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Gluten Free Creamy ham and leek with pasta - 94p per portion.

October 24, 2013, 11:35 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

Almost a week into the gluten free! No complaints so far. My ankles and joints are less puffy and the bathroom issues have not been present this week.................I may be onto a winner.

Here's how to cook this.
1 heaped tablespoon butter 10p - 
30g of gluten free plain flour - 4p - Asda
500ml of skimmed milk 25p
2 leeks chopped - 35p
Handful of chopped ham. - 87p - I used chunky smoked ham off cuts.

Boil some water
Add 100g gluten free spaghetti and cook as directed. - 27p - Asda

£1.88 - 94p each - of course, if you can eat gluten this will be much cheaper. But at under £1 it's still an affordable yummy supper.

Melt the butter in a pan.
Add and fry the leeks
Add the flour and stir well
Pour the milk in and stir well
Bring to the boil and reduce heat and simmer.
Add the ham stir through and simmer for a few minutes

Drain the pasta and stir the sauce through the pasta.

Sprinkle with cheese - optional



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I found that gluten free pasta soaks up more sauce which wasn't a problem. I can't tell the difference between gluten free and normal pasta.

Over to you Dear Reader, share your favourite pasta sauce. I could taste the leeks in this and purposefully cooked them less and they really went well with the ham.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxx
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Dolly Knockers and the storm

October 27, 2013, 4:12 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

Apologies for my absence. Dolly was spayed on Friday and she's been sore and sad ever since. I've spent most of the last 48 hours with her on my lap.

I'm cooking up a storm which is appropriate as we have a huge tempest on the way.

If anyone loses power for any time, make sure you do not open your freezer as it will stay frozen for a while. If the power comes back on and the food is defrosted then make sure you cook everything immediately and then refreeze cooked food. 

I'll be back tonight - power permitting.

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Lamb shanks with honey and soy marinade.

October 27, 2013, 8:48 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

Just in case the power goes off later with our Hollywood epic/blockbuster/should have Will Smith in it storm that's predicted, I wanted to make sure I cooked the most expensive item in my freezer in case is was spoiled! Apparently, we're about to get weather that's quite normal if you are in the Caribbean or Florida but we only get about every 25 years!Floods, 80mph wind and disruption has also been predicted so I've cooked lamb and pork to last for two days. I can warm it on top of my woodstove if I have to.

In light of my forthcoming storm, I thought it wise to eat the best meat! I cooked lamb shanks in honey and soy and the effect was simply stunning!

Ingredients - 

Leg of lamb/shoulder of lamb or lamb shanks - I had the latter as they are the cheapest.
100ml of soy sauce
100ml of runny honey
100 ml of stock

Combine all of the above and marinade the meat for a few hours. I used the roasting bags that I had left over from Christmas. 



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I cut the 'spare' part of the bag off so it didn't catch on one of the oven shelves. I also marinaded some pork belly to make 'sticky pork' That marinade will require:

50ml soy sauce
50g of honey
50g of soft brown sugar
heaped teaspoon of dried ginger
2 cloves of garlic - crushed
1 tablespoon of tomato ketchup

Mix well together in a saucepan over a gentle heat. Pour over the belly pork and marinade. This is great eaten cold with salad. It means two slices cut into chunks will easily feed four people.


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When you roast the meat in the roasting bags, they swell up and keep all of the moisture and flavour inside. Every hour, I took the meat out of the oven and gave it a very gentle shake.



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The end result is meat so tender that I could have carved it with a spoon. I poured the cooking liquor into a sauce pan, mixed 1 tablespoon of corn flour with some water, stirred it through and then stirred it over the heat until it thicken slightly.


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I served it with mashed potato and veggies. I was sticky, sweet and had an oriental flavour and would recommend this recipe to anyone.


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As ever, because I don't cook on a Monday, we'll be having the same again for supper tomorrow night.


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In case anyone is worried, we live on very high ground and we are not at risk from flooding, which I'm sorry to say will happen to quite a few people. I hope everyone battens down the hatches and stays safe and warm tonight and that they tempest passes by without anyone getting hurt.

Over to you, anyone else making storm preparations?

Until tomorrow, unless we have no power?!

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxx
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Getting from A-B frugally

October 28, 2013, 2:38 pm
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http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/


Hello Dear Reader,

This Sunday, I will be with Tracy Wilson on Radio Cornwall sharing ideas about cutting the cost of transport. Like food, rent or the mortgage, we can not get away without paying a huge chunk of our incomes transport. Obviously, the most expensive and most convenient is to own our own cars. If that's our choice, then we have to tax, insure and maintain them as well as paying for wear and tear. I'll start with the ways I save money on my car tonight and then move onto as many other forms of transport as I possibly can over the next five nights.

If you have any money saving ideas about getting from A-B frugally then email them into tracy.wilson@bbc.co.uk and we'll share them with listeners on Sunday. I will of course put the listen again link on Frugal Queen after the radio programme has been transmitted.

Frugal Car Ownership

Cheap Petrol - Really? Well hear me out. I buy 33 litres of fuel a week - every chuffin' week!

Find the cheapest fuel - I buy my diesel in Plymouth for £1.35 a litre, instead of £1.39 locally and save £68.42 a year. 

I pay for my fuel with my cashback credit card (I PAY IT OFF BY DIRECT DEBIT IN FULL EVERY MONTH!!!!!!!!!!!) and get 3% back on my fuel purchases and get £72 back every year. 

I use my Tesco clubcard and get 780 club card points a year - I treble them by using them for a meal out and turn £7.80 into £23.40.

By shopping around, using my cashback credit card and saving the 'points' - I get £163.82 back, which I consider to be a saving each year. I effectively get 3.6 weeks transport for free. It might not seem much but if you found £163.82 down the back of the sofa you would feel very rich.

Cheap Car insurance - It is possible to cut hundreds from the cost of car insurance by shopping around. to start, I use all of the price comparison websites until I find the best deal. I want the least excess and the most cover for my money. If I whittle it down to two or three deals then I closely scrutinise the small print, which one offers free car hire if my car is undrivable? Which one offers free legal services with the price? 

Next, I get a quote and store the quote number as it will be valid for a period of time.

Finally, I purchase through a cash back website such as Topcashback or in my case, Quidco - I usually get £50 back. 

This year, the lowest quote I could find was £177 and got £50 back so my car insurance was £127, fully comprehensive, £100 excess and free legal cover/car hire if needed. 

