Prep for Monday... Tomorrow is a shopping day!

Am off to a place I hardly ever go to tomorrow due to being a witness at the magistrates court. I intend on fleecing the area for bargains! It is also a shopping day or if I am held up it will be Tuesday.

New rules for shopping are to list in specially purchased notebook all items purchased over the month - I have a £160 budget per month for food and household items for the gorgeous one and I. Thus us for breakfast, lunch, dinner and tea plus weekend food for Biggles the owl lover, and cat food for the moggs (2).  I have a small list of essentials to purchase: self raising flour, chicken breasts, bread flour, yeast, oil, cat food, sausages ( if on special offer) cheese ( if on special offer) pizza ( if on special offer) coconut milk ( if on special offer - an indulgence I love Thai style food) tortilla wraps, apple juice, moisturiser ( cheap for me) veg, potatoes, fruit etc  Otherbargains also much appreciated and very welcome. I shall however keep my receipt and tot it all up in a little book!  Balancing spending on food over the month so that I do not go over my budget of £160.

Living in the country in the far northern provinces of Englandshire the closest supermarkets are not great - Sainsburys, - too expensive mostly but occaisionally worth a trawl for kids clothes, Morrisons - a fall back I suppose -some bargains to be hadif all else fails,  Lidl and Iceland - to be watched closely for staples such as chook, pork, mince- Lidl special offers are supreme eg COFFEE Gold Blend - £4 huge jar and they sell the cheapest bread flour I can find. Icing sugar - for fun things!! Mustn't forget! Will tell you how I get on!

Ahhhhhhhhhh Sundays!!!

Lazy Sundays never are in a frugal household - there is always penny pinching to be done! I hoover less and sweep more these days  as its better for you, better for the environment as no use of power and no use of electricity so no cost all round!. I still do hoover but much less! Suits me fine - Not a house work type person anyway - My house is hygienic and nothing will make you ill but I certainly do not keep up with the Jones'. Having had an OCD mother so totally focused on her mantra of  ''a place for everything and everything in its place'' and on a one woman mission to rid the world of crumbs I have rebelled. I am very chill about houses and prefer them to be 'homes' brimming with signs of use, activity, life not bland show homes where you feel too creased to be part of the perfect picture. ( Please don't get me started on show homes) I feel very little cannot be cleaned with some bicarb, disinfectant and washing up liquid. The cheapest eco stuff abounds and is sufficient for my needs. I only do full loads of washing and wash whats' necessary - It was OK in the 70s to  do this and we have survived. 30 degrees,  half the amount of soap powder will normally do. Soap powder - non bio- bought on special offer in triplicate or at least duplicate. My bargain was two boxes of 25 wash fairy non bio for 3.99 each. In my world that's more like 70 washes at least all in.
(OK OK I admit to cheap toilet cleaner too)


So Sunday frugal housework then frugal cooking of cheap chicken breast still on the bone with skin, pots, carrots, peas, some onion, home made gravy and white sauce. I fail when it comes to Yorkshire puddings - I am unable to bake a decent light Yorkshire that has risen. I cheat and buy cheap. I must do something about this and make ones own. I just need an idiot proof recipe with detailed instructions written for a Yorkshire making biff! Will also prepare carrots  and fruit for the freezer. Everything in my book can be frozen pretty much and made into soups, pies, cakes, curry's, sorbet, jus, smoothies.....And a full freezer works less and as such saves money - same principle with the fridge. Keep it full and it will keep cooler easier - less space to cool down and things hold temperatures   - or so I am told . Please feel free to correct me with you frugal tips.
All in I would estimate around two pounds per person - not bad at all for Sundays Dinner. Lidl is a dream super market!!!