The Frugal Hearth: Stories of Simple Living and Living Well

fionaandphil · 21 July 2025 at 4:10PM

I think the Stork must be a generational thing too as my mum and gran both used that when making it

missymoo81 · 21 July 2025 at 7:43PM

Oooh just caught up! Well done on the weight loss that is amazing! And the decluttering too! You’re so focused, I love it! I’m another one whose grandma used to use stork! My mum was a rubbish cook so I learned off my grandma instead!

Elisheba · 23 July 2025 at 8:35PM

Evening, frugal friends,

@fionaandphil @missymoo81 Yes, I think Stork was advertised back in the day for baking, and as it was cheaper than butter (and we didn't know about UPFs back then) it caught on.

I was on annual leave today as I had a visit to a cheese making dairy with WI. It was really very interesting, and we got to sample a few cheeses which was nice. Then we went on to lunch at a pub near by, and I had a ploughmans. They kindly replaced the meat with olives for me, and I could eat the cheese, salad and pickles. One of the ladies I was with took the very nice ciabatta bread that came with it, and sadly the chutney went to waste. Very reasonably priced I though as the ploughman's and a soda water only came to £12.50.

So a very nice trip, but oh my goodness I was so tired when I got home about 2pm. Not really sure why, but I went to bed for a 2 hour nap which isn't like me at all. Felt much better for it, and after all what is annual leave for if not some relaxing?

This evening a lady in the village came round and helped me fit the big bookcase I cleared into her car, and we took it round to the bus stop to replace the knackered bookcase that was there already. So that's more thing gone from my house and in a good home.

I also put quite a few kitchen gadget into my car that I'm giving to my family when I'm up there. That has cleared out a lot of space in my pantry cupboards that is nice. Some of the gadgets I'm giving away to them were in the garage, so I popped in to look them out and will put them into the car tomorrow.

When I was looking them out I had to go into quite a few boxes that were in there, and oh blimey, sorting out the garage is going to a mission and a half when I finally get around to it. There are things in there that are deliberately stored there as I don't need them, but I can't near to give them away. The old cast iron griddle my Gran gave me years ago springs to mind. Or the metal teapot, milk jug and sugar pot that Gran gave me as well - shiny silver metal (although completely discoloured just now) - I can't remember what it is called, galvanised maybe? Not sure, but no idea what I will do with stuff like that.

Still, I have time to think it over. For now I'm just going to appreciate the fact my actual house is a lot more organised and a much more attractive space. Still little pockets of things to clutter, but in general it is much better.

Moneywise, I have done all the spending that is coming out of this month's budget. I was under on every pot except my monthly personal spending allowance, where I was over by a fiver. That means I am transfering £500 to savings this month (almost £100 more than I originally budgeted for) as well as the £90 odd I made on Vinted. So that's all jolly good.

I had a quick look at my credit rating, and not all the credit cards are showing as closed yet. The one point it said I can improve is that I don't use enough of the credit I have. Obviously when the cards I have closed are finally updated that will take the credit down, but I also reduced my Amex credit limit which was at something like £12k for some reason down to £5k. I'll see how the credit report looks when all that gets updated, and if needed I can always reduce the limit further. It's paid off I'm full every month and I don't think he balance has ever been more than about £600.

I think that's about all, MSE wise. I wasn't hungry this evening after all the cheese, so didn't bother with dinner. Actually quite peckish now, but it's too late so I can just wait until tomorrow. Weight wise I need to lose 101g to finally be under 100kg! So I have today and tomorrow, and then I'll be on holiday and I won't be counting. Not sure it'll happen after all that cheese 🤭.

Tomorrow's meals are berries, nuts and yogurt for brunch like normal. Then egg and cheese salad for dinner to try and use up the fresh stuff. Then for travelling on Friday I'll have my usual berries, nuts and yogurt for breakfast, and fill up flasks with a portion of veg, Quorn chicken and cream cheese I have left, and another with egg and cheese salad. And of course a big flask of coffee and another of water/squash. Will also probably pack a little 85% chocolate bar as a treat when I'm having my coffee at a service station.

I hope all your weeks have been good so far, and that's the back of it broken now. Full steam ahead to the weekend!

Elisheba · 24 July 2025 at 7:33AM

Bore da, campers,

Popping on here to get myself organised for the day.

First off, in super dooper news, I have hit my first big weight loss milestone and my weight is now in 2 figures rather than 3 when it comes to kg. I've never weighed myself regularly so no idea when it was last so low, but would have in the mid noughties at some point I imagine 😁. Onwards and downwards. Next big target is another 20kg by Xmas. I'll keep randomly monitoring my blood glucose, but so far everything has been looking fine.

Right, onto more interesting matters. So today as well as work, walking silly dog, and a couple of cleaning things I want to do around the house, I also want to get the car packed up as much as possible for my holibobs.

So some lists -

Today

Household
* Clean bathroom ✅
* Hoover upstairs ✅
* Change cat litter ✅
* Walk silly dog ✅

Packing
* Get all the stuff from the garage I'm giving to family in the car ✅
*Pack my suitcase ✅ and put in car ✅
*Pack blanket and toys for silly dog ✅
* Pack an overnight bag with all I'll need until Saturday night for me. Leave that in the house for now.✅
* Fill a container with all the food I want take ✅ and put in car.✅
* Pack colouring supplies for the kids ✅

Tomorrow

Household
* Leave out all the supplies for black cat for my friend who is coming in to feed her ✅
* Make a flask of coffee and a bottle of squash for the journey.
* Fill food flasks for journey.✅
* Empty and put out all the bins.
* Walk silly dog.
* Make a bag up of any fresh food left over for friend to collect when she comes to feed black cat.✅

Packing
* Overnight bag in car.
* Food and snack bag in car
* Silly dog in the car
*Make sure silly dog's water bottles in car are full ✅
*Pack enough food for silly dog until Saturday night and put in car.
* Me in the car.

That's all I can think of for now. I can always edit and add to the list as I think of things. I'm currently in bed with a coffee, so when I finish that I can get up and start the day.

MSE wise, I transferred the not quite £500 to my savings last night. I won't know exactly how much I have in savings for July until the interest for various accounts for the month is out on my statements. Which does remind me, I wanted to do a financial reconciliation for the month to make sure everything is adding up so I'll need to squeeze that in somewhere today.

Other than that, today should be a NSD. Tomorrow I have checked where diesel is the cheapest and planned my route to pass that garage. For my holiday I have provisionally pencilled in a budget of £25 a day, excluding diesel costs. Some days will be a lot less I imagine if we are just having a beach or garden day, but that'll allow for a meal out here and there, and entrance into places I want to visit. That money is being taken from my annuals pot, where I had budgeted it in at the start of the year.

I have to say it is so very nice to know these days where the money for holidays is coming from, and not being scrambling around working out how I'm going to pay for things and just be chucking stuff on the credit card and hoping the credit card wouldn't max out, like I did back in the day. So much more relaxed and stress free now.

Right ho, time to face the day. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday 😁.

Moorviews · 24 July 2025 at 7:56AM

Congratulations 🥳 on hitting that weight loss target!
There is always so much to prepare for going away but you sound like you have got everything very well organised. Hope you have a good trip 😊

ETA I have the Stork recipe book from the 1970s!

Moorviews · 24 July 2025 at 7:57AM

@fionaandphil - many thanks for posting the microwave Clootie Dumpling recipe 😊

fionaandphil · 24 July 2025 at 9:02AM

Have a great holiday and well done on the weight loss!

@Moorviews you have just got me thinking that I may have a Stork recipe book in with my grandma's things so I will have a look over the next few days