Hello Dear Reader,
What a month!
Well we had a thrifty September and October as we had some big saving up to do. We tightened the already tight reins and made it through. We had a mini-break planned and a wood burner to be installed. I’ve been saving a while for the wood burner but the mini break took some extra planning. We were invited to a free stay at the Ox Pasture Hotel in North Yorkshire. We needed to save for the cost of getting there and some money to go out with when we got there. In short, I had to find another £150 out of my budget to fund the holiday away. We came in under budget, coffee on the journey there and back £10, food on the journey back £15, food on our day out £23 and parking in Whitby £5, and a tank and half of diesel to get there and back £75 and £3.95 on some kippers in Whitby £132. Not bad for a round trip of 784 miles and a really great experience of a really long road trip and a visit to a stunning part of the country. The wood burner was a massive expense but an investment for the years to come that set us back £2100………………..when I reflect on the expense of the month, we needed the rest of #stoptober just to fund it!
Here is the quick wizz through some of the rest of the month.
The recipes:
Fishy Pie
Spam fried rice
Crumbly cheese, bacon and onion scones
Chicken Cacciatore
Slow cooker lamb hot pot
Cornish Under Roast
Sticky Toffee Apple Rice Pudding
Beefy Bacon Bombs and Chasseur Sauce
Pulled Pork
Better than Beans
Crockpot meatloaf
Slow cooker Gammon
Beef in Ale with Spicy Parsnip Mash
Pumpkin Chilli
What have I been up to?
Foodie’s 100 Food Blogger of the Month
Wood burner was installed
Cold Hard Advice
How to keep calm and carry on getting out of debt.
How much money should a family of five live in each month?
Frugal Food Workshops
October #1
October #2
So now, a serious reflection of the months ahead. We have a holiday next year to save up for and a massive part of that is having my dogs cared for. The biggest expense in November is paying 50% of the cost and then saving a percentage of the cost of the holiday each month. It might not feel worth it at the time, especially when we still have work to do on the house and to find the extra monies each month to take out mortgage reduction to one thousand a month! I will admit, I often have days when I wonder if all the scrimping and saving is worth it. My two days away reminded me that it is worth going without to have special days and my wood burner which is keeping us really warm reminds me that it’s good to scrimp to save to invest in the future.
Over to you, who else gets thoroughly fed up of continuously saving up, scrimping and going without? Who else agrees that it’s worth it in the end.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxx
Monthly Archives: October 2014
Wonderful Yorkshire
Hello Dear Reader,
I love Whitby!!!! It was an overcast and brooding day but added to the atmosphere of the place. Dearly Beloved took much better photographs than I did and I will add more of those later.
I also loved the short drive here from our hotel. The hotel is on the north Yorkshire moors and the drive was over some amazing scenery.
As a food lover, I’ve known of Fortune’s kippers for years. I made my way there. They sell a huge pair of kippers, which are oak smoked herrings for £3.95 which are a great prize and the must have souvenir from Whitby.
I should imagine Whitby was amazing in its fishing heyday and the tiny cottages are now holiday rentals. This weekend they full of gorgeously dressed goths. I should imagine Whitby will be rocking this weekend.
I loooooved this couple, I photographed from a polite distance but they were beautifully dressed and both well into their 70s. I hearby promise that one day I will steam punk it to the max and DO the Whitby weekend!
The famous Magpie cafe, we didn’t go there.
I loved Elizabeth the steam bus, it puffs and tootles around the streets whilst being stoked with coal as it goes. Apparently, it’s the only working steam bus.
The life boat museum was free.
Gluten free fish and chips in Quayside, which happens to be the 2014 UK fish and chip shop of the year.
We waited at the station and watched the steam train pull away. It was so evocative and reminded me of being a young mum with a Thomas the Tank Engine obsessed little boy. I missed him today…….if only we could get in a time machine and spend another day with our children.
We parked by the Abbey and made it down the famous 199 steps and if course, up again. If you get the chance, then visit Whitby. It’s lovely, but here ‘s a warning, it gets packed by lunchtime but get there early to see the best of it.