Cheap Car Servicing - We use fixed price servicing and shop around. We try and find one with free car hire for the day, or a collection and delivery service in with the price. We get the car valeted in with the price and then ask for a discount if we return. Every year, we haggle a discount from a main dealer as they shut the local branch and we have to get the car serviced in Plymouth so we get a 10% discount on top. As we bought the car from new from the same dealer we haggle for the service we always used to get in the price that they no longer provide. So, we still get the free car hire for the day, the car is valeted and we get to drive a swish new car for the day.

Cheap Breakdown cover - How much cover do you really need? We decided to go for basic cover. If we break down, then the AA will tow us to the nearest garage. We rarely go very far and felt this met our needs adequately. We used the AA this time as their basic cover was £28 and we secured a £10.50 cashback via Topcashback (I'm signed up to all the cashback sites) which reduced my cover to £17.50 a year. 

Cheap Tyres - Take advice and do your research. Our car is sporty and has low profile tyres. They cost a fortune! We don't use the main dealer discount tyre retailers such as Quickfit or ATS but our locally owner tyre shop. It does mean we have to queue up behind dumper trucks and tractors, it does mean we have to stand in the yard in the snow but we pay for what we get not a fancy waiting room with piped music. We don't economise and buy cheap tyres as we rely on them to save our lives on an icy road so we buy good tyres for less. We save about 25% on tyres, fortunately we don't do enough miles to have to buy new tyres every year. 

Drive Economically - 


  • Watch your speed - keep at a steady speed and drive smoothly.
  • Keep the car in good condition.
  • Ensure you have the correct air pressure in tyres.
  • Remove any excess weight - don't carry anything you don't need.
  • Cut down on air con - it's Britain for heaven's sake not the equator!
  • Plan long journeys and take food and drink
  • Car pool or share the cost of the journey.
Finally, if you don't need a car - don't own one. Personally, I liken car owner ship to setting fire to a huge amount of money each month!

I will be back tomorrow, and the rest of the week giving you other money saving transportation ideas. If you have any money saving ideas for car use or any type of transport, then send them to tracy.wilson@bbc.co.uk and we'll read them out on Sunday morning. If you would like to be on the programme and would like us to call you (UK only I'm afraid!!!)  then send me an email and I'll take your details to the studio and we'll get you on air. 

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxx



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Planes, trains, buses and ferries

October 30, 2013, 9:05 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

As promised, I am back to share the cheapest ways possible of getting from A - B. I'm going to use local examples and explain how I found the information so you can search, wherever you are.

Buses - Some people are entitled to free bus transport:


A. People who are blind or partially sighted
B. People who are profoundly or severely deaf
C. People who are without speech
D. People who have a disability, or have suffered an injury, which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on their ability to walk
E. People without arms, or who have long term loss of use of both arms
F. People who have a learning disability
G. People who would be refused a driving licence on medical grounds under Section 92 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (except on the grounds of persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol).
H - Also if you are in receipt of the state pension - this is no longer 60 ladies so get walking until you get it!
I know plenty of retired people and wished they would use the bus services more as it's there and available and FREE!

Bus Season Tickets - As a mature student, I didn't have a car and made regular trips to university on the bus. I bought season tickets for three months at a time. However, I could have saved money by buying an annual bus ticket. The longer the duration of the ticket, the greater the discount. Buying a ticket everyday is just throwing money away, get a season ticket. It's a big initial outlay but the savings are massive!
Free School Transport - this is available IF your nearest school is more than 2 miles away if the child is under 8 years or less than 3 miles away if your child is over 8. This only applies for the nearest school, if you choose to send your child else where then you will have to pay for them to get there.

Student Bus passes - Most college students and university students can be concessionary bus passes which will allow them almost unrestricted transport within a certain area. A major bus company across the UK is First Bus and you can follow the link to find information on student bus passes.

National Bus Travel - Bus tickets can be bought at their cheapest 12 weeks in advance, anyone who wants cheap travel for Christmas have missed that opportunity. The cheapest way to travel is major city to major city e.g Plymouth to London. Also, if you travel by Megabus and are prepared to travel at night and buy your ticket months in advance - you can travel for Plymouth to London and back again the next night for £14! Take your own food and drink and you'll be able to have a day. There is a way to have a trip away on a Megabus for free and that's to save your Tesco Clubcard points. You can double your clubcard vouchers by exchanging them for Megabus vouchers. (£5 of clubcard vouchers will buy you £10 worth of Megabus)

Other bus operator offer discounts to youth, retired, disabled, groups, families and allow you to purchase a discount card which is very much worth buying if you make frequent journeys, for example, a family going to visit grandparents each school holiday. Stage Coach buses offer further discounts for frequent users, the more you travel, then the greater the discount as they offer loyalty discounts.

Trains - If you want to travel at the lowest prices then you will need to book your train ticket 12 weeks in advance. You will need to be quick as the special offers are few and far between and get snapped up quickly by savvy travellers. You can currently buy train tickets up to 3rd of January so get those bought now if you intend visiting anyone in the New Year. The train operators offer Season tickets and 'Railcards'which can be used by a variety of users. All offer 30% discounts off the ticket price and offer greater discounts for railcard users who buy railcards valid for three years.  If you are intending to travel by rail then make sure you check out the most up to date offers which can be found on Money Saving Expert and if you subscribe to the Trainline's ticket alert emails, which will let you know of the best offers available to you. 

Planes - I don't travel by plane so this is all from research.


  1. Buy in advance - the closer you get to the flight you want to take, the more it will cost. 
  2. Shop around for the same flight. Use as many price comparison sites as you can be bothered to trawl. Here are the ones recommended by Money Saving Expert Skyscanner, Travel Supermarket, Kayak, Momondo.
  3. Consider a package deal - you can sometimes get a full holiday for less than the standard flight price - book but don't stay and just fly. Seems implausible to me but a common practice from my research.


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Ferries -  Those of us who use ferries to get to mainland Europe, usually use the nearest port. We use Plymouth to get to Brittany. It's often cheaper for us to get a package deal with accommodation and the ferry crossing than it is for us just to have a ferry crossing. There are ferry price comparison sites where you can sign up to get the latest deals: aferry, myferrylink, directferries and travel supermarket. I find reasonable (they are certainly never cheap) ferry deals by signing up to the local ferry company who send me offers by email. 

I intend to travel more once we have downsized and further reduced our mortgage and I'll be taking my own advice and will be looking for cheap travel deals. 

Over to you. I was grateful for the wealth of information shared by American readers for American readers. I can only write about money saving ideas for travel in the Uk and from the UK. If you have any money saving ideas to help readers where ever you are in the world. Tell the rest of us the cheapest ways to get around your country. 

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxx





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Salmon, Dill and Creme Fraiche Topped Baked Potatoes.

