Silent sunday..simple homegrown pleasures.

10P curtains and Happy pictures

I needed curtains for my attic room (i had a pair of pillowcase type ones up but they where so insipid they made everything look insipid , (i will reuse this gifted material elsewhere) The colour didn't go and just looked odd. I have been helping declutter my mums house and she had some perfect chintz material she was throwing out..err no that will fit my attic room windows I'm sure! Drag out the hand crank and 1 hour later i have new curtains that look stunning (well I'm pleased!) and only cost about 10p in cotton. I have to also put a few pictures of my attic room and machine just because i think wooh we saved for this all ourselves on a 19k income , 5 person family after being rejected for a remortgage as apparently we couldn't afford the repayments according to them .seems like one in the eye for our bank, because we paid for it in cash 30k and saved lords knows how much in interest and years by not having a remortgage..ha ha ha i laugh in your face bank! You did us a huge favour Thanks!

Hunkering down ready for winter..and its not even summer yet

Terrified of the increase in gas and eletric rates..despite cutting back a lot and swapping to cheapet provider..its still costing us more our last bill was £450 for gas for the 3 months over winter..im hoping to off set this cost by having more food stores in thus lower food bills..this week ive dried mushrooms..in the traditional way by threading them onto cotton and hanging to dry..takes about a week..i also have plans for our 91 !! tomatoe plants as well as the leeks, onions, coureggtees etc etc etc lol..i think i may be busy in a few months drying stuff out! Boiler is still broken a man is coming to look at it, themostat has gone i beleive..wonder ho wmuch that is going to cost?!

Carrot and potato cake..wartime recipe number 2

Potato and carrot cake feeds 4

3 large potatoes
2 large carrots
1 stock cube
2 tablespoons of rough oats
2 teaspoons of mixed dried herbs
butter and milk
Optional..1 onion and handful of coriander

Peel chop and boil potatoes , add milk and butter to make a mash set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to gas mark five
Grate carrots into a frying pan, add enough water to cover, crumble stock cube , add herbs and if you wish some coriander and an onion (the stock cube, onion and coriander was additional to this traditional wartime recipe..the rest is authentic)
Boil for about 10 mins in the pan..allow to cool slightly and add the porridge oats to the mix.

Paper or use tin foil to cover your baking tray, layer down half of the mashed potato and flatten, add the carrot mixture on top, then layer the last of the mashed potato on top totally covering the carrot mix. Bake in oven for 20-30 mins until crisp and golden
Works well with baked beans or green vegetables and gravy

War time ration foods

In a bid to be even more frugal i found this blog sometime ago 1940sexperiment.wordpress.com/100-wartime-recipes/

Ive decided im going to attempt to try them all starting with this one http://1940sexperiment.wordpress.com/2013/03/17/carrot-roll-no-108/

wish me luck lol..hopefully will have some nice frugal yet nutricious new recipies to add to my fiddle

Free cinema tickets.

I love going to the cinema but wow its just sooo dear! Like really dear we can't afford £21 to go! Then theres popcorn, sweets drinks and a baby sitter. So we have been thinking outside the box so to speak..Now im sure most people take snacks to the cinema..we do! We do have the odd baby sitter sometimes in exchange for (last time my old blackberry ! this time a little bit of cash and some unwanted beauty things i won as part of a bigger package)
BUt recently we have only been going to the omg really want to see it films on Orange wednesdays as hubby is with 02..so its about £9 ? and ive just discovered this https://www.showfilmfirst.com/service/ticket_order.php ..and look on mse for the pincodes and wher they are showing im now off to the for the first time totally free of charge! ..Can't get more frugal than that!
Looking forward to it , taking mumma and having a nice mum/daughter day out ,
Also this week i got a voucher for oaty drink? £10 worth of pizza vouchers and a a small bag of curry that i can bulk out for 2 with rice :D Have a great weekend all x

Competitions

I love entering competions..i find it a great way to get things that i cant otherwise afford treats..i do about 2-3 hours a day..ive won some fantastic things today i won a book, a childs comforter taggie toy, a kenwood smoothie maker and breakfast hamper and £72..this is a huge amount for me too win, i feel very lucky indeed, i only enter things id like to win and when im finished with it i pass it on..i don't have time to eneter everything anyway but it makes me happy and i think its a worthy tip to pass on..i love the prizefinder site. Heres a pic of me modeling a win of aztec style costume jewlerry for dazzlemelooks blog..such a sweet set, i also got a cool camera ring, a chain link bracelet and a stud bracelet! Lucky lucky lucky. please do excuse my very shiney natural face lol..im just wondering what do you do to cheer yourself up when money is sparce?