Health Change

For several months I have been feeling very weary, just dragging myself around and pushing myself to work. Finally I gave in and went to the Dr where I found that my blood cell count is down to 9.5 when it should be around 12.5! Have been prescribed iron tablets so my strength should slowly come back again sometime soon. Am looking forward so much to being able to match the children's energy again!

Making Good Choices

Another change in my life is that I am trying to break any bad habits that I am aware of and consciously trying to make good choices. Whether it is eating, exercising, getting fresh air, going to bed, getting up early, taking rest or whatever that is my new motto: make good choices! This should start to make a difference in my life if I keep doing this. I will post any significant changes as a result of this.

Missing Child

One change that we have had is that our eldest child has recently flown the nest as she has gone to live in another county many, many miles away! We haven't seen her since the beginning of September now. It is so strange to have your child missing from the family home but she has grown up now and it was inevitable. She is happy where she has gone though so we are at peace about it. We are blessed to have skype, text, email, royal mail and facebook for communication and we trust that God is looking after her.

Changes, Changes...

Life is full of changes and we have had plenty here lately. One big change for me is that I have gone back to putting in more hours into our business. Therefore I have to choose carefully what I do with my spare time. I am still having frugal fun and will get around to sharing some of that with you soon I hope. I am glad I have learnt to budget better but now that I am so busy earning I have to juggle working at home to save money against working at work to make money! Still keeping the financial head screwed on though. :-)

Blogger's Holiday

For the past few weeks I have taken a blogger's holiday as there have been several changes going on in our lives. Back to earth now and back on track I hope! Like all holidays some things have slipped and the eating / exercise effort needs to be re-started again. Am looking forward to sharing with you all again, as and when I get some free time. :-)

Hubby Wears Smart Suit for Date at Home

This week's date night was at home but it was special to me as my Husband surprised me by making a special effort to look smart for me by dressing up into his suit complete with a shirt and tie. I love seeing him in a suit but we haven't been to any formal events for a while now, so I haven't seen him in it for ages. I am pleased that he was free enough to take the time to dress up just for me at home and not for other people's benefit at a party etc. I wore last week's purchase, my new red and white flippy skirt.

For our meal we both had a salad, I had hot new potatoes with pepper and melted extra strength British grated cheese, it sounds so simple but it really was gorgeous. My Husband had a hot cheese individual pizza (50p) with his salad along with some of the hot cheesey new potatoes that I had. My Husband said he couldn't believe he was actually eating all these salad items now that he used to hate and now enjoys! For drink I drank iced water with my meal while my Husband had a can of Bacardi and Cola. For dessert he had a Cadbury Dairy Chocolate ice cream (50p) and I had an apricot yoghurt. So our meal ticked the box for frugal.

For entertainment my Husband suggested a game of cards with new rules, it was interesting. We enjoyed our evening together and had a couple of Bailey's and ice while we were playing. We both like Bailey's so buy it in litre bottles, expensive initially but the cheapest way of buying it in bulk. The cost per glass isn't too bad and the bottle will last us several months as we are only light drinkers. Bailey's is one of our much enjoyed special treats.

Baking & Tick Tock Timer

My brain has really connected it now, if the electric oven is on I feel that a cake should be baking at the same time to share the cooking fuel. I put on the meat for dinner and immediately thought 'cake', it is a strange feeling but real. So out came my mixing bowl, recipe book and ingredients even though I hadn't even considered making a cake before I started cooking the meal.

I made my cake, then thought I would make a second one to be even more frugal! The first cake was a fruit one containing marmalade and baked in a round cake tin while the second one was also fruity but cooked in a large oblong shaped tray tin. As the ingredients were similar I didn't even need to wash the mixing bowl inbetween and warned the children that they couldn't lick the spoons etc until I had made the second cake! They waited patiently, they definately love the tasting bit best.

My first cake took the longest to cook as it was in a deep cake tin and I was concerned that I would forget about it in the oven, not that I have ever done this before... actually I have burnt cakes in the past. As I had left the kitchen and was now on my computer I decided to use an online timer that had been recommended to me the other day. The Tick Tock Timer was set for 15 minutes then I just forgot about it and browsed while I waited for it to go off. The next thing I knew there was a loud 'dong, dong, dong'. The children and I thought it was funny andI got up and saved my cake. If you would like to use Tick Tock Timer it is a free tool and can be found at http://ticktocktimer.com/

My Husband got served a piece of hot cake with his coffee and declared it yummy. You can't beat home baking as it is satisfying to make, delicous to eat and you know exactly what is in it. Much cheaper than the bakery and better quality than the pre-packaged variety, so if you compare it by quality it is also good value for money.

Dawlish Air Show

Yesterday was the Dawlish Air Show. It was great fun and a real family day out. We took a picnic and enjoyed munching our tasty Cornish pasties. The weather was kind to us, a bit windy as we were up on a hill beside the coast but we had brought our warm coats so it didn't bother us. We were well armed with technology, this was our first air show and we didn't want to miss a thing! We took our portable but powerful binoculars, the video camera and both my Husband and I took a camera each. We weren't disappointed and came away with fantastic coverage of our day out.

These are a few of the things that we saw:

• Hawk T.1 - 19(R) Sqn/4 FTS
• The Breitling Wingwalkers - Aerosuperbatics
• Jet Provost
• Dash 8-300
• The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
• Lancaster and Spitfire
• Sea King HU.5 SAR helicopter
• The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team - The Red Arrows
• Tornado GR.4 Role Demo - XV(R) Sqn

We enjoyed watching all the planes strutting their stuff. The Wingwalker ladies were so daring doing their acrobatic moves on the planes in the sky (sorry, but you won't catch me doing that). The Lancaster bomber plane from World War Two is the last one 'flying' in the world which is amazing, we were so honoured to see it. The helicopter did a rescue from a motor boat then re-deposited the person back into the boat again from the air on a rope, as part of the routine.

However, the most memorable and fantastic display we saw at the air show was of course The Red Arrows. They were just amazingly fabulous and showed off continously for about a quarter of an hour non-stop! The sky was full of planes dashing about everywhere but all coming together at the right time in perfect sequence. You can't doubt the pilots skill and precision when you have watched them in action. The sky was full of beautiful colours of red, white and blue for the british flag. (Don't tell my four year old Daughter that it was red though as she thinks it was pink, her favourite colour! Lol).

It was also a frugal day out as when we got to the park which was in a field we had the choice of paying £10 a vehicle to park and ride the bus to town for shopping or 50p a vehicle to park in the next field and watch from the field, use the onsite loos and facilities and attend the car boot sale after the show ended. Obviously, we chose the latter! So apart from the diesel to get there, about an hour's drive and a picnic it cost us just 50p, amazing!

At the car boot I was very good and didn't buy anything but my Husband wanted to treat the children to some heavy duty golf clubs that he found, we got three for two pounds. Also he bought a bag of candy floss which we all shared followed by freshly made hot doughnuts for early tea before we left for home. We ate again when we got home but we skipped afters as we had already eaten the doughnuts. We couldn't believe how much sugar they put in the doughnut bag, my Husband saved it and put some in his hot drinks saving our sugar pot, I am impressed as that is very frugal of him!

On the way home there were traffic jams but as we were beside the coastal railway, famously designed by Isambard Brunel, that had trains passing every couple of minutes my Husband told the children that we were train spotting and they enjoyed watching for trains instead of being stressed out about all the waiting around. We also liked watching lots of geese and several pairs of swans swimming around at Cockwood and the boats at Starcross.

OXO Cubes Stock Pile

I have just found a highstreet shop where I can get oxo cubes for my Winter stews and casseroles in large boxes of 24 for £1! Each cube cost 4p at this price which actually still sounds quite a lot but gives me a saving of 51p per box compared to my usual supermarket prices as they only sell them in smaller boxes of 12 or 18. I decided to buy a stash of them for my pantry as they have a long date, 2012.

Double Lock Canal Walk

Today was a sunny day so we had a picnic outside after Church and drove to Exeter Quay to walk about two and a half miles in total along the Double Lock Canal. We walked at the pace of the youngest child who is a fit four year old but it still took a lot longer than it could have done. It was nice and we got to see the bridge opened for the boat to go through. The worst bit was after I got home and realised I had sunburnt my nose! Lol.

Freecycle Computer Games

The children picked up a few computer games in this week's freecycle. One Son picked up a wallet, empty of course! I found a couple of cds and books, think I should have a listen and a quick read then return them for someone else to enjoy before I get too attached to them as I have too many here already! For disposable items I must treat it more like a lending library.

Picnic Date Night

Our date night this week was a picnic in the car. I simply packed a healthy salad and a can of fiery ginger beer which we shared. We drove to a picturesque location which was about half an hour away. We went on a short walk and watched several squirrels scampering up and down the trees. I had purchased a new short flippy red and white skirt as my Husband had wanted me to buy one. I wore it with a white t-shirt and my white crochet cardigan.

