So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

Suffolk_lass

rtandon27 said:

I'm loving your expression 'Stingy Mode' - we are doing much the same this month - trying to eke out what is in the house and see if we can source what we may need from 0li0

Of course I read this as related to bee stings! Doh!

themadvix

Suffolk_lass said:

rtandon27 said:

I'm loving your expression 'Stingy Mode' - we are doing much the same this month - trying to eke out what is in the house and see if we can source what we may need from 0li0

Of course I read this as related to bee stings! Doh!

🤣🤣 No thanks, I've had my two wasps stings for the year and don't want any more, least of all from our precious bees!

themadvix

Morning all,

I'd not really thought about a wider application of Stingy Mode RT, but it's probably a good idea. I do always try to be careful about how much I'm using of something (toilet roll, shampoo etc.), but tend to be a bit more profligate in the kitchen knowing that we'll eat it regardless (not with kettle water or tea leaves, mind you). In any case, Stingy Mode definitely came in useful last night. I discovered we're right down to the last dregs of custard powder so we only had a third of a pint between us instead of half a pint (despite having lots of milk - I've cancelled tomorrow's order, but can't believe it's £1.50 a pint now for organic in glass! Eeek! Stingy Mode needed for milk too!). This means there's probably enough left for one more serving of custard this month... unless we get desperate! I've just eked out the last of the fruit compote on my porridge - there's enough for tomorrow too (and plenty more fruit in the freezer to use).

Productive morning so far. Various bits of work done for various clients, which has felt good, plus I've ordered my 15 seed packets from the RHS - all seed collected by them and 15 packs for £10 posted. Mostly flowers, but a few herbs and some amaranth too - hoping to have a go at harvesting the seed (should probably try some and see if I like it!). It's one of the perks of membership - I have to say, I do think you get good value for money if you're a paid member.

I'm caught up with my work for now, so will log on to Cambridge shortly. I've got a meeting at 11 and still plenty of other bits to do. Mr MV is here at the moment but will be heading off to a meeting shortly. Not sure if he's taking lunch or eating before he goes. Dinner tonight is pizza, but I've not made the dough yet - less stingy mode there as I'll need to use more yeast - but I just didn't think about it first thing.

MS things:
* Clicks, HW done
* PA survey
* 1P surveys
* 'Stingy mode'
* Heating still only on first thing
* Dinner will be using up leftover tomatoes from last weekend (since cooked)

Gratitudes:
* Lots of work - including from occasional client who sent me something end of last month - wasn't expecting to hear from them again so soon, so that's positive
* Lap cats in the evening are saving me from getting so cold!
* Electric blanket - still one of our best investments!

Have a good day all!

EssexHebridean

Also loving - and a big fan of - "Stingy Mode". "Ekeing" too - a great word and much underused in my opinion!  I feel your pain on trying to make remaining mayonnaise stretch too - we have a couple of jars left of our "posh" Cotswold Gold flavoured stuff, and if I remember rightly we are heading for the time of year when they may well do an offer on such things so I'm trying to make that hold out until such an offer appears!  This also applies to their rather delicious smoked rapeseed oil too! 

themadvix

Eking can only go so far... I've just made up the dry ingredients for a batch of jammy buns (which will get cooked when the oven is on for pizza later - the solar is soooo poor today that I definitely cannot justify putting the oven on just for jammy buns, esp in stingy mode!) - and I've used the last of the butter butter (i.e. not the spreadable used for sandwiches...). I'm not sure how long we'll manage without that, although hopefully through until next week now (similarly we're out of cheddar, which is another staple...). I've also mixed up the pizza dough too, although I'm afraid I didn't stingy mode that - we've still got dough for garlic bread as well as pizza (technically I could have adjusted recipe to remove that, esp given we have dessert still!).

Tomorrow we'll have hm minestrone for dinner (post-pub), Saturday we're out at Dad's for fireworks supper and Sunday we'll have the tempeh, so meals OK until beginning of next week. Then I think a squash meal will be involved - recipe as yet undecided.

Cambridge meeting went well (although I've done myself out of some money, but it didn't feel right taking a higher rate for effectively similar work to what I'm doing for my boss/friend) - should have plenty to get on with from next week. Then, after lunch, in a fit of insanity, I decided to cycle to return the cat-sitting key... It wasn't raining heavily, but I still got rather wet! Key returned and library book returned too, although sadly library wasn't open so I couldn't get anything new out. Despite the wet, it was quite nice to get outside!

I've come back and done another platform job and have also been sent work by another US client - they are all popping up with stuff at the minute! - which shouldn't take too long, but I've got until next week to get it done. 

