This is why I don't go out much!!

 

Today was one of those days where I had to go out and 'do stuff' that involved dealing with people!  And it reminded me why I don't go out much!!

I had a dental appointment so booked Luna into puppy day care so I could catch up on all my errands in one day.  I had to buy a new puppy pass so that was £140 spent before 9am 😱  I went to Pets at Home as I needed to stock up on biodegradable poop bags.  They're changing the whole layout of the store so nothing was where it was supposed to be.  Instead of a quick pop in and out, I spent 10 mins looking for them.  £3 spent in there.  Then into B&Q for silicone mould cleaner (my shower seal is mouldy despite me cleaning it regularly) so £6 spent there.

The dentist took more impressions today and I chose the tooth colour for my plate 🦷  Did you know that your eye tooth is a shade darker than the tooth beside it because it's got thicker tooth enamel?  I didn't!  £45.16 for today's treatment.

Then I met 2 of my 2 Gin Queen friends for coffee at Costa.  Both are currently off work (we taught together in the same school) with work related stress.  One of them told me she's decided to retire at the Summer (yeay!) so another good teacher is lost because the system stinks (boo!)  Total spend in there £7.35 ☕

Then I went to Sainsbury's to 'spend' my Nectar points.  They have also moved everything round since the last time I was in and I had no idea where anything was any more.  I was really frazzled by the time I got to the till.  But then the till wouldn't accept my Nectar card.  The assistant was very unhelpful to the point of rudeness and just said go to Customer Services, they'll sort it out for you.  I duly went and they were even more unhelpful!  They didn't know why the system wasn't letting me spend my points.  Even though my receipt clearly shows I've got points to spend.  Eurghhh!!  I'll need to try sort it out tomorrow.

When I got home I totalled up my spending and was shocked to see it was £255.61!  Mostly planned and budgeted for but still a lot for one day!!!  That's the down side of saving up all your errands to do in one go!

I picked Luna up around 4pm.  She's always exhausted after a day spent running around with her doggy pals!  She likes to sleep with her head on me or next to me for the whole evening 💤

I felt the need for some healthy comfort food so I made stovies using up some sausages and turnip from the freezer.  Potatoes, onions, carrots, turnip and meat (usually leftovers) are all cooked together in one pot.  Different parts of the UK and even in Scotland make a version of this and it's known by a few different names.  It really hit the spot and there's enough for my lunch tomorrow.  Doesn't look great but it's flipping delicious! 😋

I'm absolutely exhausted tonight.  Apart from seeing my friends I wouldn't say it was an enjoyable day out.  I'm getting even more reclusive as I really really don't like going out and dealing with people!!

Ways to use up: potatoes (edited)

 

I cleaned out my veg basket and fridge of veggies before my Sainsbury's delivery yesterday.  I had half a bag of sprouting potatoes leftover from Christmas to use up so I made a big pot of buttery mash!  After 2 meals served with mash (sausages in gravy and slow cooked beef, both from the freezer) I still had around 500g leftover.  So, I made 16 tattie scones 😋 12 are already in the freezer!

But it got me thinking of the different ways I use potatoes and wondered if I could do more.

When the oven's on for a decent amount of time, I like to fill it up with potatoes to bake.  Some get used to make cheesy stuffed potatoes.  Some get cut into wedges, sprinkled with seasonings and frozen for later.

I had a sorry looking baked potato lurking in the fridge so I grated it and made a kinda rosti.  It was nice with a fried egg!  Not as good as proper ones like THESE but passable.

I've also made Aloo Tikki HERE, really just spicy potato cakes.

So my potato repertoire consists of the usual boiling, baking, chipping and roasting.  I top pies with mash.  I occasionally make tattie scones.  I've made rumbledethumps (Scottish bubble and squeak) and tried Aloo Tikki.  I've made potato gratin.  And don't forget the classic leek and potato soup!  In the Summer I make potato salads especially with new potatoes.

