It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

annieb64

I was talking to a man at the bus stop. He was complaining about how everything has gone up. I mentioned that I had been to Aldi to stock up on the 19p veg. He didn't know that you can freeze veg at home! I explained how to freeze sprouts and carrots and suggested he could cook a red cabbage in his  slow cooker and freeze it in portions.

Katiehound

annieb64 said:

  he could cook a red cabbage in his  slow cooker and freeze it in portions.

Had the conversation about Delia's red cabbage in Aldi this morning

EssexHebridean

YorksLass said:

This morning I added the frosted topping to the carrot cake and have also made a cheese dip to use with breadsticks, so that's taken care of the tub of cream cheese.  Sausage rolls made, half pork/onion/sage and half pork/apple/cheese - another job done and it's used up the meat from the chipolata sausages I'd bought for pigs in blankets.  After years of making them, DH announced he wasn't that bothered about them!    

Meter readings done and sent, with trepidation - waiting for the bill now.  Based on my calculations it's certainly not going to be a cheap one.     Good job we have a decent credit balance.     Mild again today, sunny this morning and cloudier in the afternoon.  Lovely red clouds at dusk.

Wondering if our (communal) bins will be emptied this week.  I hope so, they were missed last week and are overflowing.  That probably has something to do with the fact that some residents don't flatten their cardboard boxes before binning them.  Grrr.

We have the same issue at the moment. Because our little turning was covered in snow last week, the bin men didn't collect. The issue is, that they hadn't collected the week before either, and now this week they are prioritising the houses as they always do when they're playing catch-up, so it's starting to look increasingly likely that it will be the 2nd week of January (they won't be working next week, and the week after new year again will be catching up so the flats will get ignored!) before we next get collected from! 

luvchocolate

London_1 said:

As I am away for most of next week, I  just sorted my fridge out, and peeled the last of the spuds, and they are in water, on Friday as I will be baking most of the day I will boil and mash and freeze them for the New Year.

The three large carrots I had left in the fridge I peeled sliced, blanched and froze in a small bag to use when life gets back to normal after the holiday.I hate to waste anything. 

I had a couple of the last of the sausage rolls I made on Sunday heated up with some diced tomato and shredded ham and beetroot salad for lunch.

I have dug a bit of steak from the freezer for dinner tonight, and will have it with the left over boiled salad potato from last night and some frozen mixed veg.

I have some roquefort cheese left in the fridge, which I will have on crackers perhaps for tomorrows lunch with some soup.

I still have a sweetheart cabbage wrapped in foil to use , so on Friday once I have some room in the freezer I will shred it and freeze it in some small dump zip -locked bags to use after the New Year. I will also peel and dice the three onions in my veg box and freeze those as well

Zero wasteage, and I will have plenty of bits to use up in January, but my fridge will be empty  

I have started my January 'big shop'  list, and I will use the spare cash I have stashed away over the past 6 months ,left over at the end of every month from my monthly budget.
I have around £119 tucked away which will cover washing up liquids, loo rols, detergents toothpaste and any dried good I can buy to stash away in my upstairs book slefs that I cleared a couple of months ago for the overspill from my kitchen cupboards.

January will be the start of the New Years budgets, and this coming year it will be belt tightening all round to keep solvent. I have a good amount in vouchers to use up both with nectar, Waitrose and tesco vouchers ,plus some left over cash on some M & S cards as well. So I maybe using vouchers during January to keep the cash in reserve for any large heating bills.

I usually check all my outgoing DD and see what I can haggle down I have EE ringing me on Boxing Day with hopefully a decent discount on my sim-only account. I spoke to a delightful lady last week to advised me to hang on until then as the Boxing day deals were usually not too bad and she will ring me to let me know how much she can get it down to
Every little helps as is said. trimming a few pounds here and there can soon mount up

JackieO xx 

Hi on the EE sim only deal..I pay £8 a month unlimited texts and calls only 2gbt data but have WiFi with plusnet. 
Fingers crossed for a good deal 

newlywed

Went to lidl this morning and it was very quiet… they almost looked overstocked on things, especially chicken breasts which have dates of 26 December… anyone know if Lidl do discounts on Christmas Eve at all?  Thinking of popping down there just for a look at what’s there, and some cheap veg too hopefully.

RobM99

Most supwrmarkets are doing the 19p veg deals. On the MSE home-page at the moment.

Katiehound

newlywed said:

  Thinking of popping down there just for a look at what’s there, and some cheap veg too hopefully.

Lidl already have quite a few veg @19 pence per bag / item
If you local store is anything like my local Aldi they're unlikely to have many of those left by Christmas Eve- flying off the shelves now!

EssexHebridean

I nabbed 19p shallots when I was in Lidl on saturday. Makes a nice change from onions! 

London_1

luvchocolate said:

London_1 said:

As I am away for most of next week, I  just sorted my fridge out, and peeled the last of the spuds, and they are in water, on Friday as I will be baking most of the day I will boil and mash and freeze them for the New Year.

The three large carrots I had left in the fridge I peeled sliced, blanched and froze in a small bag to use when life gets back to normal after the holiday.I hate to waste anything. 

I had a couple of the last of the sausage rolls I made on Sunday heated up with some diced tomato and shredded ham and beetroot salad for lunch.

I have dug a bit of steak from the freezer for dinner tonight, and will have it with the left over boiled salad potato from last night and some frozen mixed veg.

I have some roquefort cheese left in the fridge, which I will have on crackers perhaps for tomorrows lunch with some soup.

I still have a sweetheart cabbage wrapped in foil to use , so on Friday once I have some room in the freezer I will shred it and freeze it in some small dump zip -locked bags to use after the New Year. I will also peel and dice the three onions in my veg box and freeze those as well

Zero wasteage, and I will have plenty of bits to use up in January, but my fridge will be empty  

I have started my January 'big shop'  list, and I will use the spare cash I have stashed away over the past 6 months ,left over at the end of every month from my monthly budget.
I have around £119 tucked away which will cover washing up liquids, loo rols, detergents toothpaste and any dried good I can buy to stash away in my upstairs book slefs that I cleared a couple of months ago for the overspill from my kitchen cupboards.

January will be the start of the New Years budgets, and this coming year it will be belt tightening all round to keep solvent. I have a good amount in vouchers to use up both with nectar, Waitrose and tesco vouchers ,plus some left over cash on some M & S cards as well. So I maybe using vouchers during January to keep the cash in reserve for any large heating bills.

I usually check all my outgoing DD and see what I can haggle down I have EE ringing me on Boxing Day with hopefully a decent discount on my sim-only account. I spoke to a delightful lady last week to advised me to hang on until then as the Boxing day deals were usually not too bad and she will ring me to let me know how much she can get it down to
Every little helps as is said. trimming a few pounds here and there can soon mount up

JackieO xx 

Hi on the EE sim only deal..I pay £8 a month unlimited texts and calls only 2gbt data but have WiFi with plusnet. 
Fingers crossed for a good deal 

Hi I am paying £8.76 for 6 GB and unlimited calls and texts at the moment but rarely use 1 GB a month, she said when I phoned she could do it at £7.00 but suggested that I wait until Boxing Day for a better deal, which I thought was really nice of her My existing contract for the SIM runs out on 14th Jan so I have time to sort it out fingers crossed  
JackieO xx

YoungBlueEyes

I got stocked up on the 19p Aldi veg today, so I’ll be peeling and sorting and freezing tomorrow 🙂

Was it this thread or the other big one where someone was telling how to grow pea shoots…? Anyway I’ve just remembered mine and they look like this 😯 so I’ve given them a good watering…..