From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Cherryfudge

Good news on the whirly thingy!

About the mushrooms, I suspect they need to be out of doors to benefit from the UV light. Mine get to sit on the garden bench. 😁

themadvix

I love my whirlybird!

You've done seriously well with your garden work GP - we 'need' to do similar in our front garden, but I couldn't imagine attempting by hand - also lots of clay and building rubbish. Currently project is on hold due to B&W cat, but I'll be calling in the people who have just renovated Mum's garden - they did an excellent job, even if I hate to think how much it cost (we'll be doing as much as we can ourselves to keep costs manageable).

Greying_Pilgrim

I have been out to do a bit of shopping - I went to the side of town that has fArmf00ds, so popped in there and in MrL 🙄 I did also buy a replacement whirly-gig line from Bee&eM, as I can see us needing the whirly gig for a little while, and the old line is past it's prime - the plastic covering is cracked and it's holding on by the skin of it's teeth. Still, a £5 replacement cord (it was an Add1s brand, and the only type they had in stock), should realistically give years more use - the whirly-gig itself is still in good working order. You will not be surprised to learn, that since setting up the whirly-gig, we've had intermittent rain showers…… 🙄 #shuddasetituplastnight I'm not expecting miracles - especially given the showers, but even if it reduces the time the current load has to be in front of the dehu, then that will help.

I wrote this out on the GC, so no point in typing it out again;

I did do an extra little bit of shopping today, which included a couple of food bits as i was in the right area for a Leedl and a fArmf00ds.

I think I'm officially done with the leedle app - with the exception of SEL offers. Now, I will hold my hand up, and say that I didn't read the T's & C's properly on my TINY phone screen 🙄 and thought the the 15% discount was for r0wan h1ll wraps - it wasn't. It was for 2 types of RH wraps that I rarely if ever buy (unless YS'd or on offer). So even my one 'discount' didn't work for me with this shop. What's the point? I did however, spend £6.26 in Leedl, 2 x cottage cheese, smoked tofu, pasta and the wraps.

I then went to fArmfoods, and spent £3.13 on stuff we'll consume this month/in the near future and £9.98 on storecupboard stuff (olive oil), which isn't counted in my GC. The £3.13 bought 3 x cannellini beans, 6 x Pr1nces peach slices in juice 220g (19p - short date) and 1 x tinned pineapple slices.

I checked and the small tins of peach slices worked out better value than the larger…..435g??? when drained weight of fruit was taken into account. FF have the Pr1nces sliced peaches 435g tins at 2 for £1. I will use the smaller tins of peaches for school lunches - their 'BB' date coincides with the school holidays anyway, so a worthwhile purchase for me (and yes, I know tinned stuff lasts for ever, but it'll be used before the BBdate anyway). Edit: I should have said that the peach slices were in juice in the little tins, not in syrup, as is more common. Hence why I use them for school lunches.

My shopping costs today amount to £9.39 on food and food-like substances, so I'll update my siggie figgie accordingly.

I also spent £9.98 on olive oil in FF. It is dated until Oct 27, and I will store it away in the cupboard, so hopefully it won't spoil - not that it'll last that long before being used up anyway. I have amended all my siggie figgies - bulk/GC/non-food.

Greying X

KajiKita

I used to have a ‘proper’ south facing line that was fabulous! It got taken down when Mr KK built his big vehicle shed and never reinstated <sulk> I am now reduced to a whirly …. 🙄😂😂

KK

Greying_Pilgrim

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82024666#Comment_82024666

The things we do for love…………🥲

Well, I'm pleased, nay, astounded to report that I was able to bring in a whirly's worth of dried washing into the house around 5pm. It had just started to spot with rain again, so I thought I would quit whilst I was ahead. The shower came to nought, but I was amazed how well the clothes had done. I mean, the breeze was good, but the whirly location isn't ideal, in that it doesn't get the sun from around 12pm - 4pmish. But I've put it on the airer, and there will be no need to pop on the dehu - so very much a win in my book 😁

Tea has been munched. I was watching see mindy mom on utoob and took inspiration from the spaghetti pasta bake that she made to make something similar for tea. I had forgotten when I had mentioned pizza and wedges that I had 7 eggs that were 'on' date, so wanted to use them instead. I got some cottage cheese from MrL, along with some of their 'basic' penne pasta. I made a vat of tommie sauce in the PrC. I cooked up all the mushrooms with some onion and garlic, and used some in some of the tommie sauce, mixed with the (cooked) penne. I then mixed up 3 eggs and a tub of cottage cheese with some nutritional yeast. I cooked it - covered for about 40 minutes in a 180 degree oven and then took the cover off and sprinkled the top with the last bit of MrS mozzarella cheese that I had in the freezer. I made a spiced sponge cake with the remaining 4 eggs, and I hope to slice it, and then spread some plum jam in the middle.

We had the pasta bake with some lettuce, marinated tomatoes and some cucumber. I wondered what LG would think, as they're not a fan of cottage cheese, but they ate it up, clean plates all round. I will use the remaining mushrooms on a pizza tomorrow. I had 2 takeaway tubs of tommie sauce, and 3 small tubs of pizza topping from the sauce I made. I know pasta bakes are the simplest thing in the world, but LG hadn't been keen on them up until now (no, I don't know why, either). I do still have some spaghetti left in the cupboard, but I didn't know if it would be enough to make a dish for the 3 of us, hence why I got the penne. I either haven't had MrL 'simply' pasta for a long time - or maybe never, but I was very impressed with how well it cooked. I have had the cheaper pastas go claggy and 'floury' on me before now. This cooked beautifully though - I was delighted.