I'm consistently able to grow a decent amount of potatoes so I was thinking I could prepare some different potato based things to freeze in the Summer.  Can you think of any other potato ideas that are simple and cheap to do?   Especially things I could freeze!

Edited to add ideas from comments:

Gnocchi, duchess potatoes, saag aloo, fishcakes, hash, potato bread, potato pastry, croquettes, potatoes  boulangere, hasselback potatoes

Feeling fruity!

 

I had my appt with the mental health practitioner this morning.  Waste of time, he was useless.  He talked over me for 30 mins about himself!!  Opening line to me "What are you stressed about?  Work?"  Quickly followed up by "Have you thought about retiring?"  Thank goodness I wasn't in dire need of help or that I had to pay for it.  And he stank of cigarette smoke 🤮  But it ticked the box so I can get my Fit Note extended next week.  As I was out and about nice and early I managed to score a decent £1.50 fruit/veg box at Lidl.  First one for aaaaages!

I peeled and chopped the 12 apples and 5 pears.  Only 1 apple was completely rotten right through and some were a bit bashed.  I squeezed the satsuma juice into my big pot and gently cooked the fruit for about 20 mins.  Because they were eating apples they didn't break down and I didn't add any sugar as they are sweet enough.  Once they'd cooled a bit I added a wee bit of local honey.  They're now portioned up into single portions and in the freezer.  I think they'll be good for yoghurt or porridge or even a wee healthy fruit crumble!

I sliced and diced the peppers with some of the Tesco 19p onions.  They're really useful to have in the freezer for stir fries and fajitas 😋

Sadly the peaches and nectarines were a bit rotten from the stone out, even the chicken refused to try one!  Clever bird!!  But I had the plums with my lunch, they were nice.

I've started saving chopped up bits n pieces of veggies in wee pots if I've done too much.  They're really handy to pull out the freezer and boost the veg content.  I had a stir fry for tea last night with frozen peas, sweetcorn, red onion, spring onion and spinach plus a tub of cooked chicken 😋  I'm loving my freezer right now!!

As well as knitting socks, I've also been working on sewing up my cardigan!  Soooo many loose ends to weave in!! ✂  But I'm making progress!  It might even be finished in time for the hottest part of the year!!!! 😂

Another weekend of recovery

I've spent yet another weekend just recovering from my work week.  It's made me even more certain I've made the right choice to retire! 😊  I've been watching Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime while knitting.  I've now finished both sleeves.  I'm not sure if I've made them wide enough for the more jacket like cardigan image I have in my head.  I might add a wee extra strip down each one to make it wider if I need it.  I'll see how the rest of it knits up.  But I'm happy with the effect so far 😊

I didn't need to make soup this weekend for the week ahead (thanks to last week's mega soup batch cooking!) so I made a big veggie lasagne instead to use up the leftover veggies at the bottom of the fridge!  That will do me and my DIL tonight and I'll have several portions leftover to freeze. I made a wee lasagne with some minced beef from the freezer (cooked and frozen weeks ago) for my son.  And we're having a rhubarb crumble for dessert, using up rhubarb frozen last year.  I think it's the last batch.  There are a few bags of plums and just 1 tub of blackcurrants left.  The fruit I froze last Summer has kept me going throughout the Winter!

This week we're on strike for 2 days, Tuesday and Wednesday.  There's also a rally at the council HQ to protest the lack of action on resolving the issues.  I was asked if I wanted to address the rally but I don't think I will.  I might get carried away and be a bit too honest!!!  I don't want to put pressure on myself by agreeing but I'll see how I feel on the day.

Powerless

 

We had a power cut yesterday.  Initially I thought it was just my house that had an issue as I had lights but everything else had tripped the fuse box.  My son and I checked that neither had done anything ie plugged something in or switched something on or off.  We checked everything we could check then the lights went out too.  I looked outside and my neighbours on either side and across the road still had lights on.  So it was a reasonable assumption that I had an electrical issue.  I called an emergency electrician who came out within the hour who confirmed there was no power coming into the house.

