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

mumf

This week we are economising further. I won’t bore you with details,but my disability benefits are all over the place because my employer has given them the wrong information ( I am on SSP and will finish work very very soon). 

   It will sort itself out,but us being us,we always assume that the worst has happened so we don’t ‘suffer’. I am glad we keep a good stock and savings. That’s the simple life.

joedenise

Slinky said:

Seeing mention above of Morrisons, we don't normally shop there as there isn't one very local but we spotted they had a gin we like on special offer so made the effort to go there at the weekend. I didn't realise that I wouldn't be able to pick up a loyalty card in store and have downloaded their app since. Am I able to get our spend added onto this account do you know? If so, can I avoid having to go back to the shop to do it, as it's some distance off?

You don't automatically get points on what you spend it is just on specific items as shown on the app.  Also you can't get points added afterwards, it has to be at the time.  I only know this because I asked at customer services recently as I noticed I hadn't been given any points on my previous couple of shops.

euronorris

Yes, I'm not terribly keen on Morrisons new points system. I still check it to make use of any deals I can, but it's definitely not as good as some others.

Butter - 250g - does anyone know if Farmfoods or Home Bargains are still selling blocks for less than £1.89 each (cheapest the supermarkets currently offer)?

Paspatur

Farmfoods butter £1.29 last week

YorksLass

St Swithin seems to be having his way this year!  The long range forecast for us is rain every day at some point, the first dry day showing as August 12th.      I may well be wrong but I don't ever remember having to turn on the lights during the day or heating in the evenings during July.  And I'm fed up of having washing on the airer rather than outside.  Still, it's better than what's happening elsewhere in the world, so grumble over.

This week I have to pick up our prescriptions at some stage and I'd also like to take two carrier bags of donations to the CS, but the last one isn't urgent and will be weather dependent.  Ideally, I could combine that with a click 'n collect from M&S.  They have a sale at the moment and I'm looking at ordering a new duvet and pillows for our bed (winter prepping) and am pondering whether to go for synthetic or feather & down.  If the weather doesn't play ball I'll have them delivered instead.

July's grocery budget just lasted out (£7 left) but there's enough in my stores for a while so any shopping this week will be for milk and F&V only - unless I happen to spot any bargains, of course!  All main meals this week are courtesy of the freezer and there's a rather nice smell coming from the SC - the last portion of minced beef with onions, carrots, peas, broccoli stems and a good handful of pearl barley that will make two cottage pies, one for tomorrow and one for the freezer.  Tonight we're having cooked gammon slices with egg & chips.

annieb64

It really has been miserable here today. We used our bus passes and bought DGS a "kid for a quid" bus ticket and went into Canterbury. There seemed to be a lot of grandparents around trying to keep grandchildren entertained.

Was too tired to cook much this evening so we had some yellow stickered burgers from the freezer with grilled tomatoes and frozen peas. I also put some chip shop chips in the air fryer. We had fish and chips a couple of weeks ago. We always share a small portion of chips but there were still some left so I froze them. They heated up really well.

Not much time for shopping until Friday but the freezer is well stocked and we are finally getting some veg-beans and courgettes- from the garden.

Longwalker

Dont know how its happened but my kitchen freezer is nearly empty and I have an empty drawer in the garage freezer 

Kitchen freezer is used primarily for frozen veg and left overs, or part packs - garage freezer is the joints and yellow sticker bargains 

I had to actually rummage today to find 3 meals the same lol

Not at starvation levels just yet but its indicative that more is coming out then going in this year 

@YorksLass, its been dire here since the end of June. Im often found in a heavy fleece in the evenings and Mr L lies up with a blanket. I start the tea at 6pm and this week, the lights have been required. Last week as we had Australian guests I had the heating on for a couple of hours a day - heating in July FGS

Still, even though the freezers are no longer groaning, Im holding out on a supermarket shop, making do with whats there - simple as. Mum is picking me up some carrots tomorrow and I have dug out a lamb shank for tomorrow. They are huge, one will feed the 3 of us not a bother 

@mumf, hope it all gets sorted soon, like you are poorly and you have to put up with that, its so not right 

euronorris

It's been very wet here since the end of June also. We went from no rain for about 6 weeks, to rain daily for 6 weeks! 🤦‍♀️ though its still mild, and when the sun does poke through its hot!

I managed 9 months without a cold, and then caught one last week on my week off. On the tail end of it now, where its at that annoying tickly cough stage!

My grocery/toiletries etc budget this month is £240. About £60 a week. I've gone over that this week, but that is because I've had to restock some things that don't need to be bought weekly (like Teabags, kitchen roll, toilet roll, cheese etc). So am planning to be under the next couple of weeks. 🤞 and towards the end of the month, DH is going fishing for his birthday for a few days, and DD and I are heading to my parents for a few days visit.

YorksLass

euronorris said:

I managed 9 months without a cold, and then caught one last week on my week off. On the tail end of it now, where its at that annoying tickly cough stage!

Since retiring, I've had very few coughs/colds (touch wood) and, although it may be because of not sharing an office with others, I think there's also the fact that we push through regardless and then, when we have a break, our defences decide to go on strike - hence the cold making itself felt.  Hope your cough clears up soon.

@Longwalker - My freezer also seems to have more coming out than going in and today I've had a tidy up and now have wriggle room, everything is in the drawers where I want it to be and I even have a list of all the accumulated "bits" that need using.  I'll use two h/m potato cakes (on a breakfast plate), a bag of sliced leeks (leek & potato soup), a few chopped red peppers, broccoli stems, a small amount of sweetcorn and peas (a minestrone type soup) and half a tin of coconut milk (probably a rice pudding).  I'm OK for cooked sliced meats/h/m ready meals and bread/morning goods but definitely need some fish for a bit of variety as well as chicken and mince.

I had planned a chicken curry for tonight but changed my mind in favour of chicken, bacon & mushroom in a creamy sauce.  The bacon was another use-up - one piece left from a pack of cooking bacon, the sauce from a packet in the cupboard and the mushroom (stalks) from the fridge.  The curry would have made just one meal whereas the alternative will make enough for tonight and the rest can be frozen for a pasta bake later.  I'm always looking for ways of stretching stuff as far as I can.     

This weekend I'll be doing a grocery list for delivery next week.  Apart from the essentials and freezer stuff I'll be looking at stocking up on tins of veg, pulses and possibly tins of fruit depending on price.  I definitely don't need flour, pasta, rice, jams or chutneys!     

@mumf - I hope it isn't too long before your disability benefits are sorted out.

euronorris

Heads up! 6 packs of Napolina Passata for £1 in farmfoods!!

Thanks @YorksLass it's just the very tickly, very irritating cough lingering now. It's clearing up a bit more each day. DH now past the worst of it too. And MIL had DD for the day yesterday, so she didn't go stir crazy at home, and she had an amazing time. Park, blackberry picking, planting bulbs, sewing, and a bit of charity shop hunting. She spied a minecraft dressing gown and got that. It's 5 sizes too big, but being a dressing gown, that just makes it more cosy lol.