From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Cherryfudge

Wow - I've never (knowingly) heard a woodpecker here. Well spotted.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening MFW'rs

Cherryfudge - we are super lucky with the variety of birds here - certainly over the course of the year.  I was watching a female black-cap (actually, they have a brown cap), on next door's elderberry tree whilst I was making tea.  Absolutely marvellous.  

I made a keema cottage pie for tea - inspired by a recipe short on the beebeecee news site, which was for a Keema hotpot recipe.  Now, I know my limitations, and I never manage to get the potatoes cooked through and crispy on a hotpot, so Ieave that culinary delicacy to the Betty Turpin's of this world.  I followed the recipe for the keema base, and used plant-based mince, as the recipe author used, and then boiled up some potatoes - which made lovely soft and smooth mash.  It made one (generous) family pie and a smaller pie that will come in for DH & I's tea one night when it's just us two.  I served it with steamed green beans.  It got munched, and got a thumbs up, but I'm not sure I would make it again.  I suspect that it would be easier to make the keema sauce with the mince, and then use it to top a baked potato or some rice.  However, on this occasion, I also made an apple crumble (DH & LG went on a bike ride this afternoon and came across a box of cooking apple windfalls 'free to good home'), so the oven was pretty full.  The crumble will be served just now, with some ice-cream.

The washing came in dry just before tea (the sun was too low, and the temp was starting to change), DH folded it and put it away, whilst I finished off tea.  

In addition to the leftover keema cottage pie, there are 3 of the cooking apples left.  We've got a bit of a haul now, so I had better cook up some puree to freeze, so that we can have appley things a bit longer into autumn.

Ta for popping by.  Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Washing is out on the line.  It was a very cold start with us - first frost 🥶 and whilst we've lovely sunshine now, it's very still and the air temperature is chilly, so how the washing will fair, I've no idea.

I've been trying to plan some more for the holiday.  I keep on finding random museums/attractions that would be of interest to some or all of Fam. Greying.  Most frustrating (first world problem), as I'm trying to incorporate things to do with outward and homeward journeys - in order to give maximum time at the holiday location to 'do touristy things' whilst in that location.  I'm pondering about a PI stay on the journey back, in order to allow a full-day visit on the Friday.  But then I've found another museum of interest near to the PI location, and actually the town of the PI location is quite interesting, and, and, and................... 🤣  Lawks, I tire myself out with overthinking this stuff!  🤣  Is it me, or are museums increasingly relying on 'visit again within the year' to make entrance prices quite high?  I don't know if there is an average 'visit time' that visitors spend at attractions, but one museum that I looked at, doesn't actually open until 11am, and closes at 5pm.  It would be on our homeward journey, so we would still have 4hrs+ driving to do, so wouldn't want to be leaving any later than 2pm.  Maybe 3hrs would be enough to see everything, but it wouldn't be somewhere we could 'pop back to' within 12 months.  And the entrance fee isn't small beer - it'd be approx £30 for us all to visit.  

I'm definitely going to process some apples today.  They are too valuable to leave to moulder, and whilst I love all things 'appley', we do seem to have a glut, and then nowt to enjoy closer to Christmas, or even at Christmas itself.  We not into overly fancy food - and value such staples as Apples, pears and courgettes.  But we've already been lucky with apples this year, so need to store the bounty a little.  The one downside of windfalls is that they are less likely to keep.

Today should be a nsd.  I submitted our meter readings a little late - so the company estimated our useage, for the previous month.  They were nearly spot on with the gas, and slightly underestimated on the lecky, but at least we are still well in credit, so we shall wait and see if they start wanting to hike the DD again.  

Ta for popping in.  Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Right, I thought I was being clever (!) by thinking about the hols, and coming up with the wheeze, that instead of trying to crow-bar the 'extension' on the end of the hols (to avoid holiday traffic/spending 2 days of the week travelling), I investigated popping it on the start of the hols.  So far so good, two attractions that would float the boat of the 2/3rds majority of Fam. Greying, and which I could go along to as well (DH did ask if I would sit in the car with my knitting 🤣) and a PI nearby for £68 for a Sunday night.  Not the cheapest I have ever seen, but 'ok'.  DH likes the idea in principle, and we could always book the PI, and cancel if necessary (hopefully not).  I was just investigating booking and checking to see that an alternative (although not as convenient) PI wasn't cheaper (it wasn't), when my eye fell on a TL in the same convenient location for the two attractions.  I checked the date and it's £17 cheaper..........  Technically speaking, it is even closer to both attractions, but it is located near a trunk road/services (funnily enough the last TL we stayed at was too - Kendal 👍 - when LG was nowt but a wee scrap).  I'm pretty sure the PI is on a retail/industrial estate.  The tr1pAdv. reviews for the TL seem positive, and along the lines of "if you need a shower and a bed for the night, this ticks the boxes".  £17 is £17 too, right?

Minded to book the TL.  It would help, as well, because - purely hypothetically there is an attraction on the journey home, and if we could afford to go to it, an overnight stay (in a PI we've used before), could a) let us have the full time available at the attraction, and b) break up the home journey.  We would at least have £17 'saved' to put towards that.  BUT, costs are starting to mount up for a half-term break in the UK in October.........  

