How long can I make £187.15 last?

mumtoomany

Morning all, quick post while I boil rain water to wash up! No the water isn't back yet! Rumours that it will be off till at least tuesday. Big wagon of bottled water a couple of villages away, so collected some more for us and neighbour last night. School closed. We'll survive.

Hi @Deleted_User. I don't know when onion sets should go in really. The ones I planted a while back were left over pickling onions. Even we can't eat a full 10kgs! They're doing well, the seeds I put in don't seem to be. Something's ate them I think.

Right water's boiling, speak later, hugs, mumtoomany.xxx

mumtoomany

Nearly at the end of the washing up! The dishwasher was loaded yesterday morning, with the pots from Saturday, then the water went off. I left it full, as the reports were that this would be fixed soon. So by today I had two days pots. My fingers look like prunes. It's taken three quarters of an hour so far, and now waiting for the water to heat up again for the last few. A lot of washing up! 19 dinner plates! 

Tea. I have got out the filo pastry. I've some chicken left in the fridge, some cooked, some raw. Also got a bit of cooking bacon in there. So some sort of fancy pie. Watch this space. 

Hope everyone is well, and that any other South Wales inhabitants who've also lost water are ok. There goes the kettle and saucepan again, hugs, mumtoomany.xxx

Floss

mumtoomany said:

A couple of spends to add. Two bottles of milk from the garage, £3.40. Also 16 jars of passata, DD3 got them from work and will bring them next week, £4.64. Total £8.04, taking me over by £14.39.

I think you shouldn't count all that passata, unless you will use it all before your money year ends 😉

mumtoomany

Hi, @Floss. I had thought about it, but then I would need to know whether to count the other stuff bought this year that will be carried over, baked beans, dishwasher tablets, the rest of the passata! My name is mumtoomany and I have a passata problem! HAHA. Also if i leave it till January to add it, then I have a spend for next year, before i start. Decisions, decisions.

Still water free! Washing up took nearly three hours in the end. No update as to when it will be fixed yet. Sure makes one appreciate the, normal, running water we have. This house, the main part, was built around 1750. The original occupants would have lived their whole lives without plumbing. We're lucky really.

hugs, mumtoomany.xxx 

Slinky

Regarding onion sets, we were clearing the garage out a couple of weeks ago and I came across the card from a pack of onion sets where I'd written the date we'd planted them. I think it was 24th February

Fizz2015

Hope your water comes back on soon. I was reading an article on BBC earlier about it. Some of my colleagues are likely affected too as they are down west. 

I've not planted my onions or garlic yet, might on Thursday if get a chance to get to the allotment.

London_1

mumtoomany, I feel for you.
When my late OH was working in the Sudan in the 1980s on contract when he came home on leave every three months he would rail at the kids for wasting water when they were brushing their teeth or too long in the shower. He said water was as precious as gold out there, and often you had very little spare water to wash, cook or keep clean with.
He could shower, shave, and clean his teeth in under 10 minutes in the bathroom
 bless him after being home for a week it started to wear off a bit, then by the time he went back to Khartoum or Port Sudan after his leave he had to get used to using less again.

Because the water supply was pretty limited he would sometimes wash in the Red Sea when in Port Sudan on arriving back in the  UK at Heathrow he would drink a large 2 pint jug of fresh cold milk in the restaraunt before we drove home as the only milk he could get was either goats milk (not to be recommended ) or tinned,powdered milk which he hated.
He would fantasise about it out in the dessert when it was 45c plus.
I would write to tell him our news, and once he read out to his driver when travelling across the dessert about how where we lived in Kent we had thick snow at the time, and they were crouched uder their jeep under a cover from a passing dust storm his driver just couldn't envisage what snow was like. 
So to be without something as basic as water is awful, I hope its back on again asap

JackieO xx

mumtoomany

Hi all, still no water. Getting used to it now. Went to the dentist, he was telling of another patient who was without electricity, and couldn't get ti fixed till mid January! Given a choice, i'd rather be without water than power, i think.

The pie was enjoyed by all. I used the chicken and one of the chortzo sausages, added the left over shallots, carrots and brocolli, made a nice pie. Served with potatoes and green beans.

Today, I've made a pork and bean casserole, belly pork, tin of baked beans, tin of other beans, onions, passata. served with HG kale and mash.

Been to town for the dentist and shopping. Need to update on spending. Will do that tomorrow, when I've got the receipts to hand. 

Hugs, mumtoomany.xxx

beckstar1975

Ooh I’ve got belly pork for tomorrows tea. Still no water?? My friend up the road from you has livestock, not sure how she’ll be coping, it’s made enough how much water we get through, you are being v chipper about it!

mumtoomany

Hi all. We are now on our fifth day of no water. Isn't life fun! There is now water in parts of the village, including the school, so the children have gone in for there last day, Christmas parties day. And we still have over 800 litres in the water tank. If the worse happens, we also have a stream running through the property, that the sheep drink from, so we will survive. Hoping it will be back on today.

I've tallied up the receipts from Tuesday. BIG spend day! £26.50 in the vegetable shop, OH came in and put sweets and chocolate biscuits in the trolley. But i also got 3 large lettuce, £1; 3 cucumbers and 5 peppers, £1; around 30 satsumas, £1; 20 large apples, £1; 2 punnets of strawberries, £1; 6 large pears, £1; sack of potatoes, £7.50; box of around 30 large vine tomatoes; grapes, £2 (expensive compared to the other fruit, but i like them, and not bought any for a while. Home bargains, I bought lots of packs of nuts, hot dogs, requested by the grandchildren, and new toothbrushes. Total in there, £10.43. Then Aldi, £106.54!!!! We had almost run out of cereal, cheese, squash to drink, stuffing, lasagne sheets, I also picked up beer, DS1 and DD3 will be here today until after Christmas; bags of quality street and celebrations, i'll just put a few in the tin (from last year) at a time, more mince pies and a Christmas cake. I also got some packs of cheap veg and other bits we needed. Adding £143.47 to total.

This has blown the budget out of the water. I'm going into town tomorrow with DD3, she is gifting me part of her free voucher from work, which i can use along with her staff discount. I'll call in to the cash and carry too, i need cornflour. On Christmas eve, we will go to Aldi at 7am. Always lots of bargains then, so I shall stock up on mostly meat.

In my defence, i have worked out that this year i have fed seven of us almost every day. I also fed DD3 for around five months, great niece and great nephew for six weeks, and various children, children's partners, nephew and other grandchild, for at least eight "mini  breaks". If i was working on £1 per head per day, the budget would be much nearer to £2900. The shopping budget also includes all toiletries, cleaning produces, household goods, etc.

Tea last night, i got out lots of bits. DGD1 and i made potato cakes with leftover mash, So one tea of fish fingers potato cakes and beans, two teas of burger, potato cakes and beans, two teas of enchaladas, one with potato cakes, and two teas of curry and rice. Cleared a bit of space, got rid of the bitty stuff, and the children loved it.

Today is going to be omlete, filled with bacon pieces, onion, mushroom, tomatoes. Served with chips and salad.

Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xxx