So last night it cost me £120 to discover that some type of power cuts can affect some houses and not others.  Yes, my neighbours on either side and across the road (and round the corner!) all had power while me and every third or fourth house didn't.  There are only 5 houses on my little row (I'm in the middle) and I was the only one with no power.  Something to do with circuits apparently... 😡

Urghhhh!!!  Anyway, my emergency basket of torches, candles and matches was tested for the first time.  Thank goodness for that rechargeable work light I bought a few months ago!  We were able to light one room for a few hours.  I made a simple one pot pasta and cheese dish for supper as I could light the gas hob by matches 😊

Close up of textures

In other news, my stashbusting cardigan has grown lots over the last few days.  I'm loving having a project that is quicker than socks!  Plus I've had a search through all my wool stashes and found a few good single or half used balls!

I have a whole bag full to choose from now!  It's very therapeutic as I zone out while I knit while I binge watch Elementary on my laptop.  The only subscription I have is my Amazon Prime so I'm making full use of it!!  Plus it stops me overthinking about going back to school tomorrow 😟

Knitting inspiration!

 

I was looking for a new knitting project that wasn't going to cost me any money.  My DIL and I have been sorting out cupboards and found a huge bag of yarn my Lovely Mum gave me years ago for use at school.  I remember I did some weaving with a few classes and had a wee creative craft club on Friday afternoons.  My DIL crochets so she was thinking of making more animals with clothes. I went looking on Pinterest for a stashbuster cardigan and found a few ideas.  Love the above one!!!

I also found this one which is a knitted knock off Etro crochet design.

This is the original catwalk version!  I love the mix of colours and textures.  So an idea was born! 💡

The biggest circular needle I have is a 6mm so I'm aiming for a sort of Aran/chunky weight of yarns.  It will mean I need to double and mix strands but I'm hoping the mix of stitch patterns will create the effect I'm looking for as well.  I cast on 200 stitches (100 for the back and 50 for each side) and will knit rows/stripes/blocks as I feel like it.  I'll knit the sleeves on straight needles.  

There's no pattern or vision in my head other than to use up all the yarn I have stashed from previous projects.  I will not buy any yarn but will probably get some from my Lovely Mum as she still has a sizable stash of her own!!  The above is Aran pure new wool from New Lanark mills in heather.  My aunt knitted me a jumper in this years ago and for some reason we had 5 x 100g extra balls leftover.  I think we maybe had to buy a pack with a set number.  I'm allocating 3 for the back and 1 for each sleeve.  

I'm still knitting socks too 😄  I've always got a pair on the needles.  This one is at the toe shaping point.  The cardigan is chunky and knits up quickly whereas the socks are portable and can go with me.  No idea how long the cardigan will take but it's been fun researching and sorting out suitable yarns! 🧶

Vouchers, points and bonuses

 

I was woken up early this morning by an unexpected delivery.  I say unexpected as it was meant to arrive next week some time.  6 bottles of prosecco from my 'wine club.'  A few years ago I used a voucher that gave me £50 off a box of 12 bottles of wine.  Without realising, this meant that I was automatically 'signed up' to a 'wine club' and a monthly payment had been set up using the credit card I used 🙄 It took me a while but I worked out out how to pause the payments when I wanted and built up a nice balance that I could use at Christmas to buy wine for gifts (and to drink of course!) It was also convenient as you can't buy alcohol in supermarkets before 10am in Scotland so my early visits to avoid the crowds meant I couldn't buy wine.

So at the start of this year I paused the payments as usual but a few had managed to slip through.  They also give you 'bonuses' and vouchers every now and then.  As I've been going through all my spending this year I found that I still had £75 in my account!  So I logged on to see if I could get anything and found this 6 bottle deal and still have a wee balance left.  Free delivery plus they'll leave it in my safe place if I'm out.  Excellent!  I now have 6 bottles of lovely fizz (not free but feels like it!!) to gift in the coming year.  