This week's date cost us the fuel for the car, 1 hours drive, £3 for the skirt and 17p for the can of ginger beer. All the food was already in my pantry and not bought special for the date. Our car is very economical on fuel as it is just a little runabout and we got 5p off per litre when I last refuelled due to petrol vouchers we were given at the store. The flippy skirt will be reworn for other dates and was purchased at our local charity shop, so the charity benefited from that purchase. Yet another successful reasonable cost date with emphasis on togetherness rather than expense.

Ten Loaves of Bread for £1!

At the weekend I went to the Supermarket and found reduced bread, I was so pleased to be able to purchase 10 loaves of bread for just £1!! I still can't believe it. We have eaten some and the rest is in the freezer. It is such as huge saving on my weekly bill as I would normally pay about £5 for that many loaves and these were Hovis which are a lot more expensive than my usual store branded loaves.

Saturweigh

Last week I did lots and lots of walking as well as eating mainly fruit, salad, meat and vegetables. Even though I knew I had worked hard and was desperate for a good weigh in reading today I still wasn't prepared for what I read; I weighed in at 11:09!! The last weigh in was 11:12 so that means that I have lost three pounds in one week, awesome. I am so thrilled with this result.

On Saturday 10th July I set myself the challenge of losing 21 pounds in 21 weeks, ending on Saturday 4th December. My starting weight was 12 stone, today's reading was 11:09, I am so pleased that I have now lost the total of 5 pounds in 5 weeks. This means that I am back on track and in line with my challenge, that is absolutely amazing and the best results I have had for ages. Here's hoping that I can keep up the good work over the next week.

350 Paper Bun Cases for £1!

Today while shopping in my nearest town I was really pleased to find that I could purchase 350 paper bun cases in a plastic storage pot for just £1! At that price it works out that I get three and a half bun cases for each penny, wow! I am going to try them out first to make sure they are up to the job but if they are good then I am planning to dash back to the shop and get a few more packs. Perfect for baking chocolate chip buns or iced cup cakes.

Redeeming Loyalty Points

Trying to think of ways that I could cut back on my saving reminded me that I had loyalty points for 'Boots' our local chemist which I hadn't redeemed for ages. We were running out of nail varnish remover and cotton wool again, there are several teenage girls here :-)

I took my card to the store and walked out with my items without having to pay for them out of my account, that felt good! I have been informed that I still have several pounds left on my card which is good to know. I will keep these for other necessities as and when needed. It is so easy to just keep paying at the till and never think about cashing in the points due to you, I guess that's exactly what the stores want you to do.

Walking for Books

My young Son is seven years old and has learnt to read well. He has been reading whole books happily and so I decided he was ready for a trip to the library. We drove to the nearest village then parked up and walked on a safe path to the library in the next town. There he chose six books and joined the Summer reading scheme called 'Space Hop' where he will get rewarded with a certificate if he reads, records and judges all the books he has read. Then we walked back to our car. Our walk totalled 3 miles, not bad for a seven year old, he didn't even complain once!

Reducing Fuel Costs when Cooking

Usually I don't have to economise with cooking fuel as we normally have our Aga range on all the time but as it is Summer we let it out to save on oil costs. Yesterday I fancied cooking the family a roast but didn't want to put on the electric oven just to cook a chicken. So, I cooked two chickens and a large cake all at the same time! We ate our lovely hot roast for dinner last night and a cold chicken salad tonight with chocolate cake and custard for desert. There will be another meal of chocolate cake tomorrow so I am happy with the return on the cooking fuel.

Did I Really Start Running?

Today has been a sunny day with wind, perfect for drying the washing. Three lines full and an airer too, saving the dryer bill again.

Had to laugh this morning when my Son put down on his schoolwork that his Mum was an example of someone that was thrifty! I had to agree, it's been obvious to all the family lately, they can't miss it.

My Husband did something really frugal today. He has always been known to be good at fixing things but today my 16 year old Daughter brought her deodorant aerosol can to him to be fixed as it still had a lot left inside (she's thrifty too like her Mum). Off he went to his workshop, a few minutes later he was back and it was fixed again. How many people would have just tossed it in the bin. Anyway our Daughter was happy as she didn't want to have to buy another one.

I only did 200 steps on the LTT today as I am still feeling the effects on my muscles from yesterday. I served up a nice fresh healthy salad for dinner tonight and nobody complained which was good. There was plenty of different foods to choose from so everyone was happy.

This evening my Husband and I went for a quiet country walk, about two miles in total. I even did a spot of running, a miracle for me, even my Husband was surprised how far I ran without complaining afterwards - amazing! Lol.

Thigh Toning & Moving

Today I managed to do 400 steps on the Lateral Thigh Trainer (LTT). I did it in four sessions of 100 steps each time. This means that I burned up the total of 56 calories on the LTT alone! You can feel it in your thighs while working out and when you walk up the stairs afterwards, groan. I also walked for half an hour so my legs got a total workout today. I am also working hard at the healthy eating too.

Trying to spend less money on food by eating less and eating local is going to be a challenge but I think it is very possible. The results are certainly encouraging so far. With all this healthy British meat and veg as well as lots of fruit washed down with tons of water and cups of redbush my body should really respond positively. I am hoping for even healthier skin, nails and hair. Also to lose weight, 21 pounds in 21 weeks, to end by December 4th. I have lost 2 pounds in 4 weeks so far but this added fitness activity may help the weight to come off a little faster, if not at least I will be healthier and fitter. I still feel positive about this challenge. Looking forward to Saturweigh.

Freecycle Fitness

This week's star freecycle find for me was a Lateral Thigh Trainer also known as LTT. This has a stepper action but it really does tone the thighs, everyone in the family likes having a go on it. It counts the number of steps you take and gives you the time it took so you can beat your score. Also it tells you how many calories have been burned during activity.

I did 100 steps on it today and burned up 14 calories in the process. I hope to have another go on it tomorrow. I didn't want to overdo it or else I would get muscle ache. I had already walked about a mile and a half during my shopping trips today. That's quite enough exercise for me at the moment. I just need to move as much as I can, every day.

Son's 13th Birthday

My oldest Son became a teenager on Saturday! For his birthday he wanted a pair of work boots like his Dad's, I got him a black pair. His Dad found just the gift for him, a mountain skateboard which is a large skateboard only it is all terrain and has huge wheels and pneumatic tyres! First my Son had to build it, putting on all the parts of the wheels and filling the tyres with air. We all had a lot of fun riding down the grassy hill on it, I captured the memory on the home video camera.

I haven't used our video camera for a few years now, my Husband was considering purchasing a new one as the model is a bit outdated now but it is a good one and it still works. So in the end we just dusted it off and my Husband bought new rechargable batteries for it. The children will love watching it all when they are a bit older.

Both sets of Grandparents gave him money as gifts and it is now already in his bank account. For his cake I purchased a cake topper Bendos skateboarding figure with a large black skateboard just like his new one! He now has it as an ornament for his bedroom as a reminder, the yummy chocolate cake has already been eaten.

Saturweigh

Saturday is Saturweigh for me. On Saturday 10th July I set myself the challenge of losing 21 pounds in 21 weeks, ending on Saturday 4th December. My starting weight was 12 stone, the last weigh in was 11:13. Todays reading was 11:12! I am so pleased that I have now lost another pound. The total of 2 pounds in 4 weeks.

We had our Son's 13th birthday party on Saturday too! Social celebrations involving food happen regularly for our family so I just have to manage it by trying to eat a bit less than I want to. More exercise is essential when I eat more too. Friday night I walked 3 miles as part of our date night and Sunday I walked about 2 miles on a family walk on Dartmoor. Today I walked about a mile and a half as I walked around town in the morning and city in the afternoon shopping. Here's hoping for a good week of less eating and more exercise, all will be revealed next Saturweigh.

Active Date Night

Last Friday night's date night was the most active one we have had since my foot operation! I was feeling rather ambitious and suggested that we go for a walk together... a 3 mile walk!! We drove just a few miles then got out, parked in the layby and walked a mile and a half to the next town. There we walked around the park, watched a bit of a bowling match. It was good to see several younger members playing on the teams, as it always used to be portrayed as a game for Seniors. We saw a lot of flowers, especially roses and also a sweet little bird looking out of its nest up inside the roof of the bandstand. After we had been around the park we walked the mile and a half back to the car and went home to eat.

Dinner was much appreciated after this walk, the microwave soon heated the Lamb Moussaka for my Husband which he had with the chips I had cooked earlier when giving the children their dinner. He also had a small ice cream bar covered in crunchy chocolate for afters. I just had a jacket potato with cheese and a full salad for my dinner as I had my weigh in the next morning!

