Monthly Archives: February 2015

Dressmaking with stretch fabric

Frugal fashion, homemade


Hello Dear Reader,

I have lots of dress making pattern that I’ve got from charity shops or that you have sent me. I really must get on and use them. Dress making, like quilt making is a learning experience and there will be mistakes. This is the first item of clothing I’ve ever made from stretch jersey fabric. You don’t need a overlocker/serger to do this. There are easier methods that going out and spending money on a new sewing machine.

To start, you need to use a walking foot to stop the fabric from stretching. You also need a machine needle especially designed for stretch fabrics. My machine has a walking foot attached that I just drop in place.

You will also need even seams. The pattern needed 1/2″ seams so I stuck some red card to the machine so I could easily see where the half inch was. By lining up the edge of the fabric with the card, then I kept my seams at 1/2″.


You will also need to set your machine to zig-zag. If you sew stretch fabric with a normal stitch then it won’t flex and move with the fabric.

A local fabric supplier sells knit fabrics for £3.50 a metre so that means I can make a new dress, with the pattern adapted to fit me for around £10. This simple dress took me two hours to make but my time is free.

I’m now off to pick all the bits of thread up off the floor.

Over to you Dear Reader, is anyone tempted to have a go at dressmaking? If you’ve got the pattern and you’ve got the fabric, then you’ve spent the money anyway!! If you’ve bought it and really don’t want to try then give it away so someone else can do some sewing experimentation on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxx

Modern shopping methods?

Saving money



Hello Dear Reader,

I watched a programme last night which explained the methods super markets use to squeeze every penny out of you. I like to know what I’m up against. It then showed how the psychology of Lidl and Aldi make them so hugely successful and profitable. They only have small supermarkets but are outdoing the sprawling out of town megastores. I like them for the reasons that make them so competitive.

It’s a quick shopping experience - in and out in record time.

The tills are lightening speed - pack on back shelf.

Little choice - you pick up what’s there and don’t ponder or linger.

Special lines are offered (e.g ‘Spanish’ week) so there is a rotation of variety.

It means, savvy shoppers can get what they want really quickly and get out. According to the research, I’m not a modern shopper. I do a shop once a fort night and rarely go in between. Shops work on the basis that people: have very little time, pop in and grab after work and can easily be tempted to spend more when shopping.

Here’s how to beat the system.

1. Stock take - know what you have and use it up. We all gave meals in the house some how or other. Plan meals to use this up.

2. Make a three meal a day, plus snacks plan. Try and use up dry goods, for example oats, to make snacks such as flap jacks,

3. Buy milk and bread and put a week’s worth in the freezer, you won’t run out and it will stop shopping trips. We buy UHT milk and keep a month’so supply in the cupboard. We use a litre every two or three days.

4. Use your freezer. We eat a mixture of fresh, tinned and frozen fruit and veg. Also, keep root veg in a cool dark place and it will easily last a fortnight. I also buy a month’s meat from the butcher, portion it and freeze it. Look out for freezer bags and freezer containers in our local 99p store.

5. Make meals and freeze for another day, you’ll have your own ready meals for when you might otherwise pick up a pizza on your way home because work has exhausted you on that day.

Finally, if I do need to pick something up then I root through the loose change pot and just take the cash in coins for that. I then can’t buy anything else.

Let’s collectively stick it to the supermarkets who will do anything, underhand or otherwise to get your money by making sure we give them as little as possible!!!

Over to you, who pops to the shops as and when and who’s a shopper who preps, has a list and sticks to it?

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx

Quilt book and magazine giveaway

giveaway


Hello Dear Reader,

As you all know, I’ve read Marie Kondo’s book and I’m really paring down and sorting everything in the house from top to bottom. I thought I’d de-cluttered. Her book suggests, you look at every item that you own, her words ask if it gives you joy? I have items that give me joy but I will never use. With that in mind, I’ve had another clear out, been to the charity shop again and now I’m enlisting your help in the clear out.


I’m giving away all of these books and magazines and I’m only keeping the ones I use all the time. I also find a lot of patterns, ideas and designs online. I ‘borrow’ magazines for free from the library and read them on my ipad. I’ve really reduced what I own and it sound all very hippy and tree hugging but it’s really freeing up my mind too.


My floral boxes now house large pieces fabric according to category. It’s all been folded and ziplock bagged to keep it dust free. I have housed all of my ‘teacher’s equipment’ in a tool box by my computer and I’ve given myself a whole heap of space.

GIVEAWAY T&C’s.

You can have these books but please read the conditions really carefully xxxxx

You will have to come and get them and I won’t parcel them up, send them via courier or drop them round your house. Sorry lovvies but I don’t need the stress of worrying about that.

