A new royal start

QueenJess

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81996948#Comment_81996948

It’s a good point as he does like granola. I have run out, so need to make some more. Will stick it on the list for tomorrow’s baking activities.

QueenJess

Popped out this morning and grabbed myself a dwarf plum tree for £11.99 from Lidl. I have a massive spare patio pot from when I moved the blueberry and I just have no more tree space left in the garden borders. Hoping it will be very happy in there as it's a very deep pot. I already have an apple and pear tree in the garden, so thought it was worth a different fruit :)

I also managed to spend a further £26 in there buying a few things ahead of my big Saturday shop. Hopefully this will save a few pennies though. I did find they sell organic apple cider vinegar, which is going to be really helpful for preserving. Also spent £30 on fruit and veg from Riverford this week and I'll be waiting to practically snatch the box out of the delivery man's hands to get hold of the rhubarb for this week 😂 Obviously rhubarb and apple crumble will be on the menu this weekend and I'm hoping I can serve it with some hm vanilla ice cream from the machine.

Planning to pop out at lunchtime to get myself a few more preserving jars (using a 10% coupon before it runs out). A busy day today and am on my own as DH is out until late. I'm taking the opportunity for a cheap and cheerful child friendly dinner of jacket potato with beans and cheese (DH doesn't consider jacket potato a meal 🙄). Will also squeeze in making some granola as well. No other time for baking today, although the weekly washing has commenced as I think I have 4 loads to do! Lunch is just me, so I will eat up random bits of leftovers in the fridge. There's still half of the macaroni and cheese left which I'm thinking might make for a cheap Friday heat up meal. Friday's now seem to be the eat everything up night before I do the shopping.

There are three shopping Saturdays left in May and I was going to do a fortnightly shop, but not sure that is going to work with my budget for this month. I'm considering instead doing a small shop this week, then the fortnightly one next week to save my budget. I'll see how it works out. I only have £250 left to spend to get the budget back to nil.

QueenJess

I have spent far too long reading old mse old style threads, but it is making me think about the use of everything. It is however making me feel guilty for recycling the stiff cardboard that came with a parcel earlier. Surely I can find a use for that?!

I’ve not changed many habits yet, but I have started to put things in the sink that need a soak and not adding water to them. That’s because someone will always need to wash their hands for something (usually me) and it’ll get the water from that. I’m sure it won’t save me much, but the idea is to get into the right mindset and hopefully lots of things will add up into something bigger.

I’ve also started to turn off the laptop charger at the plug once my work laptop is fully charged and only turn it back on once the battery is fully discharged. It’s better for the battery anyway although I’m sure it only costs pennies to charge. I even turned off my extra screen when I went for lunch.

Freezer has been duly defrosted today, so they’ll be no stopping me whenever I spot ys bargains 😂

No crumble today sadly as the pears were about to turn to mush. Sadly two were beyond saving :( The rest have been turned into a lovely pear and chocolate sponge pudding to be served with the ice cream that’s been in the freezer for quite a while. Hoping to use the ice cream maker this weekend with DD. I also need to plant my fruit tree, but abandoned that yesterday because of the thunder and rain!

Dinner tonight is chicken stew from the freezer or leftover macaroni cheese. That should clear the fridge down a bit.

Shopping day tomorrow, so I will craft a list later and try to keep it reasonable. I’ll need bits from the zero waste shop as well as I’m out of pumpkin and sunflower seeds and may as well top up on pasta. I am going to do the shop for a fortnight and not shop (bar top ups) next week as it aligns with the best coupons I seem to get from the WR app off DH’s nuts and raisins.

No sourdough made today as I was not convinced by the starter on the side. I decided to give it 24 hours and then see if it looks better and make it tomorrow morning instead. It’s probably been a bit cold in the house for it. Might put it back in the boiler cupboard to revive. I had a not great loaf last time as it was squelchy in the middle. I am using it up for soup etc where it doesn’t matter, but I really need some proper bread for sandwiches etc.

Better go as need to run and pick up the kids. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

beanielou

Pass the chocolate & pear sponge. Sounds delicious 😋 Enjoy.

QueenJess

Big food shop done for today - £91 in sm and £21 zero waste shop. I now have £118 left to get to zero budget. I don't think I'm going to quite make it, but hoping to be very close. I could probably do it if I needed to, but I would rather have a small deficit and make use of any offers, coupons, ys that I find. Must have saved loads today making use of the coupons I had and the offers in store on stuff I usually buy anyway.

No big food shop required next week. Better go as kids require my presence and I need to make the yorkshire pudding batter for later. Dinner is lamb (ys from freezer still) with roast pots, veg and yorkshire puddings. Lunch will be fried eggs, mushrooms, beans and toast.

