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

joedenise

Absolutely agree @Slinky!  The Joan J variety is probably the sweetest raspberries I've ever tasted and all raspberries certainly spread!

We found they completely took over the small area we had available so DH ended up digging them up last year.  Concentrating on different types of tomatoes this year.  We've got a cherry, a salad and a beef tomato - loads of tomatoes but only just starting to ripen - very tasty the ones we've had so far.

Slinky

Never had much success with tomatoes. We don't have a greenhouse so are limited to growing outdoors, when I did try them, they were all starting to ripen towards the end of the summer when I've had enough of salads. We tend to revert to more wintery foods towards the end of September after our mid month hoiday. We're usually on holiday for a couple of weeks in September, so tomatoes ripening then aren't any use to us.  We're having the garden redesigned so next year I'll be sowing lettuce again - didn't have any this year - along with our usual onions, strawberries and rhubarb.

London_1

Two of my grandsons dug the last of my Easter crop Pentland early potatoes up yesterday from a bag of seed spuds costing around £2.50 I had three and a half full carrier bags the sort you get from Tesco's  planted in a spot around 18 inches wide by 4 foot long. so a great crop.They have just planted a row of 8 Wilja seed spuds and a row of 8 Charlotte seed spuds for hopefully digging up before Christmas I I have to do it give them some water and keep the little plot weed free. 
The boys had never grown anything before and were so chuffed to be eating something grown and they were delicious I must admit
You really only need a small space to grow them and its very satisfying to eat something home grown. At Dobbies coffee morning this morning one of the ladies had a glut of cherry tomatoes so she brought some in and we all had 7-8 each bless her that will go down well with some ham in the fridge for a sandwich or two over the next couple of days 

JackieO xx

YorksLass

A few years ago I grew a cherry tomato plant in a large pot on our patio (no garden) and was surprised just how many we got, lovely with salads or just to eat "as is".  By the time autumn came there were still a lot of green ones that were unlikely to ripen but I used those for a few small jars of green tomato chutney.  I can't remember the variety but it was very prolific and, from memory, cost very little .  

Grocery delivery arrived this lunchtime, one out of stock - not a disaster - and two acceptable subs.  It didn't take long to put away as it was mainly cupboard stocks, a few bits for the fridge and nothing for the freezer.  Eggs have gone up again.     And I've used all this month's budget.     Good job I have a reserve - whatever I have left at the end of each month is put aside for just this purpose.  Only 9 days to go till the end of the month and I'm sure we can manage with whatever stocks we have.

Today I've made a big pan of spicy courgette soup using two ys courgettes that I bought last week; I've not made this before and admit to not following the recipe exactly - I didn't have any coriander so used a bit of dried thyme instead and I also added a couple of small carrots and a piece of red pepper that weren't in the recipe but needed using up.  I think soup is very forgiving and doesn't spoil despite my tinkering!    It tastes just fine and there's six decent portions for a cost of around £1.  

The nights are drawing in earlier each day - last night I closed the curtains at 8 o'clock - and there's a definite autumnal feel in the air here, especially in the mornings and evenings.  Summer clothes haven't had much of an airing at all this year.  On the plus side, I've been busy using up my knitting yarn stash so we have plenty of warm woolies and throws for the winter.

YorksLass

Today our energy supplier took the usual monthly DD payment on our current fixed price plan but we move onto a new fixed price plan for 12 months at the end of the month.  I have put a Post It on the fridge to remind me to take readings and send them in on Thursday so we'll be charged the correct new rate from then.  It's going to save us £95 pm  and we'll be below the current price cap and the October one too, so I'm glad we took the plunge.  I can't see lower rates on the horizon for the time being, if at all, the way things are going.  We've really cut back on our usage over the last 12 months but, if I'm honest, it hasn't been comfortable at times so I don't think we'll be quite so parsimonious this winter.  And I'll be looking at asking for a refund of our credit balance that now stands at over £500.

I need to investigate why my frost-free freezer has ice on the bottom shelf.  I think it may be from when we had a couple of power cuts, even though I didn't open the door.  At least, I hope that's all it is.  That's tomorrow's first job as I want to start stocking up with soups etc in preparation for winter.

Yesterday I made a batch of tomato & red pepper soup - we used two portions today and the other four are for the freezer, once I'm sure it's functioning properly.  I also made two sultana tea loaves, again one for now and one for the freezer.

