Buying a Mountain Bike

MasterShoestring is very excited today as he is going up to Stoke to fetch his 'new to him' mountain bike. he has been going mountain biking with friends for a few weeks now and decided that his big brother's bike was getting too much of a pounding in the woods so a different one was required.

He did lots of research and determined that a second-hand one was much better value for money than a new one. he also tried Ebay and Gumtree for offers as well as specialised sites and the local shops.

In the end he made an offer on one which hadn't made its reserve price on Ebay. The only problem was we would have to drive up to Manchester to fetch it, which would have added a bit to the price. The seller very generously offered to meet us half way, so they will be meeting in Stoke.

MasterShoestring is just excited about getting a proper bike for his hobby, we are excited about the money lessons he has learned on the way !

Frugal Friday

This has been a busy week as I started two new courses, so it was important to have most of the supper making done beforehand and have the frugal living on auto-pilot !

I made quiche, baked potatoes, fajitas, tortillas, bread, chocolate brownies, apple pie and crumble ! We also picked more apples, stewed them and out them in the freezer. We are still picking courgettes, swiss chard and raspberries. There are also a few peas in the offing from the second crop we planted in July.

The lettuce seeds have germinated too, so I hope we can protect them !

I booked a cheap return ticket on the train for MrShoestring to visit his family in Scotland at the end of the year. It almost looked like flying would be cheaper but then we found Advance tickets for £20 and £26 on 21st December, so that was great ! However, the first train leaves at 0550, which will mean an early start that day ! I also got some Nectar points with the ticket, so that was a nice bonus.

I took advantage of some trustee travel to see an old friend before the meeting and that was a lovely chance to have a catch-up. I also applied for some free seeds from Nestle and a free poster from the Open University. I'm always on the look-out for little free items which will make nice stocking stuffers.

It is so close to the end of the month that I don't want to have to go shopping until I do the big monthly grocery shop hence cutting the dishwasher tablets in half this week to make them last until the weekend. Some of the dishes were not as clean as usual but it was only a few and these are the cheapest possible tablets, so I think that was a win !

I also put unwanted revision books up for sale, line dried washing and took food and drink for a picnic at college. Lots of people have decided to copy me as they are tired of spending most of their lunch break queuing !

On a funny note, yesterday I was called by the Nielsen shopping panel as they were suspicious that I wasn't scanning everything as the amount of shopping was so low. We eventually agreed that I would scan everything with a bar code that comes through the door, even if it is from a jumble sale. I don't think the data will increase by much !

I hope you had a great week !

Pantry Stocktake !

I am starting to think about the menu plan for October so I can go shopping at the end of the week. The first thing I always do is have a look through all the cupboards, fridge and freezer to check what we have already !

The freezer is so full of fruit and vegetables that I will have to give it a good sort out and store all the same type together for easy access. It is also a bit confusing that I'm re-using the packaging for some things, so had to pull out a lot of packages to look at the label in order to decide was it Apple or margarine for instance, Blackberries or ice cream ?

The next thing was to check the pantry shelves, still lots of crisp breads and dried dates but also a packet of semolina which has been knocking around for ages with the thought that I will do something with it. No-one likes semolina pudding and I think I may have bought it to make the roast potatoes crispy ! However, I keep forgetting to use it and think this will have to be the month where it gets used or composted !

I also have masses of jam and marrow chutney but not really anything left to base a meal around apart from half a bag of chickpeas and a few lentils and dried peas. I'm often out working over supper time so need to leave a meal ready to serve so that often limits what you can plan. The other thing I was thinking of was that now the seasons are chugging it is also a good idea to have a few stores in so that you can still eat even if you can't get to the shops for a few days because of bad weather or illness. I've still got quite a few tins of chopped tomatoes but only 6 tins of baked beans, so I'll also aim to build up the stocks a bit.

The other thing to think about is whether you want to start adding a few special items for the end of year holidays. I've already got a few bottle of grape juice stashed and some elderflower cordial in the cupboard but will be keeping an eye out for baking supplies and a turkey !