Sourdough is nicely proving by the boiler and I hope to make some ice cream with the kids later.

QueenJess

Busy work day today, but popped into Lidl when I dropped the kids off for school. I had a £5 off a £30 spend pop up (excluding alcohol), which would have been rude to not use. So £40 later, I am more than stocked up everywhere.

I am making a fruit loaf today (not made it before, but still have loads of mixed peel left), ice cream with chocolate chips (made with the new machine - just the simplest, easiest recipe so far but tastes amazing) and oat milk. Lunch was a massive salad using stuff found in the fridge, herbs from the garden, pumpkin seeds, feta cheese and some hm pickled beetroot. Having a stressful day, so I did just have a cheeky shortbread and hot chocolate. Dinner will be salmon and pesto, with pots and veg.

I've also got out hm hummus from the freezer ready to make a sandwich to take to work tomorrow.

Better run - work is a bit crazy right now, although I'd much rather be making fun things in the kitchen or doing gardening (even in the rain!).

beanielou

Pass the ice cream 🍨

QueenJess

Had a really horrible work week and considered just quitting yesterday to be honest. On the plus side, I'm not in work until Thursday next week, so have time to decompress and get some perspective. It's quite well paid, so don't want to do anything rash. I did throw my toys out of the pram at one point..

Trying to recover today and completely missed the weather as been so busy, so only saw the reports after I finished work yesterday. Took DD to the fair that's been set up outside her school on the way back yesterday (DS was out with DH) - spent £15, but much cheaper with one child! At least it wore her out a bit on the bouncy castle, slide etc.

This morning I got up promptly to wash my duvet as it'll dry very quickly in this weather, then got into the garden to plant out the tomato and cucumber plants before it got too hot. I had to be slightly inventive in the garden as I have more tomato plants than I expected. I put most of the tomatoes in compost bags on the patio, then added some canes upwards and then strung another one horizontally at the top to make it a bit more stable. It's leaning against the wall, but should be fine. I didn't have quite enough canes, but I used the dried old blackberry canes which worked quite well. Absolutely every single cane I own is now in use.

I also dug out the milk bottles from the recycling and drilled holes in the tops, then cut off the bottoms. One I dug into the plant pot that has the plum tree in it and filled it with water. Hoping for slightly less water usage as it goes straight to the roots and also means it is quicker to water. Going to put the rest in some of the larger pots and try a yogurt pot for the strawberries as they dry out very fast, but ran out of time this morning. Also need to sow some salad leaves, plant out the marigolds and sow some lettuces when I get a chance. The rainwater butt is already quite low, although I keep meaning to buy another one as this is part of a system where you can attach them together. I would need to find someone to mount it though as I don't have any DIY ability!

Around my patio I have some stones, then wood, then the grass. For whatever reason my parsley from last year has seeded itself in the stones and is growing better there than in the pot! I actually think it looks quite good (I don't like manicured gardens and like it a bit more chaotic and natural), so I went with it and tried sowing some basil seeds and cornflower seeds next to them. Will see if they come up.

Kids are driving me nuts today with their fighting and sulking. Can't be doing with it and DH isn't really helping. DH did finally put the handles on DS's wardrobe though (not that DS was bothered about it). I rehung a few bits in the kids rooms with some sticky hooks that's also been on the to do list for a while. I also have sourdough proving incredibly slowly right now - next time I'm going to take it out a day earlier and try some rye flour as I've heard that this can often be better and wake it up.

Lunch today was omlettes with salad (carrot sticks for the kids) including herbs from the garden, followed by hm ice cream in a cone. I've now got vanilla ice cream and chocolate chip made with the machine. Dinner is spag bol to be made by DH. I've bought some lovely looking wine from Lidl to try with it and I may make some banana smoothies for the kids later to keep them cool. There is also rhubarb and apple crumble for pudding with cream.

This is funny - DH asked me if I knew that Lidl sold mixed boxes of fruit and veg for only £2 past the tills as it looked like a really good deal (yes of course I know that!). This is from the man that when I met him bought all his food from M&S and thought saving small amounts of money on odd things is not worth it (e.g. loyalty cards etc). I am very slowly changing him clearly! Better go as need to take DS to gymnastics soon - I think he's going to need hosing down after that in this heat!

Gosh - all I can hear inside is the cry of a red kite! There's one recently that likes to hover just above our house. Never seen the rest of the birds scatter so fast.

Oh - almost forgot, but we decided to stay in the UK this summer due to the current world events. So Denmark is on ice for possibly next year instead. We've booked ourselves somewhere cheapish in Wales by the seaside, so hopefully I can fix the sad looking holiday budget and save up for something abroad next year.

beanielou

Wise decision on holiday.