Funnily enough school emailed this morning with a reminder that I wasn't to forget to book my child's place on the half-term holiday club.......  I am genuinely pleased that the school have re-established some sort of provision, and it's not too bad price-wise, but it's a new provider who hasn't done holiday clubs nearby.  I do think if we weren't actually going away, I may have considered booking a day, at least.  LG may have loved it or loathed it, but it could have provided a bench-mark for future school holidays.  ie, are my organised days out boring  or interesting, in comparison to holiday clubs at school? 🤔

I have processed a load of apples.  I've stewed them (rough chopped and skin left on), so they will be ok for crumbles/steam pudd.  I've got approx 3 and a half 'takeaway' containers from the apples I've cooked.  Not too bad considering they were differing sizes, had grot bits to trim off.  

I think the washing will be fully dry when it comes in.  I've had to move it around to gain maximum exposure to the sun, but if it yields a dry load, then it's worth it.

Right, best get cleared up from cooking and then it'll be school run time.

Greying X

themadvix

In my experience, a TL is an OK bed for the night if it hasn't been refurbed recently, but the ones that have been are very similar to a PI - just feel a little bit nicer. Unless the TL looks really dire, we'll opt for the TL over a PI if it's cheaper.

You've reminded me I need to get the washing in - I thought about this an hour ago and promptly forgot!

Greying_Pilgrim

themadvix said:

In my experience, a TL is an OK bed for the night if it hasn't been refurbed recently, but the ones that have been are very similar to a PI - just feel a little bit nicer. Unless the TL looks really dire, we'll opt for the TL over a PI if it's cheaper.

You've reminded me I need to get the washing in - I thought about this an hour ago and promptly forgot!

Thanks love.  I'm going to double check my facts and the TL comments section, before seeing if DH thinks it's a workable way of doing things.  The comments section seemed favourable and consistent ie "OK for the price".   I did look at whether a TL could work for the other end of the holiday, but unfortunately, there isn't one as well located.  One TL option was fully booked and another that was nearby-ish (you know, when a city has 3 or 4 outlets dotted about), was only slightly cheaper (than the better placed PI - which we've used before), and there was the possibility that there would have been at least some portion of our stay that would have incurred chargeable car-parking.  So in that instance, although the PI is slightly more money... £13??? it's better located, and the parking is 'free'.

So, I think on the way down, we shall opt for the TL for one night.  It is near to the two attractions that we want to visit, and will enable us to spend a good amount of each day taking everything in, and is about an hour away from our holiday accommodation.  Then on the way back, we will either (if the money has run out), go home directly, or we will leave the accommodation, travel to a museum that will be of interest, spend as much time as we need/can there, and then travel the short distance to the PI.  The following morning we will travel on home.  I will book the 'amendable' options at either hotel.  We have had to change plans in the past, and they are not hotels that we could easily use 'for a day trip' if that makes sense.  We're considering them because they are en route either to or from our (main) holiday destination.  

It is adding costs to the week - but it is also making a pretty robust 'holiday', with plenty of experiences built in, plus, potentially, still time to relax and watch the sunset, or have breakfast on the decking. There are still options for free/low-cost sites and attractions too.  

Tea was vegetable and red kidney bean chilli with rice and steamed broccoli.  I have made another vat of tomato vegetable sauce, some of which went into the chilli, and I will pot up the rest to put in the freezer.  There was a small portion of chilli left over too.  I only used Gochujung in the chilli, which is a nice heat without fieryness.  Clean plates all round (no mean feat, as LG isn't usually a fan of chilli).  

Ta for popping in, and for your support.  Appreciated.

Greying X

themadvix

Can I come? Sounds like you’ll have a cracking time! 😁

VintageHistorian

I just had a look on TCB and it looks like TL can be done through them. It's only 1.7% cashback so you'll only get pennies but it all helps.

peb

I stay at either, taking into account location and price.  I may of course have been lucky but all have been fine.

As well as distance from locations I do also see if there's something in the area - last place had a coop within walking distance so I could buy milk for a decent cup of tea and sorting out the next days flask plus a takeaway in case I decided to get a hot meal after a full day working and a (what turned out to be) a three hour drive. I didn't - I took salad but the option was there.

I've started to use them to break up drives - but to me time is precious so setting off after work to get a good chunk of the drive done and arrive fairly early/fresh on the day helps me.

Greying_Pilgrim

Thanks VH - will have to register, but you're right, every little helps 😁

peb - Thank you for mentioning your experience.  From what I can recall about the (only) TL we stayed in, it was basic, but perfectly fine.  I can't remember if it had no TV, or very limited channels, but we've had that in PI's too, so can't hold that against it.  I think, from what was said in the comments, the TL  I'm currently considering is in the vicinity of some fast food outlets - which actually may be an option for 'tea' - certainly something to consider, as it'd be a novelty for us.  Plus I know that the PI I'm considering (if we do end up going there), has a MrT (medium size) a 10 minute walk away.  I too went there and bought milk for the flask for the homeward journey 😁 Incorporating them into our holiday would hopefully help in not travelling in peak commuter traffic, and would certainly help us to maximise time spent at museums/attractions, rather than having to leave early in order to then set off on a long drive home.  

Greying X