Simple Cushion covers

 Make Do and Mend, Sewing  12 Responses »
May 202012
 

These are the very simplest cushion covers you can make – seriously if you can sew in a straight line either by hand or by using a machine you can make these an hour or so.

There are no zips, no buttons or button holes so an ideal project if you are just starting out or are trying to get back in the swing of sewing again.

My sewing machine must have saved me thousands of pounds over the years so I believe it is well worth the investment in “acquiring” one and learning how to use it.  BTW I have two machines – one that my Mum got for her 21st birthday and the other from Freecycle.

And it is great fun to take something and turn in into something “useful or beautiful”

What a great graphic print!!!

 

These are actually a vivid bitter chocolate and lime colour – but the light is so dim today its hard to get a decent picture.

Best news – the fabric for these was a whole Pound – yup!! the fabric came from the pound rack in my favourite Charity Shop and originally they were a pair of short curtains.

Even better news – they are a gift for a certain lady on here who is moving into her very own house soon and is looking for lime green accents for her living room.  So think of these as  a MFinthree house-warming gift!!!

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Cheese scones

 Frugal Food, The Baking Tin  6 Responses »
May 202012
 

Sunday – the day when I come over all “Domestic Goddess” and pull on a pinny to bake something yummy for snacks.

What I have realised during our “Debt Free Journey” is that our food doesn’t need to be fancy (although I think by now you guys have kind of got the idea of just how much my family loves to eat) ……………. sometimes it’s the old recipes that comfort us more – the kind of stuff you Granny used to make.

And you know sometimes its got to be savoury – fluffy, flaky, cheesy and warm.  Spread with “real” butter and settled in the early summer sun with a pot of tea. (Fleece jacket still required it’s not that warm here yet)

 

So today I am using the last of some cheddar from the freezer to throw a batch of cheesy scone in the oven – this is seriously easy baking – 2 minutes to mix and 10-12 in the oven.  So you can throw these in the oven and put the kettle on and by the time your tea is brewed and the table is set you have a plate of something yummy to snack on.

Good food doesn’t need to take hours you know

So stand by your timer:

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A Frugal Indulgence

 Frugal Food, Our Daily Bread  18 Responses »
May 192012
 

You know how I “sweep” all my savings from my food budget into a Store cupboard savings account?  With the whole focus being eating great quality food without spending loads of money.

It means that when “specials” come into the shops – mince, chicken and  frozen goods I can stock up.

When I need to I have the money set aside to spend at www.approvedfood.co.uk  to buy the staples of rice, couscous, pasta, beans which we base our menu plans around.

Well this month I have treated us to a 16Kg bag of Organic Malted Granary Bread mix from these guys: Bacheldre Watermill 

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And then three came along at once……..!

 Money, money, money, Personal Development, The Challenges  41 Responses »
May 182012
 

Okay, okay! I know I have already posted today – but I really had to share this with you all.  Hope you all don’t mind?

(That’s me begging forgiveness in a totally ironic way – but you got that didn’t you?)

You know how I’m always looking for those wonderful moments when the Universe sends me a message that I am on the right track – how those little twinkles give me the spurt to keep going on all those projects that don’t give you the satisfaction of an immediate return on your time investment?

Well sometimes you wait for ages and then three come along at once!!!

Let me expand:

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Chicken Bhuna Curry

 Frugal Food, The Weekly Menu  10 Responses »
May 172012
 

So here we are – week 2 of the “Curry in a Hurry” experiment, where we are using my Indian friend, Geetha’s recipe for home made curry paste to learn how to make a whole range of home made and “cheap as chips” curries.

Chicken Bhuna was the recipe requested for this week – and I have to say, Geetha has rocked my taste-buds this week.


Even though this is made with the same paste as the Korma last week it tastes completely different.  This curry has a rich tomato gravy and is fragrant, well perfumed really with cardamon and fennel.

I can’t tell you how great my kitchen is smelling at the moment……

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TA DA Lists

 Personal Development, The Challenges  13 Responses »
May 162012
 

Just a quickie tonight – after all you have heard enough of me rabbiting on over the last few days. Also a wise old Drag Queen once told me …………. actually I can’t share that it doesn’t have a PG rating!!

Just need to share with you guys this nifty wee tool for all of us compulsive     list makers – well you know you are “compulsive” when you find yourself adding stuff you have done to the bottom of the list just so that you can have the satisfaction of ticking it off.

Go on!! Admit it – we all do it don’t we???

 

So this nifty little tool allows you to create fabby TA-DA lists  http://teuxdeux.com/

 

- but here is the challenge.

 

Can you use this tool for the next 7 days to list the TOP THREE THINGS that you need to do to move you closer to your Dreams?

I bet you can 

 

But here is the second part of the challenge

 

Can you commit to doing these three things as early in the day as possible?

These are your No 1 Important Tasks, can you so them before you get caught up on the craziness of your day?

 

If you do – I bet your progress leaps forward in the most unexpected ways over the next week.

 

So what’s going to be on your list?? Let me know.

 

 

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Is Frugal the new Black?

 Money, money, money, Personal Development  27 Responses »
May 152012
 

I’m serious – have you noticed that everyone is “doing” it these days.

(BTW when I mean “it” I mean frugal living – not “it” cos frankly we are too tired living the “frugal loca” to have any energy left for doings like that)

Frugality – once the preserve of people having no other choice or conversely the “knit your own Yurt brigade” now seems to be a lifestyle choice for all those young guys and gals about town.

So moving on from “heroin chic” (am I showing my age here??) we now have “poverty chic” …………… seriously, what a swing from Thatcher’s “Selfish Me-Me-Me Generation” who had their faults but were damn aspirational.

Now the Kudo’s go to those who spend the least.

In short, Frugality has gone mainstream…………. and I for one couldn’t be happier –  with a couple of reservations.  (C’mon – you knew there would be didn’t you?)

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Everything I learned about getting Debt Free …..

 Money, money, money, Personal Development  18 Responses »
May 142012
 

……………….. I could have learned in Kindergarten!!

Now bear with me here – trust for a moment that I have not completely lost the plot!  Well no more than usual!!

Today was day to work as a “Mummy Helper” at the toddlers play -group.  So off we went hand in hand, wellies on (well it is nearly summer here in Scotland) ready for my little boy to show me the ins and outs of his morning of independent play.

He was so proud that his Mummy was coming to help

“Because you know how to make everything right”

So no pressure then 

Such a little boy – and such powerful faith that no matter what, Mummy will make it right.

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