... I have done it! Now, I don't know how long this diary will last, but I am going to swop my spending with ... A random act of kindness - the aim is to do one (at least) random act a week, and so I thought if I logged them here then it would help me keep the focus, and record it. So, here I go for February ...
Not a lot left in the fridge, we are also having a concerted effort to not waste food so I will do a quiche today as have plenty of eggs and a couple of rashers of bacon that need using ... Not much left in the veggie patch but do have some parsnips so will go and rescue those today and think about opportunities for my RAOK ...random acts of kindness - we do at least have no rain currently so must make the most of that ...
Enjoy your Sundays ... Back to work tomorrow- hospital is very busy, so will keep me out of mischief!
Well, what a brilliant hour's work! I thought I only had a couple of parsnips as they didn't appear to be doing too well, but I have harvested a good thirty and have a great vat of spiced parsnip soup on the go. The rest are drying off, but slightly worried about storage ... Any advice very welcome!
So, I am going to look up parsnip cake ... I loved courgette cake in the Summer, so must be one!
Back to the planning for planting ... Feeling very optimistic indeed, especially as I had a lovely time with the eight rescue hens, very interested in my digging, and the worms ... I want them, but I'm sure there's enough to go round!
I hope everyone is ok with the weather, certainly been a difficult week in Somerset.
On the frugal diary front, things are moving along, and I am enjoying reading other posts about progress. I do hope Jackian things improve for your Hubby, difficult times I can imagine.
So, in total we have spent £11.50 on essentials this week. The parsnips are still in the store, and we used up quite a lot of the soup with lunchbox treat, with home made bread. The freezer is reducing, which was one aim, lots left from last year's harvest like broad beans and rhubarb, so a lovely crumble last night ... Not with the broad beans!! I will also make a rhubarb and custard cake for the weekend, lovely recipe on BBC Good Food.
So, frugal jobs for the weekend ... I am going through the Bank Account to see if there is anything I am spending that I can reduce, and doing a first "list only" shop at one of the low cost supermarkets tomorrow to compare prices ... Looking forward to that.
Spring planting planned, need to buy a couple of packets of seeds, but making a root for my drive in to Town tomorrow and then won't waste fuel. The girls ( ) loved their left overs this week, so a happy household, doing pancakes for brunch as have all the ingredients here ... Yum yum ! Xxxxxx
Hi carol, I do hope your weather is OK..Thankfully I live on a hill if it floods we are all in trouble
You seem to be doing Ok .. I am so into emptying the freezer it is amazing what you can find lerking! If the parsnips are tough ..Parsnip crisps . I spotted that you found some broad beans ! They are great on toast . Cooked and whizzed up with a squeeze of lemon juice ,a dash of milk add some chopped spring onion and maybe a bit of chopped chilli. On your home made bread ..Yummy . Thank you for asking my husbands hand is "getting there" The stitches are out and he has tried to do a bit in our kitchen we are doing up ...Taking a while. These things we are trying to do before he gives up work , although he has no intentions at the moment . But as mentioned before the older you get the longer things take to heal and we are not getting any younger
4 lovely girls~~ Clover, the oldie and top chick Bonnie second in command .new girls Bluebell and Blossom. 2 lovely new girls 19-01-2015~~ Chelsea and Ruby. Eva , Florry , Poppy ,Annie and Rosie R.I.P The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.” - unknown
Hi Jackian, thank you for your response, and glad Hubby's hand is improving, gently does it and do all the exercises given to try and keep things moving ... Hands ... We never notice until we can't do things so easily!
Thanks for the broad beans idea, I will try that tomorrow. I have had a productive weekend, more parsnip soup as the whole family loved it, and the children have both taken the frozen supply off with them after their usual weekend bobbing in and out! Bless them! I haven't done crisps for ages, but love them too ... Yummy!
The broad beans were from the garden and lovely and so juicy - so on toast sounds delicious.
We have had snow today ... It went later, but just coming in again now ... We live up near Dunkery Beacon, the highest point in Somerset, so we too are not likely to flood ... But blow away ... That's another matter, thought I would have to tie the Ndown this week!
Having a great week! Frugal February is working well, I did a shop last Sunday just before closing, and bagged some real bargains. I sat and worked it out and I paid £44.78 for a shop that should have cost £72.36 so I was so chuffed. I cooked down some of the veg that needed using up - only pence in cost and made a great vat of veg soup yum yum! I also made lunches from a bag of cous cous in the pantry and lots of fresh things - lemon and coriander both special prices as near sell by date and brilliant lunches for about 25p per day, probably a bit more if I add in the cous cous.
We also had a bag of meat - huge one - we swopped for a really old car that we couldn't really sell, but was still driveable - so we sold it to a friends Dad who offered meat as he has his own farm and is a butcher. Brilliant! We are really chuffed, but need to use a friends freezer down the bottom of the lane ... Another farm.
So, having succeeded in a little bit of bartering we are doing the same with our spare eggs - and shopping for veg from the local farmer, who doesn't keep chickens! Brilliant ...
So far £125 in the savings book that we would have spent .... Only treat has been a bottle of whiskey for the Hubby ... He deserved it he took me up to Birmingham to Chair a Conference in the most appalling weather ... So he earnt it.
We will crack on, so far so good, if I can do the same for the next two weeks then we could have £250 to save at the end of the month, that would be impressive!
Hope everyone is faring ok in this weather It's grim here! Xx
And so to the 1st March ... Our Daughter has moved home, so life has taken an unexpected turn with one extra dog too, and, of course, our lovely girl, who doesn't seem to have learnt to turn lights out ... Or shut doors! We feel like a couple of old nag bags .....lights, doors, lights, doors!! So, food bill will inevitably rise as a 21 year old, hollow legged lovable girl eats her way through the fridge! She is paying her way too, though, so no worries there ... I went to a well known different supermarket today - very interesting selection of food and other things, but resisted the urge to buy off list! It certainly makes a difference list shopping! Will be making more soup this week for lunches, and M. Has taken packed lunches too, so good job I love baking, and we both love eggs! The girls are stii producing one a day and I keep expecting that to drop but it doesn't ..... We did have 5 or 6 for a couple of weeks but hey are back up now.
Thinking of selling from the gate for passing traffic ... Will have to look into how to do that, I'm sure it will be on here so we here. Darned Hubby's hand knitted socks today, knitting some patches for them, so that's good, every little bit helps. Let's hope for a drier March is all I can say! Night for now xx
Oh dear .... March 2014 ..... Clearly failed in my diary, but not in the real thing! Great year, Daughter still at home which is lovely .... Veggie patches a great success and determined to continue this year. Had a soup maker for Christmas so even more determined for a frugal year and a lovely book for Christmas too ... Self Sufficiency ... Lots of bedtime reading. Work and life busy but wishing you all a successful and happy 2015 ... x
Mo, yes, they have been sitting on the dresser waiting for attention and last year I didn't get round to doing them and ended up buying some .... So now I will just need to remember where I put them!! Thanks for the comment xx
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