Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

Sun_Addict

I had a tomato plant in the sick bay which has suddenly started growing with a vengeance over the past few days. Glad I didn't throw it out. 

foxgloves

Hi Frugal Friday Friends,
I'm glad the crazy dream about wiring 100s of tiny hand knitted bees to my plants caused amusement. I think the message from my subconscious was maybe not to "fiddle while Rome burns"....with a dash of not wearing woolly outerwear in June!

@Sun_Addict - It's been a really odd Spring in my greenhouse. I do have a theory now, which may or may not be the cause of it. I'll pop a post up at some point for any interested gardeners. 

A pleasantly useful day today, which got off to a good start with me not being first up so didn't have to deal with the stealth puke left at the foot of the stairs. Anyway, today's efforts in a nutshell.......
*Went into town with a list. Doesn't that always create a bit of focus? 
*Took advantage of local butcher's 5 for £20 mix & match offer as Mr F is champing at the bit to have a BBQ tomorrow as a reward for all the compost sack carrying he is going to be doing. There'll be more than we need so plenty will be frozen for further meals. Also bought a brisket as don't often see them & I am intending to do pulled BBQ beef in the slow cooker at some point. It makes plenty so we'll get a decent amount of meals from it.
*Treated myself to a couple of magazines. Now, back in the day, as I am sure I told you in my first diary, I had a shocking magazine habit. I don't buy even a quarter as many these days & when I do, it is from my Personal Spends so no effect on the budget. I find it hard to believe I am the same person who back in the Spendy Era would be worrying about her bank cards being blocked for 'insufficient funds' while still frittering insane amounts a week on magazines, but it is true....that silly splurger was very definitely me!
*Had a while to wait for the eco-refill shop to open so went for a coffee in our new fave coffee shop. I am trying to eat more healthily & was amazed to reacquaint myself with the concept of ordering a skinny cappuccino without a scone or cake. I briefly found myself trying to self-convince that a toasted teacake was basically just a modest bread roll, but I resisted in favour of the food I'd already written in my journal, & you know what? There wasn't a fatality, I didn't faint or fade to a husk, in fact I enjoyed a nice drink & was perfectly OK until breakfast when we got home & Mr F made squashed eggs on toast. Money saved too.
*Eco-refill shop for some household fill-ups plus bulghur & coriander seed. Didn't take my usual extra couple of pots so was not in a position to be swayed by the siren voices of chocolate brazils or chilli peanuts.
*Found a pad of bargainaceous origami paper at the charity bookshop. This can be quite difficult to find when one doesn't use certain big online companies & it honestly looks as though only 1 sheet had been used......I reckon someone was gifted it & couldn't do origami. I can only make a couple of simple things but I wanted some of this pretty paper as I am no longer buying any plasticised ribbon & want to put handmade paper stars or flowers on my parcels instead. When I try to make something which isn't a star, you will probably be able to hear the cursing from wherever you are! 
*Entered a competition.
*Found a local NT event next month which is free & appeals to both of us, so with about 15 miles petrol for the round-trip, free parking & free entry, that sounds like a winner & we might take a picnic. Oh & I must remember to sort out a new flask as we still haven't done that after Mr F's embarrassing car showroom flask smashing disaster a while back.
*Emptied out big containers on our front courtyard & replanted with overwintered geraniums & fuchsia plus a selection of bedding plants I grew from free or saved seeds - cerinthe, evening primrose "silky orchid" & rudbeckia. I'd intended to pop to the village garden centre to buy a few petunias for this, but decided to save the money as we do still need to spend a fair bit on compost to get this big new raised bed filled.
*Saved the Spring bulbs from the above pots.....not the tulips as I can't get a decent re-flowering from those, but the mini-daff bulbs 'Sailboat' & the fab hyacinths should be fine for replanting. The hyacinths were very sexy indeed......a glorious purple variety called 'Woodstock'. I can recommend them to anyone wanting a bit of vivid-coloured Spring oomph next year. 
*Squished a vine weevil. Yes, that IS money saving because they kill my container plants & also fix their greedy eyes on our strawberry roots.....& cost me 3 lots of £10.49 per year on bloody nematodes. 
*Mr F is strongly eyeing some or other nerdy box-set (£60). I have said if he doesn't need to get his eager mitts on it instantly, it could be bought from the Presents Pot & put away for his birthday. Was thinking this would be a double win....for him because he wouldn't have to use his Personal Spends, & for me because it's a present usefully put away which I know he really wants. 
Right, well the little rain shower we've just had seems to have gone over. If the reading bench isn't looking knicker-soakingly wet, I think I will go out there with my book & try to finish the last few chapters. This one has been a ghosty/historical (Barbara Erskine), I have a Scandi-crime one in a series I'm reading from the library lined up for my next book. 
Hope your day has been filled with Friday-ness. 
F x

foxgloves

@Makingabobor2 - Re making tomato pasta sauces....there must be hundreds of recipes online. Very easy & freezes well too so if you find one you like, it's worth making a batch. I use Carluccio's recipe when I have lots of fresh home grown tomatoes. At other times I mostly make one with tinned or my own bottled tomatoes. Some recipes involve roasting tomatoes first, which works well if you have a lot, others involve cooking onions, garlic & sometimes other veg in a bit of oil before chucking in the tomatoes, herbs & seasoning & simmering. Then it's just zizzed up into a sauce. Couldn't be easier. 
F

Makingabobor2

I miss read that and thought you had said Mr FG had more than enough compost and some would be frozen for future meals......lol.  Thought you were bulking your mince out with compost now to save money......LOL

foxgloves

Yes, I've just re-read that, @Makingabobor2, & I can see that it is perhaps a little ambiguous.
F

KajiKita

The previous habits and spends on magazines resonated strongly here … 😉
I’m impressed by your restraint in the coffee shop but what are ‘squashed eggs on toast’? #intrigued … 🤔
Soooo jealous of your rain! We’ve barely had a drop here since late March … 

KK

rtandon27

...I too am wondering about squashed eggs on toast...
...perhaps akin to our squidgy eggs in a roll? - not quite hard boiled eggs broken open in bread to reveal a slightly soft yolk?

foxgloves

Eh? Lol, I thought everyone ate squashed eggs on toast.
1. Soft-boil an egg.
2.Make toast & butter it.
3.Peel egg & squash it onto the toast
4.Eat!
Fx

KajiKita

Do you eat the squashed egg hot or cold ….? Is there salt or marmite involved? 🤔

😉

KK

foxgloves

Hot. It's a breakfast. Marmite is not involved.