Living on next to nought

A question about : Living on next to nought

Good evening folks!

I thought that it was time I started a diary on the DFW board, as I am in need of motivation and writing it down is definitely going to help.

The thing is, I'm not in debt as such, however, we have just had a series of events that have totally wiped out the emergency fund, eaten into a small savings pot and if left unchecked, will put us into debt. Basically, the events were unexpected, and the latest - a lost set of keys (hence the title) that resulted in needing to renew locks for Ј250+ has meant that the rest of the year is going to be tight financially as we've at least 3 big household bills to meet between now and the end of the year. Thing is, I knew it was going to be tight anyway, and then the keys got lost..................

Basically, there is Ј750 to be found between now and 31st December and whilst some of this should come from wages, with our current run of luck and the economic outlook, it is no use assuming that jobs will remain, hours won't be cut, or that some other calamity won't befall us.

So, rather than mope and moan, I've decided to be pro-active and treat the amount as a 'debt' to keep focussed and raise the cash through making savings. This is not an easy task, as we live a frugal, simple life already and the only 'leverage' is in the household expenditure. I budget Ј160 per month for food, non-food household and 'social' expenditure on a 2:1:1 ratio. Food expenditure is pretty self-explanatory, non-food is soap, toothpaste, the TV listing guide, a haircut (me) etc, the 'social' covers any car parking or diesel for a day out (we're NT members and like to visit places) presents, postage, alcohol etc. It's already pretty tight - especially with rising food prices, but any money I can save will got into the Ј750 pot as it would if it were a debt.

One potential saving would be to cancel a holiday that we have booked at the end of summer. It is something that I would do reluctantly, but if needs must...... It is already a frugal break - self-catering in a static caravan. But it is the diesel costs that could actually make it unaffordable, rather than the accommodation itself. We'll see how it all goes.

A little about me - well there are two adults in the household, so if we end up starving or our teethdrop out, then it's our own fault - no minors, elders or pets to consider the health, welfare and nutritional impact of this crazy idea. We're a vegetarian household and I've been following MSE from about 2007, although you can see from my profile that I only got the courage to join in in 2010!

I already cook from scratch, batchcook, shop in ald*, L*dl, H0me bar gins etc etc and I'm familiar with Weezl, Jack Monroe, Memorygirl, Frugaldom, Frugal Queen, Mean Queen and indeed, own tupperware very like our own dear Queen!

Actually, I started following MSE because I came across Weezl74's thread about feeding herself and Acetate Monkey (her DH) for 50p a day! I'm hoping that really'ramping up' my ingenuity with food will save us some money - basically because I'm pretty sure that I have absolutely nothing that could be sold on the bay of E, and won't be of any interest to surveysites because I don't fit any familiar categories!

Anyway, I hope that my witterings maybe of use to myself for motivation and if they are of any interest to anyone else on here, then welcome along for the ride.

Greying

Best answers:

• Today has gone well. I try not to waste food, so used up 3 avocados that were definitely about to expire. I bought 5 for Ј1 (haas) to see if I could get to like them - I've only ever been given them raw - usually in big lumps and don't really like the taste.
  Anyway, the 3 got turned into a thai-flavoured savoury custard - cooked in the pressure cooker rather than the oven - and I have to say they were delish. Cooked avocado is definitely the way to go! With the weather being so hot, the custards went well with salad - carrot & coriander, beetroot salad, tabbouleh (well, a version of it) and raita with a tomato on the side. A perfect summer evening meal. Even DP approved yay! Nice food and no waste.
  Highlights today also included getting 5kgs of desiree potatoes for Ј1 YS'd in m0rrisons and I found 1p 'roadkill'.
  I'm going to overhaul my meal planner for July. If I can keep expenditure to an absolute minimum (milk, fruit and Ј5 for 'whoopsies') I will have Ј10 to put in the pot at the end of the month. Here's hoping.
  3 things I'm grateful for today;
  * The old gentleman who slowed his car (and the following traffic) down so that I could cross a busy main road
  * The sight of daisies planted in a tight rectangle in a garden, they were a riot of yellow and white - looking like mini fried eggs in the sunshine
  * The sound of a skiffle trio busking their hearts out in the street. They were only young 16 or 17?? but were singing their version of 'Green Door' with swagger and enthusiasm.
  Greying
• Evening
  Enjoying your witterings
  Sounds like you have a good plan and I look forward to reading more.
• Happy new diary!
  I too am veggie, although I'm the only one in our household. I've never even heard of thai savoury custard though, let alone tried it!!
  I understand your point about survey sites etc, but have you tried swagbucks? They are an american site but accept everyone in UK too, and they pay out in Amazon gift vouchers or Paypal. You can do surveys on there, but you can equally earn points by daily clicks and voting in polls etc.
  PLMBL Xx
• Goodness, you pootle off to load leftovers into snap boxes and bags and folk drop in to visit!
  Thank you Shovel Lad - I hope to keep this diary going (hopeless at the paper kind).
  PLMBL - thank you for your suggestion. I have heard of 'swagbucks' - from being around MSE, but know nothing more than that really. In the spirit of not ruling anything out, I shall investigate further. Thankyou.
  Nope, I'd not heard of savoury avocado custards either, I didn't even realise that you could cook them! But I tried roasting them - for a Buddha bowl - at the weekend, and that was totally lush. Then I came across this recipe . I didn't have all the ingredients, but using what I had, the flavourings went in a thai direction - grated fresh ginger, cayenne, fresh chopped coriander, lime zest and juice with the coconut (powder from appr*ved foods).
  I couldn't afford to have the oven on for 1hr to cook it in a bain marie, so put it in the pressure cooker for 10 minutes at high pressure - in individual ramekins. I also didn't puree the mix in a blender, I used a fork to mash the avocado with the lime juice and zest and quite liked the 'rustic' texture (still quite mousse like) it gave.
  Definitely a recipe I would make again, and purely by chance, it was a great 'light' dinner for a hot summer's day.
  Well, thank you for stopping by. I'm away to my bed. See y'all tomorrow.
  Greying
• Good evening
  Well, today has gone very well. All packed lunches eaten, nothing bought that wasn't budgeted for and library books returned well in advance of their due date, so no fines looming on the horizon - hurrah!
  I darned 3 socks, meaning that they will get to fight another day. I then glanced down and noticed my big toe poking through the sock I was wearing........ #itneverends.........
  Dinner tonight is homemade pizza (black olive) and hand cut chips (from the YS'd potatoes bought earlier in the week), which I am just waiting to finish cooking, before dishing up. Plus it's an opportunity to escape the furnace that is currently the kitchen
  I saved Ј1 today by buying a cheaper bottle of wine than usual. So that is Ј1 into the key pot. Actually, it is far too hot for alcohol, so a small glass with our pizza will be more than sufficient - currently a pint of tap water is more than hitting the spot.
  I had a 'LBM' today - yes, it does happen from time to time I was figuring out how to incorporate yoghurt expenditure into the budget that I have set myself for the rest of the month, when it dawned on me that I could take advantage of this lovely warm weather and make some yoghurt. If I buy full-fat milk, instead of our usual S/S, then I could take out 500ml to make a batch of yoghurt and add water to the remaining milk to top it back up to 4 pints. That way, we would notice little or no difference in the consistency of our milk, plus I'd have a batch of yoghurt. Normally the house is way too cold to do such things, but I reckon it would work. Even if I could only get it to work for a couple of months over the summer, it will represent a saving
  Do you want to follow my progress and adventures in yoghurt? I figure I'm turning into an auld hippy on the QT. I blame my dad, he would of loved to be self-sufficient and modelled himself on Tom Good. My mother, on the other hand, was not so enthusiastic.......... Mind you, when he kept pigs and turned them into brawn, I think perhaps the seeds of vegetarianism may well of been sown at that point, boiling pigs head is a strange smell
  Today, 3 things I am grateful for;
  - the arial acrobatics of swallows. They freely put on an incredible display for anyone willing to watch. I just couldn't work out if the sparrow hawk that was circling with them had given into the moment with reckless abandon, or was weighing up lunch.......
  - the art of darning. As a callow youth, I thought that my university education would render such skill acquisition unnecessary. Today I know better........
  - Public libraries (you're going to hear this one a lot), especially those that provide out-of-hours book return depositories.
  Right, dinner is calling and I've a date at Hampton Court.
  See y'all soon.
  Greying
• Evening
  All sounds very good and I definately want to follow your yoghurt making adventures
  Libraries are great. One of the great pleasures in life for me in walking into the library and seeing a new book by a favourite author
  Enjoy your pizza, chips and wine.
• Happy shiney new diary
  Love libraries but havent heard of out of hors drop off's~what a great idea
• Good Morning
  Yes Beanielou, the drop off option is a great idea. I think our library does it for a couple of hours either side of opening hours. Shovel Lad I agree about the thrill of new books waiting on the shelves just for you. I've been quite lucky with new releases lately.
  Well, today should be a NSD, but then again, it is a no save day either
  Still, I have already been out sowing seeds. Literally. I never buy lettuce, as they are too expensive, but since I have been reviewing how/what we eat - and now with our financial tightspot - I can see that leaves and herbs should play a bigger role in our diet. And, let's face it, the pavement splitting sunshine is helping - I did not feel this way last summer
  I used to have an allotment and have still got quite a lot of seeds left over. Now I know that seed viability declines over time - some varieties are worse than others, but today I have sown some lettuce - some peppery leaves and some conventional types and some basil and coriander. I realise it is probably too late in the season for the herbs, but I figure even if they only grow into micro-greens (oooooh, get me ) they will be great to top Buddha bowls with. Mind you, you will NOT find me applying them to plates with tweezers like these poncy TV chefs do!
  I have some flat-leaf parsley seed that I will soak overnight - not got high hopes for this, as I'm sure it's one of the tricky ones in viability terms. And I will also sow some beetroot tomorrow. I have loads of beetroot seed - love it and used to grow masses, but I've never grown it for the leaf so we'll see what happens. I have yet to try growing marrowfat peas for 'pea shoots'. I ought to give it a go. I think a box of peas is about 35p from the supermarket, mmmmmm.
  Still, I've sown a load of seeds - most of which were free/promotional packs in the first place, I already had the pots and the compost was left over from when I had the allotment. So even if we only get 1 leaf to grow - we'll eat for FREE!
  Lunch will be pizza leftover from last night. I make a big (square) pizza and cut it into 8 portions. Usually we eat 4 with our meal and I freeze the other 4. Last night, I only gave us 2 pieces for dinner. This is not as bad as it sounds, as a) in the heat the dough had risen massively and it was bordering on a 'deep dish' and b) DP got the much larger of the 2 slices. Anyway, it means that we in effect have more pizza for another day . We can also have a bun. I made 15 lemon cakes (cupcake/muffin size) whilst the oven was on last night. The recipe was actually off MSE - I must try to track it down and 'thank' the OP, as it was frugal enough. It used a jar of lemon curd (or 3/4 as I had - Morrison's 'saver', 22p), 2 eggs, marg, flour and a bit of sugar (I used less than stated, but have more of a savoury tooth than sweet). They are nice enough - lemony tasting and are supposed to remain moist. I have frozen a dozen, we'll have 1 each today, and I'm afraid one got lost to 'QC' last night
  Right enough of my witterings. There is housework to do and I'd better look at the menu plan again - definitely not up for using the oven again in this weather!
  Thank you for reading, I do appreciate it.
  See y'all later.
  Greying
• I'm loving this diary
  I agree - libraries are great. We have out of hours drop off points too.
  Eating for free - now that's
• Good evening
  Upsidedown Bear - what an incredibly kind thing to say. Thank you.
  Well, I can't find the original post for the lemon cakes that I made last night, but the original poster was shaz-mum-of-two, so I send a 'thanks' through the ether and hope that she receives it. Also, just in case anyone else would like to try this frugal recipe, the link is HERE. I think I will be trying out the marmalade and cocoa version soon. The lemon flavour really develops with these cakes. NOM!
  Tonight's dinner is a vegetarian version of THIS. I normally substitute the stock for veg stock and use approx. 200g of puy or continental lentils in place of the meat. I also do it all on the stove top, I cook the lentils and pasta separately and then combine into the sauce. If we are flush I use feta, if not we have a boiled egg, quartered on top. Tonight we will have boiled egg It is great hot, but also is good at room temp - how we're having it tonight. Oh, and I won't be using parmesan either. The puy lentils I use are appr*ved foods, bought in bulk ages ago, although tonight I am trialling it with chickpeas as I had cooked some for another dish. I'm also using pasta that is 'cous cous' shaped - just small round discs, which I also got from approved foods, as I can 'buy' it out of my stores for less than the orzo pasta that I got from ASD* when it was on special offer at 50p per 500g pack.
  Today I am grateful for these 3 things;
  - television recording machinery, which allows folks to go off to work, and yet not miss something that is going on at the same time. Even if that something is just grown men going round and round in circles........*sigh*. Keeps DP happy........
  - hedges. For their leaves and (possibly) flowers. For providing support to animals, insects, birds and even other plants. And for their ability to provide shelter, shade and privacy........
  - folk who 'join in'. You make a difference.
  Right, I'm signing off for the night, there may well be another small glass of wine to go with the 'casserole'. Well, it needs finishing off - and I'm quite happy to sup water at the same time. Plus I'm going to finally get round to my Hampton Court date, as it was on earlier last night, but luckily DP recorded it whilst I was on here...........
  Thanks for reading.
  See y'all later.
  Greying
• What a great diary, I am now following
  Can't wait to hear about the yogurt
• Good Morning
  32b3in2013 - gosh, how kind, thank you and welcome. Adventures in yoghurt will probably commence sometime in the middle of the week, as we still have 4 pints/2.2l of S/S to go. DP's tea consumption seems to of slowed in the hot weather.
  I've been out this morning and sowed some more seeds. I've sown the soaked parsley, 2 packets of beetroot - the seed was from N*tto - how long has it been since they left the UK? and I sowed a small pot with perpetual spinach. On the basis that if they do anything, they could be nurtured on into winter to provide some fresh greens. Mind you, I'm getting waaay ahead of myself there, so I'll re-focus back onto today.
  Today should, again be a NSD.
  I've any number of household chores to do, and I've got to figure a way to 'mend' DP's cycling helmet. Nothing on the structure of it you understand - you replace it if its damaged, I realise that. But one of the, erm, I'm not quite sure what you would call it. It's a pad I suppose, there is one at the front (which has gone missing), and one at each side. I suppose to stop the helmet rubbing your head. Anyway, they are velcro'd on and the remaining Velcro at the front is rubbing DP's forehead. I'd better have a rootle through my fabric stash and sewing box and see what I can come up with. I know that I haven't got any foam backed fabric like the pads are made from at present.
  Lunch will probably be soup. I'm not sure what sort yet, but we'll probably have flatbreads or soda farls to accompany it. Dinner I really haven't thought about, as I've not got round to re-writing the menu plan - perhaps that ought to be a job for later.
  Edit: I should of said, last night's dinner was OK, but I don't think that the chickpeas work as well as the lentils. Perfectly edible and nice, but not the 'same' IYSWIM. I think I'll revert to puy/continental lentils in the future.
  Thank you, as ever for reading.
  See y'all later.
  Greying
• N*tto was sold to Asd* in May 2010 and the stores rebranded. Some were then sold on to other retailers
  Yay for another NSD
  Looking forward to Greying's Adventures in Yoghurt
• Have you ever popped across the to coupons thread? Sometimes theres coupons around which mean you get something for very cheap or free. It's worth keeping an eye on.
• I've managed to grow things from seeds years out of date so I'm sure you'll have lots of success
  I have household chores to do as well but it's too hot so I might not bother
• Foam backed pads ? I knew i shouldnt have thrown out all those shoulder pads I took out of my eighties clothes ! Lol
• Hello GP,
  Your menu ideas sound amazing!
  Have subscribed in order to follow your Adventures with Yoghurt, and definitely Further Adventures with Avocados..
• Good evening
  Well, I've had visitors again. Thank you for stopping by.
  Shovel Lad - these 'adventures' could well turn into 'adventures in greying yoghurt' y'know. I've always thought I could start up a blue cheese production line in the cellar.....whether it would be edible blue cheese is an entirely different matter....
  lindsaygalaxy - thank you for that tip. Yes, frequent checking is the key isn't it? mmm, I will try to build that into my online time. Thanks again.
  Upsidedown Bear - I do wish I had read your post before I embarked on the hoovering. How can you *perspire* more doing genteel housework than you ever did in any gym that you ever went near??
  Mara_uk7 - hot dang! You called it - never should of let those shoulder pads escape the closet! Should of channelled my inner Alexis Carrington and held onto them, determined they'd either come back into fashion or be useful one day! Mind you, knowing DP's colleagues, they'd of had a field day with that one........
  *Robin* - m'dear, adventures with yoghurt and avocados has a faintly *norty* ring to it...... I think I like it.....*sniggers*. Greying ponders whether latecomers to the thread may get entirely the wrong impression...................
  Well, today has been hot, but faintly productive. I have wafted the vacuum about and the dust has at least been moved around a bit.
  Lunch turned out better than I hoped. It was soup, based on THIS recipe. It was already adapted from an original, but I adapted it a bit further. I used a bit of cooked rice from the freezer (freed up some space - yay!), instead of breadcrumbs/oats, and I added this to the soup after I blended it (and I only blended it coarsely, the texture was a good feature). I also didn't bother with the croutons/and tomato dice to top the soup (hadn't got any fresh tomatoes). I instead served with flatbreads that I incorporated zaatar into as I cooked them. The zaatar is ages old, and was buried at the back of the cupboard. But thankfully the thyme hadn't lost its punch and the sesame seeds hadn't gone rancid, yay! And I followed the recipe authors lead and served at room temp - I cooled it down with some chilled water to achieve this, rather than being organised and cooking it a hour in advance! Oh, and I didn't have any lemon so added an extra teaspoon of coriander powder to try to get the citrus vibe. In hindsight, I should of ground some coriander seeds, they would of been better - but the soup *needs* the lemony hit I think.
  Dinner tonight is H/M lentil Bolognese, out of the freezer with s*vers fusilli. It'll be a relatively small portion, but thankfully lunch was filling and the heat seems to be curbing appetites. I've drunk so much water today.
  Oh, NEWS - we have germination folks! There are little white roots appearing from some of the mixed leaf lettuces and the hot salad leaves (the mizuna etc). I'm chuffed. I know what you said Upsidedown Bear, but the mixed leaves seed packet is from Ald* and was packed Y/e 2007, use by Y/e 2009! I've only ever really tried old bean seeds before and they are quite forgiving, so this is all a thrill for me. Especially as I *need* this to work.
  I had a bit of a wobble today. I did have a NSD, but I wondered how I was going to actually save towards the key fund. Then I thought about the past few days, and the focus of this diary and thinking round things ie digging out spices out of the back of cupboards and using them, and I felt a bit better. I guess progress can be measured in a variety of ways. But this diary is definitely motivating me, I'm so glad I started it.
  3 things that I am grateful for today;
  - The Test Match Special (TMS) commentary team on BBC radio. Buses on the Loughborough Road? The.World.Needs.To.Know
  - Vaccum cleaners - I mean seriously, consider the alternative.
  - Mother Nature. You might be all at sea, but she just carry's on carrying on.
  Well, I'll go and drain the pasta. An evening mending another pocket on a set of working trousers beckons......#astitchintime....
  Thank you for reading.
  See y'all later.
  Greying
• Good Morning
  Just a quick note from me this morning.
  Today should be another NSD. I will need milk and bananas tomorrow though.
  The gardening parental has said they would stop by today and leave some fresh garden produce on my doorstep. So I will look forward to that. Fresh food for free - whoop!
  Lunches are all packed up, I cooked extra pasta last night and it will accompany some ratatouille that I made on Friday night. The ratatouille was from a l*dl aubergine (50p), one of the YS'd courgettes from T*sco and half of the black olives (other half went on the pizza), plus the other usual ratatouille ingredients. Most got frozen, but there was a pot full left. Plus we'll have a banana and a lemon bun.
  Must check on the seedlings.
  Thanks for reading.
  See y'all soon.
  Greying