Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

foxgloves

@weenancyinAmerica - Lots of people over here plant their avocado stones, but they are really only any good for houseplants in our climate. Over 2,000 avocados on your Gran's tree sounds awesome!
About 30 or so miles away from where I live, there's a historic walled garden (Easton) which specialises in sweetpeas. They grow loads of different varieties & promote the fortnight when they are at their best to visitors. It's lovely going to look round, take a picnic & make a note of favourite varieties to try. They sell their own saved seed in pretty tins, which I often buy gardening friends for gifts. Last July when we visited, I bought two varieties - 'Almost black' & 'Watermelon' because I wanted a striking contrast, & they do look really pretty. I always sow mine in October in big yoghurt pots & over-winter them in our unheated greenhouse.
Another hot day here today - the forecast initially got me excited for at least a bit of thunder, lightning & rain, but both yesterday & today, we seem to have missed it & just have heat in the day & muggy nights.
F

foxgloves

Afternoon Campers!
I kind of wish I WAS camping. Shame I fell through the tent last time & it had to go to the tip!
It's been a very routine Monday, as usual, as I like to set us up for the week ahead, but I've been productive. Today's small money saving wins:
*2 loads of laundry drying out on the whirlygig for free.
*Baked a wholemeal loaf.
*Performed chicken-stretching duties: Mr F made Madhur Jaffrey's whole spiced Indian chicken last night, which we ate with home made garlic rice. I've divvied up the leftovers & there's enough to serve cold tonight with an Indian new potato side dish, also to stuff into pitta breads with stir-fried veg on Weds night. I made some into a sandwich for tomorrow's packed lunch & divided the rest between 2 containers of leftover garlic rice & froze, as they will be useful microwaveable work lunches for Mr F at some point.
*Cut a bunch of home grown coriander
*Did Monday morning budget updates & made a couple of payments to credit cards to keep budgets straight.
*Checked for surveys - very thin on the ground so far.
*Phoned fish company to say we shan't need a fish box this time around, as checked freezer list & we have sufficient left to last until next time. Glad I checked (& double-checked with Mr F, who knew of some more fish in the freezer which I'd missed) as this will be more money kept in July's budget when I come to set it.
*Did tomato plant maintenance - did I tell you my fist ever job, aged 15, was on a small-holding during tomato season? I worked mornings & arrived home slarmed in green tomato leaf dye. Mum & Dad didn't have a shower back then, so I'd jump straight in the bath & watch the water turn bright green! Anyway, I digress......I side-shooted them all again, except the bush variety & tied in those that needed it.
*Make-do-&-mend - Found ourselves almost buying a new food cover the other week at my favourite very tempting garden centre. The only problems with our existing one is that one of the corners needs mending & it needs a wash. Intend to do both this afternoon. If the mend doesn't hold, then I'll have a new one, but I will try a repair first.
*Still working my way through the several bags of cotton wool balls/pads my friend gave me. Topped up my bathroom cabinet supplies this morning - it's going to feel weird when I've finally used them all & actually have to revert to buying some!
Well, that's me for the day. I did say it was routine & not exciting, but I'm happy enough with what I've got done today, especially considering I woke at something-past-4 this morning, as it was so hot. 
Take care, m'dears,
F x

Blackcats

Sounds like a productive Monday.
the heavens have just opened here - thunder, lightening and hailstones.  Luckily I'd taken the washing off the line about 5 minutes before.  

rtandon27

Happy Monday FG - very impressed with your chicken stretching skills!

weenancyinAmerica

I've been crocheting cotton pads that I can wash (use a wash bag I bought in England 40 years ago to wash them in) instead of using cotton pads. Use a lot in summer to apply cornflour (our corn starch) to combat heat rash. Haven't had to worry about it yet this year. We haven't had any heat. Our hottest month is usually September. Using up a lot of little bit of yarn this way.

Sun_Addict

My DD has grown a plant from an avocado stone, it’s quite big now. Not a very exciting plant though just leaves. 

milann

I’m with you in coming to a halt when the temperature gets toward mid 20s. Im actually just enjoying lying in a shaded room with all the windows open creating a beautiful draft. If only it could stay  like this all day.
It was quite surreal yesterday….the sky was black. Thunder was rumbling and repeated flashes of lightning in the distance. I was watching the live scenes of the celebration of City’s Treble Victory on tv with the torrential rain and aware that it was heading my way….it was with me about 10 minutes after seeing the crowds getting drenched in town. You could see it heading my way. It didn’t even particularly clear the air.
I love sweet peas. The garden you mentioned sounds amazing. Is it NT by any chance?

Suffolk_lass

I haven't been to Easton Walled Gardens for about five years - we also love it and have followed its re-emergence over the last 15-20 years of periodic visits. We are back in Rutland next month

foxgloves

@milann - No, not NT - an easy walk, nice shop & coffee and a popular attraction during snowdrop & sweetpea season. If you are on the A1 & fancy a coffee, cake & a leg-stretch, it's a good stop too.