Tonight's date cost a little diesel for driving about 5 miles in total, plus a bit of shoe leather - lol. The food was all in house apart from the Lamb Moussaka which was bought deliberately for £1.69 (reduced from £2.40). Still a very low cost date compared to the ones we used to have. I wonder what we could do next week? Any ideas please do comment!

July Accounts for Food = Healthy

Now that August is here I decided to sit down with my July accounts and worked out how much we had spent on food during the month. I separated alcohol from these accounts as it isn't food, isn't an essential and is only consumed by my Husband and I on date nights. The outcome after adding up all these figures was that we had saved £110 this month compared to what we spent during the past six months! This gives us the figure of £1.64 per person per day, instead of £2 which it was before. I found this result very encouraging and want to keep going with this frugal experiment!

Admittedly we have been living out of the pantry and freezer a bit more but still had to purchase fresh items such as fruit, salad items, fruit, bread and milk which actually are a huge chunk of our grocery bill. Other things I have been doing to help are to eat less myself which also works towards my weight loss challenge and cutting down meat and fish portion sizes for the whole family. Our family like many other westerners tend to overeat on meat and fish, when it is healthier to fill up on vegetables instead, and I am now trying to introduce better eating habits for the good of us all. Also I am trying to buy my British meat when it is on special offer. If you shop around there are many local meaty bargains to be found.

Already I have receipts piling up waiting for the August food total, I am excited about adding it all up and am hoping that the result will be at least as good as this month's savings!

Benefits From Online Grocery Shopping

Grocery shopping online has been a reality for us nearly five years now. I was pregnant with my youngest at the time and had abnormal bleeding problems which concerned me about pushing heavy supermarket trolleys around loaded with the week's food and household necessities for a large family. For me at that time, online grocery shopping really was an answer to prayer! Now I have a choice of online grocery providers so can compare deals on a weekly basis, also we have a new superstore opened in our nearest town, so the choice expands! Unfortunately that wasn't the only thing that expanded, all those 'bargains' coming into the house are now showing on my waistline and my bank account.

When I sat down to see how much I was spending each month it was a scary amount, although further investigation showed that I was only actually spending £2 per person each day. So we were actually getting a more varied diet at a good price thanks to all the regular 'buy one get one free' deals. Lately we have become more money conscious after losing a part of our regular income which meant that we have been regularly spending from our emergency savings fund to pay for monthly necessities. There are a couple of large bills coming up which will just about clear the rest of our savings fund, so it is essential to see where we can save in order to keep a good quality of life for our large family. Since the beginning of July I have kept a good eye on my grocery spending and am deliberately spending a little less on a weekly basis which I believe will make a big difference over the next six months if I can keep it up, God willing.

One of the good things about my weekly online grocery shop is not just that they can deliver my full trolley load for less than it cost me to drive to the store and back! They also pack it well so that nothing gets squashed or broken. I can still remember that time when I dropped a jar of jam in the carpark...and the occasional smashed egg, definately the squashed bread or cakes under the weight of all the other carrier bags full of shopping fighting for space in the boot. Not to mention the occasional messes, split sugar bags leaving a sugary trail, or dusty flour on my black car seats. It takes time to clean up these messes.

At first I just compared the cost of fuel to the cost of delivery but recently I have realised that I wasn't taking wear and tear of the car into the equasion. Together with saving time driving to the store and back, not being tempted by all the other 'bargains' that weren't in my budget plan and not having to get baby sitting or the stress of taking all the children shopping with me, online grocery shopping is a real blessing!

New Toys from Freecycle

This week's freecycle was really exciting for the children! The little ones came home with a hopper ball (also known as space hopper or kangaroo hopper), a jumping ball which is basically a ball with a sphere around it to jump on, a small skateboard, a bow and arrow for the boys and an air slammer game for the older children.

It has been fun to watch the little ones enjoy their active toys while the air slammer has this interesting buzzing sound, not annoying yet... Our older Son found a portable tool kit packed in a pouch with a pocket knife, torch and various other items that I won't even try to guess their uses! (It's definately a boy/man's thing).

Cheap Date Meal

This week's date meal consisted of salad items from the fridge, a jacket potato with a slice of cheese, a small pot of creamy coleslaw for 42p and a boughten lasagne for £2.49. The drink was Jamaican Ginger Beer which was spicy and really nice. A real treat as I hadn't bought that before. We shared a small bottle, it cost 85p. For desert we had a supermarket cream slice with icing on the top, a bit on the small side but tasty, nice served with ice cream. This was cheap and cost about 20p each including the ice cream! We skipped alcohol and had hot drinks to finish off.

For entertainment we watched 'The importance of being Ernest', which my Husband copied free from the tv on his computer. This week's date night cost us about £4.20 for the two of us! That is just £2.10 each. This is getting better every week, we are still enjoying our dates too and definately don't feel deprived in any way for spending less money on it. Our concentration is on togetherness not the trappings.

Saturweigh

Today is Saturweigh for me. On Saturday 10th July I set myself the challenge of losing 21 pounds in 21 weeks, ending on Saturday 4th December. During the first week I managed to lose 2 pounds then last week after munching through my 40th birthday celebrations, a family picnic and a wedding I 'knew' I had put on weight, I could feel it! I gave myself a week off to recover rather than incur guilt as I don't need any discouragement at this early stage. Over the past week we have had another birthday party and a date meal but I have taken more walks for exercise. I bravely stepped on the scales this morning...

My starting weight was 12 stone, the last weigh in was 11:12. Todays reading was 11:13. Although this isn't great, it's not too far out. I have lost the total of 1 pound in 3 weeks. If I worked hard I could get back on target again. Although, we did go to my niece's birthday party today! Lol. That is life though, eating out, date meals, visiting friends, birthdays, weddings and other social celebrations happen regularly, for us they do anyway, so we just have to manage it. Exercise is key to helping me manage my weight, I am convinced. I need to improve my fitness level anyway for increased stamina. Here's hoping for a good week of not eating and exercise, resulting in an encouraging reading next Saturweigh.

Dryer Free Days

I am thanking God for the good weather we have been having recently. It may not be really hot but there has been sun and wind rather than rain, both of which are good for laundry. For three days now we haven't used the dryer at all, this is so good.

We are also still surviving without the comfort of the Aga, I would be lying if I said I didn't miss it, 'cos I do, but it's all in a good cause and it means we will really appreciate it when we put it back on. It should definately save on the oil bill too which is a definate bonus, although we are paying for electric to cook and immersion for hot water instead, so it's not a total saving there. We are still using the hob for meals as opposed to the oven as much as we can which helps. During the Winter months my Aga cooker doubles up as a second dryer and dries a lot of thick towels and denim jeans which take too long in the electric dryer.

Looking forward to lots more dryer free days over the next month, I can't believe it's August tomorrow, Summer will soon be over.

Feeding Leftovers to Visitors

This week we had two lots of friends unexpectedly visit us at mealtime, not with the intention of getting a meal but we invited them to stay at short notice. Our first visitors, a Mum with two children, arrived just 'before' lunch, we kept it very simple and served boiled mashed egg as a savoury topping, home made raspberry jam, a pot of our bulk buy of real lemon curd which actually tastes home made and large plates of sliced bread. For desert we had a home baked Chocolate Fudgy Cake. We enjoyed several hours talking together, about four!

You may wonder how hospitality can fit into a frugal lifestyle but it doesn't need to cost very much if you keep it simple. I used to go mad if we had visitors coming, buying flowers for the table, the best tableware and getting out several choices of savoury toppings and every jam in the house! This perfectionism is overkill, it overwhelms the visitors and makes it a big deal for the host. True friends don't expect a big show, they just want to chat and eat enough to not be hungry, else they will just go home to eat.

In this case we were having egg because I had a really good offer at the Supermarket the day before, I purchased a dozen eggs for the price of 40p! Unbelievable, as I have shopped around recently for eggs and usually purchase the cheapest which work out at almost 10p per egg, so this offer saved me about 80p on the normal price. One of the loaves of bread were reduced to 17p also and we usually buy the cheapest at 49p per loaf. The raspberry jam was free as my Dad grew the fruit and my Mother-In-Law provided the sugar and my Daughter 18 made it! The lemon curd was part of a special bulk buy deal and was cheap even though it tastes of real lemons and is divine.

So as you can see the meal wasn't costly, we simply chatted and went for a long walk on the land for entertainment so that didn't cost us anything. They even brought us a cake as a gift so we kept it for the next day. We definately didn't lose anything by showing hospitality to these friends.

The second visitor arrived just 'after' we had eaten. He arrived with something to loan one of my Daughters. I had just been looking at the dish of Cauliflower Cheese sat in the centre of the table thinking that there was a lot left over, one of my children doesn't like it and hadn't taken any. When the visitor arrive I invited him to tea and he ate all the cauliflower cheese plus the left over french bread, there were even some baked beans left for him too. For desert he had a piece of the home made chocolate fudgy cake left over from our lunch. So we fed him completely on leftovers! We certainly didn't begrudge feeding this visitor, it was a pleasure and we got his company for a lot longer than if we hadn't fed him as he was on his way home from work and he was hungry.

