Normal April showers?
I took this photo a year ago. I look at the sky a lot now in an attempt to predict the weather. The sky looked a paler blue last year, today it’s been a deep blue with white clouds and April showers. We had a very wet summer last year, are we back to normal now?
Ding dong, its Saturday
I get more local readers at weekends because my blog posts are featured on ‘the yamyam’. There appears to be more and more local bloggers now and they are writing good posts. Anyway, in case any local reader is wondering, today’s picture is of King’s Hill Park, just outside Darlaston.
Thrifty Thursday scrimping
The Aldi super-six this week are braeburn apples (6), mango, kiwis (8), plums (400g), pineapple and oranges (6). They are all 69p each.That’s the same as last week. On offer today are vegetable plug packs for 1.99. Its worth considering growing some veggies in the garden this year. Salad things like lettuces, spring onions, radishes and tomatoes are reasonably easy to grow.
Thrifty ideas for Valentines Day
The super-six at Aldi this week are; savoy cabbage, mild onions (3), beetroot (500g), lemons (3), carrots (1Kg) and broccoli (350g). They are all 39p each. That’s the same as last week. I had the broccoli last week; packed with vitamin C. I like the turkey mince and that was reduced from £1.75 to £1.25, so I have a few packs of that in my freezer now. That’s quite versatile, you can make cottage pies with it or even do stir fry.
Thrifty Thursday ideas
The super-six at Aldi this week are; parsnips (500g), avocado, new potatoes (750g), button mushrooms (150g), red onions (1kg) and butternut squash. They are all 49p each. It’s cold here and it’s a good idea to cook a home made soup or stew to keep out the cold. We need a little more fat in our diets, this weather.
Shop thrifty – save money
Aldi
The Aldi Super-six this week are lemons (5), plums (500g), peppers (3), sweet potatoes (750g), conference pears (6) and red onions (750g). I must make an effort to eat more fruit. I bought a kilo of bananas (68p) on Sunday and I’ve only just started eating them. We need lots more vitamins in winter.
At least Guy Fawkes had a go
Guy Fawkes was one of the conspirators that tried to blow up the House of Lords and King James the 1st on November the 5th, 1605. The House of Lords is still there 400 years later. At least they tried. This week a house was up for sale in London for £100 millions. That’s more than last night’s Euromillions jackpot. It was a very large terraced house, leasehold of course. The land wouldn’t be sold, that is traditionally how the rich stay rich and bleed the poor dry. The Duke of Westminster must own a fair bit of land in London.
Thrifty shopping to save money
This week’s Super-Six at Aldi are oranges (6), apples (6), pineapple, plums (500g), conference pears (6) and kiwis (8), all at 69p each. They have lots of special buys for today and Sunday too. We have to shop around and try to save a few quid.
Thrifty Thursday | school holidays
I took photos in the park the other day. We used to go there as children during the summer holidays and take jam sandwiches and a bottle of water. There was a water fountain and paddling pools. The paddling pools have gone and replaced with those skateboard ramps. They protect the kids around here with speed humps and then encourage them to skateboard on those ramps. Many of the kids can’t afford skateboards round there. The council puts stuff in for themselves and their kids. The leisure centre used to be for swimming, now it’s for getting a sun tan.
This week, it rained–again
Yes, it rained again this week. Will it ever stop? It did go sunny briefly one evening and I took a few photos. I changed this one to monochrome for some reason. The weather is causing a few problems here in England, gardeners and window cleaners don’t like it very much. The weather doesn’t discriminate though, everyone gets wet, rich and poor, tall and short. I do think stupid people do tend to get wetter than smart people though. Well, they like to watch tennis at Wimbledon, smart people watch it on the TV. Really smart people, read a book. Some people are even reading that 50 shades of Grey. Are they smart or stupid? They are probably just bored, have boring lives and want a bit of excitement between the pages… (more…)
Feeding a family on a budget
I read an article some time ago about feeding a family of four on 60 pounds a week. I thought, I can do better than that! The eggs, chips and peas in the picture cost about 50p to cook. If every meal was as frugal as that, it would be easy! The big problem is that kids can be so fussy and so you do have to present the food in an attractive way for the children. My eggs and chips are multi-coloured; white, yellow, green and red makes it look quite attractive! (more…)
Thrifty Thursday | Bargains
My bargain this week comes from this website and can save you up to £25 when you spend £80 at Matalan. I found some stuff I wanted but the jeans were out of stock in my size. Remember too they have really good home ware stuff as well as clothes. I like the Easy brand in the clothes and you can’t have enough tee shirts. The Pierre Cardin boxer shorts are 2 for £10, with the discount off they are a really good buy. Last time I was in Matalan I bought rice bowls for a pound each. They have bargains on hats and sunglasses too. I want a linen hat from there. (more…)
Thrifty Thursday | surviving the recession
I went to Aldi yesterday in search of a few bargains. I particularly wanted fruit and veg, I had run out after the long Bank Holiday. Recent research has implicated infections as the cause of even more serious diseases and so it’s important to get vitamins and minerals. I think antioxidants like vitamin C are important. I managed to get broccoli, for 49p; that’s usually on offer. I also have the grapes, 1.29 for 500 grams. I find that there isn’t a great choice of meat and often the shelves need restocking. I do pass Asda on the way back though and so could pop in there too. I have a few things from Asda (more…)
Thrifty Thursday | Summer savings
This week my phone bill with TalkTalk was reduced to just under 18 pounds. They offered me the reduction if I agreed to renew my contract for another 18 months. It’s usually just over 25 pounds for broadband (40 Gb), line rental, calls 24/7 and international calls to countries around Europe, the USA and Australia. They advertise 60 pounds a year off, if I pay my line rental a year in advance too and so I’ll check that offer out on the website. Another saving of five pounds a month has got to be worth looking at. (more…)
Thrifty Thursday | Credit cards.
Sometimes it can be useful to borrow money, but paying interest goes against the grain for us thrifty and frugal ones. A credit card can be useful for emergencies, but borrowing on one can also be useful for small investments. I have to buy some food in bulk and so need a freezer. If my freezer broke down and needed to be replaced, I would consider buying a new one using a credit card. There are some that have a interest free introductory period like the Barclaycard Platinum purchase card that offers an interest free period for 15 months and balance transfers with a 2.9% fee, but the interest rate is 18.9%, so make sure it’s paid off within the 15 month period! (more…)
Thrifty Thursday | Rising prices
The reason for todays picture is I’m thinking about transport. When the government in the UK does quantitative easing (printing money) commodity prices like oil go up. Oil is used for transport and gas is used for heating and making electricity; so all our basic costs go up. Prices on the stock markets have been taking a battering in the past few weeks and the Eurozone crisis has deepened; we just have to be thrifty and frugal and try to weather the storm. (more…)
Thrifty | Spend less on VAT?
A lot of what we spend goes on VAT and even more on various duties on tobacco, fuel and alcohol. I read somewhere that some of the worst drivers in the UK are here, where I live in the West Midlands. We eat while we drive, drive without shoes and have other weird driving habits it seems. I read this morning of the worst speeding offending areas and we weren’t even in the top ten. I drive now to save on fuel and that means driving smoothly in the highest gear that is appropriate. It seems a speeding conviction can also cost around £200 when you have paid the fine, costs and your insurance has been increased. (more…)
Thrifty | Food and essentials
I read about the Black Country Food Bank this morning that distributes food to people who are referred by doctors or various agencies. Food banks get the food from the stock piles of the European Union and also donations. They have food stamps in the US too and I have a particular dislike for schemes that treat our citizens as charitable cases. They are necessary but in wealthy countries they make us realise that there is a deep divide between rich and poor. Many people need this food because they have to pay exorbitant council tax, television licence and even rents for social housing is taking up a large chunk of many people’s income. (more…)
Thrifty | Easter bargains
Easter
Easter starts tomorrow with Good Friday and many people will have tomorrow off and will set off for Easter break destinations this afternoon. Many will try to get through the rush hour traffic and make it much worse today. I will be staying away from the M6 motorway today! I have been comparing a few prices this week. There is a big variation in the price of meat per kilo in the UK. (more…)
Thrifty Thursday | Famous Names
Salad
It has gone quite warm in England this week with temperatures over 15C. This means I can eat salads and save on fuel bills! I did this sardine salad with chips and peas. The sardines were 38p a tin from Aldi, I bought 5 tins to stock up. My young friend said they would be no good because they weren’t a famous name; he also prefers the more expensive Tesco to Aldi. Just because a product has a famous name or comes from a supermarket that has built an image by spending our money in advertising doesn’t mean the product is any better. This particularly applies to things like eggs and bananas! (more…)
Thrifty Thursday | Fresh, frozen or tinned?
Fresh
I find fresh fruit, vegetables and meat in the discount supermarkets but you should try outdoor markets too when you’re searching for bargains. This week I found grapes at 1.25, down from 1.99 and fresh vegetables to make a chicken stew. I also bought fresh chicken on offer for 1.99 a kilo and I had 400 grams of diced lean pork for just 1.34. The pork will make a nice stir fry later if I add rice, bean sprouts, soy sauce and 5 spice! I’ll add some finely chopped red onion to my stir fry too. I bought a basil plant that I now keep on my windowsill that adds a fresh flavour to soups and stews now. (more…)
Thrifty Thursday | Changing times
Aldi
I went to Aldi again this week in search of few bargains! They sell Bank’s beer in my local Aldi which is a popular beer around this neck of the woods. I see the guys buy a few bottles which is very different from years ago when they would go to the pub for a few pints. Pubs keep closing down or going up market and serving meals. Some are showing sport as people go to sporting events less and prefer to watch them on TV. Men certainly seem to spend more time at home rather than in the pub. (more…)
Finance Friday | Budgeting
Budget 2012
I learned this morning how many people read my blog and in which countries; I was surprised to learn in how many different countries. I have to be honest there were a few, that were unfamiliar! In the UK, later this month, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will present his budget for the coming year. We too have to budget and be careful with our money wherever we live in the world. This is a matter of understanding money and setting priorities; essentials are more important that luxuries and then keeping proper accounts. (more…)
Thrifty | Comparing Prices
Aldi
I went to Aldi in search of bargains again this week. I usually go there first but went on the way home forgetting they closed early. You really need plenty of time to search for bargains and 10 minutes wasn’t enough. I still got chicken and eggs at a better price than the larger supermarkets. (more…)
