Managing Money Mindfully in March with the Friendly Frugaleers

[Happierwithouthim]

Last Thread

All welcome on this thread, we're a friendly bunch who like to get bang for our buck, and manage our money as well as we can.

Pet pics very welcome too

I’ve only done 3. I’m a lockdown failure

Will try harder!

I'm making a chipotle chilli for tea. Frugally because my holy trinity has the wrong colour pepper in and it was a squishy pepper at that. My garlic was very sprouts and my chipotle paste was a year out of date

Loving your frugal work there wolf.
We had HM chicken curry and pizza.
Maybe I should add make a takeaway but I already do that.... So clearly am just a dick

Happier no you are doing right by adding equal flr and water each day, Tip loads of it away each day ( I just keep about 100g of the starter, add 100g flour and 100g water) Otherwise it will increase exponentially - which is a huge waste of gold dust. Mine normally start bubbling after 4-5 days ( just little bubbles) After 7 - 8 days it starts increasing in size before collapsing back. At this point I put it in a clear measuring jug and mark where the starting level is - you can see where it gets up to because of the flour mark).

MrsM Hope they are ok. It is such a stressful time with old dependents.

life we do as well. We have no good takeaways around here and even fewer ones that deliver. I did Chapati last night using both the hot water method to develop the gluten and the open flame method to make them puff up.... people this is an amazing revelation. I am developing a You Tube addiction (maybe that should be on the list)

My DD is feeling cabin fever.... she is tidying up her mess off the end of the dining room table which has been there for months ( it is her art stuff so I daren't touch) . DH & DS have taken their daily exercise by walking onto the moor ...with their wild camping kit. DD & I will have a quite night in.

I want to do a sourdough starter but just can't bring myself to throw so much away at the moment, given the shortage of flour!

Dh has talked me into getting an actual takeaway but I'm so stressed about I I don't think I'll enjoy it.

North I can post you some.

Snuggly - that doesn't sound good.

Chilli was yum and a few portions left for the freezer

Snuggly is there something particular that is bothering you about it? I was having worries about food made outside the home this week but my exhaustion yesterday beat that worry into submission

I just started with 15g flour & 15g water because I was low on flour at the time & have been adding the same each day maybe my quantities are too small

I'm probably being a bit paranoid! We didn't get round to ordering it for ages so it hasn't come yet. We have a plan for getting it out of the containers then nuking it in the microwave while we disinfect the table. I've lost the plot haven't I? I don't usually worry about things in this way.

Snuggly I’ve had a takeaway and did similar. Took everything out of containers and threw them out immediately. I didn’t microwave it right enough. I don’t wash all my shopping to be honest either so maybe I’m not the one to listen to.

I can't be doing with washing shopping either or worrying too much when out tbh, for example I used a shopping basket in the co op earlier. I avoid touching my face and wash my hands well but that's it.

I think if you start over thinking it you'll drive yourself mad.

I do admit finding the whole thing very very difficult to rationally risk assess though 😕 for me work feels like the biggest risk atm.

Spent £25 in the coop on various bits.

I have been busy baking today... def earnt a few lockdown dick points.

Baking looks fan, Girlie. I am totally overthinking things aren't I? We washed all the shopping the other day too

*fab

Ok. So here’s my confession. Which I also confessed to a friend the other day.

I’m not washing my clothes as soon as I come in the house. I’m not washing myself (ie showering). I’m not washing all food before putting it away. I haven’t disinfected my steering wheel. I rarely remember to disinfect door handles.

I’m fucked aren’t I?

We do take shoes off when we come in and put them in the gaga te but that’s nothing new. That’s a usual thing in our house.

I don’t wash my clothes as soon as I come in either. I felt like a normal person today having my clothes and a bit of makeup on after spending the last few weeks in pyjamas - no way was I showering and changing clothes. Door handles ... I wiped them today but haven’t been doing it routinely.

Are people washing clothes whenever they've gone out?!

When I get in from work I strip and put everything straight in the wash and then jump in the shower. Hadn't occurred to me to do this when I've just been out to walk the dog!!

