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

YorksLass

MrsStepford said:

Eating vegetarian or vegan food is not healthy if you live on processed rubbish. 

Couldn't agree more - applies to any food routine, be it omnivore/vegetarian/vegan etc.  I like to know what's in my food, one of the reasons I cook from scratch.

We've had really mixed weather this week - lots of rain, some wind and a couple of bright sunny days but it's definitely getting colder.  I've adjusted the heating timer this morning and it's on for longer, but needs must.  We've done all the usual things - more layers of clothing, throws, hot water bottles, closing curtains etc - but they're just not cutting the mustard!  I have quite a few knitted gilets that are very useful as an extra layer over jumpers but they're all edge to edge so I've treated myself to a couple of cardigan clips from Etsy to keep them closed.  And DH will have some new thermal underwear when it arrives next week.

DH had his ECG on Wednesday and it confirmed he does have an irregular heartbeat.  Next steps are more blood tests at the end of the month and then a referral to a cardiologist.  In the meantime he's been told to eat more protein since he's lost a lot of weight too.  All rather worrying.

Hairdresser visit last Thursday (budgeted for) and I hope the cut lasts out as my next appointment isn't until mid-January.   I may well be beating down her door by then!      

I have the weekly meal plan to do in a minute and will be trying to use up freezer stocks as much as I can to make some room ready for Xmas stuff.  We don't go overboard as there's only the two of us to feed and, to us, it's pretty much a Sunday dinner with a few extras thrown in.  

London_1

Gosh what an extremely apt title this forum is, I went to my main shopping centre yesterday for the first time since before my hospital sojourn in September-October so not been actually shopping for around 6-8 weeks .

I wanted to buy my son-in -law a nice birthday present as he is 53 at the end of this month My DD said he would like a nice hoodie/jacket for walking their dogs .I found a good lined one in Sainsburys and it will fit the bill a treat .£34 but thick and warm and when we move to the IoW  it will certainly keep him warm when walking the their dogs, especially on the beach. I thought while I'm here I'll have a shufti around the food part of the shop for some odds and ends  ! ! !

Good grief hasn't the prices shot up in the space of two months, in some cases almost doubled.

 I had already bought my bread in M&S which I thought was good value, as I don't eat a great deal, so a loaf once portioned up into 4 slice portions and frozen lasts me ages.
 I only like wholemeal and their medium sliced is only 75p and you get 20 slices, which apart from tasting nice is excellent value I think at 3.75p a slice.

But Sainsburys food hall was about the same if not more in prices as M&S which surprised me as you expect Marks and Sparks to be a bit dearer anyway. I bought a few things in there but not a great deal, but then it wasn't going to be a big shop anyway. 

I had done a stock take, and bearing in mind I normally do a 'big' shop for essentials for the winter at this time of the year I realised because of spending so long in hospital on and off this year and my appetite not being very large my tinned stocks and freezer stuff is still in a pretty healthy state.

As my DD and I are looking to market our houses after Christmas towards moving in early summer I had a rejig of my normal thinking:)  and decided I am going to use up what I already have in the cupboard as I shan't want to be packing tinned odds and ends next spring if the move goes well, so the less I have in the cupboards the less I have to pack, beneficial for my purse as well.:) 

Seeing the prices also helped in my decision  some of them are just outrageous to be honest.I can't believe the prices asked for shop bought cakes ,luckily I make my own

 So its going to be only stuff I literally run out of for my shopping for the next few months, plus fresh fruit and veg and anything similar , bread or milk I already still have 6  cartons of UHT milk for the real bad weather of January to see me through so I shall keep them for then. I've done my menu plan for this week and most of it will come from my existing freezer stock with the odd tin thrown in.

 Definitely battening down the hatches and belt tightening this winter.  So far this month of my £60.00 food budget I've spent only £21.00 odd and have more than enough stuff so I need no shopping this coming week at least.

Next job this morning is some vegetable peeling for the week I do my spuds on a sunday and put them in cold water in the fridge for the week, changing the water daily. Slowly getting back into my routine since being home from the hospital and its so nice to get back to normal again.

I'm also going to make a nice rice pud in my slow cooker, and leave it on low until cooked, so I will have it for pudding for several days this week. I've made a trifle already to take to my DDs later this afternoon as I go there for Sunday dinner in the evening.

