From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Watty1

Dearest Greying - your food budget is incredible. I know how you do it because I read your diary - but - it is awesome!

KajiKita

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81937785#Comment_81937785

I agree! I think GP must be cheating, got a tardis on stand by for her weekly shop or something. 😉 I genuinely don't know how you achieve these numbers … 👏

KK

Greying_Pilgrim

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81937829#Comment_81937829

Ha Ha - I remember when I first started a diary over on DFW, I thought that things were expensive - but you're right, time-travelling back to 2010-ish, would seem like the height of luxury budget wise 😁

We do eat mundane food though - maybe not to MSE palates, but I know that LG doesn't take all the 'novel' foodstuffs and stuff purporting to be food into school for lunch. Their lunchbox, although full of nutritious and hopefully delicious stuff, does look 'dull' compared to others.

I wonder if I invested in an air fryer, whether I would cave and become reliant on veggie nuggets and oven chips 🤔 I hope I wouldn't, and of course I realise that they can cook a much broader range of stuff than that, but at present, having to put the oven on, does - in some ways - limit the convenience foods that I buy. And of course, I'm not saying I don't buy them - you know that i do, but I do have to think about when I cook them.

Quite a nice day with us. There is sunlight and a breeze The whites wash is out and if it dries, will mean part of the school uniform is done, ready for next term. Part of DH's lesser soiled workwear has been washed and pegged out too. A general wear wash is now in the machine and will be pegged out just now.

Club tonight, plus I have to pop to a medical centre for a blood test, so we're all going to have chickpea and spinach curry, lentil dhal and an omlette. Keeping it simple, even if we have to eat at different times. I had meant to soak the chickpeas overnight, as I haven't any (cooked) in 'store'. But of course I forgot, so I did a quick, hot soak this morning and have just cooked them up in the PrC. They are currently cooling.

I need to stock up on non-food stuff today, so I shall go and do that once, I've pegged out the last load.

Ta for popping in. Greying X

LotsOfTea

You absolutely do not eat mundane food @Greying_Pilgrim ! You eat a wide range of delicious-sounding meals from a lot of different countries' cuisines. LG is very lucky to grow up with that, so many kids don't get the chance to eat really good food every day and to learn how to make it and balance the budget. I'm not for shaming people and their food choices, there's loads of reasons why not everyone cooks from scratch, but how you cook for your family is absolutely the ideal.

Greying_Pilgrim

Exactly LotsOfTea - we all try to do the best we can with the resources we have available, and I hope that in chatting about 'me & mine' it never comes across as shaming anyone else. I've a very firm advocate of "you do you boo" - but I do also set myself very high standards, and give myself a hard time if I don't reach them. Sigh.

Right, back from shopping, and I stuck mostly to my list, although I got different types/sizes of loo paper and kitchen roll than intended, simply because hB had some of one, and not some of the other, so I had to make a decision whether to buy what was there, or waste more fuel returning on a different day. I also got some soap/shampoo/toothpaste for the hols. I did acknowledge to myslef though, that I only bought non-food stuff, and whilst i did wander down the fresh food/chilled section, no food, or food-like substances made it into my trolley. I'm quite pleased with that, as hB does stock a whole load of scrummy snacks……….. So on non-food, I need to adjust my budget by £21.35. Before returning home, I doubled the value of my car by putting some fuel in it 🙄The garage wasn't too busy, and I didn't have to queue, so timing was right I think.

We've now got to go and help DH out this afternoon after school, as fair do's he's secured an appointment at the Drs, as his ear issues are not going away. It's going to be a bit of a tight squeeze to go and pick the car up, and then get fed and go to club, but we'll find a way to do it. Certainly if I crack on and make the curry and the dhal now, it will just be a reheat job, so crack on I must!

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

So curry and dhal made, and cooling on the hob. I listened to the latest edition of the 'Food Chain' from the beebeecee world service as I cooked. It was about getting your children to eat. It did - at least - acknowledge that not every household is the same, and not everyone has space for a table to sit around, not everyone is time rich, and not everyone works 9-5 with a 10 minute commute. But it was interesting in that it helps to not make meal times all about the food. It can be a time for connection, or fun/laughter. I thought the suggestion about how you'd want a 'meal out' with friends to be, and if someone was dictating that you had to eat all your greens before dessert, or if there was no meal choice, and you had to eat something you disliked, then how would you feel? I thought it was quite balanced, and included contributors from around the globe - many of them parents themselves, and they shared what had worked, and what mistakes they had made.

