End of the month finances.

Hello everyone,

Thanks again to everyone who dropped by yesterday. Again, almost 2000 of you clicked onto Frugal Queen and in total, since I began blogging, you have logged 4845 comments and to date, 311, 281 have logged onto the site at some time or other. You say the most complimentary things. It's the end of the month, finances are low but spirits are high. In the main, because so many of you have: stopped by, said hello and since last week, over 100 more of you have become followers. It's lovely to know who you are and would be wonderful if you read, to let me know who you are by becoming followers.

I was left some interesting advice yesterday, from using 'pop bottles' as cloches to get my plants started early, to using loo roll inners as seed starters to promote long and healthy roots. I was also asked a question by Sandy, if I knew of any ways of making hand cream or face cream. I will go back through the blogs I read as one blogger did just that. I can not suggest how to make it, but I have found the answer to Frugal beauty. A long time ago, I was recommended the Lacura beauty range at Aldi. It really is top end at bottom shelf prices. Their anti-wrinkle day cream is £1.99 and now, I'm a bit more financially safe, I also use their eye cream. I find the face cream lasts well over a month, if not two and the eye cream is just fantastic. I feel really indulgent using it, a real luxury and it smells wonderful

Pay day seems a long way off this month and we need to carry on being tight as duck's bums as we're putting away every penny for a short holiday soonish (not saying when in case you rob my house for my charity shop books!) and I'm finding the money by making further cuts on everything. Even though money is tight, everything is budgeted for. We have enough food to last well over another week, there is money for transport and every direct debit goes out on time, every month. Even by drastically over paying and snowballing, we are able to live on less and less every month. Today, thanks for Approved Foods and bargains from Lidl, we ate like kings for pennies.

Today,we had salad, with potato salad and chicken, stir fried in a sesame, spring onion and garlic sauce. Quite indulgent for us and a hefty 77p each, due mainly to the high cost of the salad. Two large Lidl chicken breasts were £1! They were on offer at £1.99 for four chicken breasts, so I bought several packs and decanted them into freezer bags and stored them for days like this. I bought three jars of stir fry sauce for £1 and 9 bottles of low fat mayonnaise for £1 and three bottles of honey and mustard salad dressing for £1. Items like sauces and condiments don't usually make their way into my shopping basket but I have a stash of goodies in my pantry because of Approved Foods.

Spciy chicken, salad with posh dressing, home made potato salad

The finished result was a belly busting plateful and as ever, for an encore, we'll eat the same again for lunch tomorrow. I'm having a great day today and really heartened by those of you who comment; drop by and become followers. However, a dear dear friend of mine in blog land and the real world is not having a good day. She/Foster Mummy  helped me through some incredibly hard times in my life, she is the most loving and genuine person I have ever met and today, she's hurting. Just as you sustained me, pop over and see her and let her know you care.

Today, she's under here. Let's make sure our love is with her.

Until tomorrow,

Froogs xxxxx

Making the most of what we have.

 Hello everyone,

Thanks again; almost 2000 visitors clicked onto Frugal Queen yesterday and lots of you have become followers. I really appreciate the comments, and always love hearing from you all. The offer is still open if anyone wants me to blog about any frugal matters in particular, and if I can help in any way, then I would be glad to. It would also be lovely if you've considered, but haven't taken the 'plunge' yet and for you to become a follower. I often wonder who reads this. It's so good to know that I'm not talking to myself.

Yesterday, I had the guided tour of Foster Mummy's vegetable garden and she's well ahead, with beds prepared and enough seedlings to share some with me. I now have a multitude of squash, sweetcorn, coriander and garlic in the greenhouse. I swear she can grow anything. I am blessed, I have a lot of time off in the summer and every weekend. Our garden is our sanctuary and where we entertain and relax. Our summer house is a great delight to us. This weekend we 'opened' it up in readiness of the warmer weather.

 It's where I complete school work when the weather is good, a lovely place for a cuppa, the afternoon play and feet up in the warm. It's such a sun trap and the deck affords the best view in the garden. I sit there, in the afternoon sun and count my blessings. I too, got some gardening done this weekend.

