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

euronorris

I checked out the community centre, but they too have put their prices up to £150! In 2021, it was under £100. Anyway, it is more expensive than what I've opted for.

They are doing a 30 minute tobogganing session, on a mini dry ski slope at an outdoor activity centre. It can go ahead even in rain. It will only be thunder that stops it. £6 per child and there will be 16 of them. And then they will have their picnic boxes ( prepped by me) afterwards. There is plenty of outdoor seating, including under shelter if needs be and the centre is happy for you to bring your own food etc. They are currently having their party room refurbished, so I do wonder if they too will stop allowing the picnic option once that's done.

It's a really active thing for the kids, and they have to carry their little Toboggans up the steps after each go, so they'll be well worn out by the end haha.

Those party bags sound fab! I managed to find lego themed (well, not official lego) party bags and cardboard lunch boxes in poundland, so I'm happy with them.

Siebrie

My backyard, which is lacking flowers at the moment. It looks colourful in spring and autumn, but is rather green in summer.
It's 30 metres deep and, although it doesn't look like it, hosts many treasures. From bottom left, clockwise:
mint bed
blueberries in container
lovage
3 courgette plants
raspberries going wild
Black grape
2 pumpkin plants
redcurrant bush and 3 bushes started from twigs
cherry tree
japanese wineberry
kiwiberry
red gooseberry
cherry tree
rhubarb
thyme
sage in container
lavender
strawberries

The backyard is also low maintenance: footballgrass, which grows slowly and is sturdy; bushes and trees need trimming or pruning once a year; most plants are perennials; plugplants are planted, watered once or twice and left to fend for themselves.

Longwalker

My garden is beginning to look pretty good this year. Not working gives me more time, Im not so tired, I can do bits and pieces out there, Im even dead heading daily - woo go me

Ladies, the only way to break the chocolate habit is just not to buy it - simples

( says she that when the chocolate urge comes on can be found raiding the cooking chocolate ) 

Its Brazil week in our Lidl and they have a block of Bitter Chocolate. I thought Id give it a go. Ingredients - Cocoa. Bloody horrible, bitter as anything. No wonder people say dark chocolate is the way to go, just one cube is enough - a third of a cube of this stuff is too much . Mind it certainly takes the notion of chocolate right off you

Im finding Lidl and our local Spar are the best for yellow sticker reductions. I usually get some good stuff from lidl, 2 duck breast for £2 from nearly £6 the other day. Im sure the checkout staff think Im either tight or very poor cos thats all that goes through from me - yellow stickers ( well orange ) Im very much the shopper who buys whatever it is reduced, then decides on how to cook it

Have a wonderful holiday @London_1, I know you always enjoy your time on the island xx

linz

I'm exactly the same Longwalker - may I ask what time do you usually get the YS stuff in Lidl? I heard they do the 30% off labels in the morning?

Longwalker

linz said:

I'm exactly the same Longwalker - may I ask what time do you usually get the YS stuff in Lidl? I heard they do the 30% off labels in the morning?

There doesn't seem to by rhyme nor reason in mine with the reduction % . The reductions are done first thing, usually the 20% but then they have a pile of stuff that can be as little as 20p even though there will be a pile of the same with just the 20% reduction. Ive not noticed any difference with the dates, Ive picked up stuff with the 20p stickers yet theres still a full day to go. 

I used to get fantastic bargains in Marks, but Ive noticed they have scaled back the percentage 

Floss

Aldi reduce their fresh meat & poultry the day before the Use By date - I got a chicken that was 30% off last week.

elsien

I’ve never seen any reductions in the Aldi I go to. 

The local smaller Lidl used to have quite a lot of 30% off things. It’s now closed and the bigger one further away doesn’t seem to have as many reductions.

annieb64

We once bought a bar of 97% chocolate Longwalker. It was horrible.  Nobody in the family could eat it. 

GaleSF63

I call the 95% dark chocolate, solidified cocoa. I do like it occasionally and prefer it to the lower percentages but it's no substitute for a good milk chocolate.

KxMx

I blew my food budget last month, it was okay as still enough in the general pot, the culprit is most definitely Tesco because I had 3 shops there last month (in addition to other places), my budget always seems to go better when that figure is 1 or 2 shops.
May I had one shop there and money was actually left in the grocery budget come the end of that month.