Supermarket Reductions

We enjoyed a few unexpected treats today thanks to some excellent supermarket reductions. First were two big boxes of cut up exotic fruit for 25p each. A real treat with lunch at this time of year !

Second treat was the lovely soup, made with the 13p packet of soup vegetables.

Third treat was the delicious salad sandwiches to go with the soup made with a 13p packet of baby salad leaves.

Altogether a great find at a time of year when fruit and salad can be rather expensive !

Planning holiday menus

At the end of this week I shall probably be doing my grocery shopping for December, so this week we had a chat with the family about what we would like to have to eat over the holidays. We already have a turkey, bought half price last Easter ! We already have potatoes, bought from the farmer at less than 30p a kilo ! We already have brussels sprouts, bought reduced in Waitrose a few weeks ago and the pudding and cake are already made.

The other things we decided on are pizza and ice cream for Christmas Eve, roast parsnips and carrots for Christmas dinner plus sausages wrapped in bacon. I shall use bacon pieces and ordinary sausages cut into pieces rather than paying extra for small ones. I shall also get some cream and coconut cream to go with the pudding. Boxing Day we shall have leftovers as everyone said that this is their favourite part of Christmas food. So I shall have to make sure that I cook enough on Christmas Day. They also want turkey sandwiches and Christmas cake for Christmas Day tea. After that we shall return to the normal menu plan. We shall have sparkling apple juice to drink, made with sparkling water and homemade apple juice which I have in the freezer.

Planning ahead like this means that I do not buy too much food which then goes to waste.

We also planned our Christmas baking and I explained to Miss Shoestring that she cannot have a whole Stollen to herself !!

A Thought-provoking Film

We saw this film last night, thanks to our lovely Lovefilm gift from Miss Shoestring last year ! I found it very thought provoking given all the talk there is in the news about building walls. It showed that even if people do build walls and collectively refuse to acknowledge the humanity of others there is still something that individuals can do. One man, whom I had never heard of was determined to go beyond what he was asked to do and rescue others as well. All whilst abiding by the rule of law.

I was very taken by the central character and was intrigued to read that he went on to negotiate the release of people interned after the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. Asked to work on behalf of just over 1000 people he eventually negotiated the release of over 9000. I found that so encouraging ! Most people would never have heard the name of that compassionate lawyer before the film was made but he made a difference. Let's resolve to do that too. Whether it's a donation to the local food bank or a smile for a hard working retail worker when the shop is heaving with bargain hunters. Make a difference this week !

Frugal Luxuries I am enjoying this weekend

The biggest frugal luxury this weekend is sleeping late rather than getting up at 0545 to catch the train into the city. I look just like Charlie Brown as I realise that lovely fact. A few extra hours in my own bed beats a fancy weekend trip away hands down !

Next frugal luxury is having USAShoestring home for a bit. We can talk to him anytime and hear in detail all about his life. Miss Shoestring is also home this weekend so for the first time in a year the whole family is together and that is a luxury you cannot buy.

Next frugal luxury is having a bit more time as I do not have to write an assignment for the course this week ! There is a big assignment coming up but the due date is much later on so I do not have to do extra work this weekend.

Another frugal luxury is that Mr Shoestring has done all the housework already so I do not have to spend Saturday morning cleaning, a lovely gift !

Final frugal luxury, we have everything we need to have a lovely weekend right here at home, so I am going to enjoy it ! I hope that you have a great weekend too !

Frugal Things we did this week

Now that the weather is getting colder and the petrol prices have started to rise we have been careful to batch errands. So I went to the library, shopping and to collect Miss Shoestring from the station all at once rather than three separate trips.

We only topped up our travel cards and Master Shoestring's lunch card once they had run down to £1 left on them.

We ate leftovers for several meals and put cake that was getting a bit stale into the freezer for use in trifle over the holidays.

We trash picked wood and stored it in the garage to help it dry out.

We used electric space heaters in rooms during the day rather than turning on the central heating to heat the whole house.

We wore thermal underwear so that once the house had reached 18C we could turn off the central heating and be comfortable as the temperature gradually went down again.

We arranged to collect USAShoestring from the kerb at the airport so we did not have to pay for parking.

We used the timer for the heating and hot water so they stayed on for a maximum of 6 hours in the day.

I only bought what I needed when I went shopping, spending £8.66 this week rather than looking out for bargains.

We gave Master Shoestring an alarm clock I had got for free at a jumble sale rather than going to buy a new one. I keep a small stock of little items like that that I have picked up for very little so that when we do need something like a new alarm clock I have one on hand.

Hospitality for Guests

USAShoestring arrives today to wait for the renewal of his visa. He is not sure how long it might take but it could be several weeks so we have been busy making his room comfortable for him. We have been using it as a games room so it needed turning back into a guest room.

The first thing was making up the bed with linens which we just keep for guests. This makes sure that they do not get too much wear so they look nice when the guest arrives. Similarly with towels. We always put out a flannel, a hand towel and two bath towels so there are plenty of showering and also make sure that the bathroom has clean towels and has been cleaned before a guest arrives. In extreme cases, the children are told not to use the bathroom to make sure it stays clean !

Then we make sure that there is a good reading light for night time and plenty of storage space for clothes and a suitcase. Then we check that the internet connection is working in that room and that there is information on how to access it. If it is someone who might want to work whilst they are with is we also make sure that there is a desk or table in the room that they can work at.

Final checks are that the curtains draw properly and keep out the light and that the heating is on and working. On arrival guests are also shown where to find spare blankets and pillows and how to make a hot drink.

All of this should ensure that they have a comfy stay with you !

Planting Garlic

This week we are planting garlic, before the soil becomes too cold or wet. Inspired by the Grow Your Own magazine from the library Mr Shoestring is after some new varieties to try, perhaps some elephant garlic as he would like some big cloves for roasting. Since we still have some garden vouchers from a gift this experiment will not cost us anything extra. Normally we just save the cloves from one harvest to plant to get the next.

Garlic is easy to plant and grow and the birds and other creatures leave it alone as they do not like the strong taste and smell making it a reliable crop. You need well-manured soil and a reasonable dry day, then just separate the cloves in the bulb and plant away, not too close. Cover them over and they will start to sprout. A bit of weeding in between and then harvest next year once the necks start to turn brown. It is very important to dry them off properly before storage as otherwise they will go mouldy.

Well worth it if you like garlic to add flavour to things as growing your own is much cheaper than buying in the shops.