We made it back to the hotel for afternoon tea. I was still stuffed from lunch so left this to DB who told me that the home made cakes were delicious and the selection of sandwiches were fantastic.
Disclaimer - we are here at the invitation of the Ox Pasture Hotel, my views and opinions are genuine and we love it here.
Until tomorrow ,
Love Froogs xxxx
Holiday in Yorkshire.
Hello Dear Reader,
I can’t believe we made it. The last time we had a holiday was our honeymoon in 2012. The move and house renovations took up last year and this year’s summer break was spent in the garden.
A break away to glorious north Yorkshire was just what we needed.
An eight hour drive so a stop half way for a double esspresso was the fuel that kept us going.
It’s great to frock up and have someone else do the cooking.
The Oxpasture Hall hotel near Scarborough, is just stunning. A modern boutique hotel, in the heart of the North Yorkshire Moors with the very essence of hospitality, welcome and service.
The public areas, especially the lounges are warm, cosy and made us feel truly at home. We had a drink here before supper……I loved the fire.
The original part of the hotel is really old and the shutters show how thick the walls are.
Our pooches are safely home with mum, but dogs are welcome here in all areas except the restaurant. This young lady was enjoying her holiday too. Everyone is catered for here. Staff fussed over the families with children, carefully looked after older patrons and genuinely went out of their way to make everybody welcome.
The food was amazing! I don’t say that lightly, remember I will send food back if I think it is not up to scratch. The food here really did live up to the hotel’s award winning standard
Ham hock terrine, pea puree and crispy quail egg.
Smoked salmon and horse radish ice cream.
Pink tender local lamb.
Pork, cooked three ways.
Dessert? Mango ice cream, coconut panna cotta and pina colada sorbet……brilliantly gluten free too.
Dearly Beloved, quite the traditionalist went for sticky toffee pudding, toffee sauce and ice cream.
How ‘s the holiday so far?
Blinkin’ EPIC!
Eight hour drive to get here but the destination is amazing!
Disclaimer: we are here on a free two night stay courtesy of the Oxpasture Hotel, with dinner, afternoon tea, a luxury suite and of course a full Yorkshire breakfast on both days. We have been asked to honestly review and my opinions here are genuine.
Until then,
Love Froogs x x
How often do you change your Broadband supplier?
| I’m off to spend three days in the most perfect company xxxxx Love you DB! |
Hello Dear Reader,
I was sent the following guest post, which I happily accepted, because it really got me thinking. I look around for the best deal on everything from cars to body lotion, but I really haven’t given much thought to my internet supplier. We are, to put it bluntly, totally and absolutely stuffed here in deepest darkest Cornwall. We don’t have superfast where I live so comparing upload and download speeds and bandwidth is an entirely academic exercise. However, you don’t have my excuses and really ought to be getting a better deal!
So, take the really good advice below and get yourself the best deal possible. If you can, let me know how you got on, how much money you saved. There will be a quiz at the end so make sure you’re reading all the way through.
Frugal Tips on Finding Cheap Broadband Deals
We are relying more and more on the internet for work and leisure. However, the cost of having internet connection can be pricey. Are you paying too much for your internet service? Here’re some tips on how to find cheap broadband deals.
Bundle your broadband, phone and TV services
The best way to save money on your broadband is to get your broadband, phone and TV services from one internet service provider. First, find out what you’re using the internet for, how much phone time you use and what type of TV programmes you like to watch. Then, search for a bundle that costs less than buying the services separately. Another advantage of a bundle is that you’ve only one bill to pay.
Go basic and pay your line rental upfront
Most broadband packages require a landline. Choose a no-frill landline if you’re unlikely to use features such as caller ID or call waiting. The amount you pay to rent a landline can be more expensive than the broadband. Some internet service providers offer discounts if you pay the annual amount of your line rental in advance. Therefore, the best way to save money is to pay your line rental upfront rather than in monthly instalment.
