From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Cheery_Daff

Greying_Pilgrim said:

Agreed beanie - the wasps were more 'creepy' in a way.  But I've only just learnt recently how they react to light.  We had a wasp in the kitchen - again, we were up early and it was dark.  It must have been in the washing, and started buzzing around, and it went to the lightbulb - literally like a moth would.  It would take no amount of guiding towards the window, and kept returning to the light.  So luckily, DH was with me, and we decided to open the window, turn off the light, and then shine my phone torch, at the open window.  After a second or two it worked, and DH was quick enough to shut the window, to stop it coming back.  

The ladybirds were all over cars and other houses on the school run, so thankfully, it isn't just the announcement of an apocalypse at our house..... after I sorted the house insurance too - how very dare they!  😆

I read that Cheery has had a wren visit 🥰  Far more lovely than wasps.

Tea has been munched.  Lentil Bolognese is always a crowd pleaser in this house.  Yoghurt for pud. 

A good money saving start to the week - onwards and upwards.

Ta for popping by and for all your help, advice and support.  Mucho appreciated, as always.

Greying X

Our wren was apparently very cheerful 😊 But we do have more wasps in the house than wrens (and more mice than wasps 😬) 😂

Staffordia

We did our visit to the traditional butchers yesterday and while the initial outlay is high, I worked out that we have around 30 meals for just over £4.50. This includes ribeye steaks, beef joints and lamb.

It definitely tastes better than the supermarket equivalent. This will last the two of us quite some time..Perhaps beyond Christmas. 

Watty1

Gosh your traditional butchers sounds wonderful. I have been using a traditional butcher this year but very expensive, however it sits with my aim to use ethically farmed high welfare meat as unusually the butcher is also the farmer and has a small abattoir 'out back'  A lot of the village hate it apparently but it has been there for over 70 years and only serves local small farms.  

rtandon27

Are the village inhabitants all vegetarian? - if not, hating an abatoir is a bit hypocritical!

Greying_Pilgrim

Staffordia - I think the economics of bulk buying and storing/freezing correctly do make good quality meat affordable, but I suppose not everyone has the freezer space to do that - but that was the way we used to do it (in my childhood).  It was about buying 'half a...' and having it chopped up and put in the freezer.  We had 2 pigs one year and they got butchered and put in the freezer.  Mind, I think we were all sick of pork/pork products by the end of it, and as for my dad's insistence on making brawn 🤮

Watty - I thought the EU had outlawed those small abbatoir set ups - but that is exactly how our pigs were despatched - I hate to admit it, but in the 1980's 😱  The pigs had a < 5 mile journey, and they were the only livestock being processed at a time.  A kindler, gentle way of being - such as these things can be.

A general wash is in the machine.  It should stay bright today, but there is less breeze, so I'll be lucky to bring anything in bone dry.  

I think I'm going to have a bash at the broccoli, mushroom and gnocchi bake in the SC today.  Wish me luck, I'm winging it........ 🫤  Although if it works, it'll have to have some funky name based on the double-letters of it's ingredients 'cc', 'oo', 'cc' 🤔 or perhaps not.......... 🐔

Talking of traditional butchers, I have been thinking about getting a big bag of tatties, and have enjoyed the potatoes from a butchers in one of the villages the other side of Greying Town.  However, I'm wondering if they have closed.  There has been no recent (last 6 months) activity on their FB page, and I can't remember when we went past in the summer (I was driving, and couldn't look properly, as it's off a sharp bend/junction), if I didn't think it looked shut up/empty.  Mmmm, will have to investigate that one, but I was happy to buy from them as the product was good, and let's face it, local butchers shops aren't exactly in abundance.  There are other sources of 25kg bags, but a tiny bit further afield.  Summat to get on with.  We like tatties in this house 😁

