🌞 Happy Days in our Golden Years 🌞

greenbee

I've got Renpho scales too. I try to avoid using them if I can though…

Humboldt

Morning @Fortune_Smiles, just catching up after a lovely, but busy week with family visiting. Always great to see them all, but nice to settle back into our normal pace of life.

You mentioned that you were considering raising your shopping budget due to rising costs, something that no doubt, we can all relate to. I personally have increased our self imposed monthly grocery budget from £200 in January 2024 to £300 in April 2026. It now takes more effort than ever to ensure that we remain within our budget, and also eat healthily. Your recipe recommendations using inexpensive, healthy seasonal produce, continue to provide much welcome inspiration. We will be trying the courgette, lentil, ricotta layer bake next week 😉

Loving your health goals and garden updates. Fabulous news about your weight loss, and what an amazing onion harvest. Simple pleasures are the way forward!

Fortune_Smiles

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82107723#Comment_82107723

Morning @Humboldt 👋 Our grocery bill is shocking. Largely because I buy organic wherever possible. It's not something I want to compromise on - although I would of course if it was necessary. You pays your money and you takes your choice. It's good to know that the increase in cost isn't of my own doing though.

How did you get on with the Layer Bake? I think I'd double up the lentils or add carrots or other veg if I made it again. There did seem to be quite a lot of liquid in the base.

Simple pleasures are absolutely the way forward.

Fortune x

ruby_eskimo

Your photo of the onions reminded me that DH pulled up all our shallots ages ago and they've been drying out in the garage! Must sort them out this evening so they don't go to waste! Also need to do some research on effective ways of drying chili's as we have a severe glut of them and regularly use chili flakes in recipes so would be good to try making our own. A friend also mentioned wanting to make chili oil so I think I'll be dropping a lot off with him in the hope of sharing the spoils 😊

Hope the court prep is going well and wish you all the best when the time comes.

Fortune_Smiles

I'm only happy when it rains 🎵🎶🎵

I'm ridiculously excited that it is raining this morning 😁 It's such a novelty! Remind me about this when we are in the depths of winter and the storms are blowing in 😂

I'm just as busy as always only now it's because I'm doing more social and fun stuff. I feel so much better for it.

Health 🧘‍♀️

• I'm going to 3 gym classes a week and have just invested in some dumbbells so I can do some weight workouts at home
• I've lost 9lbs and am ounces away from reaching that magic 10lbs number🥳 I've still got a way to go but I can already feel some benefits - more energy and motivation, my clothes fit better, I am sleeping a little better, my mind feels sharper and I can run up stairs relatively easily. This is all helping me to stick to the plan - eat food, not too much, mainly plants and move more.

Wealth 💰

• we have had to raise another Section 75 with the credit card company for the garden furniture bought in May. They failed to deliver for two months and gave various excuses as to why not. We asked for a refund a month ago and it has still not arrived. My requests for an immediate refund yesterday were met with a 'I'll escalate this to our Accounts Team' which did not inspire me with confidence
• I have an invoice to raise for the business and an expenses claim to put through
• Mr F and Handy Man have spent the last few days staining the gates and fences. It will help to keep them going for another winter although several fence posts need replacing now. It's cost quite a lot in product and Handy Man's time but he helps us much less over the winter so we'll make a budget saving there and it's cheaper than having to replace the whole lot
• Mr F's car is in the garage for air conditioning issues again. This time there is a leak in the condenser… the new one they fitted fairly recently 🙄 So either Mr F has managed to damage it again or there is a manufacturing or fitting error. This might mean a big bill 😟
• my car has an intermittent amber engine light warning coming on 🙄 It never rains but it pours 😂
• we have a great harvest of leeks, plums and greengages. Although I am appreciating the rain, I will miss the scent of a freshly picked greengage still warm from the sun - they are absolutely delicious this year. I picked a huge bowlful yesterday along with lots of blackberries from the hedgerow.

Happiness 😊

• we've gifted plums and greengages to neighbours and friends. I love to leave surprise bags of produce on the doorsteps of our neighbours for them to discover. Although after all the raspberries and cherries, etc they might be a little disappointed when they get green beans 😂
• I finished the dress I was making and it has turned out really well. I think my next project might be a dressing gown. I have the pattern and fabric and have needed new for a long time.
• also attended a workshop to learn how to make roman blinds which will come in very useful
• after a very difficult year the gloom finally seems to be lifting for the Fortunate family.

Hope you get some rainbows today.

Fortune x

themadvix

Wise words from Michael Pollan there Fortune. I'm glad the gloom seems to be lifting for your family ❤️

You've done well to have plums to gift - mine seem to have rotted on the tree, despite it being dry. I've had a couple off of it, but that's all (it was severely pruned in the summer after losing a lot of branches to too much fruit last year, so I wasn't expecting much). Your neighbours are very lucky!

Fortune_Smiles

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82115231#Comment_82115231

Our old Victoria Plum hasn't done well with the fruit rotting on the tree as yours has. Our Denbigh plum suffered a bit from plum moth (despite our putting traps out… maybe a little too late) but the later ripening fruit has been quite clean. I suspect our apples might have Codling moth which we've never had to worry about before 🙁 Each year brings it's own challenges in the veg patch and orchard but I love shopping from my own garden so will keep at it.

Fortune x

Humboldt

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82115156#Comment_82115156

Morning @Fortune_Smiles, sadly I didn't get around to making the layer bake. We have had lots of lovely visitors over the summer, which has resulted in us having to adapt/compromise on our menu plan. No judgement here about grocery spends. How you and everyone else chooses to spend their hard earned pennies is a matter of personal choice and circumstance. DH and I have a travel addiction that needs feeding….

Off to catch-up on your recent posts x