I treated myself to a bunch of carnations the week before last (from my treat cash pot) and they've lasted more than the predicted 7 days so I was happy with that small spend (£2.90).  I picked through them this morning and still have a few decent ones left, albeit in a smaller vase, to brighten up the kitchen window cill.  I can't remember the last time I had any cut flowers.

Dinner tonight is pork shoulder steaks braised with onion, carrot and celery, plus mash and green beans and there's a few strawberries left for afters.  I had a small overspend on groceries this month but have managed with what I have in store and we haven't gone hungry, even though there may have been some rather odd meals.  

euronorris

Glad you've got a good deal @YorksLass Sounds like that will make a huge difference!

You reminded me to request a refund of credit balance for our water supplier. They usually do it automatically, but didn't bother this time! So I've just asked for that.

Visited the parents this past weekend, via train, with DD. Gosh the journey there was a mare. First train so delayed we missed our connecting train. Got on the next available one, and that ended up being delayed by more than half an hour as well! Return journey wasn't much better. So I've submitted claims via the delay repay scheme. Much easier than it used to be. First part has been approved already. So £21 coming back to me (hopefully more).

DD starts back at school next week, so uniform all bought. Just need to collect a few bits at the weekend. Managed to get a fair chunk from the pre-loved pile at school, right before the holidays started, so that saves quite a bit.

Otherwise I am also on a declutter and recoup some money mission still. Hoping to do another car boot before the season is over. I'm aiming to list one thing a day on ebay as well. And I'm sorting through some of DD's Trolls Lego to ensure the full sets are there and then list them as well (she still loves lego but is very adamant that she no longer likes Trolls! lol). I'm also trying to ensure I enter several competitions per day (obviously no guaranteed wins, but always a chance).

I have an aim of saving enough money to buy tickets for the Matilda musical for DD for Christmas, as well as pay for a hotel for the night and train travel. None of which is cheap, so may not happen!

YorksLass

@euronorris - It really will make a big difference, we can have the heating on a bit more over the winter months and also up the monthly grocery budget a little.  I'm good at budgeting generally but it does get tedious at times.     Your train journey sounds horrendous and I hope you get all your refund.

The fridge/freezer problem has been solved and I'm just waiting for the small accumulation of ice on the bottom shelf to melt so I can wipe it out and get the drawers back in.  They're currently swathed in thick towels and taking up space on the kitchen worktops.  It seems the temperature control slider must somehow have been nudged onto Fast Freeze.  No idea how.  This happened once before but on that occasion it was so bad the drain was completely blocked by a plug of ice and the back wall resembled an iceberg!

London_1

I had a little bit of luck, someone who had owed me some cash for awhile had put some of it into my bank account .as i had virtually written it off I immediately sent it to my youngest grandson who is at Uni and struggling with finances as his second year grant hasn't arrived yet and won't until October.
He has some summer working money due to him he will get in three weeks time, third week in September but until then apart from his small allowance I send him once a month he was struggling a bit.

I know he doesn't like asking his parents or for that matter anyone for cash, but I thought as I had really not expected it to be returned then I'm happy to send it to him.
He texted me this afternoon absolutely so pleased and said he had been shopping and managed to get some chicken and bit to enhance his diet of Pasta and pot noodles Bless him he's a good lad.

I was happy to pass it on to him and if any more arrives (as is promised later this month ) that too will go his way. I won't miss it and I know he will streetch it out as much as he can

The students have to live on such a small amount, and he is always scouring the papers and handing his CV around everywhere in hope of getting a part time job to keep himself going.

Passing on just a little bit of luck to me that is worth such a lot more to him than me, and the thought of him going without food especially is too worrying.

JackieO xx

[Deleted User]

You are such an encouragement to many, Jackie, and a great blessing to your lovely family.  You deserve the very best of good success.

London_1

Golly thank you : ,but I'm really nothing special just a Mum and Nan and great-granny now as well. Like most folk I just think my family first. But don't we all try to look after them if we can, to me my two DDs even though they are in their middle 50s are still my 'kids'  

With luck and a lot of hope this difficult CoL crisis will pass like all ups and downs, and fingers crossed we will see better times .
I've lived through rationing and the post war austerity of the 40s and 50s the boom times of the 60s then the real drop when we hit the 1970s .
Its ups and downs all the time, and this is just another one to get through, 

JackieO xx