Tuesday 12 November 2013

Frugal drive week 2

Week one was a big success, I managed to spend only £20 for the whole week. Week two has started with a food shop spend of £15 and I have enough ingredients for a weeks food. The strange thing is that with a bit of planning and a good shopping list I have ended up eating far far better, like a king in fact, than I did when bad habits drew me into random shopping. I think because I have planned to actually cook something at a specific time, I just get on and do it, where as without the plan I tend to just grab whatever I can that is easy. The results have been a batch of scones and pear and ginger muffins in the tin and some absolutely delicious meals that have cost me next to nothing. Roll on week two.

The weather is promising today so I will get on and carry on digging the new bed in the garden. It is looking a right mess at the moment, these things always look an awful lot worse before they start looking better. That is why I have left it until November to do, as the garden is looking tired anyway.


This is where I'm up to so far, as you can see, just a bloody great big hole. Eventually the bed will carry on right to the back wall in a, hopefully, perfect arc. That stone was the biggest thing you can ever imagine to dig out, I can barely lift it!
My method is to double dig then put the turf back in at the bottom. Cover the lot up and then put plenty of manure and soil improver on top and let the worms do their work over winter. I'll probably cover the bed with something as last year when I dug a new bed and left it the cats had a field day thinking it was a brand new huge litter tray. I might get some of the plants that are suitable for planting out at this time of year in like roses but for the most part the bed will just be left until next spring planting can start.

8 comments:

  1. Completely agree that planning meals ahead saves a lot of money, and for me, saves a lot of wasted food as well. I know what you mean about the garden looking worse before it can look better. I live in Alberta, Canada, and put small perennials in, versus large to save money, yet in our climate it can take years for them to fill out! A wonderful eccentric, and very frugal, great aunt of mine, used to go around to all the great country houses to visit and would take a slip from this, and a slip from that. She'd then get back to her Suffolk cottage, let them grow legs in water in jam jars, and plant them in her amazing English Country Garden. A bit cheeky, but it didn't do any harm! She certainly never bought a seedling.

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  2. Meal planning and shopping lists certainly save a lot.
    Your garden seems to have very dark loam. Looks fertile enough to me, but compost and manure always improve things greatly.

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  3. I spend 20 quid on chicken feed alone

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    1. Well you are feeding a hell of a lot more mouths than me, john!!!

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  4. All the little extras you buy while grocery shopping, if you don't keep to a list, add up very quickly. I am sure you are eating much better. Congratulations!

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  5. Would you be willing to blog a bit about your planning and how you do it?? As a single person I have a horrible time planning things out. I would truly be interested and appreciative! :-) Oh and the timing of the cooking?? You said you planned times? So, I wonder about the schedule too. Oh, now I feel so nosy! But, I am a little, I guess, sorry!! I won't be upset if you choose not to blog about it :-) just curious because this is an area I struggle with. Thank you! Wishing you the best!

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    1. Of course I will! I am always looking for things to blog about and if I can be useful to even one person at the same time that makes it all worthwhile. It will be my next post.

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