Simple living in the country - back to basics

themadvix

I’m with Mr Cheery - think I’d need cheering up if people cancelled that late.

 Good luck with the washing machine!

 It’s things like petrol prices and the impending doom of the pandemic in people’s diaries that I find fascinating to read. And the price increases after Brexit… 

I’m not a big TTier either, simply because I do one at the beginning of the month and everything goes on the cc in the interim for points.

Cheery_Daff

Thanks TMV 😊

No joy with the washing machine sadly - still no response but it's apparently no longer available 🙄 Hey ho, will keep looking. 

Mr Cheery did a LOT of sorting out of various places over the last couple of days, and his music room is almost habitable! Very exciting! This involved excavating the last of the boxes that remained unpacked from our move 4.5 years ago 😱 We unpacked most things quickly, but these were lots of empty glass jars from the kitchen, and we knew we weren't going to have a proper kitchen for a while...

Of course, they weren't ALL empty (which we knew) - we'd accepted there may be a few 'science projects ' by the time we emptied the boxes...

But surprisingly few! My gooseberry jam didn't last - not a shock as it was half eaten before it went in 😂 The home grown sage smells of precisely nothing, so that will be going on the compost - and is a nice reminder to get some new stuff drying.

There's a jar of popping corn which should be fine, and some dried black eyed beans - Mr Cheery has had some in the hay box for the last couple of days and they seem to be fine. Brought to the boil, haybox for a few hours, water changed and boiled again, haybox for another few hours, then again for a third time. So minimal electricity used (probably 15 mins on the stove in total) and obviously much cheaper than tinned. 

They're going in the freezer, and I'm going to get some brown rice in the haybox, also for the freezer.

Not sure of the plan today. We've just had a lovely leisurely cafe at home breakfast, sat at the table with everywhere tidy and a candle lit and some nice music on 😊😊 We used to do this a lot, so it's nice to get back to it 😊😊

Mr Cheery wants a charity shop potter (he ALWAYS wants a charity shop potter) which may end up being combined with a storecupboard top up. 

I want to get a couple of hours in the hay field, and maybe some of the bedding shifted upstairs, and maybe even a bit of time on the kitchen ceiling... 

Best get a shift on!

themadvix

Some good finds in the music room   You're making good use of the haybox! Is it safe (i.e. does it keep it warm enough) to do rice safely in it? Really useful if it does I guess!

Your cafe at home sounds nicer than ours - we had cooked breakfast this morning, but not sure the ambience was quite right for a cafe (we did have nice music though).

Wish Mr MV was more keen on a charity shop potter - that's why I have to take my Mum!

Karmacat

Love the thought of a cafe at home, especially for breakfast mine is just porridge with half a dozen or so things added in - seeds, fruit, that sort of thing.  I'm very dozy in the morning, though, I might do a cafe lunch at home 

Cheery_Daff

Mr Cheery would be in the charity shops every day in an ideal world. He strongly believes that if you want interesting bargains, you've got to go regularly - you can't just go out thinking 'i want new shoes' and find them like you would in a normal shop. 

No idea about the safety of rice - I've not seen any dire warnings. I did boil it for a few minutes first, and it was in there for 2.5 hours, and still steaming when it came out. Probably took less time but we were out. I'll keep you posted if we end up with food poisoning 🙄 I did an entire kilo bag - underestimated just how much there would be when cooked 😂😂



Neighbours have just been round - we've offered them a piano we got from Freegle a few years back. Their daughter is learning to play and they were looking for one to buy, and while clearing out the music room we realised ours was just sitting there... they've been round to have a go and measure up, but I think they'll have it, so that'll be a bit of extra space for us. 

Gosh, where is the afternoon going?! Might try knocking up a curry to go in the hay box this time - quite excited at the prospect of having something on the go in it all the time to stock the freezer up!

Cheery_Daff

Right, both of us have had a modest portion of rice, and will see how we feel in a few hours before eating any more... The rest has cooled and is now in the freezer. There's an awful lot of it 😱😂

I've also knocked up a curry which is now in the haybox. Onion, mushroom, frozen peas, last year's kale that I found when defrosting the freezer 🙄 passata and green lentils. It was on the cooker for about 10 mins while the onions etc fried, added boiling water from the kettle and brought it up to the boil, and shoved it in about 3.30. Didn't pre cook the green lentils so we'll see how they do. 

And now I'm off out to swing a scythe for an hour or two!

KajiKita

Wow @Cheery_Daff, that's a lot of rice!! Do you freeze it and reheat it in the microwave or some such? 

I have bookmarked your 'Uber Frugal January' links (thank you  ) and will work my way through them for ideas.

I am calling mine 'Sensible September' because my very Spendthrifty head sees 'frugal' as deprivation, lack, going without etc etc so I am aiming to frame it in a positive way to try to trick my instinct brain (iykwim?)!

Can I ask, how do you dry sage? It's one of my favourite herbs and there is a gallumphing bush in the garden that I could easy do this with pieces from it   

KK

PS - I started doing a deep download from my head here about Sensible September but didn't want to hijack your thread so I will take it over to mine!! 

PPS - Strong and positive new-to-you washing machine lassooing vibes!!   

themadvix

Mr Cheery would like the NZ name for charity shops then - op shop, meaning opportunity shop! 

If the rice is still steaming, I imagine it's fine - that's some good insulation there then Might have to have a go, although mine will be a wool box rather than a haybox (using some wool insulation from deliveries). That said, the Instant Pot is much quicker than the stove and therefore more efficient - and I can cook things quickly from dry, so less cold storage needed. I'd do porridge, but I think the time in the microwave is probably as efficient as the getting it to the boil on the stove anyway.

Kajikita - just cut a few bunches, knock out all the dead leaves etc., tie up the stalks together and hang somewhere warmish and dry. I leave mine for a few weeks and then just rub the leaves off onto paper and pop into a jar - if you want smaller pieces, you can use a pestle and mortar, but I'm too lazy for that! Interesting that you frame frugal as boring - I frame it as challenging - hang around here for long enough and I'm sure you will too!

Jellytotts

I just bring rice to the boil in a normal pan and turn off, 15 mins later it’s perfectly fluffy and all water absorbed (using 1 cup of rice to 2 cups water ratio).  Easier than transporting into the hay box and ready to eat or cool quickly.  

I’d like to try one for a casserole or a chilli, I’d imagine the chilli would mature nicely over a good few hours.

KajiKita

Hi @themadvix - thanks for the advice on the sage drying On my list for next week (I have a random 3 days leave    )

"Interesting that you frame frugal as boring - I frame it as challenging"
Not quite boring, more deprivation, lack, going without etc i.e. suffering. 
Although my parents were financially secure-ish (they had a scary mortgage) when I was growing up, they were very emotionally remote but controlling. I'm not certain where my spendthriftness arises from but I do know that I 'comfort-buy'  / use spending as a form of rebellion against feeling controlled / restricted.

I know intellectually that my spend thrift ways are harming me, but the instinctive lizard, ancient brain I have, doesn't care what the intellect says, it just wants to feel better / safe etc. So, I am trying the reframing from frugal-lack-scarcity-deprivation (etc.) to Sensible-doing-well-achieving-feeling-safe-and-in-control to see if it makes a difference.

"Would KK buy that if she was being Sensible for September - no she wouldn't because she is in control of her life and she feels secure in not spending that money",
as opposed to
"KK is being frugal, which means no heating, little food, horrendous anxiety about how to pay the bills etc." (I came out of a very controlling and damaging relationship some years ago with huge debts - I had a rough time with it).

Does this make sense?

KK