We had yoghurt and banana for pud.

A nice thrifty tea, a cheap drying day - although I appreciate I've outlaid £5 on a replacement line - and eggs and mushrooms used up before they were wasted.

Ta for popping by. Greying X

beanielou

Sounds like a fiver on a replacement line was money very well spent indeed.

Baileys_Babe

I think LG helping with the garden project is brilliant both for feeling the are able to to make a worthwhile contribution to the family as well as educating them that jobs like turning the garden into a useable space is possible if you have the knowledge and willingness to make changes, this is something that will stay with them for life and be useful in all areas as they grow and become independent.

I would have no idea where to start, I have found it educational and inspiring to hear about family Greying reclaiming the garden.

I think your efforts will have made your house more desirable if/when you come to sell it, but you have dramatically increased its worth to the 3 of you.

I've always preferred a whirligig, I've always feel that standard lines take up most of the garden. Our current whirligig is strong but light weight, if the rain comes on we collapse the whirligig and bring it inside with the laundry still pegged to it 😆

The chat about using airers outside reminded me many years ago in rented accommodation, when we used ours outside we used sacks of coal to weight it down - ours had 2 bars on the ground that each joined 2 legs, the coal sacks went on the bars.

Cherryfudge

We don't have a rotary airer but yours sounds very useful and your comment about the (inevitable) showers set me off hunting till I found this:

COVERDRI - Rotary airer washing line rain cover. Dry your washing outside even when it's raining. : Amazon.co.uk: Home & Kitchen

Of course I have found one that's currently unavailable and I've no idea how effective it is or how durable but something along those lines might mean you didn't have to be within dashing-out-and-rescuing range.

Other brands will inevitably be available. 😊

Greying_Pilgrim

beanie - I was even more fortunate, and haven't fixed the new line yet. So I know I rode my luck, but the washing dried on the original line - which hasn't fared well with exposure to heat and cold. The plastic covering on the string is brittle and cracked, and slides off easily, and it had snapped. I managed to fudge it, and tie knots in the string to use it today. But I will replace the line before I use it again - it won't last forever. I suspect, like everything else about this house, it was the original string that came with the whirly-gig. It's probably approaching 30 years old……….more if the previous owner inherited the whirly-gig…….

Baileys_Babe - I love the express laundry rescuing action! You've made me think actually. If I'm going to go to the trouble of renewing the string, I'm going to make sure the post holder is tapped further into the ground. Trouble is, it is in ground that has been shifted around during landscaping, so it is not really compacted - there was a slight lean on the whirly gig when I got the washing in earlier. But also, the end of the main post, that slots into the holder is rusted, which makes putting in/taking out more difficult. When I change the line, I shall emery paper the post, so that it slips in/out easily. I don't know if I could bring the washing in with the whirly-gig, but I definitely can't if it can't be lifted up with ease.

Yes, I think there has been a recognition with LG that whilst most "normal" families don't do stuff like dig over their back garden and start over - there was a very good reason for doing it (the garden looked shonky and was limited in use as it was), dear auld ma's crazy scheme of digging and scratching and moving soil, moving it some more, doing silly walks and spending hours picking out stones, has made a visible difference (I wish I could say in a short time, but that isn't true), and that they have been able to help in achieving the transformation. They chose not to be quite as involved as I had hoped, but they were 100% more engaged than some of their peers would have been, so I'll take that. I don't think they understood why it wasn't going to be done in an hour, although I don't think I understood why stuff took so long when I was a kid. But they have certainly mentioned to me that the garden has already been transformed, and that they realise how (physically) hard I have worked (and DH too, but I have done most of the work from start to finish). I don't think - if they hadn't been involved at all, they would have realised the enormity of the task (even in a small garden) and how much work it has taken to make changes. For my part, I am so glad that I have at least had some help with the project - and I am the first to say that DH was right about removing the turves out of the ground and off site. The soil was too shonky (clay layers), and the height differential too much, to be able to uniformly bury the grass layer as I dug over. And whilst it diverted efforts and help away from what I was doing, it was the right thing to do, and I am glad that he was there and willing to do it for me/us.

We have had a few spots of rain tonight. Fingers crossed we get a bit more, and the seed starts to germinate - now who's impatient??? 🤣

Ta for popping by. Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

So I've got off my b u m this morning and done the sensible thing of removing the old line from the whirly gig. I know that otherwise I would forget, and forget and carry on using it and then complain when my washing fell orf, due to a snapped string, into the mud. I must admit the thread 'core' was probably nylon, and was still quite strong, but it was too short overall to tie safely, so it's in the bin now.

We're popping off to the market town across the way just now for hair cuts. We'll have a peek in the her0n foods shop and maybe some of the chazzers. Not looking to spend any money, but we'll have a look to see if there are any bargains. DH is in work for the morning.

I don't know what will be for lunch - sangers probably - but I am going to do pizza and wedges for tea.

I don't think I will get any washing dry naturally today, but there might be a window of opportunity tomorrow.

Right, I can't think of anything else MSE to report, so I'll push orf.

Greying X