Speaking personally, I know that when we were in the rental, and money was tighter, and I didn't want waste, I know that I insisted LG eat what was on their plate - although I did put small amounts, I didn't crowd out the plate, and still expect them to eat every morsel. I know that was a mistake, and the focus was on waste avoidance. And it was a phase - when you're going through them, you can't see the wood for the trees, but then when you're out of it, you can't remember a time that your kiddo didn't eat omlette……. Luckily we are already practising some of the remedies that the contributors suggested, LG has tried cooking, and the more pedestrian 'chopping and stirring' too, which has helped in them being more willing to try what they've had a hand in. Having a dining table has always been important to me, BUT this house is just on the cusp of being too small to accommodate it (it's not a big table), so it wasn't a given that we would be able to continue with family meal times around the table. We are lucky that we try to be together for breakfast and tea, and lunch at the weekends and sometimes in the holidays. But that's a choice we try to prioritise. Although DH's commute isn't huge, he still gets up earlier than needed to fit in a sit-down brekkie. And I suppose LG gets up earlier than some of their peers to be at the breakfast table.

LG still doesn't like marm1te, melon nor mango….. is it a problem with the letter 'M' 🤔 but like the contributor's children and patients, LG does eat quite a range of foodstuffs, within the boundaries of a veggie diet (with the odd fish finger lobbed in), I suppose.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Very wet start with us.

Tea was as scripted last night, with omlettes adorning the curry & dhal. We ended up all eating separately, but that was due to DH's last minute Dr's appt, throwing an extra activity into the timing mix. At least the Drs have ordered a scan to see what's going on, so that's something. I had my blood test, and thankfully the nurse doing it was 'time-served' and got samples out 'nae bother'. I had done as I was bid, and drank lots of water all day, so maybe that helped - the nurse said it had, and couldn't understand why the NHS hadn't started advising folk to drink water, earlier - as it apparently helps the process so much. And LG had a great time at club, so all in all, a successful evening. Although we'll gloss over the footy results……

I'm contemplating using the arancini balls for a meal for tonight's tea. I'm going to have to work out how best to cook them, as I was intending doing a bit of pasta pesto to accompany, which means the oven will only be on for the arancini. I'll have to have a think about that. Although I could make a crumble, as I was reminded with yesterday's cupboard shuffle, that there is still some of the shelf stable custard left.

The big cc bill is in with the tow bar payment on it, and DH's work have been chopping and changing their pension provider again, so money has been deducted erroneously out of his pay packet. Honestly, if he went with every scheme these companies have auto-enrolled him in, he'd have about 15 pensions by now, all with tuppence ha'penny in the pot, and £300 annual administration fees………. And no, we've still not got round to talking with pensionwise………. What can I say, DH is somewhat pre-occupied with not feeling so good at the mo (and yes, I realise that that may actually make sorting out pensions more important…..).

Talking of pensions, my work pensions are now up to date details wise, and beneficiaries wise, so that box is ticked - and thank you for everyone on here that prompted me to get on and sort it out.

Right, I can't think of anything else MSE to report at the mo, so I'll shuffle orf and make some snap.

Greying X

KajiKita

So glad to hear that DH has finally got a scan planned. Shame it has taken quite this long though …

Yaay for LG having a good time at club 😊

I feel DH's pain at the myriad of pension pots. Even without my employers leaping about gaily from scheme to scheme I am back up to 4 again thanks to forced job changes … 🙄 Your organising of yourself is an example to us all 😊

KK

Greying_Pilgrim

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81939295#Comment_81939295

I agree KajiKita - and I think that after 3 sessions with the ENT consultant unit it should have been flagged as requiring further investigation - but they were too busy arguing with themselves and other medical professionals over types and strengths of Anti-B's 🙄 Still, fingers crossed - and in the meantime, we're trying not to goggle…….☹️

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

Not Goggling is probably best in the circumstances, especially if you're apt to worry. Very glad you've got a scan sorted x