Friday 10 January 2014

Everyday Stuff ....Everyday Finds ... And Making Every Penny Count..


Hello there ...

things seem to have calmed down a bit here ... just the normal ... hum drum ... daily stuff.

Why is it I always feel January 'has to be got through' ... 
such a dreary long month .... 

Anyway ...



Chickens are coming to a bit .... feathering up and looking a bit brighter.



Hubby P thinks they are better fed than him ... he's just whinging because I insisted they be fed before he could have his toast.

I made them some nice warm mash from the vegetable peelings (boiled up .. and nice and warm) ... to this I added a handful of oats to dry it off ... and a spoonful of the mush that is 'waste' from my juicer (fruit and veg ...so nice and sweet).



I mixed in a bit of this ... its the egg shell I have saved .. washed and baked in the oven (just when its on anyway) .. and crushed up fine. 
With the chickens being inside on deep litter (and not being able to forage) it helps give them the grit they need.




They tuck in ... I had a quiet word ... how an egg or two would be appreciated.

~~~~~~

I think one of the reasons January seems so long is the lack of ready cash ... 
The way we work means we have no regular weekly wage .. no monthly salary on a certain day ... no Social Security Benefits ...
its up to us to make what we can where we can....
and these cold dreary months ... well .. lets face it ... no one is buying much.

So Every Penny Counts .... 
and thank goodness for the stores we gathered in ... in the good months.

Thinking of what to make for tea ... what did I have in the cupboards ...



Well the leeks looked nice and fresh in the garden .. so I dug up a few of those.



So fresh they positively zing!
I still have half a sack of spuds ... a drizzle of cream (yes from Christmas ... just beginning to thicken and smell a little cheesy)..



And some of this lovely clean white duck fat (from the Duck we had at New Year).
So ... saute leeks and potatoes in a dollop of duck fat ... add a bit of stock ... and you have a nice leek and potato soup ... I blitzed with the magic wand and added the cream ... umm lovely.



I had a good sort out in the freezer whilst I was at it ... 
just to see what was left ...
it give me an idea of what meals we could have this week.

I pulled out some cheese ... if you remember I had a good deal on cheese just before Christmas ... I put half in the freezer ... so now when I need some good tasty protein .. its there to be had.



So tonight's tea  ... leek and potato soup.. and I made some nice 'very rustic-y' cheese scones which we can slather with butter.
Should do us nicely ... 
we had meat last night ... I'm trying to wean us off meat every night ... although I will hold my hand up and say .. we do enjoy meat.



Talking of 'every penny counting'....
the house looks like a Chinese laundry again.

When we cleared the caravan the other day (and the van broke down)...
there were lots of clothes and bedding to take away ... the owners of the van had taken what they wanted ... I suppose if you have a holiday home ... all set up so that you don't need to pack anything when you want to slip away for a weekend ... you have two lots of everything ...
Anyway ... bags and bags of good quality clothes and bed linen ... and all damp because the roof blew off... and it was raining ... a bit!
So I have been drying it around the fire ...



and bagging it up again.
We will put it all out for sale on Sunday ... as you know people are always looking for good quality clothes at reasonable prices ... ours will be super cheap .. we need to move stock on. 
And that's partly how .. hopefully this week we will make some money.

Do you find all this stuff boring?

~~~~~~

Find of the week .... 



This linen panel was found wrapped around an old piece of machinery .. all greasy and yucky.
I very nearly binned it as an old rag ... well i suppose it is an old rag really. 
My eye was drawn to the nice vintage-y blue colour and I spotted the sailing ships.


I gave it a bit of a soak and a wash ... it was Hubby P that noticed ... it was/is in fact a whaling scene. The men in the little boats have harpoons and are hunting the whales.




What an unusual piece ... I don't know what it was used for ... maybe it was part of a table covering ... its un hemmed.

Interesting as a piece of social history ... nowadays we are quite rightly appalled at the hunting of such lovely creatures .. but in the Victorian era it was this industry that kept the pretty oil lamps lit throughout England.
Well ... I was unsure what to do with it ... so its on ebay ... hopefully someone somewhere will know exactly what to do with it... and it will raise a few pennies.

Anyway enough !

