Just A Couple Of Thrifty Snippets...

Hello there .... hope all is well with you ...

And a hello to my new followers ... its nice to think these few words... everyday ramblings ... are winging their way around the world ... for like minded folk to take a peek at.

Tis' indeedy a wonderful thing this ere 'tinternet..

Anyway ... just a couple of Thrifty Snippets for you today.

Breakfast ... can be a bit boring I always think.

It always feels a bit rushed ....and I always think I should start the day with something reasonably healthy .... although last nights leftover curry or stodgy pudding can be a temptation! ... so whats it to be.

I tend to favour Branflakes and they are a fairly good price at 88p ... sometimes I add a bit of fruit .. fresh or dried .... banana has been a regular addition ... I've had one or two about the place.  

But it got a bit boring so I priced up Muesli (shock horror at some of the prices)... the Value Muesli came in at £1.18/1kg... a reasonable price compared to others .... but it is a bit ..well .... same-y/just fairly oat-y...you know what I mean.

So I had a rummage in the cupboard and found some chopped nuts (  Approved Foods .... cheap and cheerful ... 3 bags for a £1 ..I think) ...I added a good old sprinkle of them to the bag of cheapo muesli.

I scrunched up a few handfuls of Branflakes and added those....and a goodly amount of sultanas (Value range ... well a sultana is a sultana!)

Gave it all a good old mix up .... and you know what ...tastes a darn sight better....

I chopped and added to my breakfast bowl .. a couple of ready to eat prunes .... yes they come in Value Range too ... I like a nice Prune ...they remind me of school dinners. 

So now I have almost twice the volume of what could pass as a very posh muesli ... very nice ...a change from Branflakes ... although it will be porridge weather soon! 

Just had to show you this .... this flashy toaster has made Hubby P's week.

A couple of weeks ago our old and trusty toaster died ... Hubby P was in a panic ... how would he manage (toast is about the only thing he can manage/chooses to make himself ....)

He spoke of buying a new cheap-y one straight away... but I would have none of it ...just wait said I ....one would come along.

After all its what Hubby P does...he does house and shop clearances all the time... lots of electrical's pass through his hands...most of which are in excellent condition. 

I swear the world has gone mad ... so much 'stuff' thrown away ... often because the colour scheme in the kitchen has changed.... or it hasn't got this years whizz bang modification.

And come along it has ... maybe its a bit RED... and it doesn't really match ..well...anything else in the kitchen ...but hey ...it makes a statement!

....and it makes toast ....much to Hubby P's delight.

Just a quick word about Approved Food again .. I notice they still have this on ... margarine in a tin (in the Tinned Goods section) I didn't know you could get margarine in a tin...did you?

I thought I would try it ....handy I thought to keep in the store cupboard ... and cheap enough at 3 for 99p (450gms/tin).

Anyway I tried it ... maybe a bit basic for spreading on bread ... I do prefer Sunflower spread (or butter if I'm feeling rich) ... but better than some of the Basic/Value margarine's...good and solid ...not watery...if you know what I mean.

I used it for baking and it was just splendid .... its worth getting some on your next order and giving it a go ... and it will keep well ... its in a tin! 

Well enough wittering from me ... its nearly breakfast time again.

Whats your favourite frugal dish?

 ... do share ... I think we all get bored with the same old dishes frugal or not.

Bye for now xx take care xx

 

Giveaway Winners and a Quicky Update picture Style!....

Hello there .... I'm sorry its so late in the evening (we've just finished work ) .. but I did promise you the Giveaway Draw for the funky tea towels.

So with the help of my Glamorous Assistant .... otherwise known as Hubby P .... we have drawn names out of a hat (well an old dish actually) but hey .... its all done with the utmost aplomb!

Anyway ..... down to it ... the Winners are ... I pulled  two names from the 'hat' ...

Morning AJ

and 

Mum's Simply Living Blog

So well done Anne and Mum for sending the positive vibes ....

so girls if you could email me your address I can get your winnings sent off to you.