How are your stores ?

What to do with Some of those Apples !

If you fancy a change from apple pie and crumble then this apple cake is delicious and very good with cream or ice cream for a special dessert.

8oz self -raising flour

4oz sugar

1tsp mixed spice

1tsp cinnamon

12oz apples

4oz margarine

1 large egg

splash of milk

Mix the spice into the flour and sugar and then rub in the margarine until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Chop the apple in to small pieces and mix that in too. Add the egg and a splash of milk and mix together, if the dough is too stiff add a spot more milk. Turn into a greased, lined 9in tin and bake for 30 minutes at 190C. Leave to cool in the tin before turning out and enjoying !

Things I'm Grateful for This Month !

Yesterday morning when MasterShoestring went to put on his school shoes he discovered that he had brought the wrong ones home on Friday after PE ! The ones he had were around 3 sizes too small ! In the rush to get out the door I realised that I should be grateful for :-

1) MasterShoestring's trainers being completely black so that in a pinch they will pass for school shoes !

2)  the emergency fund being intact so we can afford a new pair if he can't find the shoes at school.

3)  good health, with the backache and boil on my foot from earlier in the month almost gone so it will be no problem to go to town to get a new pair if we have to !

4) MissShoestring bringing leftovers home from work so we can eat them for supper one night if we have to go to town to buy new shoes !

5) MasterShoestring wanting a second-hand bike for Christmas so he might also be open to a cheaper pair of replacement shoes too !

6) MrShoestring getting 2 more weeks work so we don't have to dip into the emergency fund !

7) free parking spots which allow you to park for free whilst you run into the shoe shop to get shoes !

8) the autumn weather is mild and dry so we son't get soaked going for new shoes.

9) teenagers, who are always doing something so that life is not boring !

10) the hope that the shoes might be found !

Fingers crossed that I can report later in the week what happened !

Update on September Resolutions 3

This is the final week of September and it is good to look back on the progress on the September resolutions I posted at the start of the month.

1. I will menu plan for the cheapest meals possible. This has gone so well. I never thought that I would be able to spend less than £170 for all of us but I have got £50 left, even though I paid for MasterShoestring's school dinners, so I think I shall try to do something similar next month.

2. I will use up the produce in the garden. We still have lovely raspberries and have picked several washing baskets full of apples. We have eaten the final cucumber from the greenhouse and picked several small courgettes. I've planted some more lettuce seeds and done this in pots so I can protect them from slugs !

3. I will use up the craft stash for Christmas gifts. Craft stash has been examined and some of it was used to make a present for my aunty !

4. I will plan ahead to give gifts early to save on Christmas postage costs. No posting done but we did book train tickets for December to take advantage of the cheapest possible price for MrShoestring to visit family in Scotland.

5. I will take my own food and drink to college. Still doing this, not only at college but for days out as well !

6. I will top up MasterShoestring's lunch account before he runs out of money! Managed this all month and kept the Food account in the black.

7. I will sell some of our surplus garage stuff. The bike is still sitting there so I really need to do something with it this week.

8. I will sell some more surplus books. I put 5 books up for sale on Amazon and sent £10.50 worth of books off to Ziffit.

9. I will find the best home for our savings. I decided that for the moment the money will just stay where it is whilst we wait to see what will happen to interest rates and have some money available to invest, if something interesting comes along

10. I will find a cheap way to add to garden fertility for next year . We bought some cheap compost and will either plant a green manure in the gaps or source some free manure.

I think having these resolutions for the month has been helpful and I'm thinking that next month I might try a Stoptober and see if I can get all the spending a bit lower as prices are definitely rising !

A Busy Weekend

I had a special request for a few more pictures of Moor Park, so here they are !

This is coming down the driveway and you can see how the grounds have been developed into a golf course !

The inside is now the golf club clubhouse and is often used for weddings ! I think it is a bit overwhelming !

Today I'm off to Gloucestershire again, I seem to have been there quite a bit over the past few months ! I'm looking forward to climbing this hill with an old friend !

I'm also going to interview a prospective trustee for the charity I work for ! Fingers crossed for good weather again so we can have a picnic lunch!

It is great to get out and about before the chilly, dark, rainy days set in !

Weekend Day Out !

We have a chance to look around this magnificent mansion today ! It's at Moor Park and has parkland designed by Capability Brown to go with it !

As usual, to make a frugal trip, we have filled the car with the cheapest petrol, using the weekly updates from petrol prices.com. We have also sourced free parking and will bring our own drinks and snacks !

The only thing to hope for now is good weather !

Frugal Friday

A quiet frugal week before it starts to get busy next week when both my courses go back full time ! This week I did manage to feel a book on Amazon and used the proceeds to buy one I need for the course so that was a frugal win !

We have both been very busy in the garden with courgettes and raspberries still to pick, so some for eating and some for freezing ! We also started to pick the last of the apple trees and that has meant cooking down some apple every day and putting it in the freezer for later.

We also planted some more lettuce seeds and some flower seeds for the Spring. We got the compost for the pots on special offer as it was 50 litres for £4.99 and 3 bags for £12, making that £4 a bag but we also had a £3 off voucher so that brought it down to £3 a bag  ! This was a saving of close to 40% on the original price so I'm glad we got 3 bags !

We have been eating well with all those eggs for breakfast and making tortillas, bread, brownies, lemon drizzle cake, felafel, pita bread and soup from scratch ! It was also nice to have a couple of treats, a trip to the cinema for free and an ebook about thrifty living for free. The book was a real bargain !

The final bargain of the week was a sack of potatoes from the local farmer costing £7 for 56 lbs. This gave a cost of 12.5p a pound or 27.5p a kilogram which is a lot cheaper than the cheapest I could find in the shops. The cheapest in the shops were over 50p a kilo at Asda and the potatoes are quite dry and mud-free so I didn't pay for lots of soil which would just be washed away. I foresee lots of baked potatoes in our future !

I hope that you had a great week too !

The Temporary Tightwad

I am just in the middle of reading this inspiring book from the USA. Carrie has a website www.CarrieWillard.com where she talks about a lot of different things, whereas this book just concentrates on her fight to save hard and get out of debt on three major occasions.

I love real-life stories and this one tells exactly what she did each time and then goes into details about how you can save big and small.

Our extra income is starting to look a little less secure, so this is a good reminder of all the hardcore ways to save I might need in the next few months.

The book is only available over here as a Kindle download but it is under £5 and I used a gift card from Swagbucks so it is free inspiration, the best sort !

A Tasty Breakfast

Buying all those yellow-stickered eggs last week means that we have been able to branch out a bit with breakfasts. I have a great recipe for vegan waffles but using eggs adds a whole new richness.

250g self-raising flour

2 tbsps sugar

450ml milk

2 eggs

2tbsps oil

Mix altogether and leave to stand for a few minutes to let bubbles develop. Then pour mixture into ready heated, ready greased waffle iron and cook until done.

This recipe freezes too so you can always make a batch earlier and then just reheat at breakfast time !

Calculating Gas and Electricity Costs

I have been doing this type of calculation today as the meter readings for our new supplier were due and I wanted to check that we are not using too much ! MissShoestring is at home and we have had the central heating and hot water on already, which is a bit earlier than usual but MissShoestring does like a night time shower or two and by then the solar hot water is all used up !

My calculations had to include the standing charge, which is different for the gas and electric and convert the meter reading for the gas from cubic metres to kilowatt hours. This is quite complex but fortunately there are online websites where you can  just plug the numbers in and out pops the result.

I was pleased to find that over the past 76 days we have spent just over £1 a day on electricity and quite a bit less than that on gas. This means that we are still in credit with the supply company but I'm going to continue to be judicious with switching on the gas as I would like to build up a bit larger credit as we move into the winter months. One of the drawbacks of mainly working from home is that you do need to heat some space in the house and that cost is born by you, not an employer ! Fingers crossed for a nice, mild winter apart from a sprinkling of snow at the end of December to help things feel seasonal !

Update on September Resolutions 2

This is the third week in September and I continue to make progress on the September resolutions I posted at the start of the month.

1. I will menu plan for the cheapest meals possible. This is still going really well with over £80 left in the budget from an overall start of £170. I will have to top up the lunch account today, but that should last all week. MissShoestring had some leftovers from when we were away that she has gifted us, including couple of salmon steaks, so that was very nice of her.

2. I will use up the produce in the garden. The pumpkins have been put away and we have harvested the last few courgettes I think. There are still some leeks and one or two more cucumbers and marrows to come. The raspberries keep on coming and I froze 5 pounds of blackberries last week. We have been picking up windfall apples after those storms last week and still have one more tree of russets to deal with.

3. I will use up the craft stash for Christmas gifts. Still no progress on this one, whenever I have the urge to continue to work on the hat I started something else came up, so maybe this week !

4. I will plan ahead to give gifts early to save on Christmas postage costs. Same with this one, no progress, but I did use free stamps for a birthday present !

5. I will take my own food and drink to college. So busy at college this week that I got knocked over in the foyer. I was very glad that the lunch was protected in a rigid plastic box and a stainless steel, unbreakable flask. If it had been the usual glass-lined ones, it would definitely have broken.

6. I will top up MasterShoestring's lunch account before he runs out of money! Yes, I have remembered to do this, so he gets a discount in the cafeteria.

7. I will sell some of our surplus garage stuff. I did not end up selling all the surplus stuff but gave it away to a younger girl we know and the charity shops. It is nice to think of the next generation of children having outdoor fun on roller blades and a unicycle. I still have a boy's bike to get rid of, so that might go on Gumtree.

8. I will sell some more surplus books. I sold one book for a good price and was able to use the money to buy a book for my course.

9. I will find the best home for our savings. Still working on this as it looks like a bit of work that MrShoestring has been doing might come to an end and then we might need to have access to the savings, so will wait and see what is best to do.

10. I will find a cheap way to add to garden fertility for next year . Looked at buying cover crops and manure and decided that we might be best to put in some more seeds that we still have and cover them with a plastic cover to provide some more vegetables over the winter. We had success with lettuce in the past, so might start with that.

How are you doing this month?

A treat or not ?

We had film vouchers for Cineworld from all the shopping scanning I have been doing for Nielsen. They needed using up before the end of the month and since we are busy the next two weekends we went to see 'Dunkirk' yesterday after I had finished work.

I was really looking forward to it, especially as the film had great reviews and we have been wanting to go all Summer. MasterShoestring was spending the day with a friend, so now was our chance.

The first hurdle was getting the vouchers accepted. We both forgot to bring our reading glasses and so could not read the tiny codes printed on the vouchers to use the automatic ticket machines. We ended up asking for help from the ticket checking girl and she directed us to the popcorn concession, who were able to purchase a couple of tickets for us !

Then into the tiny cinema and trying to find our seats in the dark. Fortunately, I had been able to see the plan outside the room, so had a rough idea where to head ! Then we had to survive the very noisy adverts !

But the worst thing was the very noisy, relentlessly war focussed film ! The only women in it are seen in brief scenes manning teapots and boats, no speaking. Mind you there is almost no speaking from anyone, just lots of bombing and machine gun fire. The sound track was so loud that I had to go for a walk in the woods when we got home.

Lots of people have told me how good this film is and usually I like Christopher Nolan's work but this one was too much for me. I guess my introverted nature suffered from the relentless two and a half hour assault on the senses which made me feel that I had been in the war. 

The cinematography is wonderful, you feel like you are flying with the planes, the actors really give the impression that they have been torpedoed and left on beaches for 4 days. However, my imagination is quite vivid enough to imagine all that, without needing to see and hear it. Watching the film made me wonder if I am just unusually sensitive or whether other people really enjoy this kind of thing. I remember being 11 at grammar school and being taken out of the school Christmas movie which was being shown as a treat because I found it too upsetting. Also when I was 5 and watching my first film, 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' again I had to leave because it was too scary. So it probably is that I'm a bit over-sensitive !

However, MrShoestring did not enjoy it either and we have resolved that anymore cinema outings will be very carefully researched. The blessing in this case was that the tickets were free instead of £10.20 each !

A Trip Out

A work appointment this morning at St Albans, so I'm hoping to combine it with a nice little trip out. First stop - the Cathedral.

Followed by a trip round the town, there's a great market !

Then off to admire a few more historic buildings.

A walk around the beautiful park and a picnic for lunch if the weather co-operates !

Then on to admire the Roman remains. 

I hope you have a great weekend planned too !

Frugal Friday

 So a busy and frugal week ! Lots of activity around storing what is still good in the garden and getting out to forage blackberries in the fields. 

I picked up windfall apples and used some in crumbles and pies and froze the rest for later. I picked blackberries and raspberries and froze these and used some marrows to make some more marrow chutney. Fortunately, everyone thinks it is delicious but I'm nearly out of jam jars !

I also made tortillas, bread, scones, pita bread, felafels, soup, chocolate brownies and quiche. I batched errands to save petrol and got free shipping on some eye drops. I used a discount code to get our holiday snaps printed for half price which was cheaper than printing them at home.

I saved money on outdoor window cleaning by doing it myself one afternoon and also fixed the central heating boiler by resetting the wireless controller, that saved a call to HomeServe or the independent boiler company, so at least £60 saved and it was quicker !

I soaked and boiled 1kg of chickpeas to put into the freezer in handy portions for making hummus and other tasty things, rather than buying tins. I was also really fortunate this week to go to Tesco one night when they had reduced their 15 in a box free range eggs from over £2 to 53p. I bought 3 boxes as they were all still innate but had 1 egg cracked in each box. I made pancakes with the cracked eggs and have the rest in the fridge or the larder, a great deal !

This weekend I'm looking forward to putting a few things on Gumtree from the garage clear out. I hope you ha e a had a great week too !

Is picking blackberries worth it ?

All the blackberries in the garden are finished now and I'm just picking raspberries. We used to pick large, cultivated blackberries at the end of the lane but the council mowed down the patch last Summer. There is another big patch about 10 minutes walk away but the berries are not so big or sweet. I wondered if it was still worth going to pick them ?

So yesterday I walked there and picked for half an hour, choosing only the shiniest, largest berries. I weighed them when I got home and discovered that I had picked two and a half pounds. I converted the weight into grammes and then used my supermarket.com to price comparison with the cheapest blackberries the nearest supermarket had. It turned out the cheapest berries were frozen and cost £2 for 350g. At that rate the ones I had picked myself were worth just under £13 and will probably taste better too !

I decided that the scratches and off nettle sting are definitely worth it and will return to pick some more tomorrow ! Walking briskly to get home after the rain started also gave me my exercise for the day !!

Chicken Fajitas

The chickens I bought in a hurry last week at Tesco are slightly smaller than our usual ones from Aldi but this Monday night recipe for fajitas is very forgiving. With the help of a lot of onions, peppers and some pak choi from the garden I was able to make it stretch so that we even had some leftover for lunch the following day !

First, make or buy your tortillas. Homemade are so popular in this house that people complain if they have to eat shop-bought ones !!

Cut up left-over chicken in to bite size pieces.

Put a cupful of chopped peppers and a cupful of chopped onion into a frying pan with a good glug of oil add 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 tsp chill powder and a squished garlic clove. Chop up any other leftovers and add them with salt and pepper. Heat the pan and fry until the onions and peppers are browned. Add in the leftover chicken and a splash of chicken stock if you have it to prevent burning. Lower heat and cook with lid on until the leftover chicken is warmed through, this is important so I usually leave it for 10 minutes.