I'm planning to make some fabric bottle bags and I'll reuse some bags I already have in my stash.  I'm also planning to make some liqueurs using up the fruit still lurking in my freezer.  I could fill wee bottles and gift with the fizz to make a cocktail! 💡 I'll add a wee recipe gift card to the bag.

It made me wonder how many vouchers/points I've accumulated in other places.  I've got £40 worth of points available on my Nectar card, I've got 101 Tesco clubpoints (worth £1!!) and the M&S credit card that I use for everything usually earns me a £3 to £5 voucher per quarter.  I've got a plan for the Nectar points 😉 so I'll report back on that next week hopefully.

I also asked for M&S vouchers for Christmas.  As I'm not buying any new clothes in 2023 I will probably need new underwear at some point!  Thanks to my Lovely Mum 😘  My sister gave me a Dobbies voucher so that's earmarked for seed potatoes or onion sets in the Spring!  Thanks sis! 😘

I had some leftover mashed potatoes so made a big batch of tattie scones to use it up.  I say leftover but I always make more than I need any way! Recipe HERE

And Emma has picked up a nasty doggy virus that gave her bloody diarrhoea 💩 Normally I'd just give her scrambled egg or chicken and rice for a few days but the blood made me take her to the vet.  £105 later plus a ton of drugs and she's feeling a bit better today.  I just need to deep clean my cream carpet again...

Hot day tasks!

 

What do you do on the hottest day of the year? You make jam!! 🙄🤣 I had too much rhubarb from the garden and my freezer is already full of the stuff so I made jam.  Rhubarb and Vanilla Gin jam based on this recipe HERE  I used 600g of rhubarb and sugar as that's what I had.

I used the red ends (and froze the rest) so got a nice pinky colour.  Rhubarb jams and chutneys go a muddy colour if you use the green ends too.  It would still taste good though!

I finished the first pink sock!  Second one is already cast on and ribbing nearly finished 🧦 I've started watching Line of Duty (never seen it!) so I'm knitting and TV watching (on my laptop) in the evenings.

I had a huge bag of potatoes that needed to be used up so I peeled and boiled them.  I made a fish pie on Sunday and tattie scones yesterday with some of the leftovers.  Recipe in the recipe section above.

Once they were cooled I froze them.  They reheat beautifully esp in the toaster!!  And I still have some mashed potatoes that I'll probably freeze.

Making jam, boiling a huge pot of potatoes and knitting woolly socks aren't really hot day tasks but since it's too hot to actually safely be outside, I'm keeping busy in the cool North facing side of my house.

Stay hydrated everyone and share what you do when it's too hot! 😎

Some leftovers

My dear colleague and friend retired today.  She's not a party animal and didn't want a night out to celebrate.  She wanted an afternoon tea party.  So we all pitched in and made food.  One of our fabulous SLAs (Support for Learning Assistant) has loads of vintage china so we set up a proper tea party for her with white tablecloths and wee vases of flowers.

The selection of food was amazing and people went to the extra effort making sure there were GF sandwiches and cakes for me.  I work with lovely people!! 😊 But there was too much food and so there were tons of leftovers.  Interestingly the younger members of staff wanted to put it all in the bin!  😲  Luckily us oldies know the value of leftovers 😄

I came home with a dozen pancakes, 2 jars of chutney, 7 apples, a wee GF loaf and some French bread.   The pancakes and French bread aren't GF but The Teenogre will eat them.  They're already in the freezer along with the bread.

I tossed a couple of pieces to the chickens.  They went crazy for it!!  And Emma had a few sneaky pieces too!

I will miss my friend but she totally deserves her retirement!  It was a lovely send off.

And now, I'm on holiday for 2 whole weeks!!

Frugal tips

2024 edited to say this popular post was written in 2018.  I've now been living a frugal life for almost 14 years and some of the things no longer apply as I'm now retired.  But these are still good tips!

When I first started this frugal lifestyle 8 years ago there were loads of blogs that inspired and helped me on my journey.  For various reasons many of these blogs no longer exist.  3 of the best were Mortgage Free in Three (Elaine inspired my 40k in 4 years), Frugal Queen and Our New Life in the Country. I know Elaine and Jane had technical issues so maybe that's why their blogs are gone.  Sue over at Our New Life in The Country also had fab ideas but she kindly left her blogs up for people to read. 

So when Mrs Frugal left a comment on yesterday's post it got me thinking.  What advice could I give to someone starting their frugal journey?

1.  Live beneath your means.

I live on less than half my salary.  The other half is saved.  In the last few years we've bought (and sold) a campervan.  We've been on 2 major family trips to Singapore for a wedding and to Australia to visit my middle son.  Plus I was able to buy a flat for my oldest son.

2.  Cut your food budget.  

Cook from scratch.  If you can't cook, learn!
Look for yellow stickers.
Eat more veggie meals.
Look at budget ranges in supermarkets.  Work out what can be substituted eg Basics ketchup v Heinz ketchup and what can't eg my Percol coffee is non negotiable! (2024 edit - I now drink Tesco's own brand coffee!)
Use up every single bit of food you buy.

3.  Research every single major purchase

Shop around for the best price.  Consider second hand options.

4.  Cut your clothing budget

If you don't have a budget make one.  Mine is £500 a year for everything.  Buy from Ebay and charity shops.  I get a lot of new stuff with the tags still on

5.  Just stop buying stuff

Only buy stuff you 'need' not what you 'want'

6.  Teach yourself new skills

Why pay someone else to do something if you can DIY?  OH and I will have a go at most things before considering getting someone else in to do it.  Yep you'll make mistakes but you get better every time.  OH is a pro at tiling now 👍

These are my main ones but maybe you could add to the list.  I did write an article with my tips for a US blog a few years ago.  You can still read it HERE

I had 3 wrinkly peppers left over from last week's shop.  So I mixed some onion, rice, black beans, salsa and fajita seasoning together, stuffed the peppers and topped them with goats cheese.  They were very tasty and cheap!

Day 10 : Cook, Clean, Clear and Create

Hmm, not much new cooking has been happening this week but thanks to my full freezer I haven't needed to cook.  All my meals have been a defrost and cook affair.  Love it!

I spent a few lovely hours to create 2 more crumb/scrappy squares.  Top red one is my favourite one so far.

I rather like this pink/lilac one too!! I took some time to iron them all and they're looking much better.  I've got 5 now.  I'm planning a purple one and a neutral one tomorrow ✂

I didn't spend all day sewing (even though I wanted to!) as I was on a clean and clear mission to get my family room/den reorganised.  It's amazing how one change (getting the new to me sofa) has inspired me to change the whole room.  By the time I finished the light wasn't great for taking photos so I'll get some pics tomorrow.  I've got a carload of bags and boxes to take to the recycling centre in the morning and a few boxes that I'll take into school next week.

I'll sleep well tonight after all my efforts! 😴

Day 9: Just create

Oh dear! I seem to have spent most of today creating these crumb/scrappy squares from the fabric I sorted out yesterday 😂 This one is sort of orangey colours.

This one is navy and blue 

And this one is green (although it looks turquoise on my monitor!!) 

They're very addictive (LOL!!) and easy to make.  They're about 11 or 12 inches and will be trimmed to 10 inches when I quilt them.  They're not ironed yet so look a bit crumpled!

I did give Emma a decent walk and I've been waiting for news all day on the Teenogre's exam results (he did ok but not got into his first choice uni) and DS's girlfriend who had an op (she's groggy but ok) so I don't feel bad for not cleaning or clearing today.  I'm off to the gym now.  I might cook something when I get back.  Or I might not 😉

Day 6 & 7: Cook, Clean, Clear and Create

Yesterday's clean and clear was mostly getting ready for our family meal.  Here's the dining room (tidy-ish) with the table set for 7.  I am very guilty of using my dining table as a dumping area for 'stuff.'  Sadly it's just been stirred elsewhere in the house for another day to clear.