October 31, 2013, 12:30 pm
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Hello Dear Reader,

I spent most of the day walking around Blisland and then onto Berry Castle near St. Neot. It is infact, an the remains of an ancient village or settlement. It can be found on the southern side of Bodmin Moor - map reference SX197689 Landranger Map 201. The walk was easy from the road and was clearly marked with a gentle incline to the settlement itself. Once there, the views across Cornwall were inspiring and left me with an appetite. It's just the weather for baked potatoes and when Mc Cain's offered me some of their ready baked jacket potatoes I was happy to try them.

Serves 2 - you will need:

2 ready baked potatoes - these need microwaving for 7 minutes. Usually, I just cooked potatoes in the microwave and they just don't have the flavour of a real baked potato. These did and they are delicious. £1 - big baking potatoes are expensive any way and not much less than these so as they are already baked saving the cost of the electric, then they are no more expensive. www.mccain.co.uk
2 salmon fillets - you could easily use value fillets - £2
100g of Creme Fraiche - you can use the rest of the tub with fruit, in a quiche to enrich a cheese sauce or with cereal for breakfast - 36p.
50g of mayonnaise - 15p
1 tbs of chopped dill - 20p - you can chop the rest, mix with some butter and freeze to use again.
A cup of cooked peas or any veg such as carrots or green beans - it's a great way of using up cooked veggies.
Half a lemon - 15p
Bag of salad - £1 - you could easily have this with some steamed green beans

Total Cost - £4.86 - £2.43 per person. Just think what you might pay for this in a pub?!

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This is what you do:

1. Cook the salmon - I put mine on a lightly oiled griddle and cooked on a high heat - do not over cook.
2.Mix together the salmon, creme fraiche, dill and mayonnaise - I also added a squirt of lemon juice.
3. Fill the baked potatoes.
4.Serve with salad.

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I would never switch my oven on to just bake two potatoes and I think that these will save you money as you won't be spending it on energy that has just become even more expensive!

I'll have two more baked potato recipes to share with you on Friday and Saturday and I think these recipes are real winners.

Over to you. Share your favourite baked potato filling? Who else wouldn't waste the electricity bill on two potatoes?

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx


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Baked Potatoes with Sweet Chilli Prawns

November 1, 2013, 12:04 pm
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Hello Dear Reader,

Thanks so much for the tips about cooking potatoes in a slow cooker and your variety of ideas for potato fillings. Does anyone remember 'Spudulike'? I never went to one and wished I did. It's just the miserable kind of weather that's driving me to carbs...............most of which will leave me locked in the bathroom for hours!

 Our local stores don't have much 'alternative' food so I tried the nearby Waitrose in search of gluten free alternatives such as rice noodles. It was an eye opener. I did manage to top up on the Ecover products I usually buy, for a lot less than I usually pay, as they were selling cleaning products on a buy three and pay for two basis. I bought at least three months supply for a third less than I could pay anywhere else. The rest of Waitrose was almost surreal, however I did manage to buy Xanthum gum so I can make some pastry. Waitrose..........so that's where the Lexus drivers hang out! By the way, I checked out Tesco online to find the price of baking potatoes and they are, on average, 40p each. We rarely buy potatoes as they have become increasingly expensive so I still stand by my opinion that a ready baked potato for 50p each really isn't that expensive. It's just the two of us so buying a sack just isn't an option although I fully accept that as the best and most economical way to buy for a family.

As promised, I'm testing some recipes and this is just stunning! 

Baked Potatoes with Sweet Chilli Sauce.

Ingredients:

·        2 McCain Ready Baked Jackets
·        200g juicy cooked prawns - I buy these frozen and eat them with salad for lunch so I usually have these.
·        3 tbsp low fat mayonnaise - I always have some in the fridge
·        1 tbsp Greek yogurt (optional) - I used some of the creme fraiche I opened yesterday
·        1 tbsp sweet chili sauce - a pantry staple in our kitchen
·        1 tsp freshly chopped coriander, optional - I'll use the rest with some crab cakes and soup

·        Lemon wedges


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Method:


1 Cook the McCain Ready Baked Jackets according to the pack instructions
2 Simply mix the mayonnaise, coriander and chili sauce with the yogurt and season well
   Fold the prawns into the mixture and spoon over the hot McCain Ready Baked Jackets
4 Serve with a small side salad and a squeeze of lemon

Top tip:
·        Try using hot pepper sauce in place of the sweet chilli if you fancy something more spicy!

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I like these potatoes and as there is just the two of us and I can keep them in the freezer, there's no waste for us which is really economical. Another fact about Waitrose, it massively reduces its good at the end of the day so we bought bags of salad for only 49p per bag. They had fruit, vegetables, meat and bread at massively reduced prices. If you have one near you, check it out close to closing time.

Over to you, which supermarket near you massively reduces prices of fresh goods close to closing time? Has anyone else been surprised by a 'posh' supermarket to find out that some of what they sell is much cheaper than you imagined?

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxx


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Spinach and Pesto Chicken

November 2, 2013, 12:37 pm
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Hello Dear Reader,

This is the last of the baked potato recipes that I was sent to try and this really is my favourite. I love spinach, chicken and the combination of a heaped tablespoon of pesto with a cheesy topping is just heavenly! As Guy Fawkes' Night approaches baked potatoes are just the perfect winter warmer.

Serves two - For this recipe, you will need:

Baked Potato per person
2 chicken breasts cut into chunks
Bag of spinach leaves
2 tablespoons of pesto
80g of grated mature cheddar.

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1. Cook the baked potatoes as instructed.
2. Heat up the grill.
3. Saute the chicken in a teaspoon of olive oil until lightly browned.
4. Add the washed spinach to the pan and reduce the heat and allow the spinach to wilt for a few seconds.
5. Stir through two tablespoons of pesto
6. Place the baked potatoes on the grill pan.
7. Spoon the chicken, pesto and spinach into the baked potatoes, sprinkle with 40g of cheese on each potato.
8. Place under a hot grill until the cheese has melted.
9. Serve with a side salad or steamed vegetables.

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Again, I used 2 Mc Cain's ready baked potatoes and can thoroughly recommend these recipes. You could use leftover chicken from a Sunday lunch, you could add broccoli instead of spinach or any dark green vegetable. Of all the recipes I have tried this week, this is my favourite. All of the recipes even fitted well into my Weight Watchers point allowance and each evening meal has been very filling and extremely tasty.

I will be on Radio Cornwall tomorrow sharing ways to save money on transport and look forward to receiving any emails about the subject - send your email to tracy.wilson@bbc.co.uk

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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My favourite meal and Radio Cornwall

November 3, 2013, 7:34 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

Actually, my favourite meal is a full cooked breakfast, including bacon, sausage, black pudding............oh I could go on...........in fact, my favourite breakfast is the full monty. As I now watch my diet, that's not an option. Now, I use bacon as an occasional but delicious addition. 

Here's my take on an alternative to the full English breakfast and egg and bacon salad instead.

Here's what you will need:

3 rashers of bacon per person - cut into lardons and fried until crispy
1 soft poached egg - needs to be runny.
1 little gem lettuce
half a peeled and chopped cucumber
2 large tomatoes - chopped.

Dressing

3 parts Olive oil
1 part Balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of runny honey
1 teaspoon of Soy sauce
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

Place all of the ingredients of the salad dressing in a jam jar and shake well.

Mix the salad and dressing and arrange on a plate.

Scatter fried bacon on top.

Balance a soft boiled egg on top.



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We had this for lunch today and I hope it becomes your favourite meal too! 

Over to you. What do you not eat any more? What was and what is now your favourite meal? 

I was on Radio Cornwall today - many thanks to those who sent emails and the folk who phoned in. It was great to share the hour with you. To listen again, click HERE and move the cursor to the last hour.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Basking in a well warmed home?

November 4, 2013, 12:12 pm
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Hello Dear Reader,

Well are you? I didn't expect so either. Whilst 'Wavy Dave' wants you to put another jumper on, MP's are claiming for heating bills in their 'second' homes. I'm of the opinion that they are only in one home at a time and they can pay for their own heating. Alternatively, they can take their own advice and put another jumper on.

Whilst I don't subscribe to their mantra, in the absence of being able to afford to heat my house to a comfortable level, I will share what we do to keep warm.

1. Keep moving. We don't lounge around when we get home. We make sure we get as much as we can done to keep busy. Sitting around is chilly, so we don't.

2. We line our curtains............twice! They are lined anyway and we then hang winter liners behind them for an extra layer of heat saving.

3. Shut the curtains as soon as we get in. Don't let the warmth escape.

4. Layer a blanket over the sofa. Sitting on a warm blanket will help as much as covering your self with a blanket or throw.

5. Have a quick warming shower when you get in. Works for me!

6. After we've done everything we need to do, we get into bed with the electric blanket on. We don't often bother switching on the heating on a week day so we make do without.

7. Lots of hot drinks - fill up a flask and keep yourself topped up with tea - again, works for me.

8. Thermal base layers. You can, if you wish to invest in them, buy thermal leggings and long sleeved t-shirts to wear under your clothes. Instead, I went to Primarni and bought a couple of pairs of leggings and long sleeved t-shirts to wear under my clothes. If you work somewhere cold, then you could get away with even wearing this under a suit! No one will know.

9. Plenty of exercise. Along with keeping moving inside the house, we make sure we have a brisk walk in the evening. It not only helps us sleep and walks our dogs but warms us up and keeps us warm long after we've returned home.

10. Slippers! Good old fashioned feet warmers. Thick socks and slippers. It's amazing how warm you will be if your feet is warm.

So there we are. No expenses claims for heating our home and it's too big to keep warm every day so weekdays are all about keeping ourselves warm and keeping the heat in.

Over to you, who else is frothing at the mouth knowing our taxes are keeping the overpaid and underworked warm and cosy whilst we wear big knickers?!

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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How did you pay off £45K of debts in two years??

November 5, 2013, 12:40 pm
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Hello Dear Reader,

Tonight, I'm answering a Tweet from 

S
I'd love to see everyone on here saying in detail how they've paid things off super quick.

To start, I didn't do it on my own. I couldn't have done it without the help of the big guy Dearly Beloved, we did it together. I consider us an invincible team when we work together.

It all started in 2009, we sold our house and were about to move to a cottage and at the eleventh hour, the underwriters refused our mortgage. It was refused on the basis that we had too much personal debt. We were backed into a corner and we had to do something about it.

In 2009 we had already decided that the big house we'd bought was far bigger than we'd needed and we started our financial recovery long before the mortgage company forced us to. Here's what we did.

Initially, I took advice from the 'National Debt Helpline'. I didn't need to go down the IVA route or debt management. I could afford my debts but I just wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible. We had an 'interest only' mortgage then and used to pay off regular amounts of capital. Following advice, we just continued to pay the interest and used all of our money to get rid of personal borrowing.

1. We stopped spending. We made the conscious decision to not buy anything we didn't need. We had everything we could possibly need and didn't buy anything new...............until 2011! I made do with what I had and other than new underwear, we didn't buy anything. If we needed and I mean really, really needed something, then we would buy it from car boot sales, charity shops, jumble sales or ebay. In truth, there was very little I needed. If I could stop and give advice to anyone who needs to get rid of debt, my advice would be to not replace spending in shops with spending in charity shops. Don't shop for a hobby and never go into a retail outlet of any kind unless you have a definite plan which requires a purchase.

2. We made a budget. We worked out how much we had to pay each month in direct debits and then allocated money for food and transport and EVERY other penny went on debts. We didn't leave a penny for so much as a bag of crisps. If we didn't need it, then it wasn't bought! We didn't have 'fun money', a 'slush fund' a 'date night' fund. EVERY penny went to debt repayments. That meant we scrapped birthdays, Christmas, didn't go to weddings we were invited to, didn't go out, didn't eat out, didn't eat takeaways, didn't give to 'whip rounds'. Our budget focused on survival and paying off debts. The largest percentage of our income went to pay off debts.

3. We cut our living costs to the bone. We shopped round to make sure we had the cheapest and best deal on absolutely everything. We found cheaper insurance, cheaper recipes, cheaper energy and cheaper ways of getting to work. We found out that we could get the train to work for the cost of fuel so did so and saved money on the wear and tear of the car. We got rid of Sky TV, we got rid of mobile phone contracts, we got rid of bank accounts with charges and got rid of any lifestyles that cost what we simply couldn't afford.

4. We changed the way we lived. We learnt to relive our childhoods! In our childhoods, we didn't have central heating, hot water on tap, ready food or cash on tap! We turned off the central heating for two years and just heated the room we were in. We turned off the lights when we left a room and used as little light or energy as possible. We used hot water bottles to keep warm, we wore extra layers...............lots of extra layers. We embraced home cooking and simple living. We even grew our own veg for two years, made homebrew, made jam and chutney and learned new skills. I learned to sew and make quilts and now I'm really quite proficient. We learned to recycle and upcycle. If I needed new curtains or cushion covers then I made them myself. Dearly Beloved turned to You Tube and learned how to service the washing machine, to fix minor repairs and how to upkeep the car. He learned how to replace the motor on the Dyson and even how to repair the frame on our sofa. We embraced making do and mending.

