Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

Makingabobor2

can't beat a toasted teacake on a winter day. Especially if you cover it in jam…LOL

liselle

Foodbanks will take household cleaners, even half-full products.

foxgloves

I didn't know they take part-used cleaning stuff, @liselle so thanks for that. We've made good progress through the box from my parents' house though, so I think we'll carry on with using everything up for now. Mum used to buy a bigger range of cleaning products that I do, as I like minimal stuff which does multiple jobs. It's saved us some money though, working through all the use-it-ups.

foxgloves

Dear Friday Frugalistas,

Not intending to do much this afternoon. Had hoped to do a bit of garden clearing but it has been raining all day so I will just have to wait for a drier opportunity at some point. Have got a few general budget-friendly tasks done:

*We pondered a Chinese takeaway tonight as a start of Valentine's weekend, but I hadn't budgeted for it so suggested I make a fakeaway. It's in the slow cooker (Asian beef with pak-choi) & Mr F chose a little pack of assorted oriental starters. I shall only need to add the pak choi much later & cook the rice. I think this will be a decent saving on a takeaway because although we did buy a brisket to chunk up (about £13), the recipe will provide sufficient for eating with noodles on Sunday plus some to freeze.

*The household linens load of laundry I did yesterday afternoon has dried on the heated airer with the usual boost from the dehumidifier.

*Fed sourdough jar. (I like to imagine I can hear it going. "nom nom")

*Did a few surveys. Lots of PA ones around, although I think some are asking for a fair bit of faffing around for below minimum wage atm, so I am not rushing to get involved in every one by any means. Like most participants, I tend to pick & choose. It will be a useful cash-out at the end of the month.

*Sowed aubergines (variety 'Money-maker) & peppers (variety 'Corno di toro') in recycled butter tubs, which are the perfect size for tessellating into my little heated propagator.

*First 2 jalapeno chilli seeds are just poking through this morning! 😄

I am intending to enjoy some time with my book this afternoon. Still reading 'Bog Queen'. The cats have finally settled down. Ash has been a little devil this morning, menacing poor Soot at every opportunity, then not liking it if he got well-deserved retaliatory swipe back. Then he was fussy with his breakfast because he saw me cutting up the brisket & thought he'd like some of that instead. Offers of a taste of beef were not forthcoming however, as he hadn't exactly covered himself in glory with his aggressive behaviour this morning. I think the sap is rising & all this rain is curtailing their usual levels of going outside to run off steam.

Really hoping the forecast is accurate & we are on for a dry day tomorrow as we have planned to go out for a snowdrop walk to celebrate St. Valentine's Day. A sparkle of frost would be good, but minimal sogginess, please.

Hope everyone is having a nicely frugal Friday.

F x

foxgloves

P.S...this is the slow cooker recipe book I'm using quite a lot at the moment. I originally borrowed it from the library to see if there were plenty of recipes I thought I would make & there were, so I bought a copy. The quantities seem quite generous. On 'Serves 4 to 6' recipes, that invariably means '4' in our household with Mr F's big appetite, but we always get 5 decent portions, even taking the resident caveman into consideration. The pinto bean chilli I made last night (also from this book) resulted in 3 good-sized spare portions for the freezer, so that will feel like a freebie for March's master meal plan.

Baileys_Babe

Thanks for the slow cook recipe book information, I've put a request in with the library to see if it will have recipes that will work for us.

foxgloves

Dear Readers,

Well here we are on another Monday. Enjoyable weekend. Saturday dawned bright & dry for our St Valentine's Day snowdrop walk at a reasonably local NT place. Spent some of Sunday sorting out my upstairs bookshelves. There were too many books for the 2 bookcases I have room for up there, but then I realised a 'shopping from home' opportunity was staring me right in the face....a single wooden book rack which I had on a windowsill bedecked with non-book items. Moved this to the top of a bookcase where it is now providing an additional shelf, neatly storing my 'to be read' pile. 3 more items added to the charity shop bag too.

Today has been my usual routine start to the week. 3 loads of laundry, baked a batch of wholemeal rolls, did Monday morning budget updates followed by my regular Mid-Month Budget Check-in. No nasty surprises. About £16 more than I thought we should have. £9 of this was because our new VM payment was not as high as I expected. Mr F negotiated a better deal recently, as their renewal figure was not to our liking & either we haven't understood when the higher payment kicks in or the advisor explaining it to Mr F didn't understand it. Shall be keeping an eye on it. Sent the £9 to our Leisure/Entertainment Pot anyway.

Any other budgetty bits & bobs? Ordered a fish box & made sure to note in my diary to include it in March's budget. Did a survey. Still ignoring the ones which seem to want the moon on a stick for way below minimum wage. Sorted out tomorrow's packed lunch & breakfast.

Not much effort required for tonight's nosebag. We are trying to use up the last of our December sack of potatoes atm, so I am intending to make cajun jacket wedges to serve with baked salmon fillets & peas.

More tiny chillies poking through. More seed sowing planned for this week.

Let's get our shizz together & see what we can achieve this week.

F x

foxgloves

Morning Campers,

Oh my days, it's not raining!! The forecast was accurate! We have blue sky & although it is very cold, the sun is trying. At last a gardening day. Have already tidied & re-set the kitchen, fortified myself with cereal & a banana & made pancake batter for later as I like to rest it. Just enjoying my first coffee of the day then I am going to tidy up the beds around our front courtyard. That will be a bit of a free bending & stretching session plus some much needed fresh air & contact with the earth & green things.

Wishing everyone a productive non-spendy day,

F x

Honeysucklelou2

Also looking forward to enjoying a gardening day today!

Makingabobor2

Yes...sunny here as well. Outside jobs are calling.