Now I am looking forward to our next visitors, maybe we should invite some this time!

Washing Line Dries Faster Than the Dryer!

Yesterday was a rainy day, well it was in my part of the world anyway! Therefore drying was done in the dryer and attempted on the indoor airer. Today we awoke to sun and wind, a great combination for drying the laundry. There were two loads waiting to be put out and a dark, light and coloured load to wash today, plus 3 loads of bedding! I pegged out 3 full baskets then ran out of washing line. I ended up taking the indoor airer outside too with the damp clothes left over from yesterdays attempt at indoor air temperature drying.

Although I have done laundry for years, today definately felt different. Since we did the laundry experiment with the energy meter I am now very aware that every load cost me 20p. Not much you may think but seeing as we are a large family and do approximately 4 loads every week-day, totalling 20 loads a week, it soon mounts up! The dryer alone actually amounts to £50 a month in the Winter. Anyway, today I hung up the first load then thought that's 20p saved, second basket hung, 40p saved etc until all the lines were filled, 60p saved!

I was thinking again of all the benefts of hanging the washing outside such as getting me out in the fresh air, keeping me active, making the clothes smell fresh and actually prolonging the life of the clothes as they're not losing fibres/lint in the dryer. Then I found there was an even further advantage! A couple of hours after I had hung it all out I went out to bring the dry stuff in again as I now had three more loads to put out which I had washed on my usual quick cold wash setting - this takes just half an hour per load. It was all dry, wow, that's quicker than the tumble dryer! There was no way that the dryer would have dried 3 full baskets of washing in just 2 hours, more like 5 or 6 hours because there were thick towels, denim jeans and bedding which always seem to take forever to dry if put in the dryer.

In the evening I picked in the rest of my loads which were all dry apart from a couple pairs of jeans which are now hung indoors to finish off, they can go in the airing cupboard tomorrow. My eldest Daughter had put a load of bedding out late afternoon which she needed for tonight so she put it in the dryer to finish off but in total today I saved at least a pound on the dryer bill which will be appreciated when the electricity bill arrives, every pound counts! Here's hoping for another dryer free day tomorrow!

Sorting Trouser Mountain

Today I tackled my youngest Son's trouser mountain. I took them all out and sorted them;

• 3 pairs of denim jeans
• 3 pairs of navy joggers
• 2 pairs of black joggers
• 3 pairs of navy slacks
• 1 pair of khaki slacks
  
• 3 pairs of corduroy trousers (stone/khaki/brown)

Total: 15 pairs of trousers!!

As I explained yesterday, my Son had several pairs handed down from his older brother as well as having his best pairs sent to home pile if they get too faded for best. I had no idea he had accumulated so many pairs until he was having trouble keeping his trouser pile tidy, no wonder! Poor thing, he's only 5 years old.

I felt a bit at a loss where to start, so I looked at each pair critically looking for holes, stains or shabby worn through knees which would very soon become a hole and didn't look very nice anymore. That was all the cords gone as cords show wear more than jeans. There were a few with small holes, I always throw them out when the hole become large. Next, I called my Son in and tried on most of the pairs that were left as they looked a bit short legged compared to the jeans which I knew fitted well. By the time I finished this we had discarded most of the pile, there were just 2 pairs of jeans left and that was it! I couldn't believe that we went from 15 pairs to 2 pairs in such a short time.

Next I went through his older 7 year old brothers trousers, he didn't have a mountain but he did have 7 pairs in total. I tried them all on him and we ended up with 2 pairs going to his younger brother and 2 pairs going to recycling, which left him with 3 pairs of jeans.

While I was in the mood I thought I had better go through their t-shirts and jumpers too. I have done this fairly recently so only managed to remove one t-shirt from each of the boys, one had stains and the other had new holes despite being mended repeatedly, plus a stripey jacket which was too short on the arms and had a small hole. The saddest thing was taking away our youngest Son's favourite Thomas Tank Engine knitted sweater as it too was now short on the arms and body. I thought of selling this one as it is still in good condition and is high quality, I originally bought it new from Marks & Spencer. It has now joined the selling pile waiting for me to deal with it later.

Recycling now has gained 8 pairs of trousers, a jacket and 2 t-shirts while there are 7 pairs of trousers waiting to be gift aid/donated at our local charity shop. I am pleased with my work but would like to buy another pair of jeans for my 7 year old so that he has 4 pairs for home and also buy another pair for best for my youngest Son, then he can add his old best pair to his home ones and have 5 pairs for home - from personal experience I find that younger ones need more as they tend to be messier and also forget to put their clothes out to wash!

Decluttering Young Sons Bedroom

That's it, I've decided! My new project is decluttering. I have so many rooms that would greatly benefit from having items removed and donated to freecycle at church, to charity or to be stored neatly elsewhere until needed.

Plan:

• Donate stuff to freecycle
• Unwanted clothes to charity shop or recycling
• Box up books, toys & irregularly used items neatly
• Sell suitable items on ebay for a few pounds or pennies
• Sort one room at a time!

The first room I am starting with is my two youngest Sons bedroom. Although they tidy their room on Saturday's in order to get a chocolate/sweet treat they tend to sneak stuff under the wardrobe, chest of drawers and under their bunk bed. I have spent the morning pulling out books, which are now boxed, paper trash, gone to the bin, and items of lost clothing - especially odd socks.

Next the room needs hoovering, then I will go through their wardrobe and remove surplus items. My youngest Son seems to have a rather high stack of home trousers due to me passing down his older brothers trousers.   Also I like him to be smart when he goes out, so if they get a stain or start to look a bit faded then I replace them and give him the old pair to wear at home. I don't think there is anything wrong with this method but it is time to be harsh and remove the oldest or least liked pairs, in order for my Son aged 5 to be able to keep his trouser pile tidy. In the case of clothing, as long as we have a few basic key items I think that after that; 'less stuff equals less stress'.

Freecycle Finds

Please don't get me wrong, we don't just go to church for the freecycle but it is always exciting to explore the goodies available. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we have already had a lot of finds in the past few weeks such as my Son's electric radio/alarm clock and youngest Daughter's Winnie the Pooh duvet and pillow case set. Not forgetting the multi-coloured child's office chair!

Today my Son age 12 was the first to get a find, a wooden framed poem about 'Why God made Grandad's'. He loves his Grandad who lives near us, so he took it home and gave it to him this afternoon. It's the thought that counts. My Daughter age 13 picked up a silver make-up case in pristine condition and a brand name pot of whipped body cream.

My find was a large old map of the county of Devonshire, now known as Devon, with all the place names in olde spellings. It is quite old but again in good condition. I don't yet have a frame large enough for it so have carefully rolled it up and put it away but I would love to frame it one day for historical interest. I know that some of the visitors to my home would be interested in it too and it could be a talking point. I am still looking for things around our house to donate for others to enjoy, perhaps that could be one of my next projects 'decluttering', oh joy!

Saturday or Saturweigh

Today is Saturday, or Saturweigh as I have recently renamed it in order to chart my progress of the challenge to lose 21 lbs in 21 weeks. Last Saturweigh I lost 2lbs not one so that was great but over the past week I have eaten through our friends wedding and my 40th birthday celebrations, plus a family picnic. All that rich food and alcohol will definately have taken its toll, so rather than be discouraged by the weight gain I have decided to give myself a Saturday instead of Saturweight today. We have had another birthday celebration to munch through today but I am comitted to working hard from now on and over the next week in order to get back on track. Healthy eating, drinking water or redbush and walking or moving as much as possible, here I come!

Son's 7th Birthday

Today is my Son's 7th birthday. We went out to 'The Milky Way' theme park yesterday, so today was spent at home with the family. He started his day opening cards and eating rice krispies, a special treat as we usually have whole wheat cereals such as weetabix or cornflakes for breakfast and only have fancy cereals on birthdays! For gifts he got a Bendos Scuba Diver collectable toy in addition to the vet set in a handy backpack and a smart gold and black Brave Heart soldier dressing up costume. Along with money to put in his savings account for 'when he's a big boy' and lots of chocolates!

Party lunch was pizza, sausages, crisps, popcorn, maltesers, mini rolls and a home baked birthday cake. My Son requested a fruit cake, we tend to make what the birthday person likes to eat best rather than have a traditional cake. We scattered sugar on top of the cake and decorated the tray around the cake with party poppers. Lots of bangs and colourful streamers quickly followed!

We watched a Disney dvd in the afternoon, 'Underdog', then my Son played in his soldier outfit with his two younger siblings who were also in fancy dress, as a pirate and a princess. For dinner we had chicken in white wine sauce with basmati rice, sweetcorn and peas. Followed by lion bar ice-creams for the birthday desert treat.