5. We learned how to live with less of everything. We used recycled 'grey water' to flush our toilet. We stood in a stacking box when we had a shower and decanted it into buckets to use throughout the day for the loo. We kept a bowl in the sink and used the water we'd washed our hands into flush the loo. We checked our energy and water meters every Monday (and still do) to use less and less of everything. We obtained an energy meter and kept a very close eye on our usage. We wore our clothes for longer, we dried all washing on the line or in front of the fire. We cut our portion sizes to eat less at every meal.

6. We made debt repayment our main focus. We both got extra work. I worked several nights a week as a tutor and coached students for GCSE and A Level, in the November, January and June, I marked GCSE papers. We had a lodger. In the summer holidays, I cleaned caravans and we did dog boarding. Dearly Beloved did lots of research into vintage radios and cameras and would buy them in the local auction houses and then sell them on via ebay and made a profit on each one. Every single extra penny that we made went towards our debts. Each time, I received a payment for exam marking, then I would pay a large chunk (usually around £1200 for each set of exam marking) towards one debt. Each time I did this, I would continue paying off large chunks of said debt and pay it off sooner.

7. We never defaulted on a single payment and always had good credit. We were able to move debts from one 0% credit card to another. At one stage, we had two 0% credit cards and we would move the maximum to each one. We would then throw as much money as I could at that small debt. As soon as that 0% credit card was 'empty' we did another balance transfer to move another chunk of money.

8. Numbers? I paid £18,000 a year directly from my salary towards debts and we made another £3600 a year from exam marking. I earned another £4000 (£400 a month after tax for ten months of the year) a year from private tutoring so that's how we could afford to pay off our debts so quickly. There was never, ever the feeling of 'Oh, let's ease up a bit, have a bit of fun and take a few more months to pay this debt off'. The numbers were simple. Pay every penny and some towards our debts and get ourselves square as soon as possible. By living on the bare minimum, it meant that ever penny could go towards debt repayment.

9. We snowballed debts. We picked one debt at a time and made that the focus. The rest of the debts were 'serviced' by paying only the minimum payment each month. We would then throw every penny at one debt. When that was paid, we would move onto another debt and pay the minimum plus everything we were paying towards the last debt. This continued until ever debt was paid.

10. On the day that our last debt was paid, we changed our interest only mortgage to a repayment mortgage and then used all the money we used to pay towards debts to pay down our mortgage. That means we have paid down our mortgage from £217,000 - £177,000 since summer 2011.

Now, we are financially straight and we also commit a percentage of our monthly income to savings. If we need something now, we are still careful but now we go for quality and whether we will still use it in years to come. Four years later,we have a credit card again but use it to make money as we direct debit the entire amount per month and clear it to use it for fuel to get a cashback. If we make any purchases we do so through cashback websites such as Quidco or Topcashback. We put money aside every month for the car service, MOT and insurance.

Are we still frugal? No where near as frugal as we were in those two very austere years. I have a shower every day but we still don't flush wee! I still keep a bowl in the sink and flush to loo with hand washing water. We still have smaller portions. We still menu plan. We still scavenge for pallets for firewood. We still use freecycle to keep our eyes open for anything we need. I still use old shirts from jumble sales to make quilts. I still cook everything from scratch. We got married in 2012 when we were debt free and spent £120 on the wedding, £80 on the reception, £350 on the honeymoon and £500 on the wedding rings. So we certainly were not frugal then. I've spent money on improving my health and well being and will continue to do so. In half term, I went to a hair dressers for the first time since 2008! I intend to carry on living very much under my means.

We are moving at the end of the month and will have a mortgage of £70,000 and intend to pay it off within five years. It means maintaining a simple lifestyle. We had the income to pay off our debts quickly. We could have done so over three years but we wanted to get rid of them quickly! It was a sacrifice at the time. It wasn't easy but it was worth it.

I hope that answers your question Mrs Prudence.

I'm not saying it's going to be easy but I am saying it will be worth it!

Love Froogs xxxxxxx


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Debt repayment if you have children

November 6, 2013, 11:54 am
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I brought them up to have respect for the world!


Hello Dear Reader,

Thank you to everyone for all of your supportive and complimentary comments. Some of you asked how others would cope if they had to pay off debts and they had children. 

"There must have been times when your budget was thrown out the window due to some expenses that were not expected."

I don't share the view that children need to be immune from the constraints of a family budget and nor do I think it does them any harm to go without. I'll elaborate on my perspective.

I'm a mum and I've been a mum since I was nineteen when I had my son. I didn't go out to work until I was 37 and my son was eighteen, working and living away from home. My daughter was twelve and we suddenly had two incomes and were better off. However, my son never experienced parents with any money and my daughter had grown up until then with next to nothing.For most of their childhood, I didn't work and didn't have any money. Not having any money meant I could treat them with the slightest thing..........an ice cream or a  packet of sweets was something they just were not used to. We had nothing that cost anything much. 

There were many things they didn't have. They had new clothes when there's just didn't fit any more. They had just enough that I could wash and dry something whilst they wore what else they had. Our house was warm enough that we were not cold but they were used to socks, slippers and jumpers. We ate well as I always cooked well. My son did a roaring trade in my home baking and cooking once he started secondary school and made a good profit out of kids who didn't want to eat the school dinners. 

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#1 son in local park 

They certainly did everything that could be got without much money. Boys Brigade and Brownies cost pennies. They took part in school plays and choirs. They were sporty and played tennis, went swimming and played 'uni-hoc'. Sport in local council facilities cost pennies. They went to free learning activities at the local library and museum. I searched out free summer play schemes in the local parks. We swam off Plymouth Hoe and went on cheap bus rides to the moors and beaches off Rame Head. Some of our best days were playing in the river at Cadover Bridge. 

I never hid our finances from us. If they asked for anything, the answer was no with a clear explanation of where our scant incomes (two minimum wages) had to go. We kept clear records of incomes and out goings and showed them to our children. However, we were never parsimonious with hospitality and our home had a revolving door with their friends coming and going. There was always food and there was always a welcome. It was the same with our friends, we had very little but they were welcome to share what ever we had with us. 

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teenage daughter

I knew from a very early age that my children were not going to college. In short, they hated school, they hated uniforms, they hated homework and they hated rules. From the age of fourteen onwards I had to battle to get them into school and staying there every day. Both left as soon as they could. One stayed on until eighteen and the other did an apprenticeship instead. They are now both in employment and both have been completely self sufficient since they were eighteen. Had they been academic, then they would have had to funded their own way through college. Personally, and I don't expect everyone to agree with me, I think young people should pay their own way and work to save to go to college and pay their own fees. Far too many parents are paying for their kids to get wrecked on beer bongs for three years and come out with a degree in underwater basket weaving and a student loan to pay back until their nursing home fees kick in! 

