Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

PennysIntoPounds

What a productive day, you are definitely kicking bottom. I'm in that sort of mindset too, I think now it's November there's that feeling of wanting to be able to enjoy hibernatory/Christmas time without niggling annoyances of Things That Should Be Done, and as I said on my diary, I am not dragging not-dones into next year. Either it gets done, which is the preferable option, or it gets booted off the ongoing list. Things can be as good an idea as they like, but they can't be that essential or productive if they've been on the blimmin to-do list for months!

Blackcats

May I join in the productive week please?  I appreciate that I'm a day late (and probably a dollar short) but I'll get cracking on productivity tomorrow!  I have done a comprehensive list of things I'd like to have done by the end of November so I'm prepped and ready.

themadvix

I’m joining you too Foxgloves, although I’m not sure I have a particularly long to do list… Will have to have a think about things to progress.

Moorviews

I am in too. You have made a great start! Even though I haven’t been on the forum for a few days I must have been picking up the vibe. I shouldn’t need any shopping this week apart from my vitamins. The shoulder of pork that I roasted on Sunday will also be divided up into two further meals. We had it yesterday too but stir fry and hash will be my choices too. Several things have been annoying me so they will be on my list. I have two pairs of trousers to hem in order to wear them this winter - I dislike this job intensely. Not the sewing but getting the length right and cutting the fabric. Must steel myself! 

Makingabobor2

Looks like we're all on a mission this week, thanks to you FG. 
Time I put down my coffee and got started. 

Suffolk_lass

Re bags for life, I am still using one we bought in France when our son was about 14 - he's 32 and a half now! - it has those strong webbing handles that Sainsbugs use on their fruit coloured ones. I also have another from when he was 16, bought when I took him and a friend to France to celebrate the end of their GCSEs. My betting account (it's a long story) profits paid for 2 return flights and the accommodation. I used holiday money to buy food for us from the SM (a 07.00-23.00), one restaurant dinner and a hire car for the last day and drive back to Nice airport. 

Also savings pots. ALL of mine get shovelled into the instant access one behind the one that is part of the government party name. It pays 4.4% having just reduced from 4.75% but pretty good for my "Tilly tidying" (rounding down the current accounts to nice round numbers). Only the impending this month payments get left in the C/A.

I also keep things like screwed up soft paper in my packaging stash, along with some bubble wrap, and any much-prized tissue paper that arrives wrapped around stuff. It is brilliant for packing out hamper boxes, especially if they go to Scotland (Mum, nephew & Sis).

I was too late to give my not very big shopping list to DH yesterday - his haemoglobin level was too low by 3 points. The blood drop floated instead of sinking and they turned him away. Normally, his iron levels mean his blood sinks so fast it is in danger of breaking through the glass flask. He was shocked. So am I. More spinach, broccoli, and offal to be cooked. He has confirmed he will pay attention and take his winter multi-vitamin and one of my VD3 things daily too. He's a bit slack and lax about doing so!

Right, back to the studies...

foxgloves

@Makingabobor2 - I can't bear corned beef....the sort that comes in a tin. How on earth does it get to that consistency?! I expect home made is completely different. I have a recipe somewhere as I intended to give it a try. I remember it began with brining a big rib-eye steak in all sort of botanicals. Maybe something to try next year, I'll see.

@PennysIntoPounds - Yep, good idea. Much nicer to start to the new year with a clean slate where annoying jobs are concerned.

@Blackcats & @themadvix - Yes, do please join in on Mission Megally Productive Week. The more the merrier. It's a busy time of year & we will enjoy the next couple of months much better if we are all feeling nicely in control.

@Moorviews - I don't like altering trousers either, which is a nuisance with me being a mere 5'3 & a quarter! It means that regular trousers are all too long, but petite fitting ones are too short. At school, we used to shout out to kids with too short trousers 'Hey, why don't you spread some jam on your shoes & invite your trousers down to tea!' & of course thought it was the funniest thing ever in the history of comedy. However, I think not going around in too short trousers made its mark as I'd still rather have them too long than too short.