It being late I thought I would just leave you with a picture -ish update of this weeks doings.

Finally managed to get the curtains finished for the summer house.

 

Not really the fabric I would have chosen ... but hey ... it was a large piece of nice new fabric .... given to me sometime ago and been sat in the cupboard....and has made up into splendid curtains. 

Summer house is coming along now ... and looks all the better with curtains up... I will get some interior pics taken for you ... when I remember!

 

No time to spend in the garden this week ... it is looking very lush with the heavy rain.

 

 

But  there is little left of the sprouts.....

 They have been demolished by these pesky creatures! I have never seen so many caterpillars....must be the damp warm conditions.

 

 

All the apples on the tree seem to be affected by blight ... very very poor crop ....most of them have ended up here on the path ...in this condition ... not many apple crumbles this year I'm afraid. 

How's your fruit crop .... is everyone having a bad year? 

 This brave little sunflower was one of the few bright spots in the garden ..... its going to be a long winter.

 At least my Geranium cuttings are rooting ... some nice plants for next year.

A bucket full of goodies from the carboot sale ... and an exciting gift from Hubby P ...but news of that later... 

Its late now and as you can see we are in the middle of sorting stock for the coming week .... I know it looks chaotic ... but there is a 'system' ... or so Hubby P assures me!

Do give me news of your doings ... I get a bit bogged down with endless boxes and work and more work ...

We've given up with the boxes for tonight and I'm off to bed ...

Take care for now xx

Yes We Have More Bananas .....We Have More Bananas today ... boom boom!!

 Hello there.... sorry its been a while .... we have just been so busy .... with family 'stuff' ... life ...and that never ending 'work stuff'.

So not a lot to show you really....but today's frugal bargains... 

and Yes! 

You guessed it ... it includes Bananas! 

 I think I shall soon start to look like a banana.

But I am always very glad to make use of something rather than see it go to waste .... so when Colin the veg says ... I have a little something for you ..... whats a girl to do but smile sweetly and say 'Thankyou very much'.

So more bananas it is .....

 Who remembers this from School Dinners .... Yummy ...

Manchester Tart

Another dressed up banana affair .... what a treat for pudding tonight.

Now just look at these scrummy Damsons .... all the way from the Vale of Evesham ..... we have not a one on the trees around here ... terrible year for fruit.

I was getting quite desperate for fruit for jam ... even the blackberries are very poor ... and to be honest I just haven't had the time to go out picking.

I wouldn't as a rule buy fruit for jamming ...makes the jam too expensive .... but I got these for a real bargain price and of course.... a share of the jam goes to Colin the veg.

So that's tomorrows job.....just hope I have enough jars ... 

Not much happening on the sewing front ... again time is the problem. But I did pick up some rather nice vintage towelling curtains from Rosy's stall at the car boot ..... lovely and bright and ...well ....vintage-y.

I just love this towelling for tea towels ....so I unpicked all the hems and  chopped each one (there were two) into four tea towels.

 

As you can see there was a pretty blue one and a funky orange one.

 I sat and hemmed them by hand as I caught up with your blogs ... 

I love a bit of bright colour in the kitchen ... something nice to look at whilst I do the hum drum washing up and whatnot. 

I thought I might have a bit of a .. Thrifty Snippets Giveaway...

who would like a cheery funky orange tea towel from the vintage towelling curtains, or perhaps you would prefer a pretty blue one.

Leave me a bit of a comment on your thrifty thoughts and/or doings and I will pull a name out of a ... well... out of a something... next Tuesday (18th Sept)....don't forget to mention orange or blue.

Just thought a bit of a Giveaway would cheer us up ... bit of fun ... this cold windy, rainy weather we are having here on Anglesey is no fun ... me thinks winter is on its way.

Bye for now xxx take care xxx

Jam Sponge Kinda Day ....!

Hello there ... 

hope you have had a good day .... rain and thunder here .... there's a surprise!

 I spotted these lovelies this week .... £1 a bag .... a bargain....what a treat. 