You need to enter the rafflecopter, which requires your email and I will email you when you’ve won. You’ll then have to let me know when you will collect them and another apology coming up here, you’ll have to come at the weekend. You’re welcome to a cup of tea and slice of cake when you do xxxxx I’d like them gone by the 22nd of March please.

The closing date is the Sunday 8th of March. It will be nice to meet who ever wins xxx

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxx
//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Monthly budgeting

Budgeting



Hello Dear Reader,

Every now and then I stop and reflect on the fact that the last time I was in debt in any way, other than my mortgage, was in 2011. That has meant I have spent since then being solvent, building up savings, paying down the mortgage and being able to buy what I need.

Something have never changed.

Whilst I was in debt we set ourselves an excruciatingly tight budget and then stuck to it until we were debt free and have downsized. Now, we just have a strict budget. Even now, we don’t spend a penny until every direct debit has gone out of our accounts on the first of the month. We still allocate a budget for food, for transport and move the rest into savings.

Here are the things we still have a set budget for: holidays, clothes, pets, house renovations, birthdays and Christmas. We still don’t set aside money for going out, meals out, theatre, cinema or visitor attractions with the exception of being members of the National Trust, which is incredibly good value. So, even now we are careful with money.

Here’s something else that we haven’t changed. We still do all we can to earn extra money and get stuff for free. Today, more firewood and another pallet to cut down into kindling. I still go to the charity shops first if I need something. If I can’t find what I want, then my next step is ebay and the last resort is a real shop but only if I can get a discount, if it’s in the sale, or if I have a discount code.

It’s the end of the month and DB and I have looked at this month’s budget. This month I will pay for the holiday accommodation and that’s another chunk of holiday paid for. We still need to budget for new European driving licences, travel insurance and European break down cover. It will be worth it as we’re going to France twice in the summer, at the beginning for two weeks and for a long bank holiday week end to stay in a friend’s mobile home in another area of Brittany that we’re looking forward to visiting.

The next planned big expense is to pay for the year’s council tax in one go on the beginning of April. I’ve never done this before. There isn’t any great advantage but with all bills, I just like to get them out of the way. Normally, we pay monthly but I want it gone and paid for on the beginning of the financial year. We have no more major household expenses this year. The medium term plan is to save up for a new roof and insulation as the roof is not under felted nor insulated and it is not sound proofed. We will get prices over the next few months and add another 15% for price increases and contingency.

All of this might seem a bit predictable, lacking in spontaneity and restrained but it gives me incredible peace of mind to know that everything is paid for, budgeted for and we can still look forward to two holidays in the summer. It’s worth it to us and we’re glad we do it.

Over to you, who else has the budget all worked out and has financial plans in place for the immediate and long term.

I might sound nonchalant now, but there was a journey behind this.

Do you remember?

http://www.frugalqueen.co.uk/2010/06/no-words-needed.html

What about this?

http://www.frugalqueen.co.uk/2010/09/getting-grip-of-debts-painful-way.html

And this?
http://www.frugalqueen.co.uk/2011/03/climbing-mountain-of-debt.html

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx

It was tidy…..I promise!

frugal home



Hello Dear Reader,

Here is the old bird, beavering away! I had this room tidy and then I went and did ‘stuff’ in it! I made a quilt on Sunday evening and finished it last night. Tonight, I’ve got school work all over, which any teacher will know is a regular mess maker in any office. So, it was tidy and now it’s a proper tip again.

Tonight has been a bit hectic. The washing machine was delivered and I had to catch up with all the laundry. It’s been like Widow Twanky’s here tonight!

So, catch up with school work, catch up on laundry and catch up on tidying the mess I eradicated only two days ago!

Over to you. Who has the very best intentions of keeping an organised and tidy house? Only to mess it up themselves with crafting or just getting on with life. I’m not good a minimalism as I’m a messy mare!

I’m off to get another batch of laundry ironed and put away……..oh the glamour!

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx

Quilt for a baby boy

quilting

Hello Dear Reader,

I made a baby quilt yesterday and sewed the binding on tonight for a bloggy baby. I mean a blogger’s baby.

I just used random fabric to make it a colourful as I could. Baby quilts are tough things and can become playmats, garden quilts and for sitting on in the car when they get older. They are not precious, nor valuable, nor does it matter if they get torn or dirty. What’s important is the little human wrapped up in it, sleeping under it, playing or it or dragging it behind them when they are playing.


He’s not born yet, but when he can see it, I hope he likes it.

Sarah……………………I hope you like it too xxxxxx

Love Froogs xxxxx

Organising, tidying, sorting and cauliflower crust pizza

frugal food konmari
Hello Dear Reader,

Sorry about the picture quality, I took these with my phone today as I’ve instagrammed and tweeted as I’ve gone along. I’m aware that some of you read via those platforms and keep in touch throughout the day.

It’s the last day of my week off and I have tried this week to get the house in order. I’ll be honest, you have to be very disciplined to live in a tiny 500 square feet house. For non- Uk reader, my house is of average size and lots of people live in much smaller houses than this. I’m gaining the self discipline but still have to work at keeping the place in order.

Here’s an example, the cupboard under the sink was just full of cleaning products. If I wanted something, then everything had to come out to find it. It was a pain in the neck! I’ve read Marie Kondo’s advice about only keeping the items that bring you joy. Nothing in this cupboard brings me joy but I have to clean the house. Yes, I know I could use bicarb, lemons and vinegar but I’ve been there, got the t- shirt and now find it easier and preferable to squirt and wipe with something easy.


My cottage, once had a tiny back yard with an outside loo. It now has a covered yard, where I keep the washing machine and tumble drier and the downstairs loo. I don’t use it much so I have shelves with tools, the mop, ironing board and clothes racks for drying. I did some research on Pintrest on small space storage and found a door shoe rack used for storing cleaning products. I bought this in Argos for £4.99 and it does the job really well.

I bought the little rack on the back of the door for £1.99 in B&M and that has the dishwasher tablets, my rubber gloves, disinfectant and scrubby sponges. I can now get to my washing up bowls and my vases have some where to live. I moved them there after giving them a good wash and polish and put them away.


My back porch has bits and bobs every where. Cleaning brushes in stacking boxes, bits for the garden such as my dibber for bulbs. There’s also the laundry liquid and conditioner just sitting on the floor next to the washing machine.
In the spirit of tidying up, I bought these wall planters for £1.50 each and hooked them onto the wall. Now, at least things are not on the floor and I can easily sweep the porch and walk from the back door to the kitchen door.


I cooked my first cauliflower crust pizza today. It’s been a very long time since I’ve had a pizza and I really enjoyed it.

For the base, I put a whole cauliflower, floret at a time in the food processor until it resembled rice. I then place that in a plastic jug in the microwave, with a plate on top, and cooked it on full for ten minutes. The recipe said eight but I had a very large cauliflower.

I allowed it to cool slightly, then poured it onto a tea towel and wrapped it up before I squeezed out all the water.

I then mixed that with 100g of finely grated parmagianno, 1 heaped tbs of mixed herbs, salt and pepper and three eggs.

The mixture was arranged onto greased baking paper and baked at 200 for ten minutes until it formed a crust.


I then topped it with a jar of Aldi’s stir through pasta sauce (89p).

Price

Cauliflower - 69p
Hard Italian cheese - half a pack - £1.35
3 eggs - 50p

Stir through sauce - 89p
Courgette - 30p
Pepper - 32p
100g of sliced Italian salami - use half a pack of sliced - 65p

Total cost - £4.70 - serves four people - £1.18 each.

To make this cheaper, use finely grated mature cheddar, omit the salami.

Finally, I topped it with courgettes, a yellow pepper, some salami slices and a sprinkle of hard cheese.


I baked it for ten minutes.



We ate it with some salad. It’s hugely filling. Here’s my findings about the recipe. Be a bit braver with the food processor as I felt the cauliflower could be finer. Mozzarella and tomato sauce is really all you need as it needed a melting stickier topping. (I hate gooey cheese so not for me) Don’t be shy with the tomato sauce as it all sinks in.

I’ve missed pizza since finding out I really can’t eat gluten and although this isn’t really a pizza with a crust, I did enjoy it.

Over to you, how do you use cauliflower? Anyone made a pizza base with it?

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxx













Turkey Burgers with guacamole

frugal food

Hello Dear Reader,

No chips and a bun for me. I’ve tried every gluten free bread product there is and they all taste like straw and dust so it’s not a difficult thing to say that I won’t be eating any more bread, gluten free or other wise. I’m no fan of potatoes either, we just ate too many of the things when we were so skint that we couldn’t choose what to eat.

Today, I made spicy turkey burgers with guacamole.

My burger recipe

450g of mince turkey - £1.79 - Aldi
1 small bunch of finely chopped corriander - 50p - Aldi
1finely chopped chilli - 10p - Aldi
zest of one lime - (whole lime costed into the guacamole)
Salt and pepper to taste.
£2.41 - £1.20 each as we had two and a half each.

They look a bit charred as there’s hardly any fat in the burgers. I got the pan really hot and cooked them for seven minutes on one side and three minutes on the other. Plenty of time to make the guacamole.

Guacamole

2 ripe avocados - £1.49 - Aldi - mashed with a fork
4 cherry tomatoes - as I had them! 10p
juice of one lime - 20p
sprinkle of garlic powder - 2p (or use one crushed garlic clove)
1 small onion - very finely diced - 3p

Total cost - £1.81 - 90p

Total cost of the meal per person £2.10

It’s more than usual but the avocado is our weekend treat. They are one of my very favourite foods and I avoid them due to cost and calories but oh my goodness they are totally delicious! Expensive but still cheaper than a take away.

I really love the combination of coriander, lime and chili, they go with fish, poultry and would work well with quorn or in a veggie stir fry.

Over to you, who else finds it difficult to have a treat and keep to a budget too? I think it would be really difficult to stick to my £1 a head meal cost if I wanted a treat.

I always enjoy hearing from you.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxx

Five frugal things I’ve done this week to save money

Uncategorized

Hello Dear Reader,

This post today comes with inspiration from Cass at http://www.frugalfamily.co.uk who’s asking people to join in. So, here goes.
1. We haven’t been shopping this week as we had enough in the house and we’ve eaten ‘if it’s’ and simple food this week such as tinned fish and salad.
2. I bought a new washing machine. Not frugal in its own right but I bought one locally for no more than it costs online. It’s a ‘good one’ that come with five years warranty. I haggled and got another £20 off that offset the extra expense of paying the local firm the £15 removal and recycle fee.
3. We collected more fire wood. We had to saw it up, bag it and take it away but we got some heat for free.
4. I’ve sorted all my clothes and rediscovered dome I haven’t worn in a while which makes me feel like I’ve got new clothes.
5. I’ve kept myself busy and occupied without spending any money. I’ve cleaned the Car park, weeded the communal paths around the houses and we’ve given the garden a spring clean up.
Over to you, have you done five frugal things this week? Go in, I know you well enough to know you’ve all watched the pennies and still had fun! Who’s found the bargains? Who’s gardening or crafting?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxx

Living in a downsized home

frugal home
Hello Dear Reader,

Woke up with no desire to sit on the M5 so ‘rain checked’ my visit for another time and did not go to Ikea either. I get the heebie jeebies when it comes to spending money. It was just as well, the washing machine, which has been limping as if dying has actually died. It’s had a new pump/s, seals and parts and any further repairs as beyond its economic worth. I had to put a shaky hand in my purse and buy a new one. Thanks to the local electrical store Woolacotts, who matched any price and gave brilliant service and my new machine will be with me on Tuesday. I’ll review the machine when I get it, for what it cost I hope it learns to iron and Konmari my clothes when it’s done washing them!!




I took all of my clothes out of the drawers and off the shelves today. It’s all such a muddle. Shirts on top of shirts and if I want something underneath then it all falls down and I have to play jumper jenga to get it all back in order again. If you want to learn perfect folding and tidying then look up the work of Marie Kondo, who is a professional tidier! She suggest going through everything you’ve got and get rid of anything you don’t like or need. I’ve already downsized and decluttered……I just want my remaining clutter to be tidy. So, everything can out of storage of some sort, was ironed and folded the Konmari way.


It means I can see everything I have, if I move one item, it doesn’t disturb another and I can replace something easily and see where it goes. I know like if too short for neatly folded knickers but it was too cold and wet for a walk and my inner Sheldon loves folding and tidying. There is something incredibly stabilizing for my soul to have my house and knicker drawer in order.


She has a special way of folding, that once you’ve done it once, you can’t understand why you haven’t always done it that way. Now all of my long sleeved top all fit in once drawer and I can see them immediately and don’t have to pull everything out looking for it.


After one drawer it’s easy. Here are my scarves, spare hat and glove and two swimsuits, one is for the public pool and one is for the beach.


Here’s most of my clothes, all needed to be sorted and put away in some kind of ordered system.


The drawer under my bed now houses all of my wooly jumpers and my two pairs of shorts. I had my two pairs of leggings and three vest tops, as I think of them as underwear, they were folded, in accordance to Konmari methods and places into the underwear drawer.


Top shelf now houses my jeans and three pairs of work trousers, the middle shelf has my gym kit and the bottom shelf has all my shoes. I know where everything is and everything has a place of its own.


The only items I have hanging are my dresses (all nine!! of them - bit of a dress problem there! it’s a good job that I source them from charity shops and the clearance rails of sales) three blouses and one skirt. I still think I have far too many clothes and will go through them again if I ‘go off’ anything.

I haven’t bought the book, nor do I intend to but if you’ve read it, what does she say about kitchens? dining rooms? offices? store rooms? Any advice on keeping them in order would be gratefully received.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx