Live on £4000 for a year - Part 2

grandma247

Most things keep for quite a while if they are kept in a cool dark place. We keep our dry foods under the stairs on shelves as the temp. stays pretty even all year.

Sophiesmum: Have you been to Bolton meat market? I havent been recently but I have had a lot of bargains from there in the past. We got two whole salmon a while back for £14. I cut them into steaks and they lasted months. We also saw whole lambs for £60-70.

Also people have told me Accrington and Bury markets are also good. I am hoping to try those soon.

MrDT

Thanks sophiesmum and grandma247 I knew the 'throwing stuff out' bit wouldn't go down well here, not very moneysaving, but I figure neither's time off sick with food poisoning either I'm gonna get some plastic retainer things for cereal I think (have a bowl once in a blue moon), but as far as flour and porridge is concerned I reckon I use the bags up quick enough not to worry about it, and as you said, weevils would be visible anyway

Quite pleased with myself today, got a home made curry cooking away ready for freezing later, and I've had a go at making my own hm soup using some of the leftovers (not the spices lol!). No idea how it'll turn out, but it smells good at least

looby-loo_2

sophiesmum - I'd like to join you on this challenge. I already make jams. pickles, chutney, cakes, biscuits, (I try bread but it's hit and miss), butter, cottage cheese and all main meals from scratch.

I have an allotment but it isn't used to full advantage - time short. I grow soft fruit, well it grows itself really now its established so I have just this last week finished the last of the cooking apples (although there are about 12 portion packs in the freezer) and this week picked rhubarb, this lasts until goosberries, then strawberries, raspberries, red and black currents, plums, damsons, blackberries and then round to apples again.

My aim is to do the same with veg and always have something to harvest from the allotment. At the moment I'm picking brocolli and still eating dried chillies. I've just finished last autumns onions and am waiting for the Japanees onion, had to buy some:(, but I have gaps in the year which if I was organised I could fill.

My trouble is I'm time short - out of house full time from 7.45 - 6.00 Mon to Fri then cleaning and cooking all Sat. With lighter nights coming I used to think nothing of spending another couple of hours digging but it just doesn't happen these days.

sophiesmum_2

Not been to Bolton market for years, Bury is a good traditional market, will be having a trip there sometime soon.
We have a farm quite close that sells its own organic meat which is quite good value considering it is organic. I am going to price up there for lamb and beef, other than that costco has good quality meat, bacon etc.:D Although we are reducing the amount of meat we eat in general.

sophiesmum_2

looby-loo wrote: »

sophiesmum - I'd like to join you on this challenge. I already make jams. pickles, chutney, cakes, biscuits, (I try bread but it's hit and miss), butter, cottage cheese and all main meals from scratch.

I have an allotment but it isn't used to full advantage - time short. I grow soft fruit, well it grows itself really now its established so I have just this last week finished the last of the cooking apples (although there are about 12 portion packs in the freezer) and this week picked rhubarb, this lasts until goosberries, then strawberries, raspberries, red and black currents, plums, damsons, blackberries and then round to apples again.

My aim is to do the same with veg and always have something to harvest from the allotment. At the moment I'm picking brocolli and still eating dried chillies. I've just finished last autumns onions and am waiting for the Japanees onion, had to buy some:(, but I have gaps in the year which if I was organised I could fill.

My trouble is I'm time short - out of house full time from 7.45 - 6.00 Mon to Fri then cleaning and cooking all Sat. With lighter nights coming I used to think nothing of spending another couple of hours digging but it just doesn't happen these days.

Great a challenger, looks like we do a lot of similar stuff:D I would love an allotment but waiting lists here are so long:rolleyes: I have limited growing space in the grounds, fruit patch, veggie patch and green house. There are also lots of windowsills I can use indoors;) This year i will have gooseberry, raspberry,blackcurrant, rhubarb, blackberry, apple (small one) strawberry, tomatoes, peppers, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, beetroot, radish, potatoes, runner beans,onions,and cucumbers. I can also forage for huge amounts of blackberry, crab apples, damsons,and elderberry.

With your time issue, any chance you could spread your cleaning an hour night over the weekdays, and free up saturdays for working on your allottment

I was thinking of starting my challenge on June 1st and running up to xmas, as i am on holiday in May anyway, that would give us a month to get the storage and bulk shopping sorted and get the veggies producing too:D

mini_huny_money

Hya Sophismum I'd quite like to have a go, Would appreciate all your advice though mebbe just this year as a sort of trial run and it might give me the kick I need to plant more veggies this year rather trhan just salad leaves

I try to make everything from scratch too, Over the past few months I've bought very little thats ready prepared and I'm finding I really enjoy it. With the BM, I'm going through so much flour I'll need to add a miller to the qualities of that perfect man!!!!

like Mr Dt I don;t have much space, When you say you're going to store your flour etc .....do you mean several bags in each storage crate....never thought of that, good idea.though saying that I do have a spare room now.....(our area is really popular with French exchange students and though I think I'm too late to take any this year, I def will be doing it next year)

Like looby I'm also time short, out at 7.30 and back at just after 5 each day....and huny_money's have a tendency to have lazy, cant be a****d periods!!!!!....Love the idea of a pet jumble bee!!!!!....has a nice ring to it, dont you think????

looby-loo_2

OK - I'm up for the challenge. I really will try to clean a room each evening. (if I'm not too tired and don't have lesson prep to do)

A jumble-bee sounds easier than kittens. Have you ever see a kitten covered in bread dough! Thought not! It's my own fault. It was just prooving nicely in the cats (clean) radiator bed. Somehow, from not climbing at all one of them climbed up the cat cage, across onto the bed and 'walked' across the dough - well got half way before sinking in as it's the wet handmade dough on the other thread. Luckily it was elastic enough to pull off its fur but she didn't half wriggle. Mum is giving her a good wash. Anyway I'm afraid the dough went in the bin as I figured even the hottest of ovens wont kill litter tray germs.

Jumble-bees should rule!

Hardup_Hester

Hi all
I haven't posted for so long, but I am still trying. Life is chaotic at the moment & I have big decisions to make about the lodger, as anyone who reads my blog will know she is causing all sorts of problems & has not yet found a job for September. I also need to sort out my mortgage & other stuff, including the lodgers phone calls to the Caribbean.
Some good news is that the free wood is arriving soon for hubby to build me a raised bed for gardening, so I have something to look forward to, I have plenty of compost & FIL has some spare plants for me.
Hester

JustKeepSwimming_2

Hi All :hello:

Haven't posted for ages - I've been soooo busy with life & never seem to total up my spends but I have been following the thread!

I'm ashamed to say that there will be no way I will complete this challenge - you can see my sig now I've finally updated everything - & I'm so shocked! :eek: I can't believe how much I spend, even though I seem to be saying "No we can't afford it!" to my kids every time they want something. I'm trying to stay positive (& it could be much worse) but it is a bit disheartening when you see you're bank account haemorrhaging money!

My shocking total does include house & contents insurance (although they won't cover my new roof or redecorating due to the roof leaking so I am wondering why I even bothered taking it out!) & new glasses & contact lenses (but not my new roof, car tax, MOT & insurance... :rolleyes: )

My only good news is that my grocery spend will be low this month as I've been in bed with a vile virus for 10 days & haven't eaten very much! Thankfully kids have been with their Dad so I could rest in peace!

lingojingo

Marru wrote: »

My rats are here! I don't know how two girls ended up being three boys but never mind.

Marru, you should be really grateful they are boys. Many years ago my ex OH bought 2 carefully selected male rats as pets for our children.
6 days later DS shrieked 'look what's happening to P......'s rat!' as she was in the process of delivering 12 babies:eek: Then we looked at the mother, who was then about half the size she had been, and at the other male rat, and realised that she was also pregnant:eek:
A week later 2nd rat had 17 babies:eek::eek::eek:

Best woopsie ever, buy 2 get 29 free:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

It was a fantastic experience for the children, the rats were brilliant mothers and all the babies survived! (nightmare trying to find homes for them all), but not one to be repeated!
Good job that I wasn't doing this challenge then with all those extra mouths to feed.
Haven't got a scanner, or I'd send you some pics.