Struggling along as best I can

nannygladys

The pup went home on Monday and although he didn't make much noise it seems very quiet around here. Mind you I'm sitting my dgs tomorrow so I will see him there, he's had a grooming session so I expect the Mohican and baggy furry trousers have gone and he will look all sleek and smooth 😄
After a small shop last Friday (or was it Thursday) I haven't done anymore shopping so the money left over in my food purse for the week has gone into a jar!! Not sure what I'm going to do with it but I dare say it'll be used on something, I'm thinking of painting the smallest bathroom in the world and having some vinyl put over the painted floor boards so it could go towards that I suppose 😄 another savings pot 🤣🤣
Meals have all been homemade, leek and potato soup, risotto, SC lasagne, taco bean bake with salads at lunchtimes, most came from the freezer, stores and garden and what I had leftover the week before. Eldest sent a curry over tonight but as it was frozen it's in my freezer now and I have enough lasagne for another two meals, so that will be tomorrow and Saturday.
I'm looking after one of my younger dgds on Friday for 4-5 hours as the teacher is on strike in her class, so I'm hoping she will want to make a few cakes to take home with her, that's if her switch doesn't win 🤣
Anyway I'm having an early night as I'm up early tomorrow, keep safe everyone
Nannyg 

nannygladys

Oh dear just lost my post - sausage fingers!!

So I'm now the proud owner of a new canopy, it's taken me about three years to save for it, and at times I felt abandoning it as the money was needed elsewhere, but I did it!!!! Infact I'm left with enough in that savings pot to replaster the bay window and hopefully a new carpet! For someone on just a state pension I proved to myself that it can be done with some organisation and careful planning, it cost nearly £2500 and looks very swish. But I can't take my foot off the peddle now as I have other plans now, so I will keep squirrelling the same amount away for the next project!!

The allotment and back garden has kept me going with fruit and veggies, in the main. Enough to make jam and preserves for the winter months and general eating. My winter veg isn't doing very well so not sure how much I'll get, but I'll freeze all I can now to eat then. I will probably start using the food pantry again if all else fails.

I'm feeling quite happy and content at the present time but I know things will begin to get worse again as the year progresses. I'm cancelling my TV licence as I haven't watched any for months, it's only there for when the smaller dgc visit and I can buy some dvds for them to watch from the cs.

I'm trying to prepare for the colder months now. I've gone through my stocks and stores and started to buy a few bits with any money leftover from my grocery purse, I upped my food spend to £25 then lowered it to £20 which is fine at the amount as I'm not buying fruit and veg, but I expect that will go up again as the year goes on. It's mainly cleaning stuff I need and I'm going to investigate more natural products to make if possible. 

I have been given some worms!! For the compost bin!! They apparently quicken the process so hopefully I'll have some good natural stuff next year, as I'm hoping to buy a couple more raised beds for the back garden, the ones I started off this year are doing really well so I want to expand it a bit more😏 not sure what the neighbours think but do I care? A big fat NO!!!!! He he

Anyway that's enough waffle for today
Nannyg 

Sun_Addict

Well done on finally getting the canopy. I bet you keep going out and admiring it, that’s what I’d be like 😆

Makingabobor2

Well done on getting the canopy done. You are an inspiration as to what can be done with just state pension. Its all about budgeting and realising what you really need and what you don't. If you're not watching TV, then a good idea to not have a TV licence. That's £13 a month to put to another use. Its nice that you have other things to keep you occupied, that you don't need to watch TV. My in-laws put it on the minute they get up and it goes off after midnight! I'd hate to be like that. 
Hope the veggies are going to be a good source of food for you as the year progresses, you must be very helpful.  You mentioned freezing them, I've never really tried freezing lots of veg, but what is the best way to freeze carrots? I suspect I may end up with enough to freeze.  Should I blanche them first? 

You mentioned making natural cleaning products? I use white vinegar, bicarb and lemon juice for making so many things. Also white vinegar is great for making a natural weed killer. I refuse to use chemicals as I think they are too carcinogenic. 

I agree, never mind what the neighbours think. Do whatever you want, its your garden. 

Moorviews

Congratulations 🎉 I think you are such a great role model in sharing how you stuck at saving for that canopy. So often savings are made from what is quite a good income just by cutting extravagant spending. I am thinking about certain television programmes here. Whereas, you have shown that by living positively, carefully and industriously, it is possible still to make some significant savings from a small income. Especially once one is older, as I am and of course no longer having the expense of raising children but living on a fixed small income. Reading your journey of saving has really helped me to realign my thinking and to realise that I can nearly always manage with less than I might think, especially in terms of food shopping. I’ve always had a fairly tight budget for that but have found that I can easily tweak things much more than I thought. 

I am so glad too that you finally have the reassurance of the canopy all being secure and look forward to reading about your future planned improvements. 

WinterWarrior

Brilliant news on the canopy, well done 👏 
I have been making natural cleaners following Nancy birtwhistles recipes, they are really good. I do recommend them. 

Cherryfudge

Great to hear you have your canopy, well done. I expect it shelters the house as well as looking good.

Your veg growing is still inpsiring me though alas the slugs keep eating my courgette flowers.

nannygladys

Just a quick thank you to you all ref my canopy, yes I'm so pleased with it. It's slightly bigger than the rotten one they took down but it still lets as much light in as it's all white and bright! 
I'm just sat in my local garden centre with a free coffee, I get so many a month, so I come for a look around all the the things I might want, buy nothing and have a free coffee 😀 I do usually buy my compost from here and seeds though! So I will carry on again when I get back in.
Nannyg 

nannygladys

Just back after having a lovely coffee and a read of my book. I know it's a bit cheeky but I feel a bit 'lost' when out on my own, so I always take something to do.
Now the canopy has been done - yes I know I keep mentioning it 🤣- I can perhaps think more about the front garden. The back garden is more or less how I want it, veggie areas, fruit areas, my swing, an area for the dgc with the 'cottage' in it and all a bit messy and loads of visiting birds and bees this year. But as I don't really see the front garden it's meh!!! So I had a look around the flowers etc whilst at the garden centre and I've decided to turn it into a 'cottage' type garden which will encourage the bees even more, to be honest there was a small display there and it looked lovely, so I took loads of photos of it and the flowers they used and over winter I'll try to work out how I'm going to do it. There's too much decking and artificial grass around here for my liking so I want to encourage them all I can, and besides that I love messing about outside! So no money spent but plenty food for thought.
The budgets are going well, my grocery spending will be low again this month, growing your own certainly helps although you still have to pay 'upfront' for compost, seeds etc I'll have to keep a look out for the Wilko seed sale.
Today I've made yogurt (well it's in the yogurt maker 🙂), some butter from reduced cream, a pot of lemon curd with some lemons I had and also some of the butter I made, I have some bol sauce in the sc for tonight and tomorrow, as I'm sitting dgs tomorrow, and already made myself a salad to take with me as I buy dgs some chippies from the local town to eat sitting outside the church 😀 and that's about it. Oh, l picked my first tomato from the garden and a cucumber for youngest DD to take with me tomorrow.
Nannyg 

nannygladys

Makingabobor2 - carrots - I know you are supposed to blanch them but I've never done that, and they've always been ok , but I don't freeze them years only months.
I can understand your in laws and the TV, I used to be like that, I had it on for background noise I think but I did watch it at night, then g&e shot up in price and I debunked into the kitchen where it was warmer and didn't bring it with me, so I just got out of the habit 🙂.
Thank you for your kind comments.
Nannyg