From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Greying_Pilgrim

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81984848#Comment_81984848

How kind of you to say beanie. Naturally LG found fault and decided that they didn't like egg sangwhiches with tomato on today….. 🙄 I mean, like we have them sooooooo often 🙄 Anyhoo, to be fair, once they'd had their whinge, they did eat the sangers. No waste.

I wonder if it's the saltyness of the bacon that adds to the eggs? Bacon/ham/gammon in a lentil soup lifts it. Your maw knew what she was doing 😍

Greying X

Cherryfudge

I am intrigued by @rtandon27 's pesto 'crackers' - I might have to try that just for the sake of trying it! Mind you, I would need some more freezer space first.

I wonder whether an open jar could be sealed with a layer of fat that sets solid, such as coconut oil?

rtandon27

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81984898#Comment_81984898

Picture here if you want to visualize it!

Cherryfudge

Thanks @rtandon27 , nicely explained!

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening MFW'rs

I've just been watching a vlog about a woman in Australia who is slated as 'living without money for 11 years'. I admire her sentiment, but much like I've been touted as 'living off' DH, this lass has a sponsor, and whilst contributing greatly to the household, she could not be living the life she leads, without money - even if it is someone elses. I totally agree that all of us could be living 'lighter', but I don't think that we can live (totally) without money, and we can't live without others, and the 'fruits' (?) of manufacture. I appreciate we can live with less, and for sure we can live with secondhand stuff, gifted, thrifted and left outside on the kerb stuff. But I don't think we can live on nowt.

DH and I live on less than 'average', but that is dependent on me doing stuff in lieu of paid employment. Putting a wash on, and pegging it out when the weather is fair - not something that i could achieve if I was out of the house 8-6pm working (especially in the winter). We do live a……. smaller, less financially dependent life, but we are still dependent on money, electricity, technology and food from shops. I can make summat out of nowt, but we're still dependent on the 21st century way of doing things.

I used the 50% off potatoes to make 'wedges' for tea, and I used the 'free' British asparagus to top the pizza. LG announced that they 'didn't want asparagus, as they didn't like asparagus' 🙄 so I placed the asparagus over 75% of the pizza and added a bit of extra cheese to the last 25%. DH and I had 2 (small) pieces of asparagus pizza with 'wedges' for tea, and there are 4 (larger) pieces of asparagus pizza left for another day. LG ate all the cheese pizza.

I took the 'manky' apples out of the YS'd apple packs I bought yesterday. I managed to cut up most of the apples, and only one of them was too far gone, and got composted whole. So I've made a spiced apple crumble, and we'll have it with some vanilla flavoured ice cream to go with.

I can't think of anything else MSE that we've achieved today. DH has been trying to mend his push bike, but I'm not sure if he has, or if he's made it worse, so………..Jury's out on that one. Spare parts have been bought, but I'm not sure if the issue has been fixed.

Greying X

Cherryfudge

That pizza looks lush…!

rtandon27

@Greying_Pilgrim - I love the timing of your post! I was just commenting to OH earlier today how well you do with being creative with your budgeting & hard work at home! In fact I was listing a few of the ways I'd like to emulate you, despite working long days!

…and this weekend will be another few loads of laundry hung up to dry naturally without the use of a dehumidifier ….also focusing on all things in the home as a first point of shopping! We've tried hard the week to eat to the bottom of what we have in fresh, before resorting to a top-up shop which is far too easy when tired!

You are an influencer GP, without even trying!!! 🥰

Greying_Pilgrim

Oh dearest rt - that is very kind, but I don't believe that emulating me is the way forward. Working long hours - and with commuting on top, is one thing, to then add domestic engineering on top is just not feasible. The vlog I was watching actually demonstrated that you just can't have it all. The woman in the video was - for example - using her mentor family vehicle to distribute (organic) food waste from a supermarket to an animal sanctuary. There was the implication that - much like olio - she could hold back a percentage of the waste fruit & veggies, but without a car, she could not have done that. Whilst she mentioned she didn't like driving petrol reliant cars, and didn't own a vehicle herself, she needed one to facilitate her volunteer role. Without her mentor, she would not have been able to collect 'free' food and distribute it. The mentor actually said that they didn't mind going out to work, having a job, earning money to facilitate the lifestyle they had. Their home had become a multi-family, multi-generational home - communal living, rather than any one person living on their wits, on dandelion leaves, with a tent, a bicycle and a spoon as possessions.

I can only get as much line drying done - as I do - because I am around to monitor the weather, and/or have the time to peg out. If I was out of the house the hours DH is, I would be far less successful. If nothing else, in the autumn and winter, the clothes would have taken on the cold/damp of dusk/evening by the time I would be gathering them in. If I was out of the house for 11hr + days, I would need a tumble drier/an account with the launderette.

I honestly don't think you can work full-time outside the home, and have everything dust-free, clean and homemade inside the home. I do believe that humans can live 'lighter' than we do - for example, I should cycle/walk more than I do. But I think the modern world is reliant on technology, income, transport and convenience. I don't think that is going to change anytime soon. The only thing I'm actively trying to do, is marshall our resources well. If I want to expand our resources ie work outside the home, part of those resources - for example - would immediately need to be ringfenced for commuting costs, childcare costs and 'convenience' (food, laundry, holidays etc). I'm more concerned with the 'balance' of marshalling resources. At the moment, we - as a family but with 2 older adults - can live within our means (because of historical choices/chances and our upbringing). But if - for whatever reason - we need to expand those means, our costs will go up, immediately. It's about finding that balance for us, not about trying to do everything. And I loathe housework - if I got a job, especially where I was out of the house for long periods of time each day, my wages would immediately go to employ a cleaner……. 😉😁

YAY! to line dried washing, and shopping from home - these are all great, but not if they cause stress and tiredness on your already full days. Be kind to yourself hun.

Greying X

cheesymouse

Re the pesto - You are right, you can use part of it as it doesn’t freeze completely.

KajiKita

Thanks GP for that sense check about the unfeasibility of having a spotlessly clean house if you also work full time. <looks around at the muddle and dust> I’m another that doesn’t particularly like housework either. Top of my list, when I ever pay the mortgage off, will be to get a cleaner! 😊😉

KK