There's a break in the rain due about 3, and I'm planning on popping to the allotment for some spinach to put on the pizza. In the meantime, back to this new project (I need a break from Cambridge stuff!).

themadvix

Morning all,

Pizza was good last night and we made good use of the oven while it was on, including switching it off 5 mins early for the last of the jammy buns. We were still out of battery power by then, but it was hardly surprising given the weather... if only we had a little windmill too! I did get to the allotment and picked some spinach and chard, so we had some spinach on the pizza and I've got more left. I might wilt some into the daal we're having tonight (yes, meal planning is very flexible here, but this uses some of the ginger paste in the fridge from the weekend). It's also a pub-compatible meal - I'll make the daal this afternoon in the IP, put the rice in the IP on delay and then we'll just have to reheat the daal and grab a naan from the freezer when we get back.

Mr MV didn't take any lunch today, but has scored an apple and banana from the fruit bowl at work, so that's something (the canteen is also well subsidised and fairly healthy, so it's not awful if he buys food there). I'll have the last of the bread for lunch today and we'll have minestrone for lunch tomorrow before going to Dad's for an early (pre-fireworks) tea. Then I can bake Sunday when the sun should be out to help.

Dug out my IP recipe book earlier and rediscovered a chickpea, carrot and spinach pilaf recipe that we love and that we have all the ingredients in for, so that'll make an appearance on the meal plan for next week (and is a good use for the oodles of spinach!). Intend to have a look in there for squash-based recipes too.

Have discovered I can exchange my MS rewards vouchers for Sains or Tesco vouchers as well as M&S so I think we'll do that - then butter, cheese and tea can be bought (yes, the caffeinated tea is dangerously low!) without impacting the zero food budget. I've cancelled next week's veg box - we wouldn't have needed most of it anyway and we definitely can live without anything from R'ford this week. We have plenty of onions, garlic and ginger, plus leeks, hg cabbage, spinach and chard, so we'll be fine. Mr MV is currently fully on board with 'stingy mode' November, so that's good.

Today the sun is shining so I've done a load of washing and it's on the line (it's also quite blowy, so hopefully dry in record time) and the dishwasher is now on - hopefully with plenty of daylight to top up the battery once its done. I'm definitely getting better at balancing the sunshine/battery/household needs, but it's a work in progress. Just wish the standing charges weren't so high (and with Octopus they're not even the standard ones). It is so sunny in fact that I ate my breakfast in the garden this morning - the bench and the patio are such a quality of life improvement! I was wearing a coat and eating porridge, but it was so nice to be outside!

Have done my allotted hours for Cambridge this week (and then some, it seems - I'll carry that over), so will only pop in for a quick check today. And I've got this piece for my US clients and a quick check of some queries for my UK client. When that's all done (and procrastination is here today, so who knows when that'll be!), I think I'll head down to town - I have some cash I could pay in (always helpful), plus might pop to Hobbycraft - I want to make some candles for Christmas presents and I need wicks and wax. I've got the containers (toothpaste jars!) and essential oils. This will come out of the present fund. Possibly a trip to the library too.

MS things:
* Clicks and HW done
* MM survey done - trying to focus on these to get to payout. I might then give it up.
* CD survey data entered
* TV survey done
* Careful use of electricity

Gratitudes:
* Sunshine!
* Breakfast in the garden 
* It should be dry for our cycle to pub tonight (Pub doesn't entirely fit with stingy mode, but it's usually less than a tenner each a week - we have two halves each usually as it's a tap room - and it's social time, which I need being at home on my own all week. So it's an allowed expense. We definitely won't be going every week this month - Mr MV has my Dad's stag do to attend in a fortnight 😬 and then there's the wedding the week after).

Have a good day all!

themadvix

I did get the work all done in the end (a quick meditation helped calm my brain which was definitely feeling very skittish today), and popped to town. Wicks and wax purchased, library visited and cash paid in. Bike was feeling rather clunky on the way home though, so I got my act together when I got back and washed it and degreased the chain etc. - it was disgusting - I definitely need to do this more often, but now I know how, I'm sure I will. All clean and relubed, ready for the pub (unless Mr MV decides to drive). I'm feeling rather chuffed with myself!

Daal is cooked and I've just set the time on the rice, so dinner will be ready as soon as we get back.

Have done some 1P surveys (now at 968 pts) and a £2 YLive survey that has taken me to £50 (my third, I think), so looking forward to that cheque in the post!

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, well done on sorting out the bike! Love stingy mode 😁

Karmacat

It's true, that's very good - stops anything bad going on (like when I locked myself out the other day because I'd done no maintenance on the lock!).  Enjoy the meal and the pub  

earthgirl2

Hi themadvix I've just caught up on a hundred pages or so of your diary 😆 but halfway through I was inspired to collect a few bits from an olier as you reminded me about this!

I also gave up my olio collection in July as the petrol to collect it probably offset the environmental impact I was making and I hoped that someone more local would collect and distribute. Also I wasn't as strong willed as you with the yummy pastries 😝