Then there were the concerns about Christmas and Birthdays. It's different in every house but neither were a big deal in our house. We gave them budget and they could choose a present up to that amount.............it wasn't much. We had a lot more to give than my parents had to give to me and in perspective, I know my children were so much better off than many many children. I have taught for twelve years and know with a very very heavy hear that lots of the children I taught would get absolutely nothing for any birthday or Christmas. I also knew they went cold, hungry and no one loved them. My children were and are adored by parents who cherish every breathe they take and on reflection didn't do too badly.

If you have debts and have children then you can decide to make a better financially secure future for them or shower them with trinkets they will get bored of by New Year! It's up to you. Build memories where they will grow knowing they were loved and wanted and believe me, it doesn't cost much.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxx
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Make this a no spend weekend!

November 8, 2013, 12:05 pm
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Hello Dear Reader,

Firstly, thanks so much for coming up to me and saying hello in Lidl in Saltash, it was a pleasure to meet you. Trudging round the supermarket is never much fun and you brightened my day - thank you xxx

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After that bright and cheerful note, here is the weather report for Cornwall this weekend. Saturday rain and Sunday cloudy  with maximum temperatures of thirteen degrees. Now matter what the weather, I still think there's a wonderful weekend to be had come rain or shine.

To start with, after you've read this, don't tweet it or share on any social platforms, turn your computer off all day! Pick something to do in the house that you've been meaning to do and make sure it gets done. How about that book by the side of your bed that you've been meaning to finish. There's that sewing you started and haven't got round to yet, make sure you give it some time and maybe even finish it. Fling open the windows and get some air in, I know it's cold but there's not much daylight at this time of year and you need to make the most of it.

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Jobs done? Now get your coat, wellies, big knickers and vest and head off out into the rain and wind. There's something about walking into a headwind that really invigorates the soul! I might head to the moors, the north Cornwall coast or just a local southerly cliff walk. It might just be the local park with the dog but do not let the weather defeat you. 

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Like you, this week has been a busy one and I'm going to give myself some time this weekend. Here's my plan: a run every day, some daylight and a walk with the pooches. Pack something............anything! Make soup and some gluten free bread. Early nights and some reading. 

Now Dear Reader, it's your turn. There's no need to head to shops, cafes or pubs..........make the most of what's around you. What are you going to do for you this weekend?

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxx

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It's beginning to look a lot like commercialism

November 9, 2013, 11:36 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

It has reached the time of year where the advertisers want to convince you of the following.

You will go to many many Christmas parties and you will need a total makeover, lots of makeup, to get totally pissed, your house will be overflowing and you will need to run back and forwards from the local shop just to cope with the copious munching. 

Just to manage this, you'll need a new set of underwear, lots of shoes, effin' awful sparkling nanna dresses from Marksies and you'd better get down to that blue cross sale and get some perfume or not only will you look like a nanna but you'll smell like one!

And so you cope with all the clothing, eating, stinkin' like a tart's handbag and the gastric band you'll need after the turkeyfest................. there's always Wonga to help you pay for it all!
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 You will have snow. You will cross the planet to see your family. You will eat 77 buffets, you will only drink Champagne, you will have forty five people for lunch and aliens from Argos will come round and play with your whisks.

Your house will need decorating (noticed all the sales advertised for paint?), you will need a new sofa and of course, it will be delivered in time for Christmas. You will need a new pine or oak dining room suite or nanna will be sat in the arm chair throwing sprouts at her twin set. You'd better get along to Ikea and get a new kitchen or the children will not be able to have any fun when the robots come round for lunch! 

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Can we all just get a chuffin' grip! It's ONE day! In truth? No one I know goes to a single party! No one I know eats buffet food! No I know goes out in party dresses and no one I know (unless the people I know in Scotland count) rarely get any snow! The worst part is that every one I knows falls for the whole commercial lot of it. They might think they are being 'rad' by making their own presents but they still fall for the whole commercialism by feeling they have to give someone something.


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This year, really be radical and don't give anyone anything! If anyone gives me anything it will end up in a charity shop..........which is good for the charity but please don't waste your effort. Instead, just donate the money you would give to charity in the first place. Choose anyone you like, or something that means something to you, such as Cancer Research and give them a wadge of money. Don't kid yourself either that it's all about the giving, you give because it's a tradition, whether you buy into it or not. You have a choice and you don't have to.

I am a Christian and believe that God touches our lives every day, in my case to forgive me! I believe in the teachings of Jesus and that he is the son of God. However, we have no idea when Jesus was born, although we know it's not the end of December. We also know that at no point did Jesus ask us to celebrate his birthday, or our own and that he threw the traders out of the temple. A clear indicator to me that Jesus was as anti-commercialism as we frugals! So, if you are not a Christian..............there's no need to get on the band wagon and if you are, there's every indicator that you don't need to either. Jesus simply asked us to remember him and none of that needs any help from John Lewis!

I know I will get the 'what about the children' debacle. So, here's my point of view on that. You make your own choice but the whole Santa sack, stockings and presents nonsense is overkill. Children get way too much and a lot are spoilt. Get them to focus on looking after people, visiting neighbours with them and teach them about being charitable and caring. Get them to help out at home and earn money that they can donate to charity. It's not all about them. 

Stop shopping, there's no need to order a goose and if you want a focal point of the year, then focus on love, family and friends. Enjoy a bank holiday, light the fire and put your feet up. 

Over to you Dear Reader. Who feels sucked in and obliged to join in? Who feels pressured by the whole event? Who dares to be radical and rid themselves completely of commercialism and give and receive nothing? 

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxx
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Wilfred Owen says it much better than I can

November 10, 2013, 6:16 am
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Dulce Et Decorum Est


Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of disappointed shells that dropped behind.

GAS! Gas! Quick, boys!-- An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And floundering like a man in fire or lime.--
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,--
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori

Never forgotten,

Froogs xxxx
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Search

Food Wastage

November 11, 2013, 12:46 pm
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Hello Dear Reader,

Never fear Britain - Froogs has the answer! Oh, it's a blog post that some of you won't like so brace yourself. I want you all to look down at your waistline, then your hips, then feel around your neck and see if there's anything spare. There is...............well, you've been buying too much food and spending too much on food for a while now! 

As a nation, we buy too much food and have come accustomed to 'big shops' and big portions. Consequently almost every household in the land will contain an excess of food. Actually, we need a lot less food and need to get used to smaller portions, smaller meals, stop snacking and buy less food. How many of you measure out 50g of pasta? It really isn't very much? Who measures out 100g of potato? It's just one small potato and yet that will provide you with all the starch you will need in one meal. 