My polyvinyl is now nurturing: french beans, onions, radishes, chard, garlic, courgettes, salad leaves, beetroot and shallots. I will still have to bring in the tender plants into the house if there is a frost but everything else should cope. We also opened up the compost to dry it slightly before removing the composted material that's ready to use and turning the rest. I'll not buy any more containers but will use the pots, containers and bags for life that I already have. It's easy to spend money on gardening, instead there are ways to save money. Seed sharing.....do you use the whole packet? Seedlings can be swapped. My neighbours have lettuce seedling on the way for me and in return, I always have too many courgettes and will pass them onto him. I get wood ash from my neighbour and, in the little estate I live on, people who were older offered their green houses or veggie plots to people who could use them. I haven't taken up the offer yet, but the young couple who live on the cul de sac have a green house that they never use and I might ask them if I may. In return, I can pay them back in tomatoes and chillies. So readers, what do you make do with? what do you make the best of? I always enjoy hearing from you.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx

Thank you Foster Mummy for a wonderful day

 I have been really well looked after today. We went into Plymouth this morning and I went in search of some new trousers. I'm tallish at 5' 10" and managed to find only one pair of trousers to fit me in the entire city! By eleven o clock, I was delighted to be on my way to Foster Mummy's house. Shopping leaves me feeling like a freak, where nothing fits me. Even tall sections of places such as M&S, Long Tall Sally and Next don't make things proportionally long enough in the body, so trouser legs are long enough, but the depth of the body isn't long enough. I'm not just tall, but long in the body, arm etc. Shirt sleeves are not long enough, so I stick to tee shirts, I can't buy dresses because the arm holes are not deep enough, the waist is too high and they are not long enough. In short, even with money in my pocket, if I can find one item to fit, it's a good day. I've trawled shopping malls in the past with a purse full of money and left with nothing.

By the time I had finished, I needed the sanctuary of my dear friend's home. FM made the most delicious veggie curry, Dal and flat breads. After that it was a walk in the sunshine to the charity shops.

We had a good root around a few charity shops. I bought a brand new apron for £2, an almost new M&S skirt for £3 and Dearly Beloved bought some books. Best of all, was the walk with friends in the sunshine and back home afterwards for a cup of tea.

Tonight at 8.30, we're joining in with Earth hour and will turn all the power off in our home. We'll read by candle light and reflect on our impact on the planet. Until tomorrow, thanks again Foster Mummy, as ever, you restored me to self validity; I really can't do without you xxxxx

Friday night and feet up with a pizza

Hello Readers,

Thank you so much to everyone who has signed up and become a follower and those kind enough to leave comments. I truly appreciate hearing from you. It reminds me, in hard times, that I'm on this journey with so many, many people. If you've not commented before, then I'd love to hear from you and let me know who you are by becoming a follower. Again, to the 2500 of you who clicked 'Frugal Queen' yesterday, thanks for dropping by xxxx

We've made it through another week, pull up a cuppa, put your feet up and take the night off. I wondered how much a 'delivered' pizza costs. We sometimes buy pizza in Lidl or Aldi, when they are so cheap it would be silly not to buy one. Every time I do, it's total let down. Limp and sugary bread, dripping with fat and overly salted. Well, in Domino's a large pizza costs £15.99. For that, I want it cooked in front of me by Gino D'Campo! Dressed, as he was on 'This Morning'. On that note, I remembered why I always make my own. A £20 takeaway a week, over the year adds up to £1040..............so when you're frugalling away at home, just remember what you are saving.

I love it, the presenters looked anywhere but at him! So funny.

My homemade pizza costs 38p a portion. Here's how I do it. As Jamie Oliver would say, "Get your 30 minute meals head on" so get your oven on and set it to 200.

 Follow your bread maker's instructions for a 750g loaf and whilst it's mixing and needing, grate the cheese, slice any thing you like to go on your pizza. Have it all ready.

 Roll out your dough on a floured board. I don't let any thing stand or rise, I just roll it and get on with it.

 You get the drift..............roll it to the size of the pan you have to fit.

 Rub one side with a smear of olive oil and place that, oily side down on a baking tray. Mine has holes in it, so it cooks really well.

 Finish by pushing the dough into the final shape you would like. It's fine if it's thin.

 Use a third of a jar of pasta sauce. Any kind will do. We bought a stock pile the last time we went to Asda and they had it on offer.

 Now chuck anything you like on top. We often use pilchards, tuna, just veg, any meat, including left over chicken. Anything goes on our pizzas.

 Here it it! Loaded with lovely cheap goodies.

 Now the cheese, we actually only needed half of this and the rest went back into the fridge.

 A final finish with a sprinkle of black pepper and it's into the oven for 30 minutes. Be warned though, your oven is different from mine so that's only a rough guide.

 Take out of the oven, slide onto a chopping board and cut into four. A Quarter each tonight and the rest wrapped in foil for tomorrow night's 'tea'. Here are the costs: Flour 15 p, onion 6p, yeast 10p, tomatoes 20p, green pepper 10p, ham 30p, sauce 28p, cheese 30 - total for a homemade pizza = £1.49. it took 15 minutes to make and 30 minutes to cook and was 38p per portion.