Take care all and keep those purses closed if you can

JackieO xx 

Longwalker

Aye I can imagine the shock of the prices if you haven't been in a supermarket for a while, thankfully Im seeing a slow down turn on prices, not a lot, but like weight, easy on, slow off  

Got a huge pack of stewing beef 20% off in Lidl this morning , with a bag of frozen casserole veg that will make at least 9 meals - adding green veg and potatoes. I made suet crust pasty the other week, only needed half so froze the rest so if the meat looks a bit scant coming to the bottom of the pot - pie to the rescue 

I have to admit, I dont usually buy frozen veg other then peas, but Tesco was so lacking in decent fresh and I wasnt going to be paying 70p for a swede the size of a tennis ball, I gave it a go and Im very impressed. Breakfast of choice for me nowadays is overnight oats and frozen berries are good value , esp this time of year. I buy the Lidl red berries, about £2.90 a bag which lasts for weeks 

I too eat very little bread and I stick to bog standard Nevilles wholemeal ( Tesco cheap range ) 45p large loaf 

I too need a new winter jacket. Ive lost so much weight that the ones I have, whilst barely worn, are just hanging from me and arent keeping me warm. And of course losing weight means Im feeling the cold a lot more. Ive a couple of thinner padded jackets which are just about doing for now, but now temps are dropping fast and I want something that reaches the knees. Im off on Tuesday so will hit the charity shops see if I find something. I can buy new and will if I HAVE to but prefer to buy second hand. Ive so many clothes, serious amounts, I just cant spend more on clothes then I really have to 

And now the Christmas shopping is upon us. We dont buy extras, I work over the period, just the 2 days off, so for us its all about the Christmas dinner and live on left overs the rest of the week. Mum likes her chocolates , we dont do cakes or puddings , if we ( Him and me ) want to pick we like a nice stilton and someone will buy us chocolates somewhere along the line ( just thrown out the Easter eggs ) 

Our big expense over the holidays is the daughter and her family. Shes always pleading poverty so we tend to step in with shoes or coats for the little ones and I get them a family pressie - probably be a fill of oil or a coal delivery , a huge cost for us, nearly impossible for them 

YorksLass

We're back to wet, dull and cold today.     Heating is on and I'm not going anywhere!  Until tomorrow that is, as I have to go for blood pressure re-check - wouldn't you know, it's going to be very wet.  As I'm going on my own I'll walk there and back instead of getting a taxi which is what we do if DH is with me due to his mobility issues.  Oh well, it's a bit of cash saved with free exercise thrown in.  

I've washed my short jacket this morning so it will be clean for next year and have brought out a longer and warmer coat, plus gloves and scarf.  I've had both of these for years but they're still good and I also have a very long padded coat with a hood for the really cold days.  Can't justify buying another one, much as I'd like to.

Meal plan has been done for the coming week using up some freezer stocks so there should be a bit of room by the end of the week.  Today we're having beef casserole with mash and cabbage and I'll add some dumplings to pad it out a bit.  Fruit & jelly for afters.  I've also made a list of possible makes/bakes that I can do during the week - my purse will be closed!     

I'm another one that doesn't give a lot of freezer room to bags of frozen veg, apart from peas. although I do have celery, leeks and peppers that I've chopped and frozen myself since they're useful for soups, casseroles etc.  Instead I have a stock of tins of veg and pulses such as butter beans, broad beans, chickpeas and kidney beans as well as dried lentils and split peas.

As for food prices, as @Longwalker says, a bit like weight - easy on, slow off.     And you can guarantee if one thing gets cheaper, something else goes up.  This past week I've stocked up on paracetamol, ibuprofen, hot lemon drinks and tissues ready for the winter lurgies that might come our way.  Batteries are next on the list.

I use Sainsburys that I find reasonably priced for most things and sometimes a local Co-op that's much more expensive but I have had some good bargains from there on occasion.  I also have an M&S food hall within walking distance but rarely go there unless I'm making it all one trip for the opticians or charity shops as it's a bit of a trek for my old little legs.    Last time I was in there I bought a squeezy bottle of their own brand black treacle, much cheaper than the branded one in a tin.

Auntycaz

Its best to shop around if you have the time. My nearest shops are waitrose and the co op, but the prices have got ridiculous lately. I live rurally, have mobility problems and don't drive, so paying 20p/25p more for each item soon mounts up.

YorksLass

Auntycaz said:

Its best to shop around if you have the time. My nearest shops are waitrose and the co op, but the prices have got ridiculous lately. I live rurally, have mobility problems and don't drive, so paying 20p/25p more for each item soon mounts up.

I have the time but a distinct lack of food shops to shop around in.  Like you, I don't drive and our bus services aren't great either.  We're not rural, more suburban residential, but no longer have an independent butcher. baker, greengrocer etc so are at the mercy of local supermarkets.  As you say, extra pennies on each item mount up all too easily and soon make a large dent in the budget.

cuddlymarm

Hi guys
I've finally caved and put the radiator on. We only have two, one in the living room and one in the bedroom. I’ve just put the living room on for now to take the chill off.I had surgery in August and I’m still feeling the after affects, so I fell asleep on the sofa this afternoon and woke up freezing. We were supposed to be on grand baby duties this afternoon but I felt really off colour so OH went on his own but FaceTimed with my gorgeous granddaughter to make up for me missing her. We’ll go later in the week anyway but she changes day to day as she’s only 1.

