Frugal Friday

Quite a few frugal jobs completed this week including chopping wood for the winter and washing all 40 of the outside windows. This is a big job which usually takes a long time, this time I was astounded to find I had completed it in less than an hour because I didn't have to change the bucket of water. Earlier in the week I bought a big bottle of Fairy liquid, not what I usually buy and it would seem that the claim that it lasts longer than other detergents is really true !

As well as wood chopping and window washing MrShoestring got around to staining all the woodwork and farm gate which closes off the front entrance, doing it ourselves saved quite a bit of money as the quote to do it was over £100. MrShoestring also cut the large front hedge and that was £85 saved as well !

I mended a quilt and a cardigan and made some soft cheese with milk that had gone sour. I then used the cheese in a pasta bake so that was a 'win' from something that otherwise might have been thrown away. I also made pasta sauce, bread, vegetable curry , chapattis, soup and tortillas. We picked lettuce, raspberries and loads of apples. I repurposed a plastic container instead of buying a new bread bin and so far it has worked very well.

We planned a roof repair and are just waiting for the roof repair stuff to come before we get on with it. We washed out plastic bags for re-use and went to the cinema with vouchers that I had earned from the Nielsen shopping survey. We bought clothes for MasterShoestring for going into 6th Form at a discount and got free delivery !

Phew ! A busy week !

NHS Sight Tests

Every year before I go to the consultant to check that I still do not quite have glaucoma I go for a sight test to check that the prescription for my glasses is correct, as this makes doing the visual field tests easier !

I made an appointment as usual and turned up yesterday to be told that they did not think the NHS would pay for the test anymore. I quoted chapter and verse at them as this has happened before when they said I have come in slightly too early so it hadn't been exactly a year since the previous test. They seemed very confused and so I said never mind I'll just pay the £20 for the test.

After much waiting around and several unnecessary tests including having a video of my face made so they could show what I would like in various pairs of horrible, very expensive glasses I finally saw the optician !

He explained that since I was being seen annually at the hospital the NHS doesn't like to double up so now I'm only entitled to a free sight test every 2 years. This change does not seem to be widely known so in case you were on the verge of booking your own free sight test do find out what the policy is in your area before booking. 

In the end the optician just checked my glasses and got me to read some fine print with them and we agreed that they would be fine for another year and he did not charge me, which was very nice of him !

Do check what you are entitled to before booking a sight test as I didn't know that I was entitled to free tests until a couple of years ago!

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 !!