We don't need more. We don't need takeaways. We don't 'deserve' a bottle of wine and a meal on a weekend. The simplest pleasure of cooking a quick, tasty and cheap meal, to be eaten with fingers in front of the TV is all the reward I need. Tomorrow I will be treated, quite literally, like a Queen as we're off to Foster Mummy's for lunch and a womble around the local charity shops. I'm already excited about someone else cooking me lunch and when it's a wonderful as Foster Mummy's, we know we're in for a treat. Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs

Did you miss me?

 After my last blog about being happy, I have spent the last few days busily being happy but unable to get to my computer. On Thursday night, we had a parents' evening, one of the five we have a year and, by the time I got home, and ate, it was time for bed. Friday was another extremely late night at work and after coming home and eating, again, I just went to bed. Saturday was a lovely day. We had friends over for supper so we shopped for some lovely food (at shockingly lovely prices too!) and I made fish pie, with salmon, smoked haddock and prawns in a cheese sauce covered with mashed potatoes. I made Tarte Tatin for dessert with Cornish ice cream, I don't have an ice cream machine so I just bought it. We bought wine, beer and non-alcoholic drinks and treated our friends, hopefully, to what they thought was a good night. Most of Saturday was taken up with cleaning the house, and oh joy of joy, getting the laundry dry in the crisp breeze. It was a late night; we just chatted and enjoyed each others' company. I have no idea of the cost of a night like that, if we had gone out to eat.

It's a beautiful day here today and we did one of the things I just really love to do. We loaded the dogs into the car and went off to the Forestry Commission land to walk through the 'forest'. Well, it was a forest. It has been cleared of a lot of trees and the light poured into the lanes.

 The enormous log piles were every where and smelt wonderful. It's only a couple of miles, but all up hill on the way back, so our lungs, and the dogs' legs had a good work out. Both dogs were covered in mud and Dearly Beloved is bathing them as I type.

 Where the forest has been cleared, the views over the Glyn Valley are wonderful. I loves the rolling contours of the countryside around us. It's such a joy to be able to get out, without being frozen or soaked.

 I thought I would share our dining room with you all. Everything on my table is either from a car boot sale, flea market, charity shop or, in the case of the dining room suite, from eBay. None of it cost much and yet, it is around this dining table that we have so many good times with family and friends.

My apologies for my absence, sometimes life just catches up with us and we have to do what we have to do, just to keep up with the flow.

Woo-Hoo! Free hair cut!!!!!

A million thanks to Foster Mummy who cut my hair today; it was straggly and messy and quite frankly was getting me down. FM gave a really good trim and neaten up and I feel SO much better about myself! She also cooked us the most wonderful pea and mint soup and thankfully she's blogged the recipe because I shall be making this! The recipe is here and really hope you all have a try of this and enjoy it! I forget sometimes how nice it is to have someone cook for me and do something for me! FM - you really are a treasure and I can't thank you enough. A wonderful lunch and a brilliant hair cut!

I'm feeling really, really lucky again today. I am blessed to know such loving and generous people.

New Year New Start

So its the New Year, 2011 has officially started. I know most of you are probably sleeping in and washing last night's makeup off, but it is that time of year to look back on what has happened in the past and to look forward to what will happen in the future.

 So to start it off right here's an overview of my year:

• Got a new job as a sales rep
• Hated my new job as a sales rep
• Got homesick for America and my family
• Took as many sick days as possble until my 5 week holidays in May back to America
• Was in a friend's wedding in Denver, hung out with some friends and family in LA, Denver, and Ohio and went on a Carribbean cruise
• Turned 28
• Went back to work and started counting down til Christmas holidays
• Had a lot of work stress, life stress etc.
• Ate and drank too much to cope with all the stress
• Decided I wanted to quit the ratrace and have a baby
• started my blog to have a creative outlet
•  Loved writing my blog until it became another thing on my to do list.
• Counted down the minutes until Christmas holidays
• Decided I was crazy to think a kid would be less stress than a job
• Got a promotion and a raise at work
• Got stressed out over the heightened expectations for my new promotion
• Finally got a holiday
• Hosted my first ever extended family Christmas dinner
• entertained the inlaws
• went camping with some friends and their 14 month old
• wondered whether I will ever have kids
• went to bed at 10pm new years eve because I just couldn't be bothered staying up any longer

So there you have it, my year in a snapshot. Now looking forwards to 2011 here's what I hope happens:

• get fit again
• eat better
• not stress so much about work stuff
• start getting better pay because of commissions
• pay off some bills
• do some more writing
• do some more styling and take pics
• go to Bali in March for a friends 30th
• get lots of visiting friends and family from America
• convince my parents to retire to Australia
• make some new friends
• take the time for old friends
• take the time to stop and think and enjoy life
• write some goals down and remember where I put them so I can actually keep them
• get more involved with the blogging and fashion community
• renovate our house

I think most of these are pretty standard normal resolutions, and some are ones that I makes every year, and I know most of you would be the same. But we have to encourage ourselves at this time of year when we actually take the time to stop and think about our past and our future, that for hopefully most of us a lot has changed since this time last year, I know that I have grown and learned a whole lot and I hope you have too.

See for all life's challenges and hardships we become stronger and smarter for having made it through them, and grow into better people because of it. So look at the silver lining of 2010, and use it launch forward into 2011, because I know I am planning on having a fantastic year...
xx

Search Amazon.com for new years resolution

Having a Pretty Woman moment: "Don't judge a book by it's cover"

As much as I hate to admit it, they are right. Whoever these smart people are they seem to know what they are talking about. Sometimes.

So this book and its cover thing. We all know what it really means, that the person inside is sometimes very different to what their outer appearance conveys.

Take for example the classic instance that is the most famous one I can think of. Yes, I am talking about Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Don't tell me you didn't think the same thing, because I know you know that movie. For those of you who want the feign ignorance see below for the before scene when they treat her like dirt because she doesn't "look" the part..





and here is the after when she goes back in with her nice clothes on and lots of shopping bags and rubs it in their faces ( I love this scene!)



Now I'm sure I'm not the only who has been on both sides of this situation, and I don't want to lecture or jump on "their" bandwagon, but we really have to stop this...

I was reminded of this issue when I recently had the pleasure of spending a few days with an old friend of my husband's. I didn't really know him well before he stayed with us.

Now to pass this man in the street, you wouldn't look twice, he is an older gentleman with a shaved head and glasses, and not someone who would be in my normal circle of friends. But I found a kindred spirit as we discussed art and travel and Versace and Louis Vuitton over multiple glasses of wine.

And the stories that he has to tell are amazing: sleeping 5 people in a king size bed with 4 Spanish gypsies who didnt speak a word of English, and meeting Gianni Versace in Monaco, and being a tour guide at the Van Gogh museum when he lived in Amsterdam, and sailing through the Caribbean, and traveling to 52 countries to say just a few.

Not to mention how wise and thoughtful he is, and one of those people who should really write books about his amazing life.

So this is your gentle reminder, my friends, to look past the outside and give people a chance, because they will usually surprise you.

And Marcus, you can come stay at our place anytime   :)

Some days you're the dog....

and some days you're the lamp post! You know who you are..............and we love you xxxxxxxxxxxx

Taking a break

I have my ups and downs like most people and this blog has served as a release and much better than the Fluoxetine that I have weaned myself off! I've just read an entire blog page slagging me off personally and it's hit me to the core and sent my depression back to square one! I hope that person is now happy with the extreme hurt they have caused me. This is the first time in over a year that I know I will not get through today without going back on medication.

Using every little last bit!

Every now and then I will stop buying any food until I've run down the stock in the house. I have odds and ends in my freezer that need eating and I am determined not to shop until the freezer is empty. I took 39p of smoked haddock, defrosted it and cut it into cubes. I defrosted some cheese sauce and poured that over it, I also took out some spare mashed potato and spread that on top, hence the fish pie.
I then used up some beans I was given today, they were so fresh and delicious.
I had a few carrots left from my garden too.
A tasty blend of leftovers, bits from the bottom of the fridge and freezer, gifted and home grown veg. I think it's important to use us everything we have and to make every penny count.
This has been a 'tight' month as my budget had to make sure I could afford to pay for my new glasses. If I need shoes, clothes or hair dye, then I have to make sacrifices else where and making sure I use up left over food ensures I can afford the odd luxury such as a 'hair do' or glasses.
The above pair are my single vision glasses and those below are my vari-focal and I can't get on with them yet, I feel like a nodding dog whilst I try to find the right part of the lens to look through! I have 28 days to trial them and if I can't get on with them then I can replace them with another pair of single vision lenses and have a refund of the cost of the vari-focal lenses. Enough of my glasses and stingy dinners, I had the most fantastic lunch with some people who Mike and I love so dearly! thanks to them both for the hospitality and their beautiful daughter for the musical accompaniment. xx

This blog is just for John xxx

This is for John and the fascinating article he wanted to leave in a comment, but couldn't so today, enjoy the article. Here is the link