From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Greying_Pilgrim

Cheery_Daff said:

Giggling at your sausage connoisseur 😂

I know - said with such conviction that I was clearly a 'doddery auld dear' who had picked up a pack of butchers finest premium porker-bangers instead of 'normally ways too expensive' veggie offerings 🙄.....🤣

peb said:

Looking at yesterday's post I agree that unfortunately your budget of £200 is simply no longer achievable for three, without living on 15p swede 🙄.  

Thanks peb for confirming that it isn't 'just me', and that it's getting harder to stick to budgets (whatever household size/requirements/needs etc).  And yeah, we would be soooooooo popular (not) if we lived on swede, although I try to make 'whoopee' when they are on offer - and have tried to build up a portfolio of 'interesting' recipes - I do faint at the 'normal' price of 65 - 70p ea., especially when they are teeny-tiny wizened specimens 🙁

I made creamy potato cabbage soup for lunch (on the stove top, not in the SC).  We have had this before, but last time I think I shoved some greek yoghurt in it, rather than sour cream and today I used a can of evaporated milk.  The evap milk was something like.....55 or 57p from MrL.  I would use it again - made a lovely creamy soup.  I had partially blitzed the cooked potatoes to thicken, but I think with the evap milk, I probably could have got away without needing to do that.  Relatively inexpensive, as it didn't occur to me until I was dishing up that it contained 3 (and maybe 4 depending on where you shopped), of the cut price 'Easter Veg' that the supermarkets were selling, so made the inclusion of 'luxury' evap. milk, less of an issue in terms of price.  Despite having it before, LG decided that they didn't like it today - apparently they don't like cabbage 🙄  But it's been munched, so another meal chalked up......

At least the sun has made a welcome appearance with us now.  

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

Glad you have some sunshine! We have had persistent rain all day so far, but having spent the last 2 days doing garden tasks, I'm enjoying the opportunity to get some indoor stuff done. It's warmer in here too! (Not MUCH warmer, but still... 😂). But then I don't have a small child to entertain! I imagine that's harder in the rain - I suspect LG wouldn't have been remotely impressed with my morning if financial admin (unless it involved finding coins for the camping jar!)

beanielou

I am on my own (with the cats). I am ever shocked by how much I have to pay for food. 

I have always said it’s cheaper to buy rubbish than healthy food. 

rtandon27

Aye GP - I too agree that healthy groceries are extortionate!  - We have altered our schedule just to make avail of yellow sticker veg at our local Waitflower, (We are plant centric.)  If we are lucky (not being veggie) the odd pack of chicken or pork also makes it home with us!  Even with these deals, we struggle to keep in budget and my goal of 1 pound meals is now more like 1.50, only due to inflation!

Currently we have managed to eat 90% of our fresh/fridge goods, which I'm quite happy to see & have managed to alter our loosely themed menu plan to accommodate the extra portions that materialize with only two of us in the house!  There is only a pesky cauli languishing in there & the freezer is currently full (of deals) but manageable in that every meal is including at least one ingredient from it!  Tomorrow we have April's stock-up shop for staples & having already made a list in the app for MrS, I'm horrified to see that what used to be a 50 pound shop is closer to 70!!!

Greying_Pilgrim

Cheery - I spoke way too soon and the sunshine gave way (quickly) to 'all 4 seasons' in one afternoon 🙁

I agree beanie - and I think less healthy choices are often more likely to be YS'd or YS'd to a lower price than stuff that is healthy. And lets not even talk about access issues, lack of choice and food deserts, within towns, villages and places where folks are able to set up home.

The storm we have just had must have been coming from the wrong direction again, as it not only set off a car alarm a few doors up, it allowed water to come pouring in through the (totally cream-crackered) top window as well 🙁  It's the one we should (if there is anything left to work with), have taken redo's suggestion and applied sealant to the outside of the window, but I'd really hoped we might have had a bit more money saved by now, and would be starting the process of replacement.  Still, I can't moan - I wandered past our old rental house today, and I still don't know how we could have coped had the rent risen any further whilst we were there.  There's certainly no way we could afford to pay what the current tenants are paying, anyway.  So we're in a better position as we are; and luckily DH noticed the water ingress, and with a bit of family team work, operation mop-up kicked in pretty quickly.  

I forgot to mention that I made a crumble for pudding last night.  I used the last 2 of the conference pears which i bought...... I think it was in a MrAl S6 a couple of weeks ago....🤔  I had intended buying easy peelers, but they were huge and you got about 4 for 89p, so I swapped to pears instead.  Despite my misgivings, the pears have been lovely and we've used very near every single morsel of them, and the 2 I used last night would have been perfection to eat 'as is', but I'd made the crumble topping, so I popped them in a dish with a couple of small eating apples chopped up and a handful of blueberries (age unknown) from the freezer.  There is a small portion for 2 left over for this evening - DH and LG can fight over it...... 🤣

I made Slow Cooker Morrocan Swede & Lentil stew for tea, served with Brown rice and (MrL offer) green beans.  LG helped me to top & tail the beans 👍I'd not made the recipe before, but it would be a keeper for me.  I hadn't any tinned lentils, so I par-cooked some green lentils I had in stock, and added them as I cooked the dish.  The swede was from the Easter veg - as were the carrots.  My only criticism and therefore, thing I would change, going forward, was that despite me knowing that swede takes an age to cook, and therefore dicing it really small, the swede remained crunchy, as did the small dice carrot.  I had to microwave portions just before serving up to ensure that the swede was tooth tender.  Therefore, I think the cooking time needs adjusting.  I don't think 4 hours on low is long enough, so would cook it for 6 hours on low (personally), ensuring that the swede is diced small, which actually makes it nicer to eat anyway.  

