairdresser

It's possible to be a hairdresser and pretty hopeless, because you're handy ... or available .... all you need to do is maintain a degree of mediocrity and you can probably get away with it for a lifetime.

moneyistooshorttomention

I remember that Pastures.

Though the expensive hairdresser I've now got is obviously a different level - assessed as "far from thick" by me. They're in the job they are in here I'm guessing because there aren't many jobs here in a lot of spheres and some of the ones that are here are in a "we prefer or demand a Welsh speaker for them" category - so not available to a lot of us then anyway:cool: I hadn't actually even realised there are people that can't read and write - then I read about them - then I realised that one of the tradespeople I got here obviously couldnt read and write properly/at all (rather later than I wish I'd realised....).

In hindsight - thee and me should both have gone to University shouldnt we (ie back in that era - when it was worth it)?

PasturesNew

Lunch is half a packet of Angel Delight, butterscotch flavour ...

It's a packet I must've opened a year ago - and folded the top over. There were a few lumps, but they bashed out with a fork. I added a big splash of milk, didn't measure it, probably about 1/3rd of a pint... whisked it by hand with the fork and shoved it in the fridge.

It's now set, so I'm scoffing it

Rain here.

Farway

A wet old day, never went out, not just the rain but I had things to do. Nearly all done so here I am

wort wrote: »

Farway, where are you buying salmon from? This week in aldi the ones I get have gone up nearly a £1.
So I didn't get them. I might look at work as they may be better value with staff discount.

I got mine, frozen, from Iceland a bit back, they had a £6 offer on at the time, normally £8, and that is what I tend to do, buy offers when I can
These ones are individually packaged, and skinless, not the bog standard ones. just right for a treat. I'll buy again when on offer
I defrost then fry in butter / oil not bake
https://groceries.iceland.co.uk/iceland-fish-market-4-atlantic-salmon-fillets-520g/p/55918

Thanks everyone for tips on burnt pan, I know in the end it'll need a bit of elbow grease, meanwhile head firmly in sand and CBA to get on with it. One plus of CFO, plenty of pans in the cupboard:rotfl:

Porridge etc for breakfast
Lunch, another PB baguette, this time with Black Forest ham & salady bits inside

It really is pie weather, but I've not got any, except a FB one which I don't fancy. I've dragged a quiche / flan out to defrost, I'll have some HM chips & tinned beans with that, but a cottage pie would be far nicer just now

Hair cuts, ha ha, just trim my beard and whizz over the bonce on same setting with trimmer thingy from L's and job done, 5 minutes tops.

PasturesNew

Time passed and I never did get round to making that Yorkie batter... which I like to leave to rest until I'm ready.

So that's not for tea today now .... not really sure what is.

I'll probably go with "now what's easiest" and have a jacket spud and beans .... there might be some cheese involved if I CBA to grate some

EDIT: Cheese was grated; I've always found it such a faff, especially washing up the grater afterwards. It was a HUGE spud.... full now

moneyistooshorttomention

Semi DOD (Day Off Diet) day today. Diet at the mealtimes - so was on a try-out of quorn spicy burgers today (will finish packet - but not buy again was the verdict).

Probably shouldnt have accepted the offer of a free bar of dark chocolate in a health food shop. Didnt think I'd like it anyway - as am not very keen on "fruit chocolate". For the record - Montezuma dark chocolate with cherries in. Tried it - expecting to bin the rest. Errr...I do like it - distinctly Nom in fact - so that sent the diet west for the day with a noticeable bit of that. The rest went in the freezer. Decided that brand is the best I've tried to date.

Tonight - out socialising and wine will be consumed I know:beer: