Apples !

Yesterday I saw a woodpecker in amongst the apples so we got out there and picked a washing basket full to make sure that we got some too !

Now what to do with them all ?

1) Wrap perfect ones in newspaper and store in a cool place for eating.

2) Stew some for the freezer.

3) Make apple pie.

4) Make apple crumble.

5) Make apple cake.

6) Make apple doughnuts.

7) Make apple sauce for eating with roast pork.

8) Make apple juice.

9) Make dried apple rings.

10) Make apple butter.

Looks like we are going to be busy, as we left some of the less ripe apples on the trees !

Keeping Homemade Bread Fresh

We've had a bread bin like the one above for over 10 years. It was airtight and large enough to keep a couple of loaves of homemade bread. However, this year we noticed that some of the enamel was starting to wear off, it was getting a bit rusty and some of the breadcrumbs in the bottom were going mouldy instead  staying dry.

In the hot weather we started keeping the bread in a plastic bag in the fridge.  This was better than seeing half a loaf go mouldy the day after it had been baked but did tend to dry out the bread and make it rather hard, so not really any good for sandwiches.

Now the hot weather has gone we went back to using the bread bin, but all the reasons we had started not to like it then became really apparent, especially the mouldy breadcrumbs at the bottom, yuk ! So I started to research the best way to keep homemade bread besides slicing it when cold and keeping the sliced loaf in the freezer. The freezer is too full of produce at present to make that a realistic option ! Well, you can use a wooden roll top bin, an enamel one, a ceramic one, a roll top metal bin, a paper bag, a plastic bag and a cotton bag and apparently all will work well. We've had roll top bread bins in the past, both wooden and metal and eventually they all suffer from the same problems as our current enamel one. I was quite tempted by the idea of a ceramic crock but they are expensive and MrShoestring pointed out that they are very heavy and easy to break !

Finally, I decided on a plastic box with an air-tight lid that can easily go in the dishwasher. I counted out my Love2Shop vouchers from the postal survey and got ready to go to Robert Dyas to buy one in the right size. However, before I left, my eye was caught by my portable sand tray for counselling, it has an air-tight lid, is made of plastic and was exactly the right size. I'm not going counselling in schools again this year and haven't been using the box so decide to re-purpose it ! A quick wash in the dishwasher and it was transformed into the new bread bin at zero cost ! This was even better than using the Love2Shop vouchers to buy a new one for free, as now I am using something that was lying around being clutter. If I ever need a sand tray again I have the ideal seed potting tray sitting in MrShoestring's workshop !

Repurposing beats purchasing every time !

A Night Out !

Last night we went to see the film  "Mission Impossible:Fallout" as part of our anniversary celebrations! It was a frugal cinema visit as I used vouchers that I got free from the Nielsen shopping survey. Just as well, as otherwise the visit would have cost over £20 as it was a weekend evening ! 

The film was full of amazing stunts and scenery and was an enjoyable bit of hokum but we didn't feel that the story was particularly strong ! We did not buy drinks or snacks and had a nice cup of tea at home afterwards. I do wish some people would do the same as the film was spoiled a bit by the constant 'in and out' of people needing the bathroom having consumed a litre of so of fizzy drink !

Still, we had an enjoyable evening and if you want a predictable evening out and haven't seen it yet and can go at a discount, then I would recommend it ! However, it is not a 'must see' !

Happy Anniversary !

In 1985 MrShoestring and I got married on a beautiful late Summer day in the Highlands of Scotland, hard to imagine that was 33 years ago today !

He puts up with home haircuts !

Doesn't mind having snow balls thrown at him !

Rolls a great tortilla !

 Has accompanied me on 6 moves !

And is a great photographer !

Happy Anniversary darling and here's to many more years !

Renewing Your Driving License

I had just received a letter in the post to say that my driving license will expire in October. I had made a note of this already but it was good to get a reminder.

If you forget to renew it then you can be fined up to £1000 ! It only costs £14 to renew online and they can even use the same picture as you have for a passport, which saves having to take another one ! I'd rather pay £14 than the £1000 fine ! 

My only dilemma, is do I pay now to do it and let the government have my money early or do I wait until October and risk forgetting ? Perhaps a good compromise could be to do it in September !!

Frugal Living

Our young student left on Tuesday night so now we have a bit more time for frugal living ! The freezer still has lots of produce in it and we are adding to it with the windfall apples, so there has been lots of home cooking going on. I made chocolate cupcakes, homemade popcorn, homemade tortillas, homemade chapattis, bread and pizza. We also stewed windfall apples, picked and ate plums and picked and ate lettuce and cucumber.

We got a year round pass for the Open Air Museum along with our entry fee and took along our own food and drink to avoid the expensive cafe prices. MissShoestring gifted us her chicken and roasted vegetables leftovers when she came home one night and I used them to make chicken fried rice for an evening meal.

MasterShoestring passed 9 GCSEs and to celebrate requested takeaway pizza,  that was much cheaper than taking him out to eat so his Dad treated him to 2 Mars Bars for dessert as well !

End of Summer List

With the Bank Holiday approaching it's time to think about all the things you promised you would do over the Summer and have yet to get around to, like having a paddle perhaps ? The sea is warmer at the end of the Summer than at the start so now is the time to take the plunge !

Our list is fill of practical things we need to do before school starts again, big jobs like wood splitting and mending leaks in the porch and utility room. Also smaller jobs such as sorting out the freezer and cleaning the carpets.

I was pleased to knock off two jobs yesterday, completing some assignments for my course and altering one that had been returned for some changes. One less thing to do before studying gears up again !

MrShoestring went into school to sort Science equipment and the GCSE results are published today, so the new school year is about to start again, what do you need to do to get prepared ?

We also need to re-jig the budget as the gas direct debit has gone up and I was unable to find a cheaper supplier, so we are stuck with the increase.  Several companies are raising their prices above inflation and ours is one of them. We are going to be paying over £13 a month more as although we are more than £170 in credit with them they don't think this is enough of a credit for the approaching Winter months ! Sometimes I do wonder about just going back to paying a quarterly bill but you get a discount for monthly direct debit, so I guess I'm still saving money !