From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Greying_Pilgrim

Morning MFW'rs

Dreich start with us.  I've no washing out despite the baskets being full 😬

We're on HT now.  We're not going off anywhere, although DH is on leave.    All LG's peers are jetting off to the sun 😬.  

We're going to have a look at a new (to us) car this morning.  It's over the available budget 😬  Seems to be 'higher' mileage - especially since we weren't supposed to be travelling anywhere in c'vid times, and I'm afraid salespeople, of any genre, bring me out in hives.........

Tea last night was a 'bitsa' boofey.  I used some of the smoked tofu I picked up in MrL a couple of weeks ago.  I made some coleslaw from the last of the white cabbage (MrS waste box??), there was cucumber slices, lettuce leaves and a garlicky/mayo/yoghurt drizzle - plus a pack of wheat wraps.  I also cubed up the last few white potatoes from the bag and roasted them in the oven.  They were either the very dregs of the Easter tatties, or some from a waste box.  I needed to take a few sprouts off, but otherwise they were fine.  There were a few lettuce leaves and a dollop of coleslaw left over, but otherwise clean plates.  LG liked the smoked tofu, so that's a plus.  We had a fakey cornettoey for pud.  Unfortunately, in trying to put the ice-creams back in the freezer, I'd had to remove a tub of sausage casserole, and as I picked it up to return it, I caught the tub on the door and it slipped out of my hand and landed on the floor.  It did what frozen plastic, holding frozen casserole, does, and shattered into a zillion pieces 🙄 There was no way I could safely transfer the casserole into another tub, as there could have been shards of plastic in it ☹️So that got ditched in the bin ☹️  What a blessed waste.  Naturally it was the meal size tub, and not the leftover smaller tub 🙄  What's the point of me eking out everything and using things up in one meal, only to cast perfectly good food to the floor at the same time 🙄  I was so mad with myself.  The whole point of a small grocery budget was to throw money at the windows/replacement car pot.  And here I am sabotaging myself!  

We will have to see what this car offers to work out how it will/won't affect money available for the windows.  And for sure we'll have to indulge in a little 'pot borrowing'.  But we need a replacement car - so what do you do.  

Onwards.

Can't think of anything MSE to add, so best go and get ready.  Ta for popping by.

Greying X

Blackcats

I hope looking at the potential replacement car is a helpful exercise - one way or the other.

how is it that things that fall seem to suffer a disproportionate amount of damage and things that spill seem to spread far beyond what might be expected?  A glass with about an inch of apple cider vinegar in it got knocked over by me last week and the stinky liquid seemed to slither into the furthest corners of the work surface.  Despite cleaning I'm sure I can still smell it 🤢

you've done really well with your reduced grocery budget.  Any saving will help.

Sunshine_girl2

GP half term here for my 3 DGC , picked them up yesterday lots of people going abroad Mexico and Turkey were faves . We are at home for the two weeks as well, we will be doing cinema, indoor play  area , park and walks . Plus maybe a trip to the seaside for chips 🍟. 

Greying_Pilgrim

Blackcats - ain't that the truth, milk is another fave for going everywhere and quickly turning into green yoghurt in all the inaccessible places 🤢

Sunshine_girl2 - can I come on hols to yours please?  All those activities sound just the ticket 😁 And chips at the seaside, 🤗 Heaven 😁

Well, we appear to have bought a - new to us - car.  It's more than we wanted to pay really, and we only got 'scrap' price trade-in for ours (not surprised at that), So operation 'tighten another belt notch' starts...... now ☹️🙄Thinking about holidays, we're not particularly interested in the 'European/meditteranean' short-hop breaks, so don't feel envious of school peers - per se - but if we did like those sort of holidays, I'm not sure how we could juggle everything; having a holiday, replacing the car, replacing windows etc (similar issues other householders face) - certainly not without budgetting.  We prioritise a vehicle over vacations I suppose - and use that vehicle to go on day trips within the UK.  In the short-term the new car will be a curb on our cycling adventures, as it doesn't have a tow bar.  In the longer term, of course that can be added.  The destination of choice in our school district neck of the woods appears to be Portugal.  

We've munched lunch - cheese, coleslaw and lettuce sangers and the last of the crisps. 