I want you to cup one hand and see how much pasta, or rice, or potatoes, or fruit, or bread you can get in it. That's a portion size. I want you to find the dimensions of a pack of playing cards and that is the maximum meat you need in a day. 

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 This was an interesting graphic - who's ever eaten a pack of Maryland cookies in one sitting? Or all of the multi-pack of crisps? One Mac Donald's a chips is a day's worth of calories! If they were not in the house (all bar the takeaway) the you couldn't and wouldn't eat it. 

Back to the first graphic from Love food, hate waste. We keep our bread in the freezer and just take out our slice each for toast and then it doesn't go off. As it's frozen, then neither of us can whip up a quick cheese sandwich. I grate cheese and freeze that too, so I just take out what I need and the temptation is not there to over eat. As there's just the two of us, I don't buy fresh potatoes. In fact, I usually buy two baking potatoes a week but now I've changed those to frozen too. We only ever buy UHT milk which is fine open in the fridge for a couple of days and we never buy ready meals or fizzy drinks. 

My piece of advice for everyone one, is stop buying so much food. Serve up smaller portions. Measure out the food you need by weight and not eye. Follow the serving guidance, so 30g of cereal for a woman and 50g for a man. This means I now eat my rice cereal out of a mug and not a bowl as the serving will a mug just fine. I measure 100g of pasta and I eat under half of that amount. 

We don't waste food as we don't buy any more than we need and we don't cook anymore than we need. There's no waste here.

Over to you, who is over shopping? who serves big portions and can see or feel where it's gone? Who is going to cut their shopping bill by cutting the portion sizes. Is bulking buying leading you to bulk portions or bulk meal sizes. 

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxx






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Dispelling myths about portion size

November 12, 2013, 12:45 pm
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Hello Dear Reader,

Thanks for the interesting comments about food waste and I'm delighted that most of us are on the same page. It's iniquitous to waste food and the best way is to get our portions to the right size to begin with. According to NHS guidance, as a relatively inactive person, I need no more than 1800 calories a day to stay the same weight. I'm considered a 'relatively inactive person' as I only get one hour of exercise a day. If I did no exercise then I would need even less. To lose weight I need 1400 calories a day. I'm holding 100g of potatoes which is an average serving. I don't always eat 1400 calories a day and I'm never hungry after a meal.

As I said yesterday, look down at your waistline, around your hips and neckline, if there's more there than you would like - that is where the wasted food is going - on you. We need to eat so we don't feel hungry, not so we feel full. Eating more than we need is a waste.

I would like to show what 1400 calories looks like and here's today's food. 

Breakfast 30g of Rice Crispies with sliced banana and skimmed milk

Lunch - 1 little gem lettuce, 1/4 cucumber, 6 cherry tomatoes, 150g of prawns, 15g of sweet chilli sauce
1 natural Greek Yoghurt, 1 banana, 2 apples

Dinner - 200g of grilled chicken, 100g of steamed savoy cabbage, 100g steamed carrots, 50g of gravy
1 Greek yoghurt, 15g of honey

Total Calorie intake - 1309. 
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Piling my plate with greens added 17 calories and a heap of carrots were 24 calories. If you want to eat big portions, then go for vegetables to bulk out every meal.

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The other secret weapon for anyone who wants to check on portion size is to weigh food. Not forever and ever, but initially so you get used to portion size. I love yoghurt but every now and then like to sweeten it with honey. The massively indulgent squirt below is 15g and 45 calories. It's impossible to stick to a healthy eating plan and have nothing sweet and this means I can make an expensive bottle of honey go a very long way. 

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Another interesting thing to do, again, just initially or even just the once is to check the calories in your food. I use a free app on my phone called www.nutracheck.co.uk. . If you have a smart phone you can photograph the barcode and enter the weight of the food you've eaten and it will calculate the calories.(They have not asked me to write about this! I've chosen to do so)

I now use this instead of Weight Watchers online, this is free and I can keep my food intake in check by mentally being aware of what I eat. I'm not a snacker and my desire to not regain the weight I've lost motivates me to be conscious of what I eat.

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It's a useful app if you are ever tempted by snacks. It's interesting to see that four custard creams are 236 calories, which would be a 1/7th of an inactive person's daily intake of calories. A lovely homemade veggie curry with a tin of coconut milk adds 716 calories to healthy vegetables. 

The NHS says "An average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. These values can vary depending on age and levels of physical activity, among other factors." It's important to remember that we need less calories as we get older and less calories if we are inactive. Walking the dog or doing the house work is not enough calories to eat the maximum of 2000 a day for women. Often, people just don't know how many calories they are eating


My suggestion to everyone which will save them money and even your life (heart disease and diabetes epidemic in the UK) is to reduce portion sizes and be aware of your calorie intake. Eating frugally isn't about cheap food it's about enough healthy food and not eating anymore than we need. Keeping our portions to a healthy size means we don't go hungry and resort to snacks between meals and we keep a check on our finances as we don't buy, cook or eat more than we need. 

Over to you Dear Reader. Now really, who is eating too much? Who can find the squidgy bits and see that their portion sizes have been too large? Who's been wasting food by adding it to their waistline and not to their health? Come clean and let's reduce our food costs and ward off health problems.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxx
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Chicken with tomatoes and pesto

November 14, 2013, 11:19 am
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Very unlike the 'healthy?' and I feel out of date advice given - there are very few starches on this plate!

Hello Dear Reader,

My oh my, that last post prompted some lively responses. There is so much conflicting advice on what is and what isn't an active lifestyle. Also, NHS guidelines for a day's appropriate calories are just guidelines. We all have to take height, age, weight and lifestyle into consideration. Other than an hours exercise, and even I, sweaty Betty, would be kidding myself if I said I was working at my full capacity for an hour. So, other than that hour, I'm relatively sedentary. I never get so much as out of breath, except when I'm running or in the gym. My heart rate is at resting rate for the rest of the time, hence, I spend 23 hours a day being sedentary! The advice that women need 2000 calories a day is very out of date. Women used to scrub steps, carry water upstairs to wash the floor, walk to the shops and back every day and carry washing up and down the steps to the washing line. In truth, we don't do enough exercise and as a nation, we are unhealthy.

I think that's as much as I want to say on calories and we'll move on. However, I wholeheartedly agree that it's all about what we eat. I often share my 'plate' with you and I like most of it to be fresh vegetables. I know they are expensive but I get almost all of my vegetables from Aldi's Super 6 range. I think they are the only supermarket to have fruit and vegetables to be on offer every single week. They are really affordable and good quality. We like to fill ourselves up with salad at lunchtime and hot cooked vegetables in the evening. With the exception of the chicken, most of our meal is very low cost.