I'd forgotten to mention, the breakdown cover renewal had come through and it was alot of money.  Now, I fully realise that there are all sorts of variants of breakdown cover, and some come in bank account packages, etc etc.  We've always had it, as we've nearly always had cronky cars.  Long time ago, we used to spend enough at MrT to be able to use CC vouchers.  Well, that went for a Burton, long-time since.  Anyway, this renewal note came through, and DH was stomping about huffing and puffing about it. So I asked if they had taken account of us now having a (marginally) newer car than we used to have.  So he changed the details on the app, and also (bless him), went on all the comparator sites.  We racked our brains as to all the brands that there are - membership companies, franchises, honest-john's tow & repair etc etc.  Armed with a list of prices (albeit not all comparable like-for-like), DH rang the provider, and in next to no time, they'd reduced the premium to what we paid last year, and still retained a 'gift' - an add-on; misfuel? lost key? european call out? legal aid? - can't remember, but something along those lines, due to us being with them forever a while.  But honestly, why send out a letter saying it will cost you X, when even at Y they are covering their costs/able to offer the service for that premium.  Do these companies think you have nothing better to do than sit around on comparison sites.  Anyhoo, DH felt like he'd helped the budget, and saved us some money, whilst getting the 'insurance' level he felt happy with.  If the company hadn't budged tho, they would have lost us as customers, because I know from on here that there are plenty of operators in this field, and what you need is repair/recovery, when you need it.  Not a flashy logo or funny TV ad.

And anyway, DH is, and always has been my 'very nice man' 😉😆

Right, washing to peg out.

Greying X

rtandon27

Applause for DH doing his part for family Greying's budget!

Greying_Pilgrim

rtandon27 said:

Are the village inhabitants all vegetarian? - if not, hating an abatoir is a bit hypocritical!

I don't think you have to be a veggie to have a notion about trying to 'sanitise' reality.  LG went on a school trip to a farm - to see the whole 'fork to fork' concept.  The children were shown animal carcasses.  It wasn't the veggies that turned green 🤢 and it wasn't the vegetarian families that were most vociferous with their complaining on the WA group.....  The children think meat/burgers/sausages originate from plastic packets in the supermarket.  They don't actually want to 'see' the reality - because their parents don't want to see it/acknowledge it.  

The little village (well, hamlet really), butchers where our pigs got despatched didn't last for very long, before the butcher gave up and the property got sold and converted into a non-agricultural dwelling.

Greying X

EssexHebridean

I think that the insurers etc continue to price renewals high then lower them when questions are asked simply because people are willing to condone that, and "play the game". I stopped doing that a good few years ago - we now take a look at the renewal price and if it's stupidly high I'll simply get on the comparison sites and find something at the right price point, then move supplier. Invariably the old supplier tries to talk me into staying with them on the basis of "Oh let's see what we can do on price" - and I decline on the basis that they've GIVEN me their price already - and it was too expensive. If they wanted to retain me, and could in fact have priced cheaper they should have done that at the outset. Strangely enough I now seem to get better renewal prices as a rule - and fairly rarely see that "through the roof" price increase unless there is another reason for it - like a claim or whatever. 

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening MFW'rs

Ha!  Just when you think you've caught up, another insurer comes with a ludicrous quote. I'm sure it can be beaten, and we owe the company no loyalty.  Will sort out the comparison just now.

The washing dried quite well.  It clouded over, so I had to bring it in before the damp started to reverse all the good work of the breeze.  But it should do well on the airer overnight, without filling the place with condensation.  

Tea was broadly a success.  I didn't end up making the casserole as I thought I would, but that just leaves room for improvement 😁  I put diced onions, celery, and chopped up mushrooms in a saucepan and fried them up.  I put some stock in the SC, along with a tin of condensed mushroom soup and some garlic, and the packet of shelf stable gnocchi.  I added the onion mix to the SC, gave it a stir and put it on low for 6 hrs.  I added some mor water as it cooked.  Then with about half an hour to go, I added in some frozen spinach and some frozen green peas.  To finish off, I added in some dried herbs.  In the dish, I topped the mix with some grated cheese and some toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds.  In hindsight, I should have gone with my original idea of using broccoli - not in the dish, but steamed alongside.  The spinach cooked well, but the peas had gone slightly grey 🫤 Doesn't affect the taste, but it would have been more visually appealing if they were bright green.  

I would make it again - it's quite a good dish to make with storecupboard/stock ingredients - and of course, infinitely adaptable, I just won't rush to make it.  DH and LG ate it up.  I was surprised, as mushrooms and peas aren't exactly LG's fave.  

I haven't spent any money today, so that's good.  

Can't think of anything else MSE to add.  Ta for popping by.

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, your tea sounds ace! 😀