Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

foxgloves

Hello Diary Readers,
Quite a busy day so far - these are the money saving bits:
*Sowed aubergines - had seeds left from last year so no need to buy. Used a spread tub with holes pierced in the base, as these are a good size for tessellating into my little heated propagator.
*Made chicken soup using some of the stock I made yesterday & roast chicken leftovers from Sunday. A good round-up of veg went into it too. Some for Mr F's packed lunch tomorrow & some for the freezer. Also made a small batch of cream of celery to use some of our current surplus of skimmed milk plus some celery which I couldn't see getting used over the coming week.
*Packed the hand knitted socks I made for Mr F into the presents bag. Nice to see this collection of gifts growing over the year, especially handcrafted items, which really do need to be made earlier in the year to avoid a mad rush in December.
*Surveys.
*Re-enforced section of bra underwire casing is so far holding up well (which is helping with other things being held up!)

@EssexHebridean - Yes, Mr F likes that brand (Y*o), also 'T*m's Da*ry, both of which often used to be on offer. We routinely used to buy 4 large pots of yoghurt each week but cut it to two when the prices shot up & now it's usually just a pot for me, as if there are any offers, you can guarantee it's a flavour he doesn't eat. I always say it's fine to choose one that isn't on offer, but he is a stubborn b*gger & says he'd rather eat fruit than pay those prices.
@marionmgcars - Great idea for filling bird feeders. I decided on Sunday that I need a funnel (while I was spraying peanuts around the courtyard trying to fill the feeder) so I decided to cut down a squash bottle as soon as it's empty. Your photo reminded me that I need to do this - thanks.
@Sun_Addict - Very good price. Am surprised they had any, with all the articles I'm now seeing online about shortages. 
@WinterWarrior - That's another reason why I like to grow the long red pointy ones! They are always more expensive to buy, yet I don't really find that they are any more difficult to grow.

Well, I am going to have a bit of assorted leisure activity time this afternoon. Mr F is on one of his occasional mega-long shifts & won't be home until so much later, I will most likely be in bed. I intend to amuse myself watching 'Bank of Dave', doing piano practice, knitting (have sorted out lots of oddments of sock yarn from my stash to make some free socks....just a project I can pick up & do whenever I feel like it, as I have another main project ready to cast on at some point soon, once I've studied the pattern), finishing my current book & choosing another from my reading pile & fussing Soot & Ash. Soot is a very clever cat. He keeps sneaking into the pantry & trying different methods to get the clip off the cat biscuit bag. I keep chucking him out, so this morning, when I heard him in there trying to bite the clip off the bag, I was surprised to see that the pantry doors were only open by about 4cms. Soot is a big cat & could in no way fit through a gap even double that size......which leads me to suspect that his deviousness has gone up a level & he is somehow managing to close the door so I am less likely to discover him. I had to swap to using a clip on the bag because he worked out by trial & error that if he knocked the bag over, then put both front paws down on it hard, like a pounce, the resulting puff of air was sometimes sufficient to open the plastic closure strips. So far, I'm one step ahead of him.....although for all I know, he could be down there now wondering if paws are capable of operating scissors!!
Almost zero effort for tonight's meal - I fancied avocado pasta, so that's exactly what I'm having. I will use up some yoghurt for dessert & might make a latte.......all will be consumed by 8pm though, as we are on Day 2 of TRE (14:10).
Bye for now,
F x

Makingabobor2

Gosh you have been busy again. I need to give my self a kick up the backside today. Definitely not one of my most productive days.   
Enjoy Bank of Dave. We watched it the other day and it's very good.

marionmgcars

Oh great idea to cut down a plastic bottle to use to fill the bird feeders.  I’ll have to grab my next empty from the recycling x

WinterWarrior

Poor Soot! Mine have wet food and biscuits out all the time, but try to get Dreamies and stickies on demand. They are supposed to just have Dreamies at bedtime, but this means nothing to them and any step towards the bedroom leads to a vocal stampede in that direction 😅 one of them has trained MrWW to give him Dreamies in the dining room too. 

I really must look into pepper and tomato growing now, I’m not very green fingered, but may have more chance growing than purchasing 😬

Suffolk_lass

Hmm! my cat wet food for stealth cat has not materialised and I am fully expecting the big river people to tell me it is no longer available; either that size and the in jelly variety. No lettuce for my order last week and no plain GS yogurt last week or this. I have had to resort to making ginger nuts too, as none in the own brand variety. 

My make-do funnel is an old OHP Acetate with some duct tape on it. It fits on all different sized jars with a wide top I can pour against

Tescodealqueen

Can I pick your brains talking about peppers (though the ones I got were the same price as usual last time I bought them). I randomly decided to plant some of the seeds in a plant pot on the windowsill and they have grown to about 4 inches tall. I don’t have a greenhouse so not sure where I go from here. Do I have to pick off any of the leaves like you do with tomatoes? Not sure if they will come to anything but would like to learn 

foxgloves

Just remembered I said I'd post a pic of the socks I've just finished knitting for the presents bag. A no-spend gift, as my friend gave me the sock yarn when she was having a craft clearout.
F x

Makingabobor2

You really are talented and what lovely colours. 

Sun_Addict

The socks are beautiful. 

I notice the media are enjoying the lack of fruit and veg, it was all over the news this morning. That’s the panic buying set off just like at the start of the pandemic. So annoying 😡

Suffolk_lass

They are lovely. I caught myself thinking "I could make some Dennis (the Menace) socks using the yarn I had for crocheting poppies that has been languishing since 2018 in my sewing box. Then I beat some sense into myself. I don't have time for this (yet) and at the start of the bee season (they are very active already) I need to pay attention!