The Thrifty Times Issue Two

So it's been another week of regular cleaning and some deep cleaning in areas that I only do on a very occasional basis [basically where the dirt is out of sight behind things or high up😀] in the mornings as I gradually work my way around GBT. We have the delight that is the freezer coming up next! There's not been much sorting per se, but glory of glories I did unearth two filthy teaspoons, one sticky skewer and the pastry brush which went M.I.A last year sometime when I pulled out the cooker....every cloud has a silver lining I guess and we're now officially a two pastry brush household now!!

One of the things I have been hot on is proper food storage and "stock"  rotation...I use the term loosely as we basically have a shelf of stuff! My newly made net bags have been pressed into action for keeping the potatoes and onions aerated in the garage and Mr GBT wrapped the apples in rescued brown paper...I knew that plastic tray that comes with the Chinese takeaway would come into its own one day!

On the food front I've happily been substituting stuff in our meals....tinned pineapple rather than fresh apples in our lentil curry....leek tops instead of an onion....table salt rather than our posh rock salt. I'd been hoping to make our first ever roast cauliflower this weekend, but there was none available so I shall have a crack at that later on. I make a rough menu plan with a couple of alternative ideas thrown in then we don our "Ready, Steady, Cook" heads and see what the local shop actually has in so that we can adapt as needed. It takes the pressure off a little and by increasing our order with the milkman it means we have to only venture out once a week. We are completely bypassing the big supermarkets and have found the staff in our two local corner shops to be extremely polite and helpful under trying circumstances. It does cost a bit more than the supermarket, but it is considerably less stressful. I have completely stopped snacking between meals so am eating less and have lost weight anyway.

My current obsession has been watching our solar panel thingy...when it reaches a certain level it means we are generating our own free leccy so I bung on the washing machine and then get it out drying on the line as soon as it's finished. You can't beat that smell of air dried laundry and we've never had a tumble drier [nor a dishwasher either for that matter].

As is the case for many there's been a spot of making going on aside from the heart I showed yesterday. The parsnip wine has now cleared and I've been doing alternative bakes of flapjacks and chocolate crunchies [I use black treacle in the first and cocoa in the latter to cut the sweetness]. Neither need flour which you can't get for love nor money in these parts and although I do have some I want to use it wisely. Mr GBT has also done a spot of experimentation with making French Fries....TYM has had an issue with the texture of tatties since he was little, but these oven cooked offerings disappeared down the hatch with no problem!

Then there's the mending bit....I've cleared and tidied the airing cupboard so whilst it was empty Mr GBT grabbed the opportunity to nail some of the wooden shelves back down. One of those silly little jobs he'd meaning to do for ages. Meanwhile I emptied the water out of the dehumidifier to top up the ironing water and once I'd finished Mr GBT tackled the sorry looking cover for it....we cobbled together a replacement from an old duvet cover I'd saved with bits of elastic I'd removed from a garment at some point in time [I keep similar things together so we know where to find them if they are needed] It doesn't look quite so disgraceful now! We've both done a bit of mending and that's Mr GBT sewing up the huge hole in his old work trousers pocket....now is not the time for him to have his house keys fall out of it and lose them!  I repurposed the cardboard box from my eco ball as a dispenser for all the cut up old teatowels a client gave to me a few weeks ago which we use instead of kitchen paper. I keep them under the sink and kitchen paper upstairs so we don't just use it out of habit.

Aside from that I am making sure I take a bit of time out [not easy when you aren't good at sitting doing nothing or feel guilty if you're not being productive during the day]. However, I've designated the slot after lunch until supper for catching up on online stuff, speaking to friends, napping if needed or doing a quiet bit of sewing/craft work. Am currently adding some detail to a cardigan I don't often wear which I hope will mean I bring it into circulation more.  It is also important for me to appreciate the small details and notice the good stuff that's happening. My Mum dropped off a bag of lovely scarves at the weekend when they were out getting food that she no longer wants. I have been given first dibs and will pass on the ones I don't want. It was a real treat to select these lovelies and I look forwards to being able to start wearing them over the coming days.

That's all folks!

Arilx