Cost of living #2

[nightshade]

Realised we had gone over 200 before, but now I'm scrolling through pinterest for recipes for October. I like to make new things and dont get stuck in the same routine even if the ingredients are the same. I've got lots of red lentils in the cupboard (technically it's a drawer) so thinking it's getting close to soup time, so I found this: Creamy Carrot and Red Lentil Soup - Eat With Clarity carrots are cheap and what spices I don't have just won't be added! Soup is great to freeze so I can either have it for lunch at work on cold days or can heat it up as a fast dinner.

The 4 pack of Heinz tomato soup is currently sat in my Tesco basket, as it's on offer.

 

[Anyanka Bunny Slayer]

Realised we had gone over 200 before, but now I'm scrolling through pinterest for recipes for October. I like to make new things and dont get stuck in the same routine even if the ingredients are the same. I've got lots of red lentils in the cupboard (technically it's a drawer) so thinking it's getting close to soup time, so I found this: Creamy Carrot and Red Lentil Soup - Eat With Clarity carrots are cheap and what spices I don't have just won't be added! Soup is great to freeze so I can either have it for lunch at work on cold days or can heat it up as a fast dinner.

The 4 pack of Heinz tomato soup is currently sat in my Tesco basket, as it's on offer.

Make me some soup!!!

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

Realised we had gone over 200 before, but now I'm scrolling through pinterest for recipes for October. I like to make new things and dont get stuck in the same routine even if the ingredients are the same. I've got lots of red lentils in the cupboard (technically it's a drawer) so thinking it's getting close to soup time, so I found this: Creamy Carrot and Red Lentil Soup - Eat With Clarity carrots are cheap and what spices I don't have just won't be added! Soup is great to freeze so I can either have it for lunch at work on cold days or can heat it up as a fast dinner.

The 4 pack of Heinz tomato soup is currently sat in my Tesco basket, as it's on offer.

I LOVE lentil soup and make it a lot in the winter in my Crock Pot!
What I love about it is it's really versitile - for instance with this recipe I would not add potatoes or shallots because I don't care for them in lentil soup. You can also use water instead of broth, which is cheaper and still tastes fine. Or make your own broth which is really easy. I like to top with sour cream (vegan version if you can't tolerate dairy) and cilantro! And pair with bread or salad. Great for dinner or lunch, high protein and flavorful. Literally everyone I have served this too LOVES it.
Here's my fav recipe, and can def be modified:

1-Pot Everyday Lentil Soup

Everyone needs a good lentil soup in their back pocket for days when you don't really feel like cooking but want something nourishing on the table fast.

minimalistbaker.com

 

[nightshade]

I LOVE lentil soup and make it a lot in the winter in my Crock Pot!
What I love about it is it's really versitile - for instance with this recipe I would not add potatoes or shallots because I don't care for them in lentil soup. You can also use water instead of broth, which is cheaper and still tastes fine. Or make your own broth which is really easy. I like to top with sour cream (vegan version if you can't tolerate dairy) and cilantro! And pair with bread or salad. Great for dinner or lunch, high protein and flavorful. Literally everyone I have served this too LOVES it.
Here's my fav recipe, and can def be modified:

1-Pot Everyday Lentil Soup

Everyone needs a good lentil soup in their back pocket for days when you don't really feel like cooking but want something nourishing on the table fast.

minimalistbaker.com

I tend to use dried onions instead if using in slow cooker, as you can add as much as you want without having an entire onion, as I don't care for a lot of onion in it either. If I want a thick soup then potato is added, but left out for thinner ones. Useless it's a veg soup, which I rarely make as it's such a faff chopping the veg!
I very much do a chuck it in and blend it approach to soups,whatever ingredients I happen to have.
I need to use up some freeze foods next week though, make space to store next months cooking. I took a quiche out for this weekend, and probably won't buy another one as I realised that I don't like it enough to have it 4 days in a row!

 

[TriBel]

Realised we had gone over 200 before, but now I'm scrolling through pinterest for recipes for October.

Meanwhile, I suspect any monetary gain from many of the previous 200 hints (which I enjoyed) have been wiped out by the fact that a falling pound means it's costing you £5/6 more to fill your car and your allotment may well be one of the first things to go if you're declared an Investment Zone or there's shale gas under the village. 😱

I've had a government grant for solar panels/new loft insulation (I read UK homes are 3 degrees colder than German homes because we're so bad at insulating property). It's worth exploring what money is available in your area. That's really all I've got that isn't overtly political.

PS. The Telegraph has just discovered heavy lined curtains and hot water bottles. I'm now in a state of despair.

 

[nightshade]

Meanwhile, I suspect any monetary gain from many of the previous 200 hints (which I enjoyed) have been wiped out by the fact that a falling pound means it's costing you £5/6 more to fill your car and your allotment may well be one of the first things to go if you're declared an Investment Zone or there's shale gas under the village. 😱

I've had a government grant for solar panels/new loft insulation (I read UK homes are 3 degrees colder than German homes because we're so bad at insulating property). It's worth exploring what money is available in your area. That's really all I've got that isn't overtly political.

PS. The Telegraph has just discovered heavy lined curtains and hot water bottles. I'm now in a state of despair.

Nothing available for me, both as I'm renting and in a listed building.

I do need to put diesel in the car, should've done it today, but it's tomorrow's job now.

Thankfully there's laws in place to stop them removing the allotment area, and it's right next to a cemetery! So unlikely to be closed, unlike the other one we had that has been closed so they can knock down a very old bridge and build houses

 

[Hunga Munga]

Managed to get an eBay deal on a Season 1 blu ray of Charmed tonight 😵 . I've only been looking for years for a £10 copy like 😛 . I've heard such good things about the remaster . I'm saving it for my Christmas blu ray extravaganza 🙂 If it's as good as they say , I'll be on the hunt for the rest of the Prue years .

 

[nightshade]

I think the time has come where I need to start shutting the windows at night, I usually leave them open an inch, but it's quite chilly this morning, so I'll start closing them up at night from now onwards.
I want to put the washing machine on a clean cycle today aka empty, hot and with some soda crystals in it, but that's a longer wash, so I won't be doing that as often over winter, just sticking to the short wash cycles.
One thing I don't need is more books, dvds, and jigsaw puzzles, my brain went into panic mode when that 80% was announced and I got loads from the charity shops, so I have plenty to watch and do over winter, and I'll probably not even watch half of it!

 

[nightshade]

Went up to the allotment and met the guy who currently has it, he's raking the gooseberry bushes, but leaving the rhubarb unless the plot he's going to is taking it up, in which case he'll half the one, leaving me with some still.
The rest I've said he can leave and take up as and when, and he's happy for me to take what I want from it as well, so free food for me. Which will still leave me with around half the plot over winter, when I can't do much on it anyway.
Now to get a free lunch as mum has just asked if I want to have lunch with her at wetherspoons

 

[Hunga Munga]

Hunt for a free greenhouse or a polytunnel structure . It will make all the difference come March . Your whole plot will briefly pass through it . You could use a little growlight or even windowsills at home, but if I remember correct , you're short of space 🙂 .

Got a frozen cheesecake upgrade with my Asda order . 80 pence in pocket right there 😉 . Might save it for Christmas ; my festive cake menu is looking a bit barren . Already got loads of bits for the holiday . I'll buy the meat and frozen stuff early . Then just roll the dice on fresh .

Had to have heat on last night for drying , so I had a bit of a holiday . Cooked a delicious plate of liver, onions , mash and cabbage . Lovely meal and dirtcheap but quite a lot of hassle . Thinking I might saute sliced tinned potatoes next time and streamline the cooking . Definitely in the winter menu rotation though 🙂 .

Still pretty buzzed about my Charmed Blu-ray .Every Amazon £5 voucher , 3for2 and Ebay sale for years has had me trying to build a budget basket 😛 .

The new sale chainsaw has been a revelation . I have run out of big bits of wood that need sawing 😀 . It's a proper workhorse . Once the leaves fall I've got 15-20 small(ish) trees to come down ...for next winter .

 

[nightshade]

Well I just got back from the allotment meeting, I mainly went to meet a few people and figure out who was who. I'm going to order the blueberry plants next week, but not sure when they will arrive, but at least November at earliest.
My mother has a spare compost bin so I'm going to take that up there as well. I'm going to just get one of those small plastic green houses this year, waiting on a sale as they are still around £30, but I think they'll go cheaper, and going to weigh it down with a few paving slabs at the bottom, probably only 3 shelves, but enough for me to start with.

I've had the email explaining how the £66 government money will work, from November they are reducing my direct debit, so that's good. I've altered it so it's a little higher than their estimate so I can build up a bit of credit for when it goes back up in the spring. Won't be much, but I like a little cushion.

Other than buying pringles when they were cheap I haven't got anything in for Christmas yet food wise. Present shopping is almost done though.

 

[November]

Wish I could give you a green house! Mine fall apart in the bloody wind here!

Cost of living stuff isnt really new to me, I've been poor for a while lol. This latest "crisis" defo make me feel validated for whinging about it though!

Petrol is the big one for me. I cant cut back on that at all. My car is old enough to drink. I dont know if an electric vehicle would suit my road trip needs, plus there would be no one to service it in 100kms. I need something ultra reliable and easy to find parts for. I'm a while off an upgrade, but its on my radar.

I'm just glad I spent all that extra covid cash as I got it. The stuff I brought costs way more now!

 

[nightshade]

Well I changed the bedding today and got out the bed throw, so it's officially autumn now! I'm hoping that I can get aay with just the extra blanket for a while, maybe a hot water bottle if needed, before it gets to electric blanket cold.

 

[nightshade]

Well it's October, so meal planning comes in full force today. My delivery doesn't arrive until Tuesday so I'm still using up what's in the freezer at the moment to make space for it.
I remembered to send a meter reading last night, and I'll start checking to see if I've switched everything off. While it's no longer absolutely needed it'll be a good habit for after the £400 ends and the bills jump up.

 

[November]

I just put in my first delivery order 😁 they didnt offer delivery out here when I moved here and it caused me SO much grief. After the general store shut down (for the second time) Coles started a delivery run. I couldn't access it at first because the bank requires a phone number and I didnt have a phone connection. But since all that covid cash, I have a phone number now and finally linked it up. We shall see how this goes! It may save me some petrol if the bunny food is fresh enough. The minimum order is $50 though so I might just end up spending more on food with all the bags and delivery fee.

I'll still need to do city trips once a month for hay, garden supplies and sanity. I need some new boots already. Last time I got this brand, they lasted 2 years, this time only 6 months 🙁 Still, they were cheap enough that every 6 months isnt too bad for boots that are probably not made for the thrashing I give them. I might be able to prolong the life if I can find some shoe glue, but the end is near regardless.

Im using poison on the garden this year. I dont like to, but with the dog now these path prickles just cant be left to multiply. Its probably worked out cheaper than it takes power to charge the whippersnipper battery anyway!

 

[nightshade]

I was expecting the first £66 payment to be from next month as I figured it would be for October's payment, but no it's already gone in for September's usage. So I'll have a little extra this month that I wasn't expecting.

I need to do a household goods inventory, and figure out when I'll run out of things. I know this month I should be fine, but I might need to look at it next month. I bulk bought loo roll a few months back, but I've only got enough now for about 6 weeks, so that'll have to go into my shopping order next time. I didn't get anything for the cat this time apart from nappy bags that I use to clean out his litter tray as I bulk bought last month.

I'm considering paying off the rest of the craft trip this week, it's only about £15 left to pay, so might as well get that done then I can save for the spending money.

A friend wants us to do a temperature blanket next year, so that'll cost a bit in wool, so that'll have to be factored into Nov and Dec funds, buy some in November and some in December, so I have one of each colour that is in my chart and then I can top up the colours as needed throughout the year. However I'm still debating on actually doing it, it's a big commitment and I'm terrible and finishing projects!

 

[nightshade]

The oven is on for my once a month cookathon, currently doing two chicken breasts with the extra for a roast tonight, and some sausage rolls for work this week. No baking this month as there's loads in the freezer that I have to eat first.

Going to do sweet and sour chicken with one of the breasts as well, hopefully I can make enough space in the freezer for at least one portion.

I've got eggs to use up, so I'll do egg fried rice with some veggie spring rolls Friday, and then if I haven't been able to freeze more than one portion of the chicken I'll have more of it Saturday. Quite a lot of rice this week, but I wanted something different this month instead of curry.

 

[November]

I am agonizing over when to go on the next stockfeed run. Its still school holidays today so I do NOT want to go out on the highway today. Petrol will cost more today too, Friday before the last holiday weekend.

I  was prepared and tried to stock up but they had run out of compressed hay, and the other stuff I got is a bit dusty for poor xander man bun. I can probably make it stretch til monday if I mix some meadow and long stem in, its just not ideal when they are shedding to limit any hay. And then, Monday is a crap day to go shopping because the regional delivery doesn't come until Tuesday so any food and veg left down there is top price and about to go off. Tuesday would be better but I dont think I can stretch the bunny food til then.

At least I can get some new boots while I am in town. Glue was not going to work, there is nothing left to glue. I am wondering if I could crochet some little toe covers to protect the toe in the next boot, but I dont need another trip hazzard on me!

I got a chicken breast out of the freezer last night. It smelt off. I cooked it up anyway to give to the dog, but then decided it wasnt worth the risk of a vet bill for a $7 bit of chicken. So its in the bin. The freezer must just be a little too full to keep everything cold enough, so I gotta watch that.

Spoiler: Pet rant

I want another dog for my dog, as she is as playful as they come. And she went off all her puppy food early. So now I have 20 odd tins of puppy food and 2 half bags of biscuits which she cant have cos they make her spew now with the fat content.

I have most of the other stuff I need for another dog, stuff that Lilah outgrew, collars, harness, lead, etc. Its the insurance and vet bills, the worming and grooming that I need to consider now. I have the space and time for another dog, but probably not the funds in an emergency.

I see so many people just go and get dogs without the excessive planning that I do and most do ok. I delayed so long in getting a dog in the first place because of the costs and I regret not getting one sooner, especially after I lost the horses as I need this sort of bond in my life.

Now Lilah is starting to get possessive of me and I want to stop that before it goes too far. Shes starting to push boundaries of demanding to sit on my lap and trying to sleep on my head. Getting super spoiled and in a poodle, thats a bit dangerous.

Two buns was better than one - cost wise - and also energy wise in that they entertain each other. If I do get another dog, it would have to be smaller and I would have to be willing to rehome it if it got too much. I am not sure yet. Rescues here do not consider disabled homes so it would have to be a puppy or from a private seller. I'm owed a registration refund since getting Lilah desexed as well, boy do I regret that. I should have got a puppy from her and made some cash while I was at it!

Wish I kept a pony, they are far cheaper to run than rabbits! And less codependent than dogs.

 

[November]

Pretty much all of my big bills are done for the year. I chose this house for a few specifics in cost cutting. Like gas bottles instead of a gas main connection. Two bottles will do me almost a year and they cost less than the just the mains connection fee did in the last house!

I also have a very small air con unit so it is miles cheaper than my last homes to run in summer. Granted, it will only cool one room (at 27C when its over 40C outside) but now I have this easy pull out couch that I can sleep on in there if need be. I may upgrade in the future, but for now this one will do. We get an electric credit at some stage too.

Firewood is my biggest cost to save for next year. I cant physically chop my own but have a guy who will deliver 6 ton which will cover for a year and a bit, but its not cheap, especially being jarrah. I found out the hard way that my wood heater only eats hard wood. I think it was @Hunga Munga who told me last time I whinged to clear the chimney out. You were right, the chimney man said it was super blocked in two places and even he couldn't fully clear it at the time. Just told me to crank it after the clean haha. Its ran great this winter, but maybe a little too great. A wood fire is just so lovely. It wasnt a cold winter, but it gets wet under the house and can be very cold indoors. Wood floors are nice, but not great the water table is up under them!

Got two pairs of boots, the second pair was half price. Dog and bunny minerals are all stocked up. Enough bunny biscuits til easter haha. Bunny hay for the next month in an attempt to stay off roads as much as possible during harvest. I would get more but just dont have a space to store bales. Already get enough mice and snakes without putting feed out for them!

This grocery delivery thing is gona save me a heap in petrol. Even if I do three deliveries a fortnight it would work out cheaper than one big run at the IGA. Since it all comes in a refrigerated truck, the cold stuff stays fresher than it does in an esky in the back of my car. Knowing that I can just put in another order means I dont need to stock up quite so much. Plus, if I order the homebrand and they dont have it in stock, they have to give me the name brands for the same price 😀

 

[Hunga Munga]

After we talked about them in the last thread , I just had to try one 😛 . 90p . 6 and a half minutes in the microwave with cabbage and mash . Not too bad for a little cheap sunday dinner . I would definitely buy turkey or veg/nut roast slices in this sort of pack but I'd prefer a bigger serving .