But what a thought .... Spring so near .... just around the corner ... just where has the year gone?

I had that kind of day today .... a pondering sort of day.

Hubby P was away working his little socks off ... doing a house clearance .... always a bit of a sad job when it is helping a family dispose of the belongings of their mother or father. It can be emotionally draining and of course physically tiring .... anyway suffice to say he was away doing his job...

Too wet to play outside so I decided to bake.

  

I gathered my baking equipment together ... now you can see I don't go in for anything fancy .... I must say I do have a bit of an aversion to anything loud and noisy .... don't much go in for anything choppy..whirry...spinny...etc.

This is how I was taught to bake ... and I can do it in my sleep ... its as second nature as ... well i don't know ...whatever else I learned as a child!

I grew up in a home with out electricity so an electric cake mixer would have been useless anyway ... a mixing bowl and a spoon ... its all that's needed. 

 I fancied a bit of jam sponge and custard.... I have this jam from Approved Foods ... I think its sold to hotels etc .... no fancy packaging .... designed to be presented at the breakfast table in a pretty china dish. 

Anyway its just fine ... not quite as good as homemade of course but for the price ... just great.

 I just put it into jars ... its jam.

Made a very nice jam sponge.

I lined a loaf tin with greaseproof ....  put some jam in the bottom and then sponge mixture on top ... popped it in the oven ... baked ...

 Turned it out and pulled off the paper ... nice sticky and jammy!

I made some more Banana bread with the very last of the bargain bananas .... they had just about had it ... but fine in the cake.

Just enjoying my jam sponge and custard and having a listen to the  Carpenters... who remembers ..?

Another sad story .... another lovely young woman beset with her own personal demons .... 

 Enough for now ..... take care xx

Thoughtful Bounty .... And making The Most Of It.

Summer .... however rubbish ... is rattling on ... and the Autumn almost upon us.... I know ... I know ...not had any summer yet ..an all that!

But I feel its more important than ever to harvest whatever we can ... save and store for the coming months ... 'things' are not getting any easier ..... and food is as expensive as ever.

So what a thoughtful boon.... a kindly gift ... a

 'Waste Not Want Not' 

kind of 

'Pass it On'.

I called ... as usual at 'Collin the Veg' for my weekly order of veggie goodies ...and it must be said his prices are very reasonable.

 As it was the end of the trading day (at the carboot/market) he said could I do 'anything' with some bananas and cooking apples ... they were okay ... just getting a bit over ripe ... and of course he could not sell them the following day ... so they would be thrown in the rubbish ....wasted.

 I said of course .... Yes Please.

Well .... he said.... I know you do all that proper cooking ... jam and cakes and stuff ... and will do something with them.

 

 And what bounty it was ..... a big box full of apples and bananas!

I set to as soon as we got home ... it was a very ripe boxful ... the whole van smelled like a banana.

I simply chopped all the apple and filled my trusty 'Big Pan' .... simmering them and putting them through a cloth to make some Apple Jelly.

 

I used 8 of the ripest bananas to make a batch of Banana Bread ...

It turned out really well ... I've not made it before ...I just got a recipe off the Internet .... modified it a bit to what ingredients I had in the cupboard. 

 Jelly turned out fine ... just a simple Apple Jelly ....I eat loads of it ... just love it with pork, or chicken ...or cheese ... or stirred into a sauce or stirfry .... Yum.

 It seems banana bread is a hit .... I made it yesterday and this is all that is left of a large loaf tin sized cake ...Hubby P has discovered it tastes just lovely slavered in butter .... 'keeps his strength up' ... or so he tells me.

Don't know why I bothered wrapping it in tinfoil ... telling myself 'well ... it says it will keep a good week ... and it is better ... is more moist ... after a day or two' ... fat chance in this household!

In the midst of the baking etc Hubby P walked in with a big bag of runner beans from a neighbour ... well they too needed to be sorted ... chopped, blanched and popped in the freezer for another day, a little work but so welcome to brighten our meals in the coming weeks.