Theme Park Return

Back in April we had two family birthdays in the same week, oldest Daughter age 18 and youngest Daughter age 4, so we visited 'The Milky Way' in North Devon. This cost £10 per person which I don't consider cheap as there are a lot of us. However, we got given a special offer if we returned, a reduction of £4 per person! This week there are two birthdays again, my 40th and my Son's 7th so we went back again for £6 each. Had a fab time on the roller coasters and dodgem cars. I especially enjoyed the dodgem cars and had loads of go's on them! The children liked the drop slides while I was on the air canon guns shooting balls. The country life museum is good but I spent a long time looking at it last time. The entertainment and falconry shows were good too!

There were hints from the children on the way home about getting a takeaway or eating out like we did the last time we went there but we both decided we had spent quite enough for today already, what with the diesel (an hour and a half drive) and Ginsters pasties and McCoys crisps for lunch with juice, Mars cake bars and choc chip cookies for our lunch. So we went home for sandwiches and cake tea.

Combining Trips Saves Time & Diesel

My youngest Son aged 5 had to go to The West of England Eye Hospital this morning. That was another £1.50 gone on car parking. After spending a couple of hours there we made the most of the diesel on the way back by stopping at the supermarket for a new pair of jeans and a pack of socks, he chose monkey ones! We paid £1.75 for the jeans and £5 for the large pack of socks, it felt a bit odd paying more for the socks than the heavy denim.

Then we visited the country store for a new pair of wellies. Last time I bought him wellies they were green and white camouflage ones, they looked really nice and cost more than the practical green ones but they have lasted only 3 months before cracking. This time I bought the cheaper green ones and we will see how long they last compared to the last pair. These cost £7.95 but are necessary as we live on the land and have lots of smelly dung as well as all the mud and puddles during wet seasons. Combining trips saves me diesel and time too!

Special Birthday!

For my 'special birthday' I had several cards, ranging from classy to downright cheeky! I mean, fancy saying that "all those candles would be a fire hazard"?! At least I didn't get presented with a walking stick like one of our friends did for his special birthday, actually it would have been quite useful after my recent foot op, lol. I have no use for one now though, it is healing nicely.

My Husband gave me the lovely Per Una poppy dress which we bought in Topsham yesterday, while I received cash from both my Parents and In-Laws which I am planning to save in the Nationwide account which I opened last week. It will be nice to have some savings in the bank again even if it takes a long time to build up, little and often is the key.

The family party featured a selection of dips in pots, some harmless like nachos cheese and sour cream with chives, the red peppers and pepperoni and hot salsa were a bit more fiery. These were enjoyed with tortilla chips and breadsticks. Dry roasted peanuts made nice nibbles too. Egg sandwiches filled up any hungry tummies and chocolate fridge cake disappeared fast. In our family we home make our birthday cakes and the birthday person gets to request the cake that they like eating best rather than the best decorated. I love chocolate naughty cake, so named because of the amount of calories it contains!

Evening dinner with my Husband was special as we decided to have it in our caravan dining area and he took the time to decorate it with our lovers ornament and picture from the house. He also lit scented candles on the table and played an Enya cd for background romantic music. We fetched our favourite Chinese take away, beef curry, egg fried rice and chips which he set out on plates along with a jug of chilled water with ice cubes and glasses.

After dinner he fetched profiteroles from the freezer and we left it to thaw while we went to the caravan bed at the other end. We snuggled in our duvet and watched 'while you were sleeping' on dvd on his laptop while sipping Malibu with ice, then we had our dairy cream filled profiteroles with chocolate sauce. It was a novelty to sleep the night in the caravan as we haven't been camping for ages!

Poppy Dress Present

It was back to Topsham shopping with my Husband again yesterday, I picked up a few more cheap pieces of clothing, some breaking the experts rules as they are a little tight yet but were bought 'to grow into'! 21 pounds/21 weeks challenge should help me with that though.

The purchase of the day this time wasn't the charity shop clothing but a more expensive item. We left it 'til last but then daringly ventured into 'The Wardrobe', well named as it is full of beautiful but expensive designer clothing from people's wardrobes. It is a dress agency shop where customers bring brand new, or good as new clothing which they wore once for a special occasion such a wedding. The owner gets 50% and the dress agency gets 50% for selling it.

The special purchase was a red, white and black poppy design Per Una dress. I love red so noticed it straight away. (I have been avoiding Per una which I love and other similar kinds of shops for a while but this is exactly the kind of dress I would have been tempted by if I had gone there.) The poppy dress was brand new with tags and said £45 as the Per Una price but it was now £28. Now I haven't bought anything that expensive for a long time but we were looking for my special birthday present, my 40th birthday! I tried on the dress and it was gorgeous! After umming and ahhing over the price I gave in and accepted my present from my Husband. I can't wait to wear it!

Free Cycle

Our Church is running Free Cycle again, an annual Summer months event which we look forward to. So far our Son aged 13 claimed an electric clock/radio/alarm clock for his bedroom, Sons aged 5 and 6 found a couple of children's videos, Daughter aged 4 got a Winnie The Pooh Duvet cover and matching pillowcase, plus a multi-coloured childs office chair for her bedroom. I picked out a large fruit design party dip dish made of melamine, perfect for handling by children or eating outdoors.

I am looking around the house to see what we could take in exchange that would bless other families. There must be something suitable, a lot of our surplus items have already been donated to the charity shops though. Still looking...

Frugal Church Wedding

Our family had the pleasure of attending our young friend's wedding at Church yesterday. They made the service extra special by writing their vows of commitment to each other, it's so much nicer when they are personalised and mean more to the couple.

The wedding was simple and a frugal delight as the reception was held on the same site as the wedding, in the church hall which saved driving miles. The photographs were taken outside the Manse and on the lawn. The meal was a hog roast and buffet which guests added to the spread by bringing food. The feature on the dessert table was a chocolate fountain where we took wooden skewers and selected from fresh strawberries, banana and marshmallows then covered them in creamy white chocolate, yum.

It was a real family wedding, the highlight for the children being the large bouncy castles at the reception owned by the Bride's family. The Church venue was free as the Bride and Groom are members there and the pianist was a friend too. The order of service cards were printed in colour by home computer. The flowers looked professional but were arranged by friends as was the tiered wedding cake. Church friends were waitresses too. Plates and cutlery were disposable which saved anyone washing up. The open top Mercedes was loaned by another friend and looked great.

For the evening reception friends and family travelled just a few miles to the nearby country inn which has an amazing play park where again the children had a fabulous time playing while the adults chatted over their drinks. No disco/dance, food etc so quite cheap but a good social time. The Bride and Groom stayed here for their wedding night after all the guests had left and enjoyed a free fried breakfast the next morning.

Saturweigh

After a whole week of careful eating Saturweigh arrived and it was time to get back on the scales. My weight last Saturday was 12 stone as shown by the photograph, the camera never lies! I know I have been really good this week so was expecting that maybe I would actually have met the target of losing 1 lb, which is my goal to lost 21 lb in 21 weeks. I stepped on and was delighted because I haven't lost one pound but two! Yippee!!

Not so sure about next week's weigh-in though as I have a wedding to go to today, followed by my Birthday this week, I will just have to try to cut back where I can rather than go without completely.

New Savings Accounts

This morning I visited our local branch of Nationwide with my Daughter age 16 and we both opened new savings accounts with better rates of interest than our previous accounts which we closed. Here's looking forward to the interest instead of looking at the statement in disbelief and thinking how much, is that all? I think it will encourage me to actually put money in the account now that there is a decent rate of interest.

While we were in town I bought a handbag sized cash book to keep track of my spending, I chose Silvine which is made in Britain of course! It's amazing how many British products I am buying now. Next we stopped at the supermarket and returned a couple of home products which weren't up to the quality mark and accepted the refund rather than replacement products. It was nice to get the money back in my account, now I can either save it or spend it again!

My Dad arrived this afternoon with another delivery of freshly picked raspberries, 15 large bowls again, he took 5 hours to pick them! My eldest Daughter will be making jam again tonight, the third Friday this month! We are enjoying eating it though and it is much more fruity and healthier than the shop jam.

Lunch Date

Today was a different kind of day as we had an appointment this morning several miles away, so decided to eat out for a lunch date. As I have Saturweigh in mind coupled with a wedding to attend this weekend I opted for a full salad with tender gammon ham. It arrived on a large white oval plate which was the size of a serving platter! I enjoyed the mix of shredded lettuce, red cabbage, raw onion and carrot and cabbage coleslaw, heart shaped slices of tomato and 2 large slices of gammon ham. Also, I had 2 hot slices of crusty french bread with butter which was included with the salad. My Husband chose the full English breakfast and a purchased a can with his meal and asked for 2 glasses, so I poured my bottled water into my glass to have with my meal. We didn't have dessert or hot drinks, so my meal came to £4.60.

