Thursday 21 May 2020

The Thrifty Times Issue Eight

A return to work for me has slowed down our doings a little, but still lots of ideas and projects underway or in the pipeline.

At the start of all this business I had visions of totally deep cleaning the house and really sorting out every nook and cranny which normally escapes my notice. I have found a couple of things I have apparently never cleaned [not part of your everyday cleaning in my defence], but here we are and I've still not finished. Am gradually going through the kitchen a cupboard at a time. The other thing I thought was that I would be reading masses...that hasn't happened either. However, I have pottered slowly through a few books when I go to bed. Now you know me and my bleeding books....you can never have enough and kind souls keep tempting me with boxes full of free ones they're putting out on the kerbside. Last week I succumbed....bag and gloves at the ready these came home with me and then were left in the garage for 72 hours+ before I brought them over the threshold. Think I might start with the Dawn French one as am rather fond of her.


More excitement came to us in the form of the new veg seeds that arrived. Mr GBT got to work on Sunday planting them out....this was my view of him from the kitchen window.



Meanwhile I was cooking to get the oven shelves full again....this week it was a Monday Pie and chocolate brownies made with a tin of chickpeas....in all honesty they're surprisingly pleasant. I didn't really have very high expectations [taking an open minded approach just wasn't happening!], but the taste is good. They are more fragile than traditional brownies, but I've frozen them and we shall probably have them as a pudding. Non flour alternatives for sweet treats are very welcome at the moment and they made a good change. Recipe here https://www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk/recipes/traybakes/magic-brownies


This week I've run out of blusher....did that throw me.....no for I was a teenage reader of "Jackie" and that magazine taught me all sorts of ways of getting yourself out of a tight spot. I trawled my memory for a suitable alternative and remembered the one about digging out the last dregs of an apparently near "empty" lippy and mixing it with one that I never wear as it turned out to be too pale for me. A quick blast in the microwave to soften it all and a mix with a cocktail stick and voila...this will keep me going for months. Not pretty....but then you already knew that you photos of my real life here not some photoshoppped alternative!


It's been home haircut time again this week. Every time Mr GBT trims my barnet for me a little more pink disappears. However, all is not lost....I don't want to risk a permanent colour [too lazy to deal with roots if the truth be told] so I have taken a leaf out of Vix's book and put an order in with Superdrug for toiletries we were getting low on. Part of that is a very reasonably priced pot of pink stuff you comb through your hair...it can be washed out, but will provide a suitable stopgap temporary measure until I can get it done professionally again. Phew!

Arilx

7 comments:

  1. As I'm trying to go without bread etc at the moment I will give the brownie recipe a go, thanks.
    Briony
    x

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    Replies
    1. They are quite fragile, but they were better than expected. Arilx

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  2. Hooray for free stuff! My neighbours keep asking when I'm going to put more books out, talk about pressurising me to read more quickly.
    I remember doing something similar with lipstick way back when I was a Jackie reader, too. I can't live without blusher, either.
    Chickpeas and brownies aren't things I'd normally associate, I wonder who came up with that idea?
    Do you get excited about placing an order and waiting for it to arrive? I'm waiting for a couple of things at the moment. xxx

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    Replies
    1. I do get excited at receiving things...I finally spent all the Christmas money my clients gave me as a present all in one go...am collecting my booty on Saturday. Am a chazza shopper but not nearly as often as I used to be and beyond food shopping I rarely buy much. I now know you can make cake with black beans too. Arilx

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    2. You can also do cakes using tinned black beans too apparently. Arilx

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  3. I've done no more cleaning, no more reading, no more crafting. I'm just trying to "be."

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    Replies
    1. You have to do what works for you...my anxiety means it's better if I'm doing things to allow me to become absorbed and quieten my worrying brain! Arilx

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