Day 1 of April more or less done and we ate well, utilising the Easter veg offers - wish every month could be like this.....

Currently watching the Quentin Blake stories/films on tape - Mrs Armitage today 😁Pretty sure it is voiced by Alison Steadman - sooooo good 😁  I remember LG bringing home the first Mrs Armitage book I had ever encountered from school - brilliant.  She had a bicycle that could do everything/carry everything iirc.  So imaginative.  

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

Animated children's TV - just such good quality programming
A nice walk and a breath of fresh air
DH working hard to keep up with his DIY timetable

Thanks for popping in.  Appreciated.

Greying X

redofromstart

I hope the sealant helps, it has worked on 2 out of 3 of our problem windows as a temporary fix. 

peb

I did think of you earlier, I called into the local Asda and swedes were free -the sign said broccoli was but none available - I did get asparagus at 13p, one pack for adding to tonight's stir-fry and one for tomorrow.  I also got 3 x mushrooms at 34p a pack so soup is made.  Such bargains are unusual.

Greying_Pilgrim

peb said:

I did think of you earlier, I called into the local Asda and swedes were free -the sign said broccoli was but none available - I did get asparagus at 13p, one pack for adding to tonight's stir-fry and one for tomorrow.  I also got 3 x mushrooms at 34p a pack so soup is made.  Such bargains are unusual.

Brilliant peb!  And well done you for taking what you know you can use/process for use later.  I would have been similarly delighted to bag those YS'd bargains too.  

A lovely start to the day with us weatherwise.  I will have to check how long it is forecast to last, **checks** looks like we might have a morning guaranteed rain free at least, so I will need to get out for a wander.  I will do a quick bank check I think, just to make sure we're all ship-shape and Bristol fashion.  

We had an interesting night.  As DH had been painting in our bedroom, he (with his suspect back) spent the night in LG's room, whilst LG and I 'camped' in the front room - a little Easter adventure 😁Everyone got a reasonable night's sleep 😁

Right, I had better shift a tail feather.  Work out with DH who will be where, when and it would probably do me good to get my walk in, and then everything else can be sorted out later.  I don't think I will do any washing today.  I am more or less caught up.  Food, we have plenty of, I just need to plan best use of everything.  I do need to buy washing up liquid whilst I'm out, DH is working with vapours.  

Ta for popping by.  Appreciated.  Greatly.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Right, so I have come back from my wanderings.  It really doesn't seem like 4 miles when I am on my own, and not having to chivvy a small child along at every step.  The sunshine was glorious, just the right heat, and bright enough to lift spirits immediately.   The walk into town was the best, there was hardly a soul about, just me and nature (albeit in a urbanish area on the outskirts of a town).  A little robin danced around on the pavement and then flew off, just as I was 2 steps away from it - the sound of it's wings...... just magical.  Human hair isn't so interesting!  On the way out of town, I was stopped in my tracks by a very vocal wren, in a tree, only 4 or 5 feet above my head.  It was just singing it's heart out in the sunshine - and waggling it's bottom at me 🤣I'll match you, "Wren on a balcony" 😉

Everything was OK with financial balances (thank heavens), and various DD's had been taken, on schedule.  Both financial institutions I visited were busy.........

I spent £6.25 on household non-food items, and £2.29 on food items, including some hot dog rolls discounted to 50p (not the cheapest, but cheaper than 'regular' price, so i got them and have put them in the freezer).  There were several packs of HD rolls, plus plenty of discounted hot X buns and teacakes, but I left those.  

I had a wander through the M&$ food section.  Quite a few YS'd things, but I'm afraid I find them so expensive in the first place, the YS'd discounts are usually negligible.  And their swedes still had more wrinkles than me...... 🤣 So nothing bought there.

Right, onwards and upwards!

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

RT - I am sorry, i didn't respond to your post yesterday.  Is your target £1 - now £1.50, for your main 'cooked' meal and is it per person?  or is it for what you eat 3x a day?  I know what you mean about the price of a 'staples' shop.  It always seems like my MrL shop is just staples each week, I never seem to buy much "cream" or added extras.  By the time you've got the 'bread, milk & butter' type purchases, you've spent a chunk of money.  

Still, at least we're all trying, and we're supporting each other as we try to navigate our way.  Certainly for me, that support means the world.

Greying X