Choose a cost effective broadband deal
Make sure you choose a broadband deal that fits your needs and budget. Internet speed and download allowance are two important things to take into consideration to avoid paying for access you don’t need or paying extra charges. Broadband speed is a measure of the length of time it takes to transfer data from the internet to your computer. Broadband packages with faster connections are more expensive than basic packages. If you download large files, stream movies from Netflix and play games online, fast download speeds is preferred.
Download allowance is the amount of data you are allowed per month. The price you pay varies according to the download allowance. An unlimited package is more expensive than a limited one. If you’re a light user, a limited package will probably be fine for you. On the other hand, if you’re a heavy user with a limited package, it won’t be long before your allowance is used up. If you go over the limit, you have to pay penalty charges.
Hidden costs
Ask your internet service provider for a full cost breakdown. Find out whether there are any hidden costs such as installation fees and postage fees for the router. Make sure you read the small prints before you sign the contract.
Understanding your usage pattern and budget can help you find the cheapest broadband package. Take your time to shop around and compare broadband deals.
After reading that, I discovered that I’m a light user and that I only need a limited package. We don’t ‘stream movies’ or ‘download’ anything at all really. What type of user are you? If you have teenagers in the house, or you are a lot more techno-savvy than I am, then a really good upgraded package where the entire house can be online at the same time will be really useful.
Just to let you know, the dog sitter AKA my mum, is here and we’ll be off to North Yorkshire at six in the morning. If you are in the slightest bit interested, you can follow me on twitter queen_frugal and catch my updates #froogsontour. I might not get the chance to blog over the next few days as I will be staying on the Yorkshire Moors but I will be uploading photos on twitter.
Until then,
All my love,
Froogs xxxxx
Disclaimer : sponsored post.
Today we have heating!!!!
Hello Dear Reader,
Not quite true…..we’ll have heating tomorrow. We have to wait for the fire cement to go off on the joints; we just lit it with some paper and kindling to take the photograph. To be honest, it’s not really cold so we don’t need heating. The ambient temperature of the house is currently 20 degrees so really quite warm.
On a different note, we’ll be off on a short break to North Yorkshire on Wednesday and shall visit Whitby. Any ideas on things we really mustn’t miss when we’re there. I know we usually go to France but the ferries couldn’t get us there and back for a short trip due to Brittany ferries getting an upgrade.
As today has been noisy, drafty with the doors opening and closing, and have turned the dogs into barking freaks. I’m off to bed to watch TV on the ipad as I’m worn out!
I should be back to full speed tomorrow!
Until then,
Love Froogs xxx
Pumpkin Chilli
Hello Dear Reader,
A quick get in and out blog tonight. I have a full on chest infection and a cough that’s driving me nuts! Not much cooking I’m afraid, just a very quick stick it all in the crock pot supper.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this:
3 leeks, topped, tailed, sliced and washed
1 small pumpkin - peeled and cut into cubes - these pretty squash were £1 a kilo in Lidl - so 80p each for this 800g one,
3 large carrots, peeled and cubed
1 tin of tomatoes
2 tablespoons of tomato puree,
1 veggie stock cube (I’ve started using Kallo - they are gluten free)
2 of the empty tomato tins full of water.
1 tin of beans, I used chick peas as I had no kidney beans
1 heaped tbsp of each: cumin, mild chilli powder and dried corriander.
Salt and pepper to season.
If you have any sweet potato, this really adds to this.
I just added the lot to the slow cooker, switched it on high and left it for four hours.
Nice and simple.
We’re getting busy for the fire install tomorrow. On that note, unusually for me, I bit back at the trolls yesterday, normally I would just ignore it. I did so as I take my environmental responsibility seriously. So for the wood smoke and pallet police let me clarify things. In the UK, most pallets are used only once and get thrown away so they are not treated. They often go to wood pulp, energy from waste incinerators or get left for people like me to take them apart and use for kindling. The better reusable ones are usually coloured in some way and we don’t use them. Now for the wood smoke police. Any built up area in the UK, in fact any area in the UK is governed by a whole gammet of rules and one of those being about the environment. Consequently, wood stoves have air wash technology and in fact ‘double burn’. They don’t give off any smoke and can be used, in a ‘smokeless’ area. We live in a built up area and have a DEFRA approved 4.5KW wood burner being installed that complies with all smoke free regulations. It’s a darn sight more ethical than nuclear, coal fired power stations and certainly preferable to fracking for shale gas. Burning wood is carbon neutral as the tree absorbed more CO2 than it gives off being burnt. It’s also renewable and I buy my wood from managed woodlands which they replant. My other source is re-cycled wood that we save from pulping or land fill.
