Debt Reset....

CRANKY40

Good morning, 

I've already been out. I said that the HT could host a birthday get together for his friend whose birthday was yesterday. There will be 8 of them altogether and all they do is sit round, talk and drink tea so I  also said that I would provide food. With the recent shootings in this area I'd rather they were safe in the house. I've ordered a shopping delivery from the middle sized @ sda that deals with deliveries but they didn't have everything so I've been to the smaller shop closer to home to buy more pizza and some dips to go with the breadsticks that are being delivered. While I was there I brought a box of 12 iced doughnuts (£3) - they will fill them up if the pizzas don't. 

I will have some money left out of the grocery shopping budget so I'm going to follow the good example of @Sun_Addict and stash it away towards next Christmas. I've opened another savings account ready to put any food shopping money left at the end of the month into. 

2023 is going to be the year of "use it up" in this house. I'm working one week in January then that's work done. The freezer is very full and so is the tin and packet cupboard so we won't starve. I'd like to make room in the freezer for things that I grow in the garden to go in but as we're growing in best friend's garden too he may buy a freezer to go in his garage which wil be useful. I'm going to make raspberry jam later this week with home grown raspberries from my freezer. I also have apples, rhubarb and blackberries to use up. 

My aunty said that my mince pies this year were the best ever and what did I put in them. I didn't tell her but the answer was jars of mincemeat that passed their "best by" date sometime in the summer. There's another 5 jars in the pantry because they were 20p each so I'll make her some more this week. I did test the mince pies myself before I gave them away so I knew that I wouldn't be poisoning anyone. 

Take care all of you  😊

jwil

I need to have a use it up phase as well.  I've been working my way through the freezer but need to do the cupboards as well.

WinterWarrior

Out of date mincemeat would go all sugary and crystallised I imagine…no wonder they were good 😋
I hope the pizza party goes well.

CRANKY40

WinterWarrior said:

Out of date mincemeat would go all sugary and crystallised I imagine…no wonder they were good 😋
I hope the pizza party goes well.

The mince meat looked fine, it just looked like ordinary mincemeat. The party was ok - they tidied up after themselves and theres a couple of doughnuts left for tea break for the HT and I today. All of the crispy cakes and rocky road vanished as did the dips and tortilla chips. They're a bit like locusts once they start, I usually leave some things in the fridge and bring them out halfway through. 

DawnW

I make my own mincemeat every other year, and it keeps absolutely fine with no use by date  - or more likely given the nature of the product, it is a best before date, which is only advisory in any case.

CRANKY40

Happy New Year to you all.

I'm a bit tired this morning as the HT had friends round last night and the person who was taking them home was stuck in traffic so it was after 1am before they left. I was totally over peopled by then so it took me another 45 minutes to wind down enough to be able to sleep. 

To see in the new year I had some damson gin that I made using cheap gin and damsons from best friend's garden. I wasn't sure if it would be any good but it was lovely - definitely worth a repeat this year. I've also ordered and received my seeds ready for spring. Potatoes will be for friend to sort...I have cherry tomatoes, full sized tomatoes, pumpkins, spinach and courgette seeds. My garden also has rapberries, blackberries, rhubarb and some herbs. I have plenty of flower seeds so no need to buy any.

My job finishes in a week so I'd like to have a frugal start to the year ready for a sudden income drop when I no longer receive child benefit and widowed parents allowance for the HT. I left snacks out for the HT and friends last night. They ate all of those then raided the fridge but I am sticking to my once a week shopping order. They didn't touch my roquefort cheese so I'm OK 🤣 

Take care all of you 😊

WinterWarrior

Happy New Year. I’m glad your cheese survived 😋

Humdinger1

Happy new year @CRANKY40; we are all rethinking budgets this year so you are not alone.  Love Humdinger xx 

CRANKY40

Thanks Humdinger and WW. 

The HT and I spent the afternoon at best friend's house yesterday. The HT bought an instant picture camera with his christmas money and wanted to start a scrapbook with the photos that he took of himself and his friends over the christmas and new year break. From the depths of one of his cupboards best friend produced a lovely (and empty) scrapbook which he gave to the HT together with some coloured lined card and a sharpie pen. Friend and I were supposed to be gardening but we sat around chatting, drinking coffee and admiring the HT's work. I did go out and sweep the garden paths to clear some of the mud away but it rained for a bit so I gave up. 

The HT has made some really good scrapbook pages - way better than I thought he would. I have to make a scrapbook of photos from best friend's garden (from brambles and ruin to almost a proper garden) so I will ask the HT for help with that I think. 

We left friend's house at 4:30pm and we were almost going to drive past and see if the chinese takeaway was open but instead we came home and I made a mini roast dinner with chicken that I'd defrosted and the HT's beloved pigs in blankets (leftovers from Christmas Day) etc. There still doesn't seem to be much space in the freezer though. 

Today the HT will be working on a college assignment and I need to do the ironing so that he has clothes to wear when he goes back to college tomorrow. 

Take care all of you 😊

foxgloves

I think that photo scrapbook sounds like a really nice idea, @CRANKY40 F