I’m by myself this afternoon ( nice and peaceful) so made myself rice pudding in the small slow cooker, I misjudged the rice and it was a bit watery but tasted great. 

We’ve had a lot of friends, family and people we know get Ill or worse over the last year and with my cancer op we’ve realised none of us will be here forever so we plan to spend quality time with those we love. We’ve booked a night away with OHs brother and his wife at a Christmas market so the food stocks are being stretched to allow for spends. It’s been quite an expensive month so far as I needed a new good winter coat as I’ve a winter wedding in February. 

I also will be going onto half pay in a couple of weeks which will squeeze the finances even more but have managed to do quite a bit of Xmas spending already.
But we’re lucky as we’ve no mortgage any more and can make do if we need to. I really feel for the people whose bills are going up faster than they can cope with.

Auntycaz

Does anyone else who has smart meters get annoyed that before they've even had their breakfast they've already used 80p+. I know I was still paying it before having the smart meters fitted, but seeing the display when I put the kettle on for my early morning cuppa reminds me every day now. 

London_1

Good Morning chums ,well looks like winter is definitely here as its cold wet and windy down here in the south of England.
I have a thick winter lined  coat with a hood I have had for about three years and feel loathe to bin it I had it in the cleaners back in the summer and to me its fine, my eldest DD kept saying 'why not get a new one for the winter' ,but I'm not that bothered and as my pink one keeps me warm, and there's nothing wrong with it I see no point in changing.
True its a bit on the big size for me now as I have lost several stone this year because of illness etc but last night when I went to youngest DDs for dinner it meant I could easily wear a chunky card under it so was super warm. So my pink cosy coat will stay  

Today I am off to book club this morning as I've not been for three months because of hospitals etc but I kept up with the monthly book as our librarian would either pop it through my door for me, or my eldest DD would pick it up.
 I go to the tiny library near to where she lives even though there is a bigger one closer, as the little one is in need of more footfall or the council will close it.

Today our club has been running for 13 years and still has most of the membership of around 8-10 people so we usually have a small celebration of tea and cake We usually do it in November and twin it with Christmas as everyone is always busy in December.

On the way back I will nip into the little Coop as they usually have some good reductions on a Monday morning. Its only a small one in the village but its also a post office so I will get some stamps as well for the Christmas cards I send to relatives who live too far to post.I try to double up as many things as I can when I got out as it saves me too many journeys in the wet weather so this morning it will be book club ,small shop and stamps all close together in the village about three miles from me.

My eldest has been getting me bits online for Christmas gifts, so I won't have to trek too much around the shops . Tomorrow my eldest DGS Danny in New York is 33 his other Granny and I send him dollars between us so he can treat himself to something nice. This year when we do Christmas we will have his and his wife new little baby girl Daisy to buy for, so again because of postage and worrying if it will get there we will probably again send some dollars for them all. We are hoping they will be over in the early spring for a holiday so both the grandmas can see and cuddle our new little great granddaughter  

I might also this morning nip into Aldi's as I pass it on my way home and have a look to see how their prices have risen. At the moment I really perhaps only need some butter so I'll see how much it is in there. M&S on Saturday were a bit too pricy for me and I used Flora over the weekend instead ,but I do prefer butter.

I'm going to have a look at some recipes later today as I need inspiration. I have a nice large red pepper in the fridge plus some mushrooms that need using up, and I was thinking perhaps some sort of veggie curry with some chickpeas as I seem to have several tins of those in the cupboard as well.

I'm not veggie only, as I do like meat but I also like to use up stuff if I can, so anyone think what I can do with chickpeas, red pepper and mushrooms, I also have a sweet potato in the veg box that could be used up ,so inspire me chums

I'm sure there used to be a website that you put what ingredients at hand into and they came up with a recipe.I have plenty of tins of chopped tomatoes as well in the cupboards  

Right I'm off to have some porridge to warm me up before going out into the cold and wet

Cheers chums have a good Monday 

JackieO xx

joedenise

Auntycaz said:

Does anyone else who has smart meters get annoyed that before they've even had their breakfast they've already used 80p+. I know I was still paying it before having the smart meters fitted, but seeing the display when I put the kettle on for my early morning cuppa reminds me every day now. 

Mine's even worse than that!  It's up at £1.13 when I get up before I've even got the kettle on (although that is for gas and electric)!  Is yours just for electric?