Live on £4000 for a year - Part 2

Frugaldom

Good afternoon all, it's yet another lovely day here in sunny southwest Scotland! Washing's out and I've been out at lunchtime and picked another crop of lettuce / salad leaves to have salad wraps tonight. DS is going to be sick of the sight of chilli if I feed him any more of it

I've been back and forth collecting free tickets for bingo but not won a single penny. Phone's been ringing all morning, I missed a delivery (haven't a clue what, as I'm not expecting anything) and I'm hoping to pop out and collect a few bits and pieces for the garden later this afternoon (via Freecycle) as I need to give HS's car a run to keep it healthy whilst he's away - good excuse, eh? I also need to do a little more on my expanding, but frugal, website plus get myself in gear to list on eBid! I only just managed to scrape into the chart for my own challenge this month! :eek:

Did anyone watch River Spring Cottage last night? I still want to know why nothing ever gets eaten by slugs, snails or greenfly! In saying that, the soapy water does appear to have worked on the roses and I have started picking seeds from the marigolds. I've also a load more spider plant babies to pot up and some geranium cuttings! I don't have time to earn a living! Even if I won the lottery and was living off the interest, I wouldn't have time to spend it! :rotfl: Now, about homebrewing.... anyone know how to press apples without an apple press?

Update: I've now ordered my £10 M&S voucher from piggy points

Boomdocker

I got a nice book from the library last week and it has a website attached. It's aimed at students and singles and has a vegetarian book as well as a frugal one. I made the chorizo and butterbean stew from it. It may offer some interest to you. (I will post this on the grocery challenge too as I visit both of these threads) https://www.beyondbakedbeans.com

Marru

Hi all,

I haven't been in the bungo halls today as due to technical difficulties I haven't been able to get in until now. Tried four different browsers and then finally managed to get in using the first one that I tried - doh!

I didn't manage to have a NSD as needed to get more bananas which gave me perfect excuse to buy chocolate as well.

I didn't think I would be this interested in football but I have a lot of stake tonight so can't wait for the evening to come and the results. Then I know if I am a complete nincompoop or sheer genious. :cool:

Need to go to the post office now as DD made two cards for her dad - one in Pre School and one in nursery so need to get them sent so shall catch up with you again later.

Have a nice day everyone,

Marru

slowlyfading

Afternoon everyone! Well, this is another NSD for me, so its been a good week really Haven't been out anywhere really, but have had a nice relaxing week after my finals last week. Have got chicken fahitas for tea, yum I've had some direct debits come out of my account, so I'm going to go over the £60 I said I had, so I've taken some money out of my savings to cover it. -sigh- I was trying to avoid that, but never mind.

boomdocker, I have that book you are talking about! It has some nice recipes in it, will have to dig it out and see what things I could make from it. I don't actually know where it is at the moment, lol :rotfl:

DdraigGoch

Hello again:wave:

:j:j:jHow'd THAT happen? I am now apparently a Deputy Sherrif [I have two stars!] Thank you, Martin:money:


I actually had an email from Martin the other day, thanking me for thanking him! Wow!

The news for today? There is no news:rotfl: I'm busy writing out a list of food we already have, to save duplication, so I can get on with my proper stocking up. It's shameful how much half opened stuff we've found . Guess we'll be having a few funny combinations over the next week or so;)

Hope everyone is having a good day.

Best of luck, Whitewing, and I concur with the advice - ask for a Relate meeting and also, if there is one, a community coordinator. The ideas of how it works here simply have to get through. Best of luck again, and :grouphug::grouphug:from everyone for when you need them.

DG

shaz_mum_of__2

nykmedia wrote: »

Now, about homebrewing.... anyone know how to press apples without an apple press?:)

Hi nyk

Have you thought of a electric juicer ?? if so:On an old episode of river cottage the cider circle people chopped apples in a big bucket then placed in the centre of a big muslin type cloth(tablecloth?) wrapped it up a bit like a christmas pud then put into a press and collected the juice that ran off

I am sure you could do similair on a small scale by putting chopped apples in a cloth in a colander over a bowl then weight it down


Shaz (who has a press but lives too far away to lend you it and has never used it herself............................yet)


if its wine you want theres a recipe here at bottom of page for apple wine without a press if you do make it i would add some pectolase too or you will have cloudy wine

http://www.ivydene1.co.uk/vamp/stnicks/applerecipes.html

Frugaldom

Thanks for that, Shaz, I think there may be some apple & ginger chutney tried, too! I'm not sure about making the apple wine as I use so many of the apples for stewing, but it seems such a shame to waste all the windfalls! I'm kind of superstitious about using ALL the windfalls, so DGD and I have compensated by planting apple pips and getting 4 out of 6 to germinate.

The cherries are almost all scattered now, so the score there is currently running at Birds 1, Household 0. We are winning the lettuce stakes, though and you know I said I had to give the car a run? Well, it took me to the local garden centre! :cool: I don't know how that happened, I think the cheeky little motor just knows the route, or something! But I needed more compost for potting all my cuttings and I had been looking for a window box for the kitchen window rather than have pots sitting. Well! There was only one left the right size and it had a chip out the corner. End result - window box for £1! :T My garden fund is not part of my 4k but just to 'fess up', I spent £7.30 (call it £8) from my £2 coins savings and have updated my signature. Oh, that amount was for window box, 4 grow bags and err.. a single cucumber plant as a practice run for next year.
Garden is calling now...

DdraigGoch

Well done, Nyk, on the window box. Our local pound shop has them for, guess how much .... yup, £1 each!!

On the apple press, a car jack works if you are a bit handy [seem to recall that OH is keen on tools etc :whistle ] and using windfalls is a good idea. I used to make apple wine [knocked your socks off and tasted like gentle cider - woooo. Dangerous stuff!] by cutting out the duff bits and soaking them in Camden tablets for as long as it took me to clean them all up, plus an hour, then putting about 3 pints of water into the fermenting bin, then the apples as they were, then chopping it ALL up - chop it in batches, bung 4/5 apples in, chop it, next few apples - together with a stick blender. Took a little while but it worked brilliantly. My neighbours used to like me lots in Autumn...

I never bothered straining it, just bunged the yeast in and let it get on with it. Worked for me. Best of luck. Apparently this haphazard method works with almost any fruit! I'm told it even works with tinned pears, if anyone gets a load of dented tins they could be on the perry train!

MrDT

DdraigGoch wrote: »

I'm told it even works with tinned pears, if anyone gets a load of dented tins they could be on the perry train!

Diolch DdraigGoch

I'll be on the lookout for cheapo pears when I go shopping tomorrow...

There's only one drink I enjoy in the summer more than cider, and that's perry! :beer:

mumzyof2

MrDT wrote: »

Diolch DdraigGoch

I'll be on the lookout for cheapo pears when I go shopping tomorrow...

There's only one drink I enjoy in the summer more than cider, and that's perry! :beer:

Hahaha cider reminds me of when i was a teenager and when i was naughty..im good now honest :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Today i have spent £2 on some mince and also £3.65 (i think) i will update sig later.