Back to the fire install, we’ve been really thrifty to save up for this and the day is almost here. We had to remove the manky burgundy carpet from the living room in readiness. For now, we’ll just live with floor boards until we can afford an English wool carpet for the room. Another thrifty few months ahead saving for that one.
All served with a spoonful of fluffy rice and a sprinkle of chunky grated cheese.
Just what a woman with a cough, cough, cough needs! Spice!
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxx
Winter warming
Hello Dear Reader,
Monday is officially wood burner day. We will have a new chimney pot, lined chimney, hearth of the correct legal size and a wood burner that doesn’t leak carbon monoxide. Just to be sure, we’re having monoxide detector fitted in the room too.
We found a new wood supplier, a young man who works as a gardener, tree surgeon and log supplier. He’s turned up with his car and large trailer and we helped him unload.
If you are in my area and want his number, leave me your text number, which I will not publish and will let you know who he is. He’s a lovely young guy.
DB moved all the logs into the garden,
I stacked them all away. It’s fun really, lego for grown ups.
The outlay of a wood burner is expensive but they do have to be professionally installed by someone with a HETAS qualification and certification or house insurance will not cover any damage by fire. I also have to pay for a chimney sweep every year who also has to leave us the certification that the chimney is clean and undamaged. This is also for home insurance as insurers will not pay out on chimney fires unless the chimney is maintained.
The wood itself is cheap, in some cases free and in any case is prepaid for no surprise bills. Talking of bills, we’ve managed to reduce our water bill yet again, our personal challenge is to reduce it every quarter.
I’m off outside with DB, who wrangled some pallets from the industrial estate, he breaks them down and I help chop them into kindling.
Over to you, good to hear about your wood fired heating, water heating and in some cases, cooking too. Feel free to ask questions about wood heating and we can all chip in with answers, especially if they are about heating in countries outside of the UK. So, what do you want to know about wood fired heating or living without gas/electric central heating.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxx
Crock Pot Meatloaf
Hello Dear Reader,
It’s the start of our half term break, which means a whole tonne of work to do. I feel like death warmed up, with what feels like a chest infection and I need an early night. I need my fitness to come back in my sleep as we’re having the winter logs delivered tomorrow morning and I need to be ‘on it’!
I arrived home earlier than DB, left him in Plymouth as I felt so dreadful. I wanted something really simple. Here’s my very easy meatloaf.
1. Switch the slow cooker on high and put the lid on to heat up.
2. Combine : 500g minced beef, with one finely chopped and softly fried onion and three slices of bread which I turned into breadcrumbs in the food processor, along with two beaten eggs, squirt of brown sauce of Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, thyme and parsley.
3. Hand mould into a loaf shape and place in slow cooker on a piece of greaseproof paper.
4. Leave on high and cook for three hours.
It wasn’t white on top, it’s just how it looked in the artificial light.
I took the meat loaf out, grilled on high for ten minutes, removed it, sprinkled with grated mature cheddar and grilled it for another five minutes.
We had a slice each served with some salad.
Normally, I would cook that in the oven but I’m still resisting using it to keep my energy costs down.
Here’s your turn, who else heats with wood? How do you get yours? We have a mixture of scavenged and bought. I have a shed full of free wood, some free wood to collect and a large quantity arriving tomorrow. Hopefully, that should see us for heating and laundry drying until Spring. Have you fired up your stoves yet? What about down under? Are you enjoying good weather for your spring?
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxx
Is every little not enough any more?
Hello Dear Reader,
As Tesco became worth less than a packet of peanuts this morning, the news just buzzed! All of a sudden the media’s big story was all about the thrifty shoppers who had turned their backs on the big flashy supermarkets and had turned instead to the discounter such as Lidl and Aldi.