I wouldn’t wash clothes when I come in, generally, though might if I had been in a high risk place like the hospital / tube, and at the height of the spread (ie about now). I didn’t bother 2 weeks ago when last in work (hospital) as it wasn’t as widespread though Might do it now. I know many front line clinical staff are changing clothes after shift and it seems sensible for them but unless you are rubbing yourself against the aisles in Coop it’s probably not necessary..

We take our shoes off when we come in and wash our hands. I’m quite careful about where I put bags and boxes from outside - I tend to leave them near the door, empty them, get rid, wipe down where they were and then wash hands again.

Ive never thought to disinfect my steering wheel
And rarely remember door handles either! I’m not worried as we’re not going out much. I’d probably be more careful if we were in and out a lot more.

Snuggly the scientists don’t believe (hot) food is a risk, as long as you are careful with packaging. Cooking destroys the virus. I’d probably ideally decant into other containers, blast in the microwave, dispose of the packaging and wash hands. I reckon that’s be fine. And probably fine if you don’t, as long as you wash your hands after handling the containers.

Love the bingo Life. Did someone mention jigsaw puzzles too? I think as well as ‘bragging about home Ed’ there should be ‘bragging about relaxed attitude to home Ed ’. Either is worth points imho

Night in the pub with friends tonight. Was good fun. Sorry, bit tipsy to remember more than the last 3 posts

Well I do non of this. I wash my hands after coming in and that's it. .
Maybe this is why I have bug. .I did handles and switches when dh got poorly.
I didn't disinfect shopping and we've not had a takeaway. I also don't change my clothes.
I'm a slattern clearly but also unthinking about this stuff.

Nice baking.

Feel marginally better today.

You’re right sea - home ed bragging can certainly be of the “look how relaxed we are” type too.

I can confirm this happens in regular home ed too. A lot. I’ve actually left groups and avoid certain people because of it 🤐😂

Re washing, showering etc it really helped me to learn a bit about the viral load thing, I feel more relaxed about it all now. It’s not about creating a completely sterilised environment as that’s impossible. Just about washing away as much as you can so your body isn’t overwhelmed. That’s why it’s so important for HCPs to change/shower after work as you’re more exposed to a higher VL but generally no I don’t think it’s necessary otherwise. By my understanding anyway.

That said it’s easy for me to be fairly relaxed as I’m pretty sure the virus we all had was it so I’m not too worried ATM. I think we should still act as if we hadn’t though.

We are only going out for walks (ignoring the fact ds went to his dads yesterday) and we don't touch anything while we're out so I'm not doing anything other than washing hands. I clean switches when I clean anyway as ds generally leaves mucky fingerprints all over them and I did the outside door handle and letterbox for the postman on Friday. Shoes off at the door is standard too.

I did make ds wash his clothes and shower after going to his dads. Trust issues there, huge ones.

I did tie myself in knots a bit after the shopping delivery on Monday, I refused to clean everything before putting it away then got stressed trying to butter some bread with the lurpak that had just arrived. After washing my hands about six times and still not having the bread buttered I entered the "fuck it" phase of thinking and just gave up.

Going to try and go for a walk this morning but not if there's loads of people out. We've been going in the morning because the afternoon seems very busy but yesterday everyone seemed to be out.

I have a lot of ironing to put away from yesterday. Might play a game with ds too if he's interested.

I have only washed clothes and showered after doing my rota days supervising at school. That seems sensible as we've been looking after children of hcps who are perhaps more exposed to the virus than other kids would be.

I've always washed thoroughly and wiped down surfaces after puttimg away supermarket shopping after watching something on TV years ago where they stabbed trolleys and they were covered in things like faecal matter and sweat

I wash everything when I get in from work but hadn’t thought about after walking the dog. I don’t see anyone when out or touch anything.

Tbh I think there's always been the risk that you could touch something when out and pick up a bug. That's nothing new really and all viruses can potentially kill you or make you seriously unwell, my dd ended up ventilated when she got flu 4 years ago.

I understand obviously that this is a new virus and therefore more dangerous as no one has immunity yet.

But good hand hygiene and basic common sense (and self isolating when ill) should be standard behaviour even before CV!

My friend is washing her clothes and showering whenever she gets back home at the moment. She doesn’t do a “high risk” job. She’s working from home.

I’m doing maybe a bit more handwashing than I usually would.