Jolly japes in July (only if they are frugal)...!

[needastrongone]

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Quick post but given that we basically Camp most of the blooming year for competitions, we use a freezer bag or box and take as much frozen stuff as possible, together with a few ice packs. If you keep it shut, it works a treat at keeping everything cool. We've not died yet and been doing this years, even chicken works like this, you just have to plan a bit that's all. Most comps involve 2/3 nights away.

I've given myself a bad stomach twice from chicken this year, I can understand sunny wanting fresh everyday.

I'm a lot more cautious now.

wheely thanks! 28 weeks. Due at the end of sept. someone who didn't know!!! I thought I'd told everyone !!! Haha

Waiting in ante natal now. Have done obligatory wee in small pot. Am a total pro at this now.

I would use the chicken the first night probs, so that's where a bit of planning is needed but it's doable. Totally individual though and that's cool too. Would Quorn be a protein alternative? We often take a bolognaise or similar that has been cooked already, and can be frozen.

Actually, a question about camping food myself. DS is doing his D of E Gold practice next week and main expedition in September. He's away 4 days and needs to take all his food with him. They hike a navigated route with no assistance at all. The previous awards didn't involve being away so long. What food does anyone with a bit of experience in this regard suggest? Obviously it's got to be light, energy rich, easy to make etc. Bearing in mind they are carrying all theIr stuff with them the whole time.

TIA.

And to be fair, now I've read back fully and am not on the move, I'd be in M&S too.

Eggs are surprisingly useful when camping or just have the 2 rings in a horse box I find.

How about those dried pasta dishes? They'll have access to a pan and water?.

Or google what the army provide. That'll be calorie rich & light.

Yeah, they take the cooking things with them. He's got most of the equipment anyway (I'll check it all this weekend). Water at each camp site to refill but he's have to plan for extra if needed.

We've used the pasta things before, cereal bars, gels, energy bars etc. I think it's just the additional time frame and 'carryability' that's making me wonder if there's anything I haven't thought of previously. Balancing how much energy he will need to that restraint.

I ought to have looked at it sooner but we've had exams for both DC for the last few weeks, the pony, competitions, and this week is DS's driving theory test and Uni open day at Lancaster! No time to think at the minute.

2 x NSDs Sunday and Monday. Today I spent €37 at the hairdresser. I also have to pay for dance rehearsal €5 and Scouts subs €3.

I called into the uniform shop to price DD's uniform in advance of pay day.

School coat €50

2 pairs of trousers €76 (38 per pair)

2 jumpers €73 (36.50 each)

Polo shirt for PE €15

The shirts are plain so I can buy them anywhere. Tracksuit bottoms for PE just need to be navy so I can re-use the ones from last year.

Shoes (est.) €50

Book Rental Scheme €130

Approx. another €50 for calculator, workbooks, dictionaries

Grand total = €444

Remembers I forgot to add in the cost of shirts

Don't you love all those threads about the cost of having a baby and how everyone rushes in to say that babies don't cost anything if you breastfeed and use washable nappies? . Ahhh, the innocence.......

Ouch Tayto... quite a bill.

I've just got the bill for the school bus for next year for my two. £1300. Ouch too. Which we have to suck up as we chose to send them out of catchment but still....I'll faint in a corner with you too.

If I have been a touch grumpy last day or so then it's because there's been really tragic events at my running club. Would be completely insensitive to post here what, but apologies if anything has come over in my posts.

Spends.
£60 Sainsbury's
£5 Bootcamp later.

Oh need very sorry to hear about the events you referred to . You think you have problems until you hear about the misfortune of others....

DH used to be a Scout in his youth so I'll ask him about camping food. I was a girl guide myself and I seem to remember a lot of baked beans but if he's going to be on the move constantly and has to carry his food along with him, then weight will be an issue.

em I'd forgotten about weeing into a little pot . That takes me back!

I thought you were posting less need but you do tend to pack a lot in to one day.

Tayto I've seen those threads (no kids here) and remembered sil paying nearly a £1000 for dn1 secondary school uniform. I don't know how anyone can say kids are cheap.

There was a couple with a young baby in the mail saying their food bill was £30 a week because she cooks from scratch & gets 3 meals out of one chicken. I sniggered. They won't be so smug when he's 13 yo & eating them out of house and home.