I still use most of the supermarkets from time to time but I’m hunting for the bargains, I’ve researched using www.mysupermarket.co.uk and I would also advise that you could go directly to Iceland’s website, who also seem determined to under cut the big supermarkets. I’m always suggesting that families stock up on frozen veggies, fruit, meat and fish. You can also find some pantry and store cupboard staples in Poundland and the 99p Store has some really great offers on household cleaning products. The economy is such that families are setting aside any snobbery and shopping where their purse allows.
So, why do we think the shops have turned their backs on the big supermarkets. Here’s one thing that lots of people don’t like and that do it yourself tills. Lidl and Aldi don’t have these and open all the checkouts, calling staff off the shop floor to come and work the tills. If you have children, there isn’t much to pester about in the cheap supermarkets, there’s no massive displays in August telling you it’s Christmas!! Although Aldi have offers, which means anything from ice skates to a cement mixer, in the main, they just sell food. Nothing fancy, just every day food at prices we can afford. They also don’t work on confusing offers, or BOGOFs, just simple pricing where most items are cheaper than those in the big supermarkets.
People are becoming increasingly savvy and cynical about marketing, no body is that stupid to fall for the supermarket tricks. We all know the end of aisle tricks that look like the item is cheap but it often isn’t. We all know that eye level is buy level and the cheaper less profitable items are on the bottom shelf. We know there is very little difference between supermarket own brand and supermarket value brands. So, where does that leave Tesco and the other big supermarkets? We are buying their less profitable items, we are not succumbing to their multi-buy items, we are not buying their premium ranges. We are also using home delivery which means we are not impulse buying.
People are also becoming increasingly thrifty in their life styles.
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You are also reading thrifty blogs and getting ideas on saving money. I was contacted by two radio stations this morning, BBC 5 Live’s news programme and Radio Gloucestershire’s mid-morning programme. Click here to listen to Five Live - move slider to 18 minutes in and Click here to listen to Radio Gloucestershire - move the slider to 1 hour 40 minutes.
Now, it’s your turn. Who else is finding the price of food getting to the point of ridiculous? Who else is having to shop round to feed their families. As I said, families only have so much money and they having to be really careful with what they do with it.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxx
To make or to buy? Now, there’s a question.
Hello Dear Reader,
I am a frugal as I can be, but I’m not martyr. If I can buy it cheaper than I can make it, then I will buy it ready made. For example, there’s just the two of us so I buy Aldi’s or Lidl’s ready made salad in a bag and it lasts the two of us for two meals each. As you know, I often have a big stock up from Approved Food and bought several jars of ‘Chicken Tonight’ at £1.20 for two jars…….60p each per jar. I certainly can’t make a sauce to cook chicken in for that. I also like a night off now and then.
You can still buy the sauce by clicking HERE
So, here was my supper.
The remainder of the bag of chicken thighs - £1.40 for half a kilo ( I bought those frozen from Waitrose)
I jar of honey and mustard Chicken Tonight sauce - Approved food - 60p - (£1.89 in Asda, so a big saving!)
1/2 a bag of salad 45p - Aldi
So, a bit of an expensive supper, for us anyway. £2.45 - or £1.22 each.
I don’t think I could have made it any cheaper.
To cook this, I simply added the five frozen chicken thighs and sauce to my slow cooker this morning and left if for the day. Neither of us like skin or bones on our plates so I lift the chicken with a slotted spoon and remove the skin and bones before I serve. I’ve always used chicken thighs and I think they are a versatile cut and I use them for most chicken dishes.
If any of you really can’t sleep tomorrow morning, I will be talking to BBC Radio Five Live at 6.20 tomorrow morning, discussing why consumers, like you and me and not loyal to anyone supermarket and are taking our business else where. If there is a listen again option, I pop it up later.
Lastly, I have emailed the winner of the Crockpot food warmer, Becca B…….she has 24 hours from now to email me her address so I can post it to her.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxx
