Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

foxgloves

@milann & @themadvix - Sorry to hear that your veg growing hasn't been very successful this year. What went wrong? Was it certain crops, or just generally? I don't think the cold, dank Spring helped & the slugs have been out in force - huge numbers I haven't seen since I lived at my old house. Even my allotment friend who is really green-fingered isn't happy with her tomato plants this year. 
F

foxgloves

@scandimore - The vegetable curry I was talking about is as follows:
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan & sizzle 1/2 tsp each of black mustard seeds & cumin seeds until they sizzle. Add a big finely sliced onion & 2- 3 curry leaves & stir-fry for about 5 mins. Add a chopped green chilli, a 2.5cm chunk of chopped root ginger & cook for a couple of mins before stirring in 2 tbsp of curry paste (I use Mr Huda's Universal). Give it 3 mins, then add florets from 1 small cauli, a large carrot, sliced, 120g french beans cut into pieces & stir-fry for 5 mins. Then add 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp chilli powder, 1/2 tsp salt & 2 skinned & chopped tomatoes. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes until it's all coming together & everything's getting nicely coated in the spices. Then add 50g thawed frozen peas & stir to cook them for 3 mins or so. Finally, add 150ml vegetable stock ( I just used our usual cubes - the ones beginning with a 'K'). Give it a really good stir, cover pan & bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer for about 15 mins until all the vegetables are cooked. 
The idea of this is that any seasonal veg can be used. I didn't have a cauli & didn't want to buy one while we have so much other veg coming from the garden, so I used a medium aubergine & a large courgette instead, which worked fine. 
(Original recipe is from 'Fat-free Indian' by S. Husain & M. Kanani. It isn't actually a fat-free book as the recipes do use oil to start off the recipes, but it is certainly low-fat & I've made a few other nice things from it. Mr F likes the Hot chilli chicken).
Anyway, hope you enjoy it. I shall certainly make it again, & maybe a bigger batch for freezing.
F x

foxgloves

Afternoon Sunbeams.....though the sun has only just appeared, as it's been drizzly all morning,
A busy morning catching up with various things, wrote to a magazine & was delighted to find there was no ironing! Everything had such a good blow out on the whirlygig on Saturday that the very few things which I'd normally press were perfectly wearable. I'm sure you've picked up that I loathe ironing, so that's a result for me!
Anyway, on to today's budget-helping activity:
*Made dough for tonight's pizza & a batch of bread rolls.
*Made tomorrow's packed lunch & breakfast.
*Cancelled next fish box. We simply don't have the freezer space for it as we are having to prioritise home grown produce. A knock-on effect of this is that cancellation saved around £75.
*Did my regular Monday morning budget updates. Achieved an underspend of £26-54 on Week 1's grocery budget, which will be added, as planned, to the amount I have put aside for mini-break expenses later this month.
*Arranged the £4 credit I was owed for the problem I had recently with a discount code.
*Set up the blackberry vinegar I started last week to strain though muslin overnight. I love a tbsp of this in winter stews, as well as in hot water as a throat-soothing drink.
*Did a small amount of knitting for the present stash. Shall knit a bit more of my new shawl tonight as it will be a nice new thing to wear in the colder months. Love a good shawl.
*Cleared out a bit of email back-log as felt I was starting not to be able to find things as quickly as usual & I do think being very organised helps in all things of a budget nature.
*Researched private flu jab availability & made a note that it will cost £21-95 this year. 
*Today's garden pickings: Basil & carrots.
*Laundered the bolster pad I saved from the old sofa bolster I mentioned last week which was going in the bin. It has come up lovely & clean & I am going to make a new cover as an Autumn project. I think I have some leftover fabric plus some nice pieces I brought back from my Mum's craft hoard. I know she'd like to think they were getting used.
My Autumn de-cluttering project is now underway, motivated last month by @ziggy2407 reminding me that September is a really good time for new starts. In addition to sorting out the bolster, I have already sorted through 2 box files of magazines, putting a few aside for my friend & the rest in the recycling wheelie in time for the bin lorry this morning. I can see some more crud lurking on that same shelf so will be tackling that next. It's a case of finding that balance between decluttering & not wasting stuff which could, once rediscovered, be re-purposed into something useful. 
Well, a night of TV quizzing awaits, along with eating the pizza I am half-way through making & knitting. I have told Mr F I am feeling very brainy ready for University Challenge......just watch it be all physics, chemistry & USA geography questions now! Fingers crossed for literature, history, botany & various arcane bits & bobs.
Wishing everyone a decent week,
F xx 

Sun_Addict

I like the new term feeling that September brings, it's a great time to get started on things. 

Makingabobor2

I agree about starting new things and clearing out in September. I am doing that on a health and fitness level as well as decluttering and tidying. 

Cheery_Daff

I too love September for a new start 😊 And I am very glad I decided to have a year off from veg growing - by all accounts it seems to have been rather a dire year for it!

themadvix

foxgloves said:

@milann & @themadvix - Sorry to hear that your veg growing hasn't been very successful this year. What went wrong? Was it certain crops, or just generally? I don't think the cold, dank Spring helped & the slugs have been out in force - huge numbers I haven't seen since I lived at my old house. Even my allotment friend who is really green-fingered isn't happy with her tomato plants this year. 
F

For me it’s been the slugs - I must have planted upwards of 60 bean plants as each batch got eaten - some sown myself, some swapped, some bought. And they just kept getting eaten by slugs, no matter what I did. Things have been better in the garden, but the tomatoes have not been happy at all with the weather. I am now in the midst of a courgette glut though, which is definitely later than normal (usually suffering mildew by now and slowing down) - at least that’s something! My plum tree dropped all its fruit too - so disappointing. Have been kindly gifted some apples and plums from FIL’s friend though, so have put some away for winter (as well as gifting some jam back to the donor, of course). Overall though, it’s been a dispiriting year 😏

Blackcats

I like September too particularly when it's still warm during the day but cooler and darker in the evenings.  Candle time again (from stash) 😇
washed cushions and crochet blankets today to give them a freshen up ahead of Autumn.  The cat is affronted that "his" blanket is temporarily unavailable.

foxgloves

Aiming to pop back & chat later, but can see I'm going to need to put in some serious effort on kitchen witchery today. If I start with prepping everything for the slow cooker, then dinner can take care of itself & I can deal with other stuff. Can see that tomatoes defo need another pick. Hope to be posting up a decent list of frugal wins later.
Have a good day, all.
F x

scandimore

Many thanks for the recipe Foxgloves. Sounds healthy and yummy. I will give it a go.
Tomatoes have been rubbish for us this year. The squash and courgettes rotted before they got going. Very disappointing, has just been too wet here. Have joined a cropshare initiative instead as they have poly tunnels so not as subject to the weather.