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

YorksLass

Hallelujah - a no shopping week!     I've done a meal plan for the coming week and everything's coming from the freezer, fridge and pantry.  Even better, most of it is already cooked and just needs defrosting overnight, so minimal cooking too.  It's a long time since that's happened.  What on earth will I do with my time?     

We watched some of the coronation yesterday (hard to avoid with all the media saturation) and, although we're not too fussed about it, I'm just sorry the weather wasn't better for the spectators and those taking part.  I have to admit we do these pageants well.

Well done to those repairing their appliances rather than buying new.  My washing machine is a bit iffy and I'm wondering when it will finally give up the ghost.  It's the control buttons that aren't behaving sometimes and I suspect it's the electrical contact circuits rather than something mechanical.  Still, it is more than 15 years old but I'm not looking forward to having to replace it so for now I'll just keep pressing the buttons and hope it can be coaxed into action.

I also have two Dyson upright vacuum cleaners (one downstairs and one upstairs that was inherited from my late DF) and know I can't get spare parts from Dyson anymore but, fingers crossed, they'll last a good while longer.

Auntycaz

@YorksLass I have the green and grey upright Dyson can;t remember model number; I  got a pack of 2 replacement belts from the local market but I think I ordered replacement filters from someone on ebay. They worked just as well as the dyson parts.

Katiehound

I have 3 Dysons!

One is the original DC01 in grey & yellow I got replacement parts online- from a company called e-spares  . The base plate cracked/split a couple of years ago. dyson stopped making replacement parts after...... 25? years!

YorksLass

@Auntycaz and @Katiehound - Thanks for the heads up on where to get spares when the time comes!  I seem to remember using e-spares for a replacement bread maker pan a while back and found them very good.

It's a dreary day here weather wise - dull and wet but at least milder and no wind - and the long range forecast doesn't look promising.  I need some sun!  On the plus side, the heating is now off and will hopefully remain so until much later in the year.  Time for the dust bunnies to be evicted from behind the radiators.     I'll also give them a wash down and a wipe over with Zoflora.

One washing load done, now on the airer.  Salad for tea tonight - probably with pilchards since there's some h/m wholemeal bread to use up, plus lettuce and tomatoes from the fridge and some l/o cold potato from yesterday that's been turned into potato salad for DH.  I'll have pasta salad made from the last of my orzo with a bit of grated cheese added to it.

Nothing much on TV tonight that we want to watch so I'll have a trawl through the film reviews to see if anything appeals.  If not, it could be an early night!     Last night we watched The Lincoln Lawyer - bitty for the first 10 mins but good after that - and on Saturday night The Road to Perdition, also enjoyed.

Toonie

Did a little shop today, mostly fruit and veg as I won't manage to get to the market this week for fresh stuff. Still came to nearly £40! I bought one small pack of chicken and a small block of cheese and both of them fell under my nectar offers so were cheaper than the shelf prices. We're trying to get more fruit and veg in as I've found out I need to have an operation on my shoulder and the surgeon has asked me to try to lose a bit of weight first so more salads and cutting down on other bits and pieces. Hopefully my home grown salads will soon be sustaining me rather than buying supermarket leaves.

sarahj1986

Another interest rate rise announced today. Let’s hope it’s the last 

ancientmum

I hope this helps somebody:

My local Wilko are giving away 10% off vouchers for a £5 spend today.  The vouchers run from 15th-26th May, are for in store only an exclude some items like stamps and baby formula.  

London_1

ancientmum said:

I hope this helps somebody:

My local Wilko are giving away 10% off vouchers for a £5 spend today.  The vouchers run from 15th-26th May, are for in store only an exclude some items like stamps and baby formula.  

I went online and did click and collect and got 10% off without having to buy anything else yesterday,Got my new border spade for £8.10p instead of £9.00 OK only 90p but its 90p more in my purse than their tills
JackieO xx

YorksLass

I'm due a grocery delivery this week but have moved it on to next week as there's plenty in my stores to use first before buying any more.  I am, however, compiling a shopping list as I go along and have noticed a couple of items have come down in price - 6pts milk down 35p and 500g butter down 20p.    And I've noticed tins of plum tomatoes are 4p cheaper than chopped  ones- guess which I'm buying.   

But there are other items that have gone up since I last bought them - 400g mature Cheddar cheese up 50p, basic soft cheese up 10p, jars of sandwich paste up 10p, tin butter beans up 4p, basic baked beans up 1p (again), pack of cooking bacon up 5p, jar of pickled cockles up 25p      These are just the ones I've noticed and no doubt there will be others too.  Talk about giving with one hand and taking away with the other.   

There are very few branded items that I buy nowadays, in fact I've used basics for quite a long time but they're being targeted as well so it makes shopping within a budget even harder.  I'm just glad I'm a competent cook and have the luxury of time to shop around.  It must be really hard for those who don't have the skill or are time poor.

I received a text from my mobile phone provider this morning with a regular offer - 200 extra minutes if I top up within the next few days.  Very nice, except the minutes must be used within 30 days or be lost.  I make so few phone calls that I'd need a lot more than 30 days to use them!  Nice try mobile provider but I'm not falling for that one.      

linz

YorksLass said:

There are very few branded items that I buy nowadays, in fact I've used basics for quite a long time but they're being targeted as well so it makes shopping within a budget even harder.  I'm just glad I'm a competent cook and have the luxury of time to shop around.  It must be really hard for those who don't have the skill or are time poor.

I mustn't have a good palate as I can't tell the difference between most basic items and branded I'm perfectly happy with basic brand beans versus Heinz. One thing I won't compromise on though is decent teabags. Tried the basics ones once from Sainsburys - never again! I still get them at a decent price tho, normally Typhoo or Tetleys from Farmfoods or Home Bargains.