I wish i could embroider like this

I Wanted to keep them all 

Some pretty jewellery too 

xxxx

Other health issues

OH Not again , I had to have a chest Xray for a persistent cough and throat clearing and the doctor rang earlier saying that they want to do a further scan as one side of my diaphragm is higher than the other , I don't know what this means and i am not going to google it but i was feeling really happy with the no MS Diagnosis, Oh well its a waiting time again.

 So i am going to concentrate on buying stuff from jumble sales Auctions etc to take my mind of it in the meantime , These are this weeks finds.

  

XXXX 

Help

Most of everything i do is very frugal but there are some things that i need help with and this is one of them , My CPAP machine has a water compartment in it that i have to fill with boiled cooled water but it has to be sterilised , I have found the cheapest steriliser at poundland  but i wondered if any of you know of a cheaper alternative , It is hard plastic so cannot be immersed in hot water , I have already been told off for needing a new part of my mask in the last month twice as its flimsy plastic and had developed a hole, plus its and almost 2 hour round journey to fetch any parts so i will need to be careful but any ideas would be appreciated.

This weeks food bargains are from sainsubury's 

The mincemeat was 45p and the lemon rind amazing 7p. The mincemeat will be saved until next Christmas.    

The lemon rind i used some of it with lemon juice and rind i had in the freezer to make a lemon drizzle cake.

I only get reduced items if i am there and they are available , I don't make a special journey , In one of our local papers it says people have been fighting , Have you seen any of this behaviour. The comments button on all blogs at the moment is taking a long while to go through but it does go through so please don't let it put you off   

XXXX

The first jumble sale of the New Year

Some people get excited about going shopping for clothes and household items Others get excited about going to the cinema or days out , 
I get really get  Excited about  Jumble Sales and car boots , Especially in the new year as there have been none since the beginning of December.  

Today's Jumble sale is  usually only good for clothes as they have a Dealer in before the jumble starts.  But was lucky enough to get this tapestry vanity case complete with keys  and original label for £1.00 and an oil on board signed painting for 50p 

Some brand new books for 50p each to sell. 

Today's frugal  bake is minced beef and onion pie I like to share my bakes if i remember.

 In the beginning of my blog i used to do this all the while , 
One of the blog posts i did was a step by step blog on how to make good pastry as this is my speciality  ,
 Its  good to share as it triggers thoughts in other bloggers out there and influences there blog posts.  So today's bake uses my pastry skill.
The minced beef i used was from three packs i bought reduced to £1.89 each pack

I dry fried it initially with onions,separated it into three portions each pack so i had nine portions in the freezer and used the scraps of pastry out of the freezer that was saved until there is enough to make something,I class this as free pastry as its already been costed in the original bake,so the pie cost £1.00 and there are four portion's at 25p each plus the cost of the veg and gravy.

I rolled it out using wholemeal flour to add extra crunch.

A Day in my frugal life

I tend to take the way i live for granted and forget to share it, So this is a typical frugal day for me ,
 I usually wake up around 8 am but depending on the problems with my sleep pattern due to my apnea it can be as late as 9 it depends how many times i wake up in the night , Even wearing a cpap machine does not stop all the non breathing episodes and some days i wake up extremely tired but i am describing a good day.

On Thursday i made a Swiss roll , One of the reasons i decided to do this is because  of the price of butter  It's  alarming, 
So at the moment  i am seeking more recipes that don't include it at all , I really don't like baking with margarine ,
The fat less bakes are   More healthier too.

Sorry i forgot to take the photo before it was almost eaten.

  

The trimmings and one thin slice i kept back  formed the base of the trifle i made for Sunday tea.

I re use the plastic zipper bags washing them in the fresh washing up water before i do the dishes and leave them to try on the draining board over a glass.

   

Two of the local library's have closed down so i had to go to the next town to get some books.

I had a large piece of beef in the freezer that we hadn't used over Christmas

    

 So i slow cooked it and sliced it thinly and there was enough for four meals for the two of us , Eight  individual portions and a couple of sandwiches , we had some for Sunday dinner and i made some Yorkshire puddings  which the spare also went in the freezer. 

   

A tip to get your puddings to rise well is use skimmed milk as its lighter and heat your pans on the top of the stove until the oil is sizzling before transferring to the oven to cook.

I also made some scones for Tea

As i was in a baking mood i made three scone based pizza's with wholemeal flour for the freezer.

Using the tomato sauce that i always have in the freezer made out of over ripe tomatoes that i never throw away, Add Onion, tomato puree and mixed herbs , It also can be used for pasta dishes.

Then i recovered the ottoman to match the new bedroom with some fabric i managed to get for 20p from a jumble sale. 

So as you have now probably gathered the new bedroom is now blue and white    

XXXX