@Suffolk_lass - Yes, it's a pretty place to visit & nicely laid back too. We had a Friends membership until this year, when we decided we ought to drop a few things because of the unknown quantity of the wretched energy bills. Will probably re-join next year as it doesn't need many joint visits to make the subscription back. The little tins of sweetpea seeds make a nice gift for gardening friends. I like to choose two different varieties each year, but the 2 I've got flowering now ('Almost black' & 'Watermelon') look so striking together, I may got for the same again. I don't have much luck with saving sweetpea seed, as the pods seem to go mouldy, which would imply that they are not getting sufficiently dry, even though they look perfectly ripe, but I keep trying.
F

foxgloves

Morning Campers!
Another hot day here, but not as muggy as the previous two & the resident weather forecast follower assures me there is rain due next week. Rather a laid back day here today, as I don't like to rush around in the heat. I'm keeping the money-saving faith with plenty of old-style activity. So far, I have.......
*Baked a batch of bread rolls (our 'Foxgloves Manor house dough'.....300g wholemeal to 200g white flour) which are just out of the oven.
*A little bit of a free stretching session removing a trug of weeds & forking over the area to remove concealed bindweed roots.
*Selected 6 meals from the month's worth of meals I planned a couple of weeks ago. For the 7th meal, Mr F is very keen to have a BBQ to take advantage of a sunny evening. I'm fine with that. Have suggested we use our local butcher again as his prices are amazing, & cook enough chicken to eat cold with salad & new potatoes the following day. That worked well last time & saved using the oven when we had already got the charcoals hot enough to cook another day's worth of food.
*Wrote grocery shopping list & started list for town.....I haven't been in for a while & need all sorts of random bits & bobs.
*Postponed planned trip to Lincoln as when we thought about it, all I absolutely need to go there for atm is a BodyS**p refill & Mr F only wanting to browse HMV. Decided that this isn't a very good use of petrol & parking charge so will go at another time.
*Prettied the reading bench area of the garden up for summer - used the old throw from last time & the vintage bunting my sister made for me. Have added a nice container planted with a geranium to the little table & it all looks nice without any temptation to spend money on more things.
*Decided I need to be taking advantage of the weather by starting to get large items laundered while I can dry them outside for free. Made a start this morning with 2 hand crocheted blankets. 
*Did some surveys - none of them big payers, but I am up to over £26 with June's PA earnings & plenty of the month still to go, so it does all add up.
*Was delighted to discover that after this bit of weight loss (7.9kg in total but next Weigh-in due any day), I can now fit in a nice black lace bra which was practically brand new when I decided there was basically a surfeit of Foxgloves boobs for available fabric & stopped wearing it. It now fits well & so I shan't need to buy another one, which I had planned to do imminently. The bra which I reinforced in 2 further places has not had any more issues with errant wires so that is back in regular wear too, which is good because it is a nice one.
Still to do:
*Last of this week's rubber chicken meals as will be making stuffed spicy pittas tonight & serving with salad.
*Pick a bunch of coriander & a few radishes.
*Make tomorrow's packed breakfast. Have got something out of the freezer for packed lunch.
*Mr F has put his hand up for feeding & watering veg tonight.
*Knit a bit more of my shawl. I need to study the instructions once I've completed the current mini-bobble section, as it looks as though I need to cast the whole thing off, apart from 3 sts at each end (circular needles) before immediately casting back on again through the double cast off loops. Hmmm. I will look at the picture closely too, as it sounds as though the aim of this is to create some sort of decorative ridge. Maybe it's the bit I will attach the 2nd row of tassels to at the end? Defo some studying of pattern required!
There may be other odds & ends of tasks too as the day progresses.
Soot seems more like his normal self today. He has not been right for the last couple of days. Off his food, which is unheard of for him, as he's usually a well-honed furry eating machine. He doesn't like hot temperatures - I don't think being all black helps - & we think it may have been 2 problems. First, we suspect he didn't drink sufficient water on Sunday given how hot it was & may actually have felt generally poorly by Monday. Second, there has been some unusual nervy behaviour - being unconfident when going out into the garden, looking around him all the time & not venturing far, being reluctant to use his feeding station, etc, so we think that on Sunday night, an interloper may well have come through the cat flap & been licking their bowls. Ash is fine. He is a sun-worshipper & has also lived semi-feral so he is used to the existence of other felines. Soot had been totally an indoor house-cat until last Spring when he realised there was a whole new world outside the back door, so he is completely thrown when he sees another cat in the garden. Anyway, he does seem to be back to meowing for food, ate all of his breakfast pouch & we are hoping we have avoided the vet. I do have the Meow Fund, but would like it to remain intact to help with any big future cat emergency that may crop up. 
Well, m'dears, that's quite enough yakking from me. Wishing you all a pleasant peaceful day.
F x