@Suffolk_lass - Yes, sounds like Mr S_L needs some iron. When I was a little girl, I thought the only thing which had iron in it was stout! This is because my Grandma was anaemic & swore blind that the Dr told her to drink it every day. Once I was older & studying nutrition at school, I challenged her on this & guess what?! The Dr had also told her to eat liver, spinach, dark leafy greens, & a range of other things, but she shut her ears to all the stuff she didn't like!
Re bags for life, yes they can last for ages, can't they? I suppose the clue's in the name, but it does surprise me just how long some of ours have been going.
F

Makingabobor2

I remember being told by the midwife to drink Guinness as I was anaemic during my 12t pregnancy in 1976. no way that was going to happen!  I stuck with liver and iron tablets....lol

foxgloves

Hello Money Savers,
Another productive day here & am looking forward to sitting down later to watch GBBO with Mr F & the cats.
Anyway, I shall get straight down to today's budget-helping activity without further ado:
*Garden pickings: Sorrel & mizuna.
*Made 2 batches of soup - sorrel with garlic, which is one I adapted from a watercress soup recipe & is particularly liked by Mr F, & leek & potato. I was slightly low on leek content so lobbed in the equivalent missing weight in marrow. Delicious! Had some for lunch, a jugful in the fridge for this week & 2 portions frozen.
*Made tomorrow's packed lunch & breakfast.
*Sieved annoying remains of a cereal packet to get rid of the powdery bits....this revealed a perfectly good bowl of flakes, which I ate for breakfast with a banana.
*Topped up various kitchen containers from stores - salt, yeast, etc.
*Removed a few more ripe cherry tomatoes from the ripening bag - almost done now.
*Fed sourdough jar.
*Did next week's meal plans, then........
*in view of the state of November's grocery budget, decided to make a list of meals for the rest of the month. We have plenty of food in, but we all know that it is at the planning stage that the bulk of grocery budget savings are made. In terms of proteins, we will need to buy a chicken & a £5 mix & match offer from our butcher, but everything else we already have in stock or would just need a very few ingredients to turn something from the freezer or pantry into a meal.
*Kept moving things around on the heated airer to get the thickest garments dried a bit quicker for less electricity use. As yesterday's 'gentle winds' were so gentle that they failed to provide even a hint of a blow for my pegged out washing, I ended up overloading the airer, so it's taken longer to dry than usual esp as it had bath sheets, jeans & 2 trousers, a hoodie & a chunky winter dress. Never mind, it's done now.
*Entered a competition.
*Did a survey.
*Small amount of present knitting over my lunch hour.
*A bit more Christmas prep - threatening Mr F with pants for Christmas AND birthday unless he provided me with his promised wishlist did the trick, so I have printed it off & already suggested a couple of items to my sister who asked me earlier this week. I feel I am a lot better equipped now to estimate how much of the Presents Pot will be required so will price up some of the items on his list & choose some to order. 
*Oh, & the box I found yesterday to use for a festive hamper? I have covered it with gold paper & cut out holly leaves & berries. Mr F rescued 3 big rolls of paper (gold, red & green) from a skip at work & with the waving about of a bit of geriatric gluestick, they have turned a cardboard box into something nicely cheery & festive, I had some shredded packing raffia in my recycled wrappings stash so I have filled it with that & can put it aside now until nearer the time when I will put Christmassy lid toppers on a selection of my home made preserves & fill it up. I think it will hold about 8 jars or 6 with a box of posh crackers.
I'm not sure how much tomorrow's productivity will be affected by having workmen busy going in & out but if nothing else, I can crack on with present knitting & sit with my laptop & price up some of the items on Mr F's list, & I do have the morning, so I am thinking positive. Also, they are coming to do a couple of jobs which badly need doing.
Wishing everyone a cosy evening.
F x

Makingabobor2

Another busy and productive day FG.  My tomatoes are finally ripening as well.   Strangely, once I took the banana out of the bag and used a different bag....a brown one as opposed to the white one I originally used, they started to turn red a bit. Still quite a few to go, but we are getting there. The cherry ones seem to ripen quicker than the plum ones. Although my cherry ones are more like grape size that cherry....lol
While we're on the gardening subject, can I pick your brain. As you know I am a relative newbie to fruit and veg growing.  I have some strawberry plants and not sure if I am supposed to cut them back before I cover them for winter or what. I read about doing the runners, but do I just leave the rest or cut them back before covering. Last year they were very small and I just covered them with fallen leaves and they were fine, but they have grown a lot bigger this year.