M&S it is then.

I think I would pack a lot of rice for DofE. The Gold is really tough just because of food. I think it would be worth asking on a specialist forum tbh. People fail sometimes because they run out food and get caught having a fish supper at the end.

I did the Gold myself, but did it almost entirely on fat reserves having packed revolting specialist camping food that I hadn't thought to try in advance. There's a lot to be said for eating a load of mars bars in the week before and carrying the calories as subcutaneous fat.

Yup, Fluffy. I often partially joke I'll have to abandon DS in the woods, as in Hansel and Gretl.

Sorry to hear that, Need. I hope keeping busy, busy, busy is helping take your mind off things a little.

Spends: £20.45 Asda (card) and £3.95 on breakfast and a latte in Wetherspoons. God, I love living in a town again!

Thanks, rice is a good call, it's so light and easily digestible. I went to the D of E site itself but it's seems to have teamed up with a specific company that makes expedition type food and I'm cynical of such link ups. Although I did note this company did cater for specific diets such as vegan, veggie, kosher... I didn't see gluten free though.

I agree, DS will be fine navigating and that's all planned and sorted. He's done all his other tasks (voluntary, skill, sport etc), which are all signed off. I'm given information on a need to know basis though and I clearly don't need to know.... Lack of organisation re food and kit will be his downfall, if I don't start to nag. Even though it's supposed to be done themselves.

A fish supper would be food of the gods after 4 days in the wilds

Cross post. I'd like to not be so busy at the minute! I hadn't realised there was quite a bit of exam stress in the house until both finished a week or so ago. Roll on end of term for all of us frugaleers.

I'm fine, just feel utterly crap for the people involved.

I do understand what you mean, even if it's tongue in cheek. Bit like distance running, you have to expect to live on reserves a bit, so pre-race (or expedition) nutrition is more important than folk give credit for. It's pie and chips in our house for a few days then!

I forgot to say that I was talking to my hairdresser earlier and she said she threw a party at home for her 16 year old DD. The DD invited 60 guests and 120 turned up!!!! The hairdresser said she got a bit worried when two buses turned up outside her house. Is this a thing now - 16th birthday parties?

Tayto I had a big 16th birthday party in a church hall with no alcohol given that my parents are quite strict Muslims and don't drink. I think there were maybe about 40 or 50 people there but it included a lot of family and family-friends so probably only about a third or so were peers my own age. A band who was one of my dad's tenants came and played and we had lots of food from Costco and takeway pizzas. It was lovely and remember it fondly, though expensive for my parents. But I didn't do anything for my 18th or 21st so.

I am back! Been super busy, was away in Sheffield over the weekend with DH visiting a friend, which was very spendy. Today has also been spendy as after about a fortnight of trying, I finally managed to go into town myself to get threaded:
£16 threading in Superdrug
£7ish lunch in Pret
£12ish toiletries in Superdrug
£5.50ish lip scrub from Lush
£11 knickers from M&S
59p card for above friend who is moving house soon with her boyfriend so they will be living together for the first time
That's it so far but may do a grocery shop online later.

Need Hope you are ok .

Good luck to Need's DD.
Fluffy your spelling of "wear" was right.
I hope the weather is good for all those camping, trekking or on holiday. It is raining here at last. My garden is so dry the ground has cracked. First rain in weeks.

Need's DS even!

Oh God, I hope not, Tayto!

Thanks copper, we weren't taught much grammar at school & I've learnt most things post grad.

It's really shocking I don't know my verbs from nouns

Sunny those inflating mats are really comfy. Put a blanket underneath it and another between it and your sleeping bag and you'll be toasty!

We always just take something to reheat the first night eg spaghetti bol although cooking pasts uses a lot of fuel. Noodles or cous cous are better. We sometimes take chilli and a big bag of tortilla chips to dip in.

That's a good point about the fuel Snuggly. I suppose cooking rice could take a lot of fuel as it takes ages. I cooked rice once on DofE but I didn't know I was meant to cook it for a long time. It tasted like gravel. Oddly, it worked just fine as food, even in gravel format.

I was reading scouting for boy recently and Baden Powell says that in the army sometimes they just mixed their flour with water and drank it.