I forgot to say, T3sc0 clubcard vouchers came yesterday.  DH still gets printed ones, but mine are online (although they are the same voucher, confusingly 🙄).  I may well add this voucher into my May grocery budget.  It's only £3.50 - which can buy some groceries, but is an irrelevance in terms of partner offers, as we currently don't have any other vouchers.  It would maybe cover milk and maybe some mid-week fruit though, so it's probably the best use for it.  I'll think on.  

 I think I'm going for a lie-down in a darkened room.  

Greying X

rtandon27

Congrats on the new to family Greying car!  Transportation is a necessity even for a belt & braces lifestyle, at the very least it will relieve the mental pressure of an unreliable car.  

LotsOfTea

Another one staying at home for half term here 🙋. I know it can seem like everyone's going away but it's probably more that those with exciting plans tend to talk about them whereas those of us just mooching around at home don't mention it as much.

DS and I have treated ourselves to a pajama day today and not worried about activities or chores or homework. Or even getting dressed, we are staying in our jimjams all day 😁 We've all been busy over the last half term and today I've enjoyed reading & drinking tea and DS has enjoyed watching telly and gaming. Life's so full of things to do and we're constantly made to feel guilty if we're not making the most of every moment. I think allowing yourself to do nothing is an act of rebellion against the prevailing culture of productivity at all costs. Plus I'd much rather be on my sofa than in an airport! I don't think people jetting off to exciting places are actually having a better time than me. I've got some nice bubble bath so I'm going to Casa Tea spa retreat later and will even go for a bit of extreme sports and read in the bath (never dropped a book yet!). 

We don't really have much in the way of plans for the break but we'll probably watch a film on TV together and make popcorn, play a few board games maybe. Bake some cake. I've just had an idea, maybe we can make our own posh afternoon tea. DS made scones for food tech at school recently so he can use his new found skills there. We can bake some cake too and make little sarnies. And a trip to the supermarket to buy anything we need will be a good excuse to drag him out for a walk! 

@Greying_Pilgrim I feel your pain on the shattered frozen meal. The same has happened to me a couple of times over the years and it's so bleeping annoying, not least because you've lost the food, the time it took to make it and the useful plastic container. It's very hard to maintain a zen-like calm when inanimate objects seem to be against you! I hope the rest of your day is better.

edinburgher

£5 coffee? My once a week treat place is £3.95 including an "optional" 4% service charge (quotes because who takes off an xx pence service charge)? It's pretty hipster tho, I justify it as getting me through overtime afterwards 😅

Greying_Pilgrim

LotsOfTea - on my way back from Sunshine_girl2's, I'm gonna call in at yours!  Super laid back plans - and as for the HM 'afternoon tea' idea - yes, yes, YES!!!  Super idea! 

Yes, the shattered tub was irritating - and yes, unfortunately it wasn't my first dropped/lost meal either ☹️  The floor was vinyl - rather than concrete - but it still couldn't cope with the weight of the frozen block from 1m or so. 

We had lentil bolognese and pasta for tea tonight.  Precooked lentils and precooked tommie sauce.  Clean plates all round as it's a family fave.  Yoghurt for pud. 

I am worried - no, not worried, that's too much - I'm concerned that we'll have enough 'fresh' foodstuffs this week - to keep meal interesting as much as anything.  But that's the challenge, eh?  I'm definitely going to add in the £3.50 voucher for MrT.  It's not my favourite shop, but it will help, and it only takes my May budget up to........what?  £166-ish?  Still mega tight, so not a cheat as such.  And frankly, had I earnt another n*ctar £2.50 worth in the interim, I'd have deployed that, so......... 

Ta for popping by.  Lovely to see fellow MFW'rs - your support is appreciated, as always.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Breezy start with us, but dry at least.  First washing load is out on the line, and the second load is currently washing.  

DH and LG are gardening - well, in between coming in requesting drinks and overcoats and drinks and....... 🙄

I'm going to make some cakes just now, for eating and for the freezer as I have eggs to utilise, and no spare cash to buy 'snacky' extras this week.  

I'm thinking soup may be a good lunch option - currently lentil soup is the front-runner in my mind.

Reading about edinburgher's energy use, i looked ours up.  I knew we hadn't used much gas last month - but I hadn't actually realised that the daily standing charge cost more than the actual gas that we used in the billing period 🙄

Right, can't think of anything else MSE at the mo.  

TTFN, Greying X

teapot2

Morning Greying, re energy use, in the summer months both my gas and leccy use cost less that the standing charge in my monthly bills - very galling.