2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

hopeless_spendthrift

whitewing wrote: »

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

DS advised me that he needs protein at every meal!! Don't worry I'm not really letting them all starve. )

Ditto Lollopy's reply to u Whitewing - and Nyk's i think you're doing a fantastic job - Perhaps u could serve up a knuckle sandwich (with the obligatory soup) for your ds's next meal, so he gets the carbs too! (just joking!)

Good luck with your bread Princess.:)

Heya Nyk :hello: - do u know where those who are on state/disability benefits stand when it comes to making NI contributions?

I must log off now! Peace and Frugality Folks! May the Fruges be with you
x x x :hello: x x x

mumzyof2

Iam backkkkkkkkkkk did anyone miss me?? LOL
I wil be re starting this challenge on 1st feb at £3500..due to some circomstances. (cant spell either)

Frugaldom

Hi Hopeless, bet you haven't logged off yet! :rotfl:

If you are on benefits then the basic National Insurance contribution is, as far as I know, met to ensure that you do qualify for a basic state pension. I am not qualified to answer any financial questions, though, and am just offering my own opinion on how I see things. Hope this helps

Oh, I just thought of ANOTHER side effect of Frugalitis! You will actually WANT to know what the Chancellor announces in THE Budget! It suddemly all falls into place the relevance of taxation, public services and the general financial state of affairs of Britain and elsewhere. WOW! How scary is that? Think twice before telling anyone that you 'aren't into politics' next time. Every penny really does count. Why d'ye think I quit smoking - it was a good tax avoidance move! :rotfl:

hopeless_spendthrift

:hello: I missed u Mumzy! - infact i was going to send u a pm later if you didn't show up today. Good to see you back :T Hope everything's ok with you and family x x x

mama67

HTH I have been making bread in BM for approx 10 years now.

My BM recipe is as follows

1½ cups water
3 tbsp dried milk powder
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
3 tbsp marg (doesn't have to be melted)
8oz Wholemeal bread flour
12oz White Bread flour
2 tsp instant yeast ( I use Doves Farm £1 in Tescos for a packet - lasts month)

Put in bread pan in that order and set on Basic loaf

I use dough setting and then shape and bake in oven along with dinner. My tin is same size as those used in supermarket bakeries.

hopeless_spendthrift

Hi Hopeless, bet you haven't logged off yet! :rotfl:

:rotfl: How right you are Nyk! There is little hope for me - perhaps the illness is now terminal :eek: Interested in the budget side-effect? We are all doomed! :rotfl:

Frugaldom

mumzyof2 wrote: »

Iam backkkkkkkkkkk did anyone miss me?? LOL
I wil be re starting this challenge on 1st feb at £3500..due to some circomstances. (cant spell either)

Hello and welcome back :beer:

Give it a couple of weeks and you'll soon catch the bug then it'll be wagons ho! headlong into debt attack mode :T :j

Burlesque_Babe

princess_leia wrote: »

Thats good to hear, I have made another duff loaf today - the top keeps sinking and its states that this is either 1. The ingrediants are too warm (could not be that) 2. too much water/ flour - but I measured exact because of the last loaf :mad: I stopped using this recipe as it was so unreliable but the bread (when it turns out) is so much nicer and lighter than another recipe I have - which involves milk powder???

Does anyone have a real foolproof recipe they use each and everytime? I have written down Mcawbers recipe but not sure if thats OK in a BM?

Anybody else

I used to suffer from that and I've stopped using the Basic setting and now do it on the Quick setting. It is a smaller, denser loaf but works everytime. On the Basic setting it would rise too far and then sometimes touch the underside of the lid and then sink

My recipe is

275 ml hand hot water
500 g plain flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 sachet yeast
2 tbsp oil (or Stork baking margarine it seems!!)

I sometimes add grated cheese (leftover bits that are going a bit hard are great for this) or dried herbs for a flavoured bread. I once used a spoon of onion chutney in the bottom of a jar - that was a delicious loaf!

Janey51

Woe, woe and thrice woe :mad:
A few weeks ago I won a top from US Ebay for my supersize cuddly DH. Twas a steal at £6 ($12) + £13 p&p (cheapest option)
This morning, I am diligently removing the last white scrapings from my toothpaste tube when my DH shouts "Have you got any change?"
Now, bad enough that he is mentioning the "C" word when I am absolutely definitely having a NSD but :eek: :eek: :eek: its £11.49 for the vat and customs fees on said parcel from the US.
DH prised the money from my trembling hand and helped me into the kitchen where I collapsed onto the nearest chair.
I checked my Ebay account to make sure I had not gone loopy and paid a king's ransom. When I checked the parcel, the seller had listed the value of the top as $80:mad: on the Custom's Declaration.
I emailed her and voiced my concern in soft, gentle phrases designed to maintain entente cordiale.
Later, I received a very apologetic reply. She had not posted overseas before and thought she would put a higher value in case it got lost. Has said she will refund the postage.
Now I feel bad about not dealing with this situation in a calm ,controlled manner as warrants a true frugalite.
Still doesn't alter the fact my monthly budget is in shreds

Good news. Accompanied DH to his work today. His employer having a mega clear out and gave us about 30 cookbooks, many in excellent condition. OH thinks he is going to make another bookcase to put them in.
I know they will miraculously disappear into a cupboard to await the next cheap Ebay listing day.;)

Frugaldom

Janey, my DS got caught out with a customs charge for a BELT BUCKLE!! The customs charge cost more than the actual buckle because he'd bought it at a discounted price! This should be a warning to all - never assume that it's cheaper just because the tag states less than you'd pay here - it's all down to that dreaded thing we have been discussing today - TAX!

Oh, and the summer meadows supermarket has it's toothpaste back down to 22p for the saver brand! If you're worried about it not having whitener or whatever, just use a touch of bicarbonate of soda, same as the expensive brands have in them

Good news on the book front, especially if they are recipe books! February is, afterall, diet month. :T You could always try listing on eBid and if they didn't sell then it isn't costing you anything to have them there until a cheap listing day on eBay. I know loads of people who do that :cool: