From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Greying_Pilgrim

Morning MFW'rs

Early starts on a Monday for the foreseeable - gosh it was cold out this morning, the breeze was cutting.  Still, the sun is making an appearance, and the wash has nearly done, so it's all good.

mumtoomany - with your water bill (excluding sewage), is that in any part including water that may feed livestock/water plants too?  Because your average is £21 per month, which compared to our bill at the rental was £28 a month (included sewerage as we were on the mains), and here our water company (same as at the rental) expect us to pay over double per month - something like £58 - again, for all mains services.  I definitely need to get onto the water company to see about a meter being fitted.  I know costs are rising, but paying over double just because we're on rateable value, is crazy.  Trouble is, the water company service advisors are a mixed bag of competence. Lately I've had 2 not very good operatives, and one who did sort everything out (kinda).  So I'm not relishing contacting them again.

Once I've set the washing out, I have to pop into Greying Town to sort out some money for LG's activities, and I think I can take the balance needed for 'C4C' from the CHB.  OK, so we're not quite at the end of the month, but I can't see anything on the horizon, and as there will still be a small buffer left in the CHB, I shall withdraw what is needed today.  I'm hopeful that March 'C4C' is going to be easier to accrue, as we might be closer to having some pennies or tuppences bagged up and we will be off to a running start thanks to the MrT vouchers - but that's for March.  Back to the present day.

Tea last night was savoury mince (l/o from freezer), mash, cauli, green beans and the last of the broad beans.  LG took a bit of time to finish theirs - they really don't like broad beans, but I only gave them a few.  I made a vegetarian version of Harira for lunch so we were all pretty full still from that.  There is a portion of harira left over for my lunch today.

We enjoyed the rugger match in the afternoon.  It would have been magical for Italy to win, but I think a draw was pretty good and reflective how the teams approached the match as it wore on.

Tea this evening will be made in the slow cooker and will use up the tin of jackfruit that I have had in my cupboard since time began 🙄It's a Dr Rupy recipe that is new to me.  I don't know if it will be a keeper, as I'm not really in the habit of buying jackfruit - I struggle to make it interesting.  I suspect the only reason I have a tin is because it was super cheap.......

Can't think of owt else money related to chat about, so best go and see if the machine has done it's thing.

Ta for popping by.  Appreciated.

Greying X

greenbee

I’ve got a tin of jackfruit to use, so please share the recipe if it’s any good!

And definitely get that water meter booked!

mumtoomany

Hi, @Greying_Pilgrim. The water that is metered is for the house and watering in the polytunnel. Oddly I never need to water the beds outside, too much rain!. We collect rainwater, which is used for the chickens (they don't drink much) and the sheep if the stream runs dry, (never happened yet too much rain,) or if they are in the other field. We also use this for cleaning the chicken houses. Washing the car, etc. We have learned how to save water in the house, having had meters in the past. Shared bath water, short showers, only washing clothes when they are really dirty. Reuse the water from cooking vegetables, to cook more vegetables. 

Do you have space to plant anything in the garden, front of back? Have I already asked you? Am I losing my mind? 

Hugs, mumtoomany.xxx

mumtoomany

Me again. You've been around here almost as long as me. Do you remember @weezl74? Back in the day she devised a healthy menu plan for a family of four, two adults and two teens for £100 per month. She also did a vegan one. Thrifty Lesley, who was.on here then too, has revised all the prices. The vegan one is now around £190. As this is for four, cheaper than you're spending. Might be worth a look. https://thriftylesley.com/meal-plans/week-two-meal-planner/  don't know if the link will work.