After lunch we went shopping, first to a home supplies store which sold just about everything you could think of for homeware. Then to a posh showroom full of Aga's and accessories, other ranges, lots of woodburning stoves and boilers. We were just looking for ideas for our home really. Next we went to a garden centre which also sold many gifts, we had fun looking around the shop and reading out interesting or funny bits out of their books. There was a small gallery next door so we had a quick look in there but the prices made me feel very uneasy and I was soon out the door! So how much did my Husband and I spend on this shopping trip you may be wondering? Nothing! We really must be true frugalists. I came away saying how I had changed and that charity shop prices made me feel that everything else was very expensive. We enjoyed our shopping experience though and it didn't matter that we came home without anything.

Missing Our Aga

Since we let the Aga out last week we have saved lots of pennies on oil I am sure but the weather has turned cold and we are starting to miss its warmth. Whereas we can pop on a jumper to keep warm, as its not freezing like in the cold Winter months, we are missing it for other reasons too. Like the hand towel isn't drying in between people wiping their hands. The tea towels aren't drying quickly either. Also, I can't put my cup on the back to keep it warm if I need to go do some job after I have made a cuppa. Even the children are missing it, sometimes you have to lose things before you really appreciate them! We aren't tempted to put it back on though, after all it is Summer and the sun should be back out again soon.

Hungry Day

After yesterday's effort at cutting down on my food I felt really hungry today. I started off with fruit for breakfast and elevenses again but was ravenous by lunch time, so I had my salad and cheese in a wrap smeared with tasty garlic dressing. For dessert I had a very small piece of cake and some hot custard. At dinner we had Chilli Con Carne and rice with peas. I was still hungry tonight, so for supper I have had a handful of hazelnuts and an apple to keep me going 'til tomorrow morning, otherwise I may be tempted to eat something worse.

Freezer Experiment Results

Yesterday we put the energy meter on our old chest freezer and left it on for 24 hours so that we could get a more accurate reading as it switches off and on in order to keep the temperature constant. Our chest freezer uses 200 watts of power to run. Today we got the reading, 64p per 24 hours. Eek! This is a daily figure which is going to make a big difference to our accounts.

Results:

• 64p daily
  
• £4.48 weekly
• £19.46 monthly
• £233.60 yearly

As I said yesterday, this is our second freezer as we have also have a modern upright integrated fridge freezer in the kitchen. It sounds really extravagent to have two but we do have a large family and we live in the Countryside away from the shops. Even so, I don't think we can warrant £233 a year on freezing extra food so I guess we will be switching it back off again. I decided to empty it last year, so it was empty for several months then I found some bargains and switched it back on again. I guess we saved more on the electricity bill than I gave it credit for.

Plan of action: to eat up the food in this freezer and also make space in our kitchen freezer for the meat joints etc for Winter so that we can switch it off as soon as possible. Even with our large family, I think it is still going to be several weeks or a couple of months before we can turn it off.

*The energy meter is good as it accurately tells you how much energy your particular appliance is using rather than just guessing. Just turning our freezer off as a result of this experiment will repay the few pounds that it cost to purchase the meter, we got ours from a top rated seller on ebay.

21 pound/21 Weeks Weightloss Challenge

As far as the 21 pound/21 weeks weightloss challenge is concerned I feel that today was the best day of eating, or rather not eating, that I have had since Saturday. Mixed fruit for breakfast, banana for elevenses, salad for lunch and scrambled egg, bacon, piece of toast and baked beans for dinner with strawberries and raspberries for desert. Ok, I did have sugar and single cream with these but overall I am pleased with today's eating. I just drank water and redbush for drinks which are both hydrants and a decaff coffee this evening as a well deserved treat. No snacks and no juice either. Here's hoping that the rest of the week goes as well as today on the eating front and that I achieve the 1 lb weight loss on Saturweigh that I am hoping for!

Less Water = Cleaner Me

This sounds very simple but the highlight of my day today truly was having a bath! For the past 10 days since I had my foot op I haven't been allowed to have a bath or my dressing would have got wet. Yes, I did still wash! I just filled the sink with hot water and washed myself from top to toe, including washing my hair with the help of a jug. That saved a lot of water, some bubble bath and a bit of time too as I love a long soak in the bath to relax. I think I would like to wash from the sink more often and bath less often, so that I am actually cleaner than before but using less water and bubbles. I will also go back to washing my hair in the sink more, especially mid week or when I'm in a hurry.

Electrical Experiments...

Having purchased a 13 amp energy meter from ebay my Husband set the functions with the required data and we set it to work. Having a large family with lots of laundry meant that we purchased a tumble dryer out of desperation a few years ago but we never really knew how much it was actually costing us to use. Today we are going to find out!

We have been line drying for several weeks due to the sun but here it has turned to rain and we have to wash three or four loads a day here in order to keep the basket empty and dangerous mountainous piles of clothes away. We took a deep breath and set it up, you just plug the meter into the plug like an adaptor and plug the appliance plug into it. Our tumble dryer uses 3000 watts to run! After it had finished drying I rushed out to see the reading and it appears to be about 20p for about a couple of hours. I was surprised at first as I was actually expecting it to be a lot more than that! However, when my Husband and I worked out that we did an estimated 4 loads, 5 days a week during the Winter months, that actually amounted to a whopping £50 of our electricity bill, per month!! Yikes!!

I guess that is what is so scary that something which costs just 20p and sounds rather harmless can mount up to such an extortionate amount if it is a regular or frequent expense. WIth the tumble dryer we don't have the option to stop using it altogether but we can try to dry more on the airer overnight in Winter when the Woodburning Stove is burning. Also, we already dry clothes above the Aga if they aren't allowed in the dryer due to delicacy etc but we could try to dry heavy things like towels and jeans on the Aga instead of the dryer.

Another thing my Husband likes me to do is to wash all the flannels from the bathroom in one load and then take them straight back to the bathroom from the washer and hang them up again ready to use. He says there is absolutely no point drying flannels when they are meant to get wet! They just need to be clean. Another benefit to this is that it eliminates the need for some many flannels if everyone uses the same ones continously.

Tomorrow we will be finding out how much it is costing us to keep our old chest freezer on. We don't use this one all the time, I filled it up again because we picked up some bargains from the supermarket and had a load of meat back from one of our lambs. Is it actually saving us money on purchasing food if it is costing us a lot to store it? I should add that this old freezer is a second one, we already have a newer upright freezer combined with our fridge so this one is extra and not essential but we do live in the Country, a drive away from the shops and we do have a lot of mouths to feed!

We have to be patient in order to get the chest freezer reading as the energy meter needs to be on over a longer period of time in order to establish the pattern over the day, as it switches itself on and off as it needs to. The freezer is full so that helps it to stay cold but it does make it harder to find the food at the bottom. If we decide to empty it again then I plan to put in old ice-cream pots full of ice-cubes or cold water to turn into ice and put them in the fast freeze then when frozen put them into the bottom of the freezer and put the food on the top. You just keep doing that until all the food is gone! Of course, I will be making room in my upright freezer to so that I can put the last of the items in the other one, it would be stupid to have a huge chest freezer on with only a few items in it!

Amazon Sell Groceries?

Just finished my online grocery order then spent a bit of time browsing and found that Amazon are now starting to sell groceries online! Whatever next. No minimum order and free delivery, sounds good, in fact it sounds too good to be true. Will be investigating further!

After a bit of exploring I found that whereas you could get free delivery on some items, such as Walkers crisps, you had to buy them in bulk to get it. I was surprised to find fresh fruit and meat but these are expensive to buy if you just wanted a bunch of grapes or a chicken as you get charged extortionate rates for delivery, far above the cost of the goods.

Frugal conclusion? I'll stick with my supermarkets at the moment thank you but will keep an eye out on Amazon for the future, just in case they do get their act together and become competitive.

Cool Savings

The Aga being switched off means that its now cooler indoors but that isn't bothering anyone as its so warm outdoors anyway. All this week's meals are being cooked on the hob to save fuel. We can still eat meat but it is all being boiled, stewed or fried.

A good move towards being mobile on my feet again was having my stitches out today! If you have been following my blog then you will already know that I love walking but had a foot operation 10 days ago which temporarily put a stop to that. I plan to use walking as my main form of exercise to help my frugal weight loss. I have set a target of losing 21 lbs in 21 weeks which started last Saturday. Next Saturday will be my first weigh in where my plan is to have lost a lb, from now on until December the 4th every Saturday will be a Saturweigh!

Extremes Don't Work Longterm

Like most ladies my age, I love having new clothes! However, as I have been intending to downsize, literally, meaning change my body size from a 12 back to 10, I delayed buying clothes for a long time. Too long, far too long! Unfortunately, after about three years or so I really started to feel the pain of it and decided to go visit the charity shops which I didn't usually do. I guess the advice I would give to anyone considering frugality to extremes is not to be too extreme, especially in the long term. A few months may be fun but when it turns to years there has to be a real point to it in order to keep going.

