Live on £4000 for a year - Part 2

mumzyof2

Morning all, Hope evryone is ok. Cloudy here but then its only 7.45am I have been up since 6am. I am making cheese and onion pie for me and my kids today for tea..my nephew will be at a birthday party for his tea My gran is coming soon to "help" me We will be having pizza for dinner

See you all later

sophiesmum_2

Hi everyone:D
Another lovely day here. Will be doing stuff in garden later once i have whizzed through the house with stardrops doing my pre holiday cleaning. Luckily with the exception of DD's room (yuk!) the place isn't bad as me and OH are both naturally tidy people. OH is on washing duty and has already stripped the bed and towels and got first load in communal laundry:D

Need to net my strawberries later so the birds don't get at them if they come through whilst we are away.
No spending planned today:D , going to the barbie at tea time and will be taking some of my wine from birthday but other than that free eats again;)

Hope you all enoy your weekends. Mumzy - cheese and onion pie sounds yummy

Will update later and catch up with everyone, need to go as OH is making noises about doing housework on his own:o

mumzyof2

Sophiesmum I asked you about your own personal challenge yesterday but i think you missed my post which i posted yesterday morning. How are you?

looby-loo_2

Belated happy birthday to Sophiesmum, hope you had a good evening

I'm catching up on my lotty today, just come in for breakfast and the knead the dough, but it's a slow job now all the weeds have grown. I normally cover the soil with carpet so the weeds die down but somehow this year I didn't get round to it.

I have lettuce growing in pots - one is just big enough for my lunch today.

Moneysaving things I will do today:-
Bread is proving ready for lunch
Called in and bought veg from Lidl on way home fom work so no trip to market needed
Made up a hanging basket for my neighbour in return for 3 penstomen plants

Moneyspending things I will do today:
Suggested to DH that he bought a chicken for lunch, note only a chicken - this will not be the case when he returns with a trolley load of extra 'junk'

sophiesmum_2

mumzyof2 wrote: »

Sophiesmum I asked you about your own personal challenge yesterday but i think you missed my post which i posted yesterday morning. How are you?

Sorry mumzy,
My challenge is a sort of 6 month budgetting /storecupboard challenge. starting from 1st June I am intending to spend £350 - £400 bulk buying tinned and dried foods, pulses, rice flour, etc and also a small amount of meat/fish for freezer.Between these stores and anything I can grow,forage etc I intend to make that last until Xmas. So six months food budget for 3/4 adults. I will be cooking from scratch, bulk cooking,breadmaking,preserving,making my own yoghurt,kefir,and using as much stuff as possible from garden.Add to this collecting blackberries, damsons, elderberries, rosehips, crab apples etc and it should all help to stretch the budget. We aim to eat healthily and cut down on meat based meals too and use more pulses.The only exception i am allowing is for eggs, but i will keep aside some money from the budget to allow for eggs as I have no other way of sourcing these.:o
I also intend to keep a price book of costs of stuff and compare to costs at the end of the 6 months to check on food price increases. When i start I will list my stores and costs and will also try and post weekly menu with costings for anyone interested.
If I can make this work it could mean an annual food budget of £800 or less which would be less than £20 per week for the household:rolleyes:

shaz_mum_of__2

HI sophiesmum


I too would love to try something like that and already do some of it i think storage is the biggest problem as well as getting family on board

My OH is quite good but a little impulsive at times (or am i boring and obsessed ) he says "we've got to live you know"


I cant wait till all my fruit grows strawbs rasps and goosegogs apples and nectarines the pants have cost about £40- they better be productive!!

Lots of elderberries and blackberries round here unfortunately i got into jam too late last year and made wine instead(shame)

I am ready this year got a huge box empty jars waiting to be filled want to make ketchup and brown sauce too plan to give hampers at christmas including homemade food soap and dishcloths etc


Shaz

shaz_mum_of__2

OOPs just noticed a typo but leaving it as it made me laugh

Shaz

mumzyof2

shaz_mum_of__2 wrote: »

HI sophiesmum


I too would love to try something like that and already do some of it i think storage is the biggest problem as well as getting family on board

My OH is quite good but a little impulsive at times (or am i boring and obsessed ) he says "we've got to live you know"


I cant wait till all my fruit grows strawbs rasps and goosegogs apples and nectarines the pants have cost about £40- they better be productive!!

Lots of elderberries and blackberries round here unfortunately i got into jam too late last year and made wine instead(shame)

I am ready this year got a huge box empty jars waiting to be filled want to make ketchup and brown sauce too plan to give hampers at christmas including homemade food soap and dishcloths etc


Shaz

was it goosegogs by any chance lol? :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Ohhhh it was pants lol well spotted sophiesmum

sophiesmum_2

hi shaz
Re the storage thing Oh recently bought me a second small chest freezer and I am about to turn a floor to ceiling coat cupboard into my dry store/pantry.
We are still eating the jams and chutneys from last summer but intend to make lots more this year. Not tried ketchups yet but have planted loads of toms so may try some this year.

The hampers sound a great idea too.:D re the family, neither can cook so they have to eat what I make:rotfl: :rotfl:

PS hope your pants are productive:rotfl: :rotfl:

shaz_mum_of__2

shaz_mum_of__2 wrote: »

the pants have cost about £40- they better be productive!!

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Anyone who knows me knows i would never spend £40 on underwear

Shaz

Nope goosegogs is what we call gooseberries up here