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 ?

The Reckoning

As I said last week, August has been a very expensive month for us. We have spent almost double the usual monthly budget but it isn't so bad when you look at the figures as lots of the spending was for annual expenses which have been saved up for.

The big expenses were :- house insurance, which I got for less than last year; septic tank emptying, which I also got for less than last year; road tax, which has gone up a bit; car insurance, which I got for less than last year and a massive car repair bill ! We had not reckoned on such a large bill for the car repairs, but have decided to keep the car going, at least until it is 10 years old as reckon a couple of thousand a year to keep it going will be cheaper than buying a new to us large car. In three years time MasterShoestring will be finished at school and we reckon that we will not need such a large car then. Given the short time frame it then makes sense to try and keep the current one going.

There were also petrol expenses for going on holiday and spending expenses for the holiday, such as the trip to Venice. We did very well saving on food as the garden was producing so well and managed to spend less than £110 all month, which is great ! We celebrated a very frugal anniversary and look forward to a nice frugal September to build up the savings once more !