My lovely Husband took me on the first trip last Winter to what is known as a 'posh area'. I couldn't believe what we walked away with for a fraction of the cost of new items and they were high quality too! Our best buy on that trip was a black 'real leather' jacket for just £15!! (My other light real leather jacket at home had cost me nearly £100 new and that was several years ago!). I now had key items like a M&S little black skirt that I could team any top with to wear with my long black boots.

This trip was a real success and a huge eye opener to me. I have since decided to never be so tight with clothes again and have found such freedom with it. Such as the freedom to purchase, because it is cheap I can have more clothes for a lot less money than before. I have new outfits more often and have even thrown them items away when they broke badly instead of trying to mend them. If I don't wear something or change my mind I can usually still get my money back if I return it inside the date or just donate it back to the shop (I have taken items back for refunds but haven't changed my mind about anything yet).

Also it feels good to be donating my money to good causes instead of the high street. The only clothing I wouldn't consider buying at charity shops are underwear, and also woolies as they tend to be rather bitty second hand unless they are still new with tags. I have had a couple of bargains this way though and am happy to pay a bit more for a brand new and quality product.

I have since found favourite shops which I know specialise in specific items, from clothes to kitchen ware, shoes to furniture. We all need to know our own areas for when needs arise, being prepared is being armed!

Frugal Weight Loss

Saturday is my weekly weigh-in day and I have just stepped off the scales. I have been battling with my weight for a few years now. To my credit I have already lost 9lb this year which I have managed to keep off for a couple of months but my weight has stayed the same for weeks now without losing any more.

My start weight is 12 stone and my target weight is 10 and a half stone, that is a difference of 21 pounds so that is my aim; to lose 21 pounds. I aim to do this without paying for weight watchers or buying dietary products, rather to eat healthy whole foods wherever possible such as fruit, salad and vegetables with some fish, meat, nuts, egg, cheese etc. I mainly drink water with the occasional pure fruit juice and alternative hot drinks to replace tea and coffee.

I would like to do a little exercise and usually love walking but as I am recovering from an operation on my foot I am limited in this at the moment. I could manage a little walk around the house a few times a day if I made an effort though. Any kind of movement will use up a little energy so I need to move deliberately, will have to plan some extra movement into my day.

I don't envisage the weight falling off me at top speed but just want to lose it slowly but regularly, a pound a week would be nice and that would give me 21 weeks as a target, finishing on the 4th December! That sounds ages away but it also sounds possible without too much effort.

*I need to book for a blood test at the Dr's this week to confirm whether or not I am suffering from anaemia at the moment, as I am very tired and don't want my blood levels to drop further. Amaemia lowers my blood sugar levels and has caused me trouble in the past when I cut down on my food.

Downstairs Savings

The Aga is now off, so it will definately be cooler in the house. An additional up side to this is that our large upright kitchen fridge and freezer will keep cooler too, so this will save a bit on the electric. Every time we opened the door to take stuff out, or put things back in so much heat went in which had to be cooled again.

I have already looked at ways of saving money upstairs and listed changes of products to save money. Now I am looking at the downstairs in the same way to see what significant changes I have made so far and what I can do to make more changes. I have already mentioned that I switched my toilet cleaner - 32p litre, bleach- 14p litre and cistern blocks - 15.5p each, for the upstairs bathroom, this also applies for the downstairs loo.

One of the biggest money saving changes that I have made downstairs is switching the washing powder, as we are a large family and wash several loads daily. Whereas I used to use the leading brands like Ariel or Persil as I could get a large sack of persil which saved having to keep buying it but didn't save money or storage. Persil costs £2.58 per kg whereas stores own which I now buy does the same job minus the strong perfumed smell for just 82p per kg. This one switch alone saves us pounds every week as we use several kg every week. I would like to find out exactly how much we are using weekly, perhaps I could keep track a little.

I do use fabric conditioner occasionally for freshening up the bedding and towels. Here too I swapped from Comfort at £2.20 per litre to stores own for just 23p per litre. I use small white laundry net bags to wash tights and delicate lingerie which you can buy from Lakeland. They may seem expensive to buy but have saved me pounds on tights which previously got tangled up with the other washing before and often came out laddered by zips etc. Satin delicates mean that I can now wash with similar colours instead of in a load on their own so save water and electricity too. Mine paid for themselves long ago.

The dryer is off at the moment as the weather is just fantastic this Summer. When I do use it we have a couple of eco dryer balls from Lakeland, well advertised and expensive but not sure whether they actually work, they sure bump around a lot and are noisy so hope they do!

We have a practical lino floor in the kitchen so use a good quality Lakeland mop with replaceable heads. The cleaner we used to use was Flash at £1.78 per litre, now we use stores own All Purpose Cleaner at 35p per litre. This is really good as it can also be used neat to wash the kitchen worktops and hob etc too. Two jobs in one bottle saves space in my cupboards! We also sometimes use a cream cleaner, previously Cif at £3.36 per litre but now I use stores own at 62p per litre.

For the kitchen table we have a heavy duty plastic coated tablecloth which I like to spray with anti-bacterial spray on a regular basis to keep germs away. I used to use Dettol spray at £4 per litre but stores own cost me £1.80 per litre. This can be used on food preparation areas too.

There are many windows in our house and we used to use Windolene at £3.20 per litre but stores own cost me £1.80 a litre.

For the dishwasher I used to buy Finish dishwashing powder at £3.48 per kg but now use an unknown brand rather than stores own at just £1.50 per kg.

A couple of luxuries I kept downstairs was the traditional bottle of Fairy liquid beside the sink, I have tried other brands but find Fairy definately lasts longer. Perhaps I should give it another go with a cheaper one? Also, I swapped soap bars for liquid soap downstairs as it encourages the children to wash their hands, we use anti-bacterial handwash priced at 38p per 500ml bottle with dispenser - 76p per litre. I have just managed to stock up on this liquid soap half-price so I won't be feeling guilty about that or need to buy it for quite a while!

When I look at all these products prices I am awed to think how much I would still be spending if I hadn't swapped them for the cheaper brands. The other thing is that I haven't noticed any negatives through using these cheaper brands at all, they all do the job that I bought them for and do it well.

*Plan, try cheaper washing up liquids to compare value with Fairy liquid. Also, check to see how many kg of washing powder we are using weekly.

**Update: I have searched online and found that the cheapest washing up liquid I could buy is just 68p per litre whereas I usually pay £2.16 per litre. I have now added it to my basket and am prepared to give it a go. The packaging looks cheap and I definately won't be leaving it beside the sink but I prefer stuff in cupboards out the way anyway. Here goes!

Our Tame Pigeon

The children were excited today because a tame pigeon has decided to stay in our tree. It has been there all day, despite children playing and talking to it, even climbing the tree and stroking it didn't drive it away (yes it is a real one and no it's not dead!). We took a few photo's of it. Wonder how long it will stay here?

*Update: We think it had a damaged wing yesterday but today it is flying about in the tree from branch to branch so it must be getting better.

Free Strawberries, Raspberries & Jam

For the past three weeks my gardener Dad has delivered home-grown strawberries and raspberries to us by the crateful! He puts them in clear bowls then stacks them up in crates. We eat some and make jam of the rest. My oldest Daughter makes the jam with Grandma who provides the sugar then shares the jam. My Dad gets back a few pots of jam too. Today the strawberries were fewer while the raspberries have increased, 15 large family sized bowls full!


*Update: These 15 pots of raspberries have now been turned into 15 jars of jam, plus a few bowls for eating with sugar and runny pouring cream, yummy!

Sun Saves Fuel

We may not have solar panels on our roof or wind turbines on our land to make our own electricity but there is no doubt about it, the sun definately saves our fuel bill! Firstly, we line dry our clothes every day that we can and this Summer has been excellent for that. Secondly, we don't need to turn on the heater in the bathroom when we have baths as it is already warm enough. Obviously we don't need the heaters in our bedrooms either which we only keep on a low setting even in the cold Winter months anyway.

Today I decided that we ought to let out our beloved Aga for a few weeks, while it is still hot anyway, to save fuel as it runs on oil which is so expensive now. So, I planned a chicken and jacket potato dinner today to make the most of the oven while it still on, then we will make raspberry jam on the rings tonight just before we let it out. The children will then all have their baths tomorrow morning while the water is still hot. (The Aga usually heats the water too so we will have to pay for electric to heat our baths when its off). Next I did a menu plan for next week meals which didn't need to go in the oven, all stove cooked. We have an electic hob and oven for back-up but I prefer not to use the oven unless we have too. I have no idea how much this will actually save but every penny helps.

