Frugal February

I'd decided to join in with the Frugal February challenge, but was having difficulty deciding what to do as I already have a weekly cash budget (which is all I can spare). Cutting that down by much 'doesn't suit me'.

As I'm away most of the week, I spend money on convenience food for J.  If he had to he'd cook from scratch, but he'll generally only do that if a mate is round. Otherwise he puts things in the oven, sets the timer and goes back upstairs until its cooked. So I'll still make sure there are pizzas, burgers and frozen chips for him.

 I'm going to take out my normal cash allowance, and focus on what I actually spend on.  Consciously see where I'm saving money, or am I just kidding myself? We don't buy cheap quality food, I don't think its worth it, but am I shopping at the best times to get the bargains? 9 am probably isn't a good time to get offers, so should I change the time/day I shop?

Freezer is quite full, and its amazing what was lurking at the bottom. Huge bag of sausages bought from the butchers van before Christmas, gammon, leftover turkey/chicken/ham.  Plenty of frozen veg.There is also a mountain of pasta, rice and noodles from Approved Foods. The plan is to live out of freezer and the Approved food stash as much as possible, and take lunch were practical.  This isn't as easy as it sounds - I can generally take lunch for the first day I'm somewhere, but I don't like sandwiches unless they're freshly made, and it does depend on the facilities available.

I've got plenty of loo roll, soap powder, washing up liquid and toiletries, but never know how much is enough.  I finished the last of the soap powder, so have a new box, so I'll see how long it lasts, same for washing up liquid.  Last lot was Fairy, bought on offer, this is supermarkets own. Is it worth the saving, do you use more of the cheaper stuff?

Fuel for the car, I'm not counting at all. Its work mileage and they pay for it. Personal mileage is too small an amount to calculate.
Any money left over from one week, will go in a pot and may be used as spends for weekend away in March.  Next week won't be bad as I'm at home most evenings, so a good start will be made on eating out of the freezer.

Hotel 'fancified meal'

Meal planning isn't really my thing, but for a rough idea.
Breakfast - well this is 2 cups of tea. J doesn't even have that.
Lunches - weekends, HM bread and soup, if working see above. J generally has toast. With or without scrambled egg or beans. Or soup.
Dinners - during the week, this is easy, in a hotel and work pay.  I don't normally even have to pay and claim it back. Otherwise , freezer has food batch cooked during January, so we have a choice of curries, chilli, and cooked chicken/turkey and ham which can be added to other meals.
This weekend
Tonight - Fish and chips - fish out of freezer, home made chips, can of mushy peas
Tomorrow - stir fry of some description
Sunday - Sausage casserole - will make enough that this can also be heated up on Monday by son.
Monday - I'm away, son can have reheated casserole with jacket spud.
Tuesday - too far into the future to think about.

I also don't have a free Council Tax month as I pay over 12 months.  They actually don't allow it, but it doesn't suit me to pay an extra £20 a month for 10 months, so I don't.

Frugal Friday

I've decided to join Robyn in her Frugal Friday posts, and in particular, Frugal February.
Necessity is usually the reason for being frugal, and I've been chuckling this morning reading about the adventures in finding insurance at A Cheerful Living Adventure

But lots of the things I do out of habit are frugal, and to me they're just old fashioned common sense.  So, don't waste things, in particular food.

Last week I happened to be in the supermarket when they were doing the final markdown on fruit and veg. Picked up a couple of bags of potatoes, some organic carrots, purple sprouting broccoli and some leeks, all for 19 pence each.  Nothing wrong with any of them, they just couldn't sell them as they were out of date.

Organic carrots for 19 pence

There was also a chicken with a use by date which meant it had to be cooked that day - 2kg chicken for just over £2. Bargain.  To be honest, I'm not that concerned about dates, if it smells OK I'll cook it.

So first thing was to make leek and potato soup. Now I *know* I should have cooked the chicken first and made the stock etc., but it was lunchtime and I was hungry.

Leek and potato soup

A fair bit of chopping, cursing and cutting of fingers, but then I had soup.  Far too much for me, so some of it went into the freezer, some I took to work during the week.

Then the chicken was cooked.  We had a lovely roast dinner, and then started "Project Rubber Chicken".

How far could it go? Not that far, as my son eats large portions, but not bad.

Remainder of the chicken

The bones ready to become stock

Left over veg, frozen to be used elsewhere

Actually writing this out is difficult, because its so second nature.  There's lots of things in fancy recipe books about how to make stock, but personally, the 'bung it all in a pan' option normally works fine!  Break up the carcass, put in a large pan with some veg (usually an old carrot and an onion) don't chop the veg up just cut into quarters, and don't peel the carrot.  Cover with cold water, and bring to the boil. There will be some scum on top of the pan, skim this off (but don't worry about it if you miss some, it just means you won't get a perfectly clear stock). Lower the heat and simmer for an hour or so. Keep an eye on it, don't let it dry out.  You should then get a lovely flavourful stock that can be frozen and used again. I put small plastic bags inside my plastic containers before freezing the stock, I can then reuse the containers.

Remainder of the chicken was put into lots of freezer bags, in single portions.  So far we've used some of it for fajitas (feeding 3 adults), some sandwiches (obviously), omelettes and will have curry one night.  So for less than a fiver, we've so far had 3 proper meals, lots of soup, and have more meals still to come.  Value for money, definitely; frugal, I'm not so sure

There's more than one place called Liverpool

We have relatives in Australia, and much confusion often occurs when they post things, as they mention things that happen in 'Liverpool' and we forget that they haven't lived here for over 30 years.  Theirs is a suburb of Sydney, and it was really brought home this morning when cousin posted this

while we've got a blizzard going on and my phone is saying this

How many notebooks is too many?

And these are just the ones that I have with me in the hotel!

Crafty stuff

Things I've made in the last couple of weeks, which will end up as cards. I made  a couple of these, which will may end up as gift tags, haven't decided yet.

And some Christmas Deccies - Elizabeth Shaw mints inside

I took some bits and bobs with me and stuck them together to make a couple of cards.

These aren't finished, they all need sentiments adding.

Stationery Porn

I could wander round stationery shops for days

Not just the 'posh' shops, with proper pens, but even the likes of Stationery Box, or Wilkinsons.  I can wander around comparing one set of cheap pens with another, but what I really, really, adore are shops with handmade papers, and little notebooks and pretty things.

Imagine my delight then, on a recent work trip to Liskeard, to come across just such a shop.  So I had to pick up this little gem

It's still in the cellophane, its too beautiful to use.  

Then a week or so ago, I was in Scarborough and accidentally wandered into a branch of Rymans. I could have bought EVERYTHING.  I can't possibly ever leave a stationery shop without making a purchase, so some pretty pens made their way into my basket, together with some boring gel pens for work.

But, my absolute FAVOURITE pen ever, is the fountain pen in this set bought for my 50th Birthday.

 

The pen on the right was bought for me when I started Grammar School (in 1970!) and the one on the left is my everyday fountain pen.

Happy Birthday Mum

Random stuff:
My Mum
Catherine Hancox
23.11.1935 -25.8.2011



...: My Mum Catherine Hancox 23.11.1935 -25.8.2011