Cook was a Chinese meal for 7 people. This is all that's left from last night!!  The 5 spice pulled beef was AMAZING!! I will definitely make that again. The chicken was simply marinated in honey and Tamari and stir fried.  The prawns were marinated in sesame oil and chilli, also quickly stir fried.

For dessert I made lemonade fruity jelly.  Instead of adding cold water I added cloudy lemonade.  If you let the hot mixture cool a bit before adding it, the bubbles set in the jelly.  For posh meals with just grown ups I've used sparkling wine.  The fruity bit is blueberries and raspberries.

The birthday cake was a banana cake.  Recipe HERE.  Best GF banana cake recipe I've found so far!  I baked it in a bundt tin as my oven doesn't distribute heat evenly. Cakes take longer to bake in the middle and start to burn on the edges.  Having that hole makes a big difference.  To serve I filled it with blueberries and raspberries and dusted it with icing sugar instead of the cream cheese frosting.

My create last night was stitching a few more squares together.  I'm finding my eyesight doesn't like knitting or sewing in artificial light now so only managed 3.

Tonight's cook was a really easy leftovers stir fry.  Tasted better than it looks!

My create today was stitching yet more squares together.  I've now got 3 long strips to stitch to the main blanket.  Thank goodness!! Then I can get one with a different project.

My clean and clear was to totally strip my bed including the zipped on mattress cover.  It got washed and dried outside and after a struggle OH and I managed to get it back on.  Tonight I'll be sleeping in a bed with my new duvet, pillows and bedding.  Lovely! 😴

Day 3 & 4: Cook, Clean, Clear and Create

Yesterday's cook was to poach some chicken breasts and shred them to add to meals.  5 chicken breasts made 7 portions for me.

Clean and clear took place at DS's flat.  I helped him clean his wee kitchen and clear out the pots and pans he can't use any more as his new cooker hob is halogen.  We also sorted out his cutlery and cooking utensils and hung up some of his pictures.  It's looking more homely now.

Create was to start stitching together my sock yarn squares to add to my blanket while watching TV.  I only managed a few as my eyesight didn't like the dim evening light.

Today's clean and clear was to make a start on sorting out my yarn and fabric scraps and put them into the chest of drawers I brought back from DS's old flat.  I sorted through all my various bags of sock yarn, threw out all the tangled messes and put the remaining balls in this drawer.  I also found a few more completed squares!!

I added a wee bag of lavender to keep it smelling sweet as the leather and wood smell of the chest of drawers is quite strong.  I've scrubbed clean some plastic tubs for my fabric scraps and I'll sort them out tomorrow.

I've spent a few hours on my create part during the day to make the best of the light and save my poor eyes!

I stitched 11 squares together for the bottom row and 12 for the vertical one on the left.  I've also placed another 13 ready to stitch tomorrow.  Placement of the squares is totally random.  My only 'rule' is not to have the same squares in the same column or row.  Unbelievably my blanket will have 156 squares!!

Tonight's cook will be to make a batch of soya yoghurt overnight in my yoghurt maker.

Thursday night is one of our gym nights but my sinuses are very sore so I might skip it.  I'll take some ibuprofen and see if that helps.  If not then it's a date with The Crown on Netflix!!

Edited to add:  I went to the gym and felt ok 

Day 2: Cook, Clean, Clear and Create

Today's cook was a triple batch of Almond and honey pancakes for the freezer.  It's getting pretty full now!

Clear and clean was clearing out the utility room cupboard above the sink.

It's lovely and clean as well as tidy!

Create was finishing off a sock I started ages ago.  I took it with me on holiday but just had the toe shaping to finish.

I also knitted another square for my sock yarn blanket.  I had a look for my collection of squares and discovered I have another 36 squares to add to it!!  I guess that's the rest of this week's create taken care of as I stitch them together!