Hugs, mumtoomany.xxx

Greying_Pilgrim

Dearest greenbee - I will link to a recipe very like Dr Rupy's (can't find his online), if the dish turns out OK, but I suspect that if it's 'ok', it will owe more to the fact that it was slow cooked and 'maybe' the jackfruit took on flavour 🤔or that the HM tomato sauce i used was flavourful.  I don't wish to do Dr Rupy a disservice, but I am not sure that his recipe is overly different to a ragu for meat, etc. I can't see anything in the ingredients list that makes me think 'WOW!  THAT is where I have been going wrong with jackfruit'.    I haven't put any wine in with my ingredients, as we don't purchase wine by the case, and of the wine that we regularly buy, I can't remember the last time there were 'leftovers'......... 🤔😮 But the jackfruit etc is in the slow cooker as I type and the pasta (not parpadelle) is cooked and will just need re-heating later.  I am going to put spinach in my ragu (Dr Rupy suggests Kale), as I have it, and can see the point of adding in a green veg (LG won't see the point, but still 🤣)

mumtoomany - if you've asked me about garden space, I can't remember 🤣but in theory we do have some space in the back.  In practice, the garden needs work to make it useable, the soil condition is rubbish and it is very swampy.  But do I hope to grow 'something' in containers?  Yes I do.  If all else fails, I would hope I could grow some tomatoes this summer with LG and certainly in time would like to have a herb patch, if I can get it draining well enough.  We certainly don't have a large garden, but we do have outdoor space.  

Yes I do indeed remember weezl74 and thriftylesley.  They were legends on MSE, weren't they?  And I can't recall if our very own greenbee didn't help them out considerably too - or did you help Memorygirl with her thrifty recipes?  And I certainly appreciate that thriftylesley takes the time to update her prices and recipes - that's commitment, right there.  

At this moment in time - and granted we are still firmly in February -  I am feeling optimistic about March and my £200 budget.  Firstly I have several portions of meals in the freezer already, so i have a slight 'safety net'.  Also I still have a range of pre-cooked beans to incorporate into dishes, plus more dried pulses in stores.  Then, and I think this will be a key focus for March, I do have stuff in the cupboards that I MUST use up!  I know I'm using it today, but the jackfruit is a key example.  I'm sure I got it because it was cheap, rather than because we 'like' it, and have dithered what to do with it ever since!  I want to re-organise the cupboards.  I haven't got the kitchen of my dreams and whilst I am a 'make do and put up with' kinda gal, there's no doubt that the shelves etc don't really show off what I have instock to the best advantage.  I need more organisation.   At least there isn't too much that I know LG doesn't like or would refuse to try.  I'm not expecting them to rave about jackfruit, and if they don't actually like it, then at least I haven't any more to utilise.

I have had my exercise - walking into town, done the necessary banking, eaten my l/o soup for lunch and am just about to get the washing in, as it's had mostly breeze over rampant sunshine today, so should be 'drier' but the air temperature is only going to go one way now, and it will potentially undo all this morning's good work.  I have to say, when I was in full sunlight earlier this morning, it was so warm and just uplifted spirits.

Ta for popping in and supporting me,  Super appreciated.  Thank you.

Greying X

EssexHebridean

Aww Weezl was brilliant wasn't she - the original low cost meal planner on here I reckon. I still use Thrifty Lesley's website from time to time for inspiration even now as well. I'm afraid I think the vast majority of the recipes MG claimed as "hers" were in truth at best a mash up from stuff those two had done - I remember her posting a bread machine focaccia recipe of "hers" at one point that proved to be lifted directly from a pretty standard bread machine recipe book - even down to the wording on some of the method. Why on earth she wouldn't just have said "I've found this great recipe in this book" and linked in the same way that you and others do Greying I have NO idea! Ahh well, there is nowt so queer as folk, as they say!  Weezl's original site was still online in archive form somewhere until not too long ago - not sure if it's still available now or not though.  

It's distinctly nippy here today - and also very breezy. Had we been at home I would definitely have got some washing out having missed the boat yesterday when we had a lovely sunny day. Alas we are not -  and I'm not convinced tomorrow will be worth it. 

