Monday 23 March 2015

Baking

Welcome to Edith and Susan via Bloglovin and Undomestic Diva via here.

We have just had a lovely short but sweet weekend with DS and DDL plus dogs. The house is slowly getting sorted, i.e. washing bedding, borrowed dog cage has gone back, ironing is getting done etc.

We have just worked out how much we have spent on food and toiletries last month and it has totalled £110, which is £50 less than normal. Some of that can be put down to using up stores, freezer etc but also, we have paid greater attention to creating menu and shopping lists and sticking to them. We still have some meals that can be used from the freezer but are once again, beginning to eek out one meal to become two, which puts one into the freezer for later use.

I'm hoping to make some curry and chilli this week, both of which will provide meals on the day plus more for the freezer but I need to buy some more freezing containers as we are running out.

A few seeds of tomato, pepper and chilli, have been sown on the heated propagator base and seedlings should be emerging soon although we think the peppers may be too old but shall see:
Two loaves of bread have been baked (brown and spelt this time) and our first malt loaf:
It looks a little short in height as I only made 1/2 the recipe to trial it. Once cold, it has to be wrapped and left for a few days before we can try it!

Yesterday was such a lovely relatively warm day but today the wind is back to its usual biting self. I'm trying to get out into the garden to weed but so far, am not having much luck.

8 comments:

  1. Well done on saving money, I am trying to stick to £120 a month for 3 of us inc toiletries, but like you I have a good store x

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    1. Mine is a bit depleted now so we'll see how things go this month.

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  2. Glad you've had a lovely weekend away. Hope the happy couple and the dogs are all well.
    Well done on the grocery budget. I've been menu planning and writing a shopping list today ready for J getting paid on Thursday - I'm not fit for much else today. There's barely anything on the shopping list, so I'm hoping to come in under £50 this month including bird food and chicken manure!

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    1. I'm not surprised after your busy weekend, hope you can rest a bit this week. Chicken manure isn't exactly cheap but one tub will do us two or more years.

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  3. Planning is the key to keeping food costs down. I've managed to stick to £110 roughly a month. But this month is higher because I've done a store cupboard shop. Replenishing things that are needed to make a meal etc. My tomato seeds took two weeks to germinate but the peppers took a month. They are just in the conservatory. Both are doing very well now.

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    1. I have been planning now for quite a while just trying to keep it tight if you see what I mean. Shopping tomorrow including topping up cupboard, will see how April pans out. Guess I need to be patient on the pepper front.

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  4. Well done upon your savings DC, you can send that malt loaf my way if you require a taste tester ;-)
    John

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    1. Ha, it is going to be hard waiting so I hope it is worth it!

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