 ... a long post again ... gosh I can chat on .. and on!

~~~








28 comments:

  1. Loving that whaling scene x. Hubby is self employed so no earnings over Christmas so after the extravagance of Christmas everything is a bit boring and flat

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    1. Flat is the word .. some sunshine would be nice ... x

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  2. I love reading your blog - it's definitely not boring xx that whaling scene is gorgeous x I HATE January with a passion.

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    1. Yes the whaling scene is nice ... nice to have as a hanging on a wall ... if you have the space ... not that I havex

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  3. I love your blog but only started reading recently. Where do you sell your treasures?

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    1. Hi Catherine .. we sell around and about Anglesey mostly at carboot sales ... they tend to be more like a market .. it gives us a living .. and we do a bit of ebay too.
      Hope you enjoy the blog.x

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  4. I never get bored of your blog posts, in fact out of the blogs I follow and read, I look forward mostly to seeing a 'new' post in my inbox from you..keep em coming.. :)
    AFM x

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  5. Lovely post, and snap I made leek and potato soup and used up some ood cream, I also slung in 1/2 parsnip and 3 sticks of oap celery, it was delicious. The rest will be for tomorrow as a sauce once I have reduced/thickened it poured over pasta and sprinkled with cheese. Not boring at all.

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  6. I could read your post all day and I must confess since i just found you a few shorts months back I have gone back and read ALL yourr posts, thats how much I enjoy them, I think you could teach us all, you need to write a book, you treat the chickens so well, they are very lucky, best of luck at tomorrows sale, that soup and biscuits made me soooo hungry!!!!

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  7. I do not find you boring at all. Keep the posts coming. I'm trying to 'embrace' January and am doing well so far. The gloom has not yet set in.
    Love from Mum
    xx

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  8. Absolutely not boring at all..just like chatting with a good friend about all of the daily things in our lives. I absolutely love to see all of your finds..I am a pack rat at heart!

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  9. PS Those chickens do eat very well! Has he taken a bite of it to see if he likes it?

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  10. I always enjoy your posts even though I do not usually comment.

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  11. I'm a new reader of your blog having just found it a few days ago. I so appreciate reading how you do things day-to-day to save money. I'm trying to do the same thing and have found your posts very encouraging. I hope to learn more from you.

    Thanks,
    Sandra
    tea and simplicity

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  12. I've been reading you blog for a few years now. I use a feed reader and quickly scroll through most blogs, but your blog is one of the 3 or 4 that I always make time to sit and read properly.
    I wish I could persuade my husband to be as thrifty with food as you are by freezing, bulk buying and preparing. The meals you make look delicious. But hubbie is the cook, I work. If I had to cook day in day out we'd live on poached egg on toast and weetabix.

    You post are anything but boring. A bit of thrifty, cooking, crafting and Anglesey. It's my idea of heaven.

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  13. I love reading your posts. January is far too long a month.. Always a make do and mend kind of month. Cheese scones with soup are a winner here, they make a lovely change to bread. I hope the chickens start laying soon, you will be able to have lots of eggy dishes on the menu or to help with the cash flow you might get a few to sell or trade.
    Love the whaling picture, I do hope you manage to sell it on.
    Have a lovely weekend.
    Karen xx

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  14. I love your blog and look forward to new posts. It's never boring!

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  15. Don`t ever think your blog is boring!
    It`s always interesting to hear how other people live and make ends meet. Buying and selling on can be fascinating. You never know what might turn up. I hope you do well with the old whaling fabric.

    Your chickens look so healthy and contented. I hope they start laying again soon! The days are getting longer. Always a good sign!

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  16. I think your blog is great! I'd love to buy the linen panel off ebay but haven't been able to find it. What's it titled as? I can search for it then.
    Pleased to see the chickens are looking so well and eggs will come soon I'm sure
    KJ x

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    1. Hi Katie .. thanks for visiting .. if you click on the My Ebay link on the rh side (just below the About Me bit) of my page .. it should take you to my ebay.
      x

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    2. Thanks I found it, and some very attractive teapot earrings too!!
      KJ x

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  17. I too have had not very much cash in from the two weeks before Christmas and this month is getting worse by the day , starting my business in September was a real risk but we will manage like you i have a stock of food that will last us until the end of January if we are careful , most days are no spend days at the moment , i wish i had vegetables from my garden like you , have you any advice for me on what seeds to buy as both your leeks and potatoes look great , do the puond shop seeds do well or is it best to buy better quality , eileen x

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    1. Hi Eileen .. thanks for leaving a comment. Its nice to know I am interesting people and not just waffling on. The potatoes I just bought .. good deal on a sack.. as for seeds . I have found the cheapie ones in Lidl are just fine ..
      Best of luck with the buisness.
      x

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  18. You are certainly not boring! Why not invest in a clothes horse on a pulley, as we know heat rises. I have mine attached to the kitchen ceiling, directly above the radiator. I've also gone back to a twin- tub washer too. I do a fair bit of hand washing and its so handy when I just need to use the spinner. It is made from plastic but I've had it over 2yrs now and its ideal just for the two of us. Love your blog. Carol.

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  19. Hi Carol .. I would dearly love a clothes horse on a pulley but our ceilings are just not high enough living as we do in a tiny welsh cottage. The lads regularly hit the lamp shades and set them a swinging .. lads too out grew the house! And we have no radiators ... just the one woodburning stove .. so we make the most of it to warm us and dry the washing.
    Its nice to hear from you .. and share our frugal journey.
    x

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  20. I must say I love it when you chatter on, I grab a coffee and it's as though we're chattering in the same room :-)

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