 We had some for dinner with our pork steaks ... and a little apple jelly of course.

Still lots of bananas left here .... I've had bananas with my bran flakes, bananas and custard .... Richard has eaten a few .... Hubby P .... well .... I can only get fruit into him in the guise of cake/pudding etc ... so the banana bread is a good bet .... any good banana ideas? ..... anyone tried banana curry?

How is your harvesting going ...any ideas for interesting preserves? .... I'm getting a bit bored with the same old jams etc.

Bye for now x

Just How Many Courgettes Can A Girl Eat ?.........

Well what a glut .... I know we are very lucky to have plenty of food ...but just how many courgettes can a girl eat?

 

It seems everyday there are more and more of them .... they seem to be breeding in the fridge veggie box.

It was doing that 'rainy' thing again this morning so I resolved to deal with the fridge-y stuff.

I picked all the courgettes I could see ... even quite small ones .. I just know there will be heaps more in a day or two, and grabbed what was in the fridge.

 

 

Sliced um all up and put them on trays to open freeze ....then I can bag um up in large-ish bags/or tubs maybe ....so much easier when they are not all stuck together ...I can just get a few out for a stir fry or whatever.

 

Been getting rather a lot of cucumbers too .... so I made some of the cucumber and onion pickle .... we eat it by the ton ...so yummy.

Its just a case of slicing up some onion and cucumber and pouring over some malt vinegar... I add a bit of sugar. 

I keep a jar of it in the fridge and as we eat it I add more bits and pieces of cucumber and onion .... until the vinegar looks a bit cloudy ....then I start afresh.

 

Mushrooms looked a bit dodgy ... this humid weather everything goes off so quick, so I peeled them ...they looked a bit better.... chopped um up... rooted in the fridge for other 'need to be used up' stuff... and made a quiche-y thing for tea.

I filled the oven whilst it was on .... Hubby P appreciates the odd bit of home baking.

He always looks forward to his bit of 'Flypaper'.... anyone else know of 'flypaper'? 

Its how I use up the last little bit of pastry ....roll it out into a little square...spread a bit of butter on...a few sultanas....sprinkle of sugar....fold over... and lightly roll...to 'squash the flies'.

It was my Dad who called it Flypaper ....I've grown up with it ...Dad use to smear butter all over it too...but that's a bit too rich for me.

  

xx

Rain!.....Oh come on ....really.. its Summer for goodness sake!

Hello there....how is it with you ....don't tell me .... you have a drop of rain!

I'm tired of it ... just can't get any outside jobs done....

 The dogs are tired of it ... poor old girl.... Fly feels the damp in her old bones and really didn't want to leave her bed until I lit the fire and she could doze in front of it.

 

 Percy the Pigeon is tired of the rain .... he's taken to roosting in the woodshed at night and wandering the garden during the day.

He didn't want to leave his roost this morning in the downpour that was the daylong weather ... so Hubby P gave him breakfast in bed .... you can see the remains of the grain on the logs if you look carefully.

I think I have gone wrong somewhere ..... Can't say I remember when I last had breakfast in bed! 

 Even our comings and goings through the gate and Uncas ... 'Gate Guarding' as he does ...even in the rain/snow or whatever.. given the chance....couldn't shift Percy.

For those of you who have followed the saga of Percy ...he is a lot better and quite a happy chappy moochin about the garden, his wing seems to be stronger and he has an attempt at flying now and then but its not great. 

I don't know that we can do any more for him ... hopefully he is a little safer whilst he stays in the garden.

Even Hubby P is tired of the constant rain....he sits in the doorway ....his favourite spot....watching the rain ....

 He had company today ....one or two little birds sheltering under the apple tree .... and can you see him .... sat watching Hubby P ....as Hubby P sat watching him....

 Directly across in the tatty old tool shed.....

A little bird ... sheltering from the rain....

Well that's been my day .... to be honest not a lot done .....rain stops play as they say .... 

Any excitement in your lives ... what do you do these rainy days?

xx