How about either constructing or acquiring a big planter to put herbs in, if the soil is likely to be a problem in terms of drainage? I mainly suggest this as it's precisely what I'm considering for OUR garden so it's in my head as a plan! 

redofromstart

I have been lost on a wave of nostalgia this afternoon reading the Weezl headed 1st thread that was the start of testing: 

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2256959/weezls-phase-1-recipe-testing-and-frugalisation-come-one-come-all/p1

So many familiar names, and some great ideas that may still be helpful if anyone needs any frugal inspiration. 

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening MFW'rs

EH - I certainly will try some sort of container method, but at the moment the garden looks much more like telly-tubby land than a crown green bowling lawn, so we need to sort that out, before working on positioning.  Plus DH is super anxious to shoe-horn a shed in..........🙄  I may have to........ compromise 😕

redo - go you!  How fab!  I only looked at the first few pages - but instantly, you could, again, feel the energy that weezl74 created, eh? Definitely worth a ganders, thank you.  But I did have to laugh a little at the shopping list - I mean, it's a given that the prices will be outdated, we're talking over 13 years ago - weezl's youngest will be at high school now!  But what made me giggle is that we were all moaning about prices 13 years ago!  They look brilliant now.  39p for a can of sweetcorn?  Swoooooon! 🤣

So tea has been munched.  It was OK.  If I had a tin of jackfruit again, this is a good thing to do with it, but did it "transform" jackfruit?......... erm, nope.  I don't think Dr Rupy Aujla's  recipe is online (I got it from his book 'cooks' which I borrowed from the library), but if you look at THIS recipe, that is probably the closest in terms of the ingredient profile. Dr Rupy's recipe had miso paste in it as an optional ingredient.  I had a spoonful at the bottom of a jar, so I did use it in my version.  I only had 1 tin of jackfruit, whereas the recipe specified 2.  Cooking it in the slow cooker worked, and suited our timetable today.  As I anticipated, LG wasn't thrilled by the inclusion of spinach (didn't put much in), but they wouldn't have been any keener on kale, so you win some you lose some.  Neither DH nor LG said anything about the jackfruit, so it remains pretty much a tasteless non-ingredient.  Worth doing to use up a tin of jackfruit nearly old enough to claim it's state pension, but has it changed my opinion about jackfruit - no.  And unless it is super-cheap/free, I won't be rushing to purchase jackfruit again.  I must admit, mine was the green/young jackfruit, and seemed particularly 'corey'.  There wasn't much stranding, so beloved of folks looking to emulate 'pulled pork'.  



If you look sort of in the centre of the bowl, you can see a 'chunk' of jackfruit.  Not unpleasant, but nothing to write home about, either 😕

I was pleased that the washing was certainly mostly dried when I pulled it in.  It's on the airer now.  Definitely worth putting out, despite it not being as sunshiney as forecast.  

I did have a look around several chazzers when I was out and about, but there was literally nothing that caught my eye, so my (near empty) purse stayed resolutely shut.  I was a bit disappointed that the nearest chazzer to home, which had been a source of good books for LG, has changed their pricing policy.  They used to be 4 for £1 on most of their books (with particularly good titles individually priced), but now they are individually priced, with some at 4 for £2 🙁  It might have been just me, but they did seem to have an awful lot of stock, and not many customers..........

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

- Good memories of community spirted folk who made this website's OS forum such a valuable resource
- sticking to the meal plan and using what I had - even if the results weren't particularly amazing
- that organisation = calmness and calmness = enjoying the day much, much more 👍

Ta for popping in and for the link redo.  Mucho, mucho appreciated.

Greying X

greenbee

Apparently unripe jackfruit is what you're supposed to use for savoury dishes, but I think you're right, it's just a carrier for the flavours. This is the recipe that I used last time I had jackfruit and I obviously thought it was OK as I bought more! https://www.abelandcole.co.uk/recipes/pulled-bbq-jackfruit

teapot2

I've only cooked once with Jackfruit and wasn't very impressed with either texture or taste so haven't bothered again. Can't remember what recipe I used but it was some sort of stew I think 🤔