Serve in tortillas with all the sides, salsa, sour cream etc ! Enjoy !

Sour Cream Scones

Whilst we were away on holiday MissShoestring made a cheesecake. So on our return there were a few odds and ends leftover from that, including half a pot of double cream. MissShoestring thought she would have to throw it away as it had soured slightly. Hang on I said, you can use it to make really light scones. So that is what we did !

8oz self raising flour

2oz fat (butter, margarine, shortening etc.)

leftover sour cream

Rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. You could then add 1oz sugar if you like sweet scones. Add enough leftover sour cream to make an easy to handle dough. Roll out with a light hand on a floored board and cut into round shapes using a cutter. Brush the tops with beaten egg and bake in oven at 200C for 15 minutes or until golden.

We ate ours with the leftover strawberry compote from the cheesecake, but ordinary butter and jam are good too ! I was so happy to have saved some food from the bin !

Update on September Resolutions

I had a list of things I resolved to do in September and thought that now we were a good way into the month I should have a look and see how I was doing !

1. I will menu plan for the cheapest meals possible. This is going fine. So far I have spent just over £70 on food and we are sticking to the plan. A couple of days MasterShoestring has been so busy chatting he hasn't gone for lunch so that means there is still plenty left in the school lunch account too !

2. I will use up the produce in the garden.We have plenty in the garden, including delicious Autumn raspberries and I have been planning when to use what in conjunction with the menu plan. For instance pairing cucumber and tomatoes with chicken fajitas made with leftover Sunday roast chicken. I have made lots of marrow chutney using apples and marrows from the garden and we are still picking kale, chard, courgettes, tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden. Not to mention those fine pumpkins which we are keeping for later !

3. I will use up the craft stash for Christmas gifts. No progress on this one so far but I'm not worried as I think I already have enough in the gift cupboard to cover everyone and anything homemade will just be a little 'extra'.

4. I will plan ahead to give gifts early to save on Christmas postage costs. No-one has been to visit yet but my Dad will be coming over from USA in October and I've got all of his present ready.

5. I will take my own food and drink to college. I have been doing this and not only is it saving money but it is proving very handy when lessons overrun and I don't have time to stand in a queue.

6. I will top up MasterShoestring's lunch account before he runs out of money! So far I have not had to do any topping up as MasterShoestring has been very modest with his spending.

7. I will sell some of our surplus garage stuff.

8. I will sell some more surplus books.

9. I will find the best home for our savings

10. I will find a cheap way to add to garden fertility for next year No progress with any of these as I have been busy working and helping out with some charity stuff. I hope to at least pack up a few books and look into some saving s accounts this week.

How are you doing so far this September ?

How to season your Pumpkin !

We are thrilled to have harvested our pumpkins ! After having to throw one away because mice had eaten it we decided that harvesting beat the temptation to let them grow bigger.

You can tell that the pumpkin is ripe  because it will be an orange colour, depending on the variety and the rind will feel hard.

If you use a sharp knife and allow a good length of stem when you cut the pumpkin will keep better.

Pumpkins bruise easily and need time to cure outdoors in the sun if they are to keep properly after you bring them indoors. Protect them from the wet and allow about a week outdoors before bringing them in and storing in a cool, dry room.

Fingers crossed that ours don't get nibbled during the curing process. We've placed them on the patio dining table really close to the house to try and deter creatures like deer, rats and mice, not to mention slugs. Then we plan to keep them for Halloween !

Getting Out and About this Weekend

All over the country this weekend all sorts of buildings and places are going to be open to the public at no charge so do check out what is going on in your area !

Bletchley Park, the famous code breaking centre will be open.

This one is like a French chateau and used to belong to the Rothschilds ! Now it is the officers' mess at RAF Halton !

The old market hall here, complete with village pump, jail and sign warning about 'making no nuisance' is open all the time but over the weekend will be surrounded by the lively events of a heritage fair. complete with vintage vehicles !

We are looking forward to visiting some fabulous places and hearing some interesting stories !

Meal Planning for September

So now that we are back, the sitting room is strewn with drying washing and my 'to-do' list is as long as my arm ! Time to make a meal plan for September and preferably one where I already have most of the ingredients in the house and do not have to go shopping until the weekend. There is a glut of raspberries and marrows to deal with as well !

So this is what I came up with :-

Breakfasts - Pancakes, cereal or eggs

Lunches - Leftover, crackers, cheese, sandwiches or school lunch

Dinners -

Sundays - Roast Chicken and all the trimmings with steamed pudding for dessert

Mondays - Chicken Fajitas with homemade tortillas and using up the leftover chicken

Tuesdays - Pasta Arabbiata - nice to have a bit of heat with the cooling Autumn weather

Wednesdays - Felafel and pita bread, MasterShoestring loved the felafel mix I took away on holiday so I will have to try and find some more

Thursdays - Soup, homemade bread and cake, a quick, easy option for a busy day which can be made ahead or stuck in the slow cooker

Friday - Quiche, potatoes, garden vegetables, I expect we can still rely on the kale and chard until at least until the end of September

Saturday - Tortillas, refried beans, sausages and homemade buns plus ice cream, either homemade or bought jazzed up with a homemade fruit sauce

Phew, and I have everything in for the next few days so back to crossing things off the 'to-do' list !

I hope your meal plan is helping you as much as mine does me ! For those missing the frugal Friday post this week I will get back to it next week but as most of this week was still holiday there wasn't so much to report !

Holiday Spending !

So, we are just back from holidays in Italy and thank you to everyone who made a lovely comment on the blog whilst I was away, especially for our anniversary ! It might seem funny to have  a car as the illustration for the post but it was the economy of its fuel consumption which allowed us to return from holiday over £100 underspent ! That and the cheap petrol in Luxembourg helped a bit ! Diesel was 98 euro cents a litre there and everywhere we went diesel was cheaper than petrol.

The weather was mostly very hot, over 30C everyday, the bargain Airbnb accommodation was great everywhere we stayed, (one place even put custom made chocolates on each bed !) and the stash of food we took with us saved us a lot of money. I am definitely a convert to Airbnb rather than camping. MasterShoestring was a bit out out that not all the places had internet access but that just meant he had to try photography and Monopoly to keep himself amused.

Overall, including tolls, charges, petrol, accommodation, food and some trips to Venice etc. the whole holiday cost us less than £300 per person for 15 days away. I paid for it all from extra income so although we had to pay for a big car repair so we could go away I think it was money well spent. Now, where shall we go next year ?

Courgette Glut Recipe

Our courgettes are still producing at just about the rate we can cope with and be glad about but in case you have a glut this is a good dish with some crusty bread and cheese for supper.

1 tbsp oil

3-4 courgettes, sliced

1 can sweetcorn

1 green pepper, chopped

1-2 tomatoes, diced

heat the oil in a pan large enough to hold all the vegetables. Add the vegetables to make layers, starting with the courgettes, then corn, pepper and tomatoes. Cover with ground black pepper and salt to taste. Put a lid on the pan and leave to cook for 15 minutes on a low heat.

Serve with crusty bread on the side !

Saving Money with Children

Each of our children had a piggy bank to save their money in for holidays and things they really wanted. We provide the basics but anything extra had to come from them. They all had very different personalities, with some being more spendthrift than others, but as they grew older I think all of them have understood the importance of saving up for things and that you can't always have everything that you want.

One of our biggest savings as they were growing up was getting clothes has 'hand me downs' or at the jumble sale. This left enough money for school shoes that fitted well and would last a couple of terms at least. We also bought books and toys second-hand as they could either be passed on once they were outgrown or passed on quicker if they were not liked. That way we could provide a good variety of things without it costing a fortune. Membership at the library was also a good investment.

We did have parties for birthdays, Halloween etc. when the oldest two were found but stopped quickly when they began to become huge, overblown affairs where the adults stayed as well. Instead we had a nice meal at home and invited school friends over at another time for tea.

We always had a rule that you could do one paid activity outside of school but not more than that as it would be too expensive. If it was free, like music lessons in school, that could be added but not otherwise !

We paid for life skill lessons such as swimming and driving but if you wanted to try being a life guard or to have a car of your own you had to pay for it !

These rules have lasted over the 30 years we have had children and I can recommend them for the next generation too !

Saving money as you get older

Last Monday I said that I thought that specialist companies for older people were often not offering a good deal. So this Monday I thought that I would have a look at things which are good value as we age.

1. You can get free prescriptions and eye tests at 60 or above. With an eye test costing upwards of £25 and prescriptions at over £8 per item, this is a good deal.

2. You can get a free TV license over the age of 75. Not sure how good the programmes will be by the time I reach this age, but it will save over £140 a year.

3. Your tax allowance increases once you become over 80 !

4. You can qualify for the winter fuel payment.

5. In some areas you can get free travel !

Not am awful lot to look forward too, so I'm still saving hard !

Joy

I was thinking of all the little things in the day which give me joy: a lovely cup of tea and a sit down after a difficult job; a nice warm bed on a cold night or an unexpected telephone call from an old friend. All small things which don't cost much but spark that feeling of I'm glad to be alive. Here's one of my favourite poems about joy. I think you can tell, I quite like this poet !

Joy and Service by Robert William Service

I do the work I love;
And in it find a rich reward,
All price and praise above.
For few may do the work they love,
The fond unique employ,
That fits them as a hand a glove,
And gives them joy.

Oh gentlefolk, do you and you
Who toil for daily hire,
Consider that the job you do
Is to your heart's desire?
Aye, though you are to it resigned,
And will no duty shirk,
Oh do you in your private mind
Adore your work?

Twice happy man whose job is joy,
Whose hand and heart combine,
In brave and excellent employ
As radiantly as mine!
But oh the weary, dreary day,
The wear and tear and irk
Of countless souls who cannot say:
'I love my work.'

Isn't id great that the work of 'living on a shoestring' can be joyful as well !

Frugal Autumn Outings

As the season begins to change we start to look for different sorts of outings to go on at the weekends. Here is a list of 10 you might like to try.

1. Pick apples or other autumn crops at a pick your own farm. We often pick apples after offers on Freecycle from people who have too many.

2. Go leap peeping at your closest hill and admire the autumn colours.

3. Watch out for heritage days and weekends when building which are not normally open to the public welcome you in for free.

4. This is the time of year when schools hold Open Days for entry the following year. We have a long list of places to visit for 6th Form for Master Shoestring.

5. Airfares and rail fares often drop at this time of year so use a weekend to see a friend or relative.

6. It is garden tidying time so when you have finished have a bonfire and invite a few people round for baked potatoes and toasted marshmallows.

7. At the end of the season some gardens offer free entry and we have visited Kew Gardens and the Savile Garden for free this way.

8. Go blackberrying before Michaelmas as by then folklore says the devil spits on them and spoils the flavour.

9. Pick a large open space and fly a kite in the windy Autumn weather.

10. Use a rainy afternoon to go to a cinema matinee and have afternoon tea in a cafe or at home afterwards !

Frugal Friday

This is the start of a new month and the last third of the year. It is also the beginning of Autumn. So instead of posting about all the frugal things we did this week I thought I would post 10 frugal resolutions for the months to come, to make sure we don't overspend on celebrations at the end of the year !

1. I will menu plan for the cheapest meals possible.

2. I will use up the produce in the garden.

3. I will use up the craft stash for Christmas gifts.

4. I will plan ahead to give gifts early to save on Christmas postage costs.

5. I will take my own food and drink to college.

6. I will top up MasterShoestring's lunch account before he runs out of money!

7. I will sell some of our surplus garage stuff.

8. I will sell some more surplus books.

9. I will find the best home for our savings

10. I will find a cheap way to add to garden fertility for next year

Have you got any frugal resolutions ?