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Our supper tonight, was 559 calories each with  15.2g of fat. Serves 2.

You will need 
2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 onion sliced
1 red pepper sliced
30g of pesto
60g of half fat cheddar - finely grated.
1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
Salt and pepper to season.
Oil spray such as Fry lite - 2 squirts.


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Prepare vegetables of your choice along with 100g of potatoes per person, you can double that for bigger appetites. Steam all of them together in one pan, this will save gas and washing up!

1. Heat a frying pan and spray with two squirts of oil
2. Add the chicken, onions and peppers - keep turning until the chicken is cooked all the way through.
3. Pour over the chopped tomatoes - cook through for five minutes.
4. Stir the pesto through and heat for another five minutes.

Serve with vegetables and 30g of half fat cheddar - or full fat if you wish for treble the calories.


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Who else would be confused by THIS - there's a lot of starches as people are afraid to eat fats? We all know that we turn starch to fat cells really quickly. Dear Reader, you are so very right, it's not just about calories and it should be about what we eat. Let's hear it for the pile of cheap steamed veggies! Hooray for greens! Three cheers for carrots and salad. They are cheap, fill us up, give us loads of nutrients and stop us feeling hungry! Let's hear it for simple clean food without anything processed! 

Over to you, who else is utterly confused by how much? of what sort? whether we should have a carb loaded or carb lite diet? Who's confused about fats? Healthy fats? Olive oil has more saturated fat than pork and lard has more unsaturated fat than saturated. Confused? You bet I am, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxx
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Nearly, nearly there!

November 15, 2013, 9:28 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

It's been an emotional week. The house sale almost fell through and then was resurrected with a little persuasion by all parties. Mundic raised its ugly head!

Here's what wikipedia says about mundic:

"Mundic block problem

The Cornish word mundic is now used to describe a cause of deterioration in concrete due to the decomposition of mineral constituents within the aggregate. A typical source of such aggregates is metalliferous mine waste. Current professional guidance notes describe all of Cornwall and an area within 15 km of Tavistock as being areas where routine testing for mundic is required. The notes go on to state that testing should be confined to buildings which contain concrete elements (blocks or insitu) and that were built in or prior to 1950. However, the notes contain advice that testing may be required where there are visual or other signs of mundic decay. Testing leads to a classification of A, A/B, B and C. A is sound, A/B is sound (but may require re-inspection at a later date) and C is unsound. Classifications B & C mean that a property may be un-mortgagable.[4]
Typically a house is routinely screened if constructed between 1900 and 1950 from concrete block."

The house was originally smaller and didn't have a bathroom. The kitchen and bathroom extension was added in the 1950's and the mortgage company wanted a concrete screening report completed before they would take the mortgage application any further. Lots of houses in Cornwall are not of mortgageable quality, even though they've stood for almost 100 years without falling down! If you are a cash buyer and want a cheap house, buy one with a bit of it (no one would advise all of it) built with mundic blocks. However, the house has been surveyed by an expert and there is no mundic in any of the blocks in the extension! Hoo-flippin'-ray!

So, this week has been a difficult one as we've waited for seven days for the slowest laboratory in the world to test the drilled samples and tell us what we already knew. How did we know the tenement didn't have mundic? The man next door is the son of the man who built it! Hey, it's Cornwall, everyone knows who built everything and is usually related in someway to most of the people in the town they live in!

We will be in by the end of the month and a whole new life will begin! 

Over to you Dear Reader, I hope you share the journey with me. I will still live under my means as I aim to pay off the mortgage (I'm borrowing about half the value of the house) in as short as time as possible. I'm aiming to have a wood shed, wood heating, a vegetable patch and have more time to get out and about and enjoy the county I love so much.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxx
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Spinach and Butternut Squash Risotto with crumbly feta

November 16, 2013, 11:36 am
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Prawn and Sweet Chilli spring rolls - no frying here!

 Hello Dear Reader,

As I no longer eat wheat and gluten free bread leaves a lot to be desired, I often look for alternative. I tried rice spring roll wrappers. They can be found in the Asian section of any supermarket. They come out of the packet looking like a giant communion wafer; they are then soaked in hot water (I used my frying pan full of water) and laid on a clean tea towel on a work top to soak up the excess water. Next, fill them with anything you like. You can fry these and make spring rolls but I went for the lower fat option of just eating them like a sandwich. 

Filling - 1 cup of defrosted prawns (I always buy north Atlantic prawns and not the ones from Vietnam, Thailand or China in some attempt to buy ethically sourced prawns - it does mean I never get to eat big prawns but the human and environmental cost is too high to eat those tiger prawns)

cucumber - finely chopped
1/2 red chilli - finely chopped
1 teaspoon of ginger paste
1 tomato - finely chopped
1/2 little gem lettuce - finely shredded
1 tablespoon of sweet chilli sauce
teaspoon of chopped coriander

Combine in a bowl. Spoon onto the spring roll wrapper and wrap like a present.

They are not strong enough to take out for lunch as they would disintergrate but they were refreshing, zesty and tasty. I find the key to eating less is to make what ever you eat as delicious as possible to compensate for a smaller portion.


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Now onto the main event......Spinach and Butternut Squash Risotto. I can't believe that I've only started cooking risotto this year. It is now my go to, can't be bothered to cook, lazy but utterly delicious easy supper.

Serves 2 

You will need:
1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock - I use two chicken stock cubes and boiling water.
100g Arborio rice
1 onion - finely diced.
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
half a bag of spinach
3 cloves of garlic - crushed
spray oil
50g of feta cheese.


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Heat the pan and spray with oil
Cook the onions and butternut squash
Add the garlic and rice
Stir through
Add the stock, 100ml at a time, stirring continuously - be patient and don't have the heat too high.
Keep stirring until all of the stock is absorbed and keep adding until the rice has a soft consistency.
Stir though the spinach, one handful at a time, until it has wilted into the rice.

If you are not watching the calories, you can add a spoon of butter at this stage to make the risotto glossy or you could drizzle with olive oil.


Image may be NSFW.
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 Serve with feta cheese crumbled onto top. Most feta cheese comes in a 400g pack, just quarter it to save weighing it. It looks like a small amount but it's just a normal serving on a large plate. It's too easy to over fill our plates as the regular amount looks small in the middle of the plate. I can assure you, the serving is a very adequate amount. Feta is a great alternative to parmesan. It's full of flavour, much cheaper but similarly, a little goes a very long way.

Over to you Dear Reader, who else has tried rice wraps? Who has made their own deep fried spring rolls? Who uses feta in risotto and finds it a good alternative?

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs 

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