Struggling along as best I can

nannygladys

Today
Lunch will be: eggs on toast
Tea: left over casserole and a nice bread roll bought yesterday!
Treat: banana bread I made from brown spotty bananas the other day.

Blackcats

You are amazing nannygladys.  I hope you eek your budget out for the next few days - what an achievement with such a small budget.  

nannygladys

Just a quick update.
Blackcats thank you for the compliment but I will have to work at not spending until I get paid on Wednesday! I won't beat myself up if I go over by a bit, but as I'm using cash the most it should be is 30p which is left from my petrol account! There is only me here and I started with quite a good pantry and freezer full plus the allotment.

This afternoon I made another banana loaf, sliced it up and froze it, I took half of one up to dds yesterday. That's 3 I've made this last week, I won't be buying that many bananas again lol. I also pickled a couple of jars of beetroot, made 3 pots of jam and a jar of tomato relish!! It was all with veggies from the lottie and what I had in. Oh and a couple of portions of cabbage pie, I know it sounds unusual but it tastes OK and it was a recipe I got off someone's utube channel. I'm hoping to get to the lottie tomorrow to pick some more beans to make a few more jars of pickled beans, they taste fine and at least I don't have to eat them constantly or freeze them.

Anyway I'm off to bed before I go down the mse rabbit hole!!
Nannyg

nannygladys

I didn't end up going to the lottie today but going to a community kitchen instead, I was so nervous but everyone there was lovely. It's run by a church but open to everybody. So everyone was given a bag of fruit, veg and a loaf (either white or brown.) You could pay a small fee and add 10 pantry items or pay a little more and have 15 items. I decided to go for 10 items which I could choose from a list, some things were multiples and "ladies" items were free. It took a time but it was busy so I had a chat with a lady I was sat by. All the items were well in date and I came away very happy with what I had. I somehow felt that I shouldn't have any 'help' but there were people there that went to work , young mums and quite a few oldies like me and as it is the school holidays quite a few kiddies.
After I got home I had lunch, put my laundry outside to dry and started to weed the back garden, had tea and that was about it. 
So tomorrow if it doesn't rain will be a 'pickling' day and then visit to lottie day.
Lunch- poached eggs on toast
Tea-cabbage pie, potatoes and rocket.
Nite nite
Nannyg

nannygladys

Another day preserving things, pickled cucumber relish and another jar of tomato relish.
I went to the lottie this afternoon and sorted the polytunnel out, my tomatoes are few and far between its been a terrible year but the chillies and aubergines in there are going great guns. Still you have to expect some failures and hopefully more successes.
I collected a cabbage, chilles, green beans, sweet corn and beetroot, some of it is for eldest dd and the rest I will be meal planning around, freezing or most likely preserving. 
I can't believe it's Saturday tomorrow, this week has flown by. Well anyway
Lunch - courgette and potato soup
Tea - courgette pancake with cheese topping
I've nearly finished the courgettes, only one and half left, mind you they are big ones! 
Nannyg

WinterWarrior

That sounds good. I wouldn’t attempt growing food here…8 wild bunnies in the kitchen garden tonight…I love watching them and we feed them bits of fruit and veg 😁

nannygladys

WinterWarrior dd2 lived in the country and had rabbits take up residence under her summerhouse, I used to love watching the babies but her veggies never made it past about an inch tall!! We all worried that the house would collapse on top of them(concrete base) but it never did - they've moved now!! Dd not rabbits lol

Been a quiet day but had visits of two dds (not together), lovely to see them for coffees and banana cake.
Just watching a bit of tv before I make a machine coffee, my night time treat, pity I haven't got a few biscuits but I'm not wasting my last pound on some, I could just make some I suppose, I'll see how I feel tomorrow.
Lunch - courgette and potato soup
Tea - mixed veg risotto
Nannyg

WinterWarrior

biscuits are necessary! I sometimes bulk buy the boxes of individual mixed packets…well not individual, but where there are 2 or 3 per packet. They last for ages and stay fresh. I also love the boxes of broken ones. Would your budget stretch to a bulk buy every so often? Homemade ones are very good, but take a bit of effort! 

I’m glad you had some lovely visits.

nannygladys

WinterWarrior- I would love to bulk buy biscuits, but I dont think they would last long, he,he!! They are my downfall, I'm safer with cake, hence the banana cake still being in the freezer!!! I love biscuits, in times gone by when my ex and me had 2 little ones and very little money I used to make sure they were fed with meat and two veg but I would have a cheap packet of biscuits to last me the day, entirely wrong but I know, but it was how my love with the biscuit started I think!! Ohh, bulk biscuits ....

Today has been quiet again, only two days and £1 until Wednesday pay day, yay. Mind you I'm thinking about doing it again but perhaps tweaking the budgets a little as I still have a lot in the cupboards and the freezer is full to bursting, I can have fresh veg from the lottie and hunt for ys bargains as I'm thinking of using the freezer veg in the winter. When I do my budgets I will be very interested to see how much I have leftover in there.
Oh by the way, I already receive the 25% off the council tax and I can't claim pension credit as I'm £3 a week over the limit! But at least I've tried, I'm not sure if there is anything else I can claim for, but I know I can manage, it just takes better organization, I'm just glad/lucky I have enough clothes, no debt, a house that's paid and a regular amount coming in - there are many in this world who have nothing. 

I haven't tried the surveys yet but I will investigate when the lottie is winding down and I have more time to dedicate to it.
Lunch - last of the courgette and potato soup.
Dinner - different veggies from my fridge with potatoes and cheese sauce, some are really limp and bendy!! 
Nannyg

nannygladys

Today has been lovely and mostly sunny. I changed my bed and put the sheets and towels on a hot wash and out on the line. 
Made another pot of soup to use some veggies up and took a roll out of the freezer to go with it.
After lunch I managed to fall asleep, but having said that I didn't sleep very well last night, happens sometimes and usually rights itself fairly quickly. So when I woke up and got myself going, I went on a loo roll hunt! I've nearly run out and was positive I still had some somewhere that I hid away, anyway found them (just a pack of 2) in the airing cupboard so I must remember to replace them when I finally go shopping. (Thank you lockdown 1!)
Going to dds tomorrow to defrost her freezer whilst she's away, she's been wanting to do it for ages but what with work, kids and everything can't seem to find the time, so I said I would do it whilst she's away. Won't take long and I can have a shower whilst I'm there as mine is still broken, I miss my showers but I do quite enjoy a bath as well! 
Anyway going to have a quick drink and go to bed as I'm still tired and hopefully I'll have  good sleep.
Lunch - sweet potato and carrot soup
Tea - jacket potato and beans, couldn't be bothered doing much.
Nannyg