Upstairs Savings Plan in Action

An unexpected trip to town with my oldest Daughter who needed to see a Dr today meant that I popped into the store and purchased the childrens bedroom boxes of 150 facial tissues x four @ 35p each, cistern blocks 31p for two blocks and 500ml of pine toilet cleaner for 24p. My total bill for the whole lot was £1.95!! Now we just have to use them and see if they seem to do the job they were bought for, although I can't see why not.

Saving Money Upstairs

I am planning to go through my house room by room to see what I notice that I could save on.

The childrens bedrooms could have small boxes of tissues for everyday use instead of the man size ones that my Husband uses. (They could still use our mansize ones if they have bad colds). We used to always have Kleenex twinpacks at £3.60/£1.80 a box but we noticed the quality had gone down and have recently switched to the supermarkets own but similar product at a cheaper price of £2.68/£1.34 a box.

The bathroom always has the expensive Andrex toilet tissue but my Husband has decided that Andrex is one thing we are keeping! To compromise, I try to only buy it when it is on special but buy a cupboard full to last 'til the next promotion! Last month I gave up on Colgate toothpaste, I know why did it take me so long?! I bought the stores own for 45p less per tube, 55p instead of £1 and it promises all the same things as Colgate and is also dentist approved. (The cheapest was just 17p but I decided I wasn't that desperate...yet. It didn't offer much for the money, was very well, basic).

Bubble bath was swapped a few years ago from 80p a bottle to just 18p per bottle and it works just great at keeping the bath clean as well as the bodies. (Unfortunately, I have sensitive skin and so use Johnson's baby bath instead). We use a selection of shampoos, not the cheapest I know, ranging from Dove for me, Wash n go sport for the teens, Head n shoulders for Hubby and Johnsons baby shampoo for the little ones. I do try to purchase these on special offers where possible which helps. I know that shampoos are an area where I could buy cheaper but I am not desperate enough at the moment, quality of hair is important to me as everyone sees it as a part of us. But at least I know where I can cut back if I was desperate, it is good to recognise these areas for real financial emergencies.

We still use solid bars of soap in the bathroom, as I and some of the children have sensitive skin and we have had young children for many years we have always used Johnsons baby soap both in the bath and to wash hands upstairs. In recent years I have switched to liquid soap downstairs but am now thinking to buy hand soap for the bathroom instead of Johnsons since we broke the habit when Mum gave us a couple of bars of pretty and fragranced Avon soap instead.

Bathroom cleaners have been switched over the years from leading brands to unknown ones with less fancy stickers but that do the same job for much less money. I swapped my cream cleaner Cif, which I used to know as Jif, priced at £3.36 litre, to stores own cream for 31p 500ml/62p litre. My toilet cleaners were Harpic at £2.18 litre, or Duck £1.27 litre but I swapped them for a cheaper active gel toilet cleaner a few years ago priced at 93p litre. I also use bleach, it used to be Parazone at £1.19 litre but now I get stores own at just 14p litre!

I still buy toilet cistern bleach blocks as we have so many people using the toilets I feel we need to keep them looking and smelling as fresh as possible. Here again I used to use expensive bleach blocks to save getting out the liquid bleach but these are hard to find in the shops now so I switched to Bloo blocks at 81p each then I swapped to stores own for 33p per block.

*Tonight I have searched online and found that I can purchase the small tissue boxes of 150 2-ply facial tissues for 35p. Also, I found toilet blocks at 15.5p each and pine toilet cleaner for 32p per litre, so I have added these to next week's grocery delivery, looking forward to the frugal experiment!

Where does all the money go?

In order to work out where we can save money we obviously first have to work out what we are spending it on!

Here is my list so far:

• food
• household consumables
• furniture & furnishings
• medication
• fuel bills
• water
• community tax
• phone bill/mobile phone bills
• diesel
• car maintenance/tax/insurance
• entertainment/dvd's
• days out/holidays
• dates
• technology-new computers or software/ purchasing mobile phones
• toys, books & games
• gifts to friends & family
• charitable giving

I will probably need to add more categories as they come up. There is so much more to managing the family's finances than I previously realised, mainly due to the fact that mu Husband has paid most of the bills. However, it is still my responsibility to make sure that these bills aren't any larger than they need to be. Any savings will affect us all in the future, however small they will be appreciated.

Debt Free Living

I am blessed to be debt free despite the credit crunch. My family have always been very anti-debt and therefore if we couldn't afford something then we couldn't have it! At the start of our marriage we had a home to live in but our wage was quite small, very soon there were three of us living off this one small wage.

The first time I went to the Supermarket after we got married I proudly pushed the trolley around and bought what food I thought we needed for the week, plus house cleaning items, of course there was nothing in our new empty cupboards as we were just starting out. I got to the till and had such a shock when they said how much it was, I was just standing there dazed thinking that surely they must have made a mistake? I had used a debit card and although we did actually have enough money in the bank, that money was supposed to last the whole month as my Husband was paid monthly. We really struggled the rest of that month and it was a real lesson for future supermarket shopping.

Over the years our wages have gone up as I added my work in the business to my Husband's wage and the family has also grown much larger. While the children are getting bigger, eating more and have other needs and wants which cost too, our income has recently suffered a decrease. Which means instead of saving money for future needs we are now spending out of our savings account. I would like to be able to spend a bit less so that we can meet all of our needs without feeling deprived and start to save again too, slowly but regularly. "Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves".

Looking to the future it looks like next year could be a further loss of income plus the tax rate going up to 20% which will effect my business and personal buying costs. With the situation we are already in and the future in mind I will try to up our earnings a little bit but that is limited and dependant upon my time and energy. So I am going to be looking at all areas of my home managing to see where I can save a bit of money, such as laundry, food, toiletries and other bills too, such as electric and water. The computer broadband bill keeps going up too due to the older children downloading so many things on iplayer and youtube.

Charity shopping for clothes and household things has become a pleasure to me. I so much enjoy coming out knowing that my new treasure is a bargain, rather than coming out of a posh shop with a pretty bag and feeling really ripped off! My children tend to all have new clothes rather than second hand as it is harder to find things which both fit them and are liked by them, especially my teenagers. Their new clothes tend to come from the cheaper shops in the nearest city, they do well and always look nice.

Any ideas towards saving money, or doing things differently which will result in saving money would be very much appreciated, please do leave me comments!

Facing Six Months of Accounts

Today I decided that I was brave enough to tackle the accounts! I added up the total spent at grocery stores during the past six months, it came to a shocking amount. However, when I looked further by dividing the full amount into the amount of weeks it worked out at £14 per person weekly. That means that I am spending just £2 per person a day!! I was feeling a bit better after I did this sum after the intial shock of the lump sum. I had actually met my goal that I had set last year.

January - June 2010

Per person:

• £364 - 6 Months
  

• £60 - Monthly
  

• £14 - Weekly

• £2 - Daily

This grocery budget includes all of my grocery spending, so as well as food it includes non-food items such as kitchen and house cleaning items, bathroom toiletries and washing powder etc. There were also some childrens clothes hidden in there and bunches of flowers for presents too. It would have been good to have separated the different categories so that I could see exactly what I had spent on each category but that would be more complicated and take up more time. I am thinking up ways to simply sort that out for the next six months, so maybe it will look different next time, watch this space!

Here comes the Son...

My Son age 6 loves the colour yellow, so he was thrilled to bits to find this bright yellow sun t-shirt while out shopping. We don't have to buy that many new clothes for him as he has older brothers who pass down their clothes so I decided to let him have it.

It was brand new and only cost £3 so it wouldn't even break the clothing budget let alone the bank. I asked him to pose for a picture which he did willingly then he blew me a kiss, to me that was worth the price of the t-shirt!

Young at Art

For many years now our home has had little ones scribbling and producing pictures and paintings. As they get older the pictures slow down and the ones that are produced take longer as they have to reach the artists standard before they are submitted to others, especially adults!






I have come to appreciate the simplicity of young art which is done for the fun of it and without worrying whether others think it is good enough.

Tomy Popoid Boy

The Tomy Popoid is a good example of a Classic well made toy. This Popoid boy was first played with by my niece nearly twenty years ago! My children have had a lot of fun with this toy too but it is robust, made to last. Popoid is an educational construction toy for little ones and you build the body with the stretchy pipes and body bits. The person who originally gave this gift made a good investment as it has given many years of fun play.

Flip Flops Galore

My Daughter aged 11 was suffering from flip flop poverty, so we went to Exeter to buy some for going out and some for at home.



We found a blue stripey pair,













a girly pink pair,










a smart black cherry pair












and finally, a white cherry pair.





After much oohing and aahhing we bought them all!! The cherry pairs are for best, white to go with light clothing and black to go with dark clothes and jeans. The blue stripey and pink are to wear every day at home or outside on the land, picnics etc.


I don't know who was the most pleased, my Daughter getting a new wardrobe of flip flops, or me buying four new pairs for £4.50!!