Hair Raising

 During the pandemic, like lots of others, my hair grew and grew! I quite often in the past have been through times when I visit the hairdresser loads and others when I can't remember which one I visit! I'm lucky with my hair, it's thick and relatively healthy and grows really fast. This means that I can get away with trying different things knowing that any mistakes will grow out quickly!

Time for a few hairy bites then...

Month 9 - Bite 12

I was getting fed up with the amount of time and shampoo my hair was eating into! When I began looking at how much energy it took (mine and that coming out of the sockets) to keep it all looking good or even to get it dry enough to carry on with everyday stuff it was time to claim back some.

I know that going to the hairdresser's costs hard cash, but balanced against the cost of blow drying, styling and the fact that it took so long to deal with a cut was in order. I'm listing this as a money saving tip here because I'm sure a shorter, easier to manage cut will definitely fall into this category - that's without even considering the spending on shampoo, conditioner and so on!

So that's today's task - off to the hairdresser.....

Month 9 - Bite 13

A while back when I'd started swimming again I decided something needed to be done with my dripping locks. I saw an advert about a magic towel and was tempted to try one. Now, it may be that I was lucky or even that towelling my hair more efficiently and then wrapping it up for a short while helped. Whatever I then started doing was working in starting the drying process so well that I was able to cut right down on hairdryer time, thus saving spending on electricity.

I'll have to dig it out and start using it again.

Month 9 - Bite 14

I chatted to the hairdresser about shampoo and conditioners during my visit (and yes I'm very happy with my much shorter hair!) From our conversation it's very apparent that I'm using too much shampoo. Even when my hair was long I didn't need as much as I was using. Apparently, a blob about the size of a ten pence piece will be plenty - another saving to be garnered. Oh and conditioner, well I don't need it every wash - especially as I'm cutting down on heat drying and styling. This hair thing gets better and better!

Month 9 - Bite 15

When I was in my late teens I had a friend who was most concerned about the state of her hair. She couldn't get it to look anything less than greasy however much she took care of it. She did tell me how envious of my hair she was and wanted to know how often I had to wash it. 

For many years when I was little, hair washing was done in the kitchen over the sink using a jug to rinse everyone's hair and hot water from a cranky Ascot boiler over the sink. It only tended to happen a couple of times a week - rather like the baths we had in the old tin bath that had to be lifted off the outside wall and filled from saucepans and kettles!  When I was twelve or thirteen our landlords put in a bathroom! It was a huge luxury, especially as it meant hair washing no longer had to be fitted in around cooking, washing up and laundry - all of which had relied on the one, old Butler sink previously.

Anyway, back to my friend.. I admitted to her that I only washed my hair a couple of times a week because of the practicalities of the situation but added that I'd read that washing it too often stripped it of natural oils and so made the body produce more to make up for this ending in oily or greasy hair. I was also able explain that putting my hair up or French plaiting never worked well straight after washing as it was too flyaway at that point.

My friend decided that she wanted to work on washing her hair less frequently to see if the idea of more washing being a bad thing was correct. Accepting that the start of the experiment might well see her hair get worse before it adjusted, we worked out a schedule. We planned out when she would wash her hair, starting with every other day, then every two days and so on. To our surprise, after a time her hair did improve. She settled on every third day as ideal for her hair, which got shinier and softer as time went on.

I'd forgotten all about this until recently and have got used to washing my hair just about every day and yes, it's looking a bit lifeless and dull. So from now on I'm going to repeat what we did with my friend's hair all those years ago to find out my optimum gap between washes. Less hot water, less shampoo and less drying time - got to be good!

Harvesting the Garden

 Now's a good time to turn my attention to the garden to organise things ready for next year! Plenty of money can be saved if you tidy and check the shed/greenhouse/tool store now to preserve the cash for next year. So with thinking ahead in mind here goes...

Month 9 - Bite 8

A big shed sort out is on the cards. I need to double check that all the tools are clean and hung up or stored where they can be accessed quickly and safely. The left-over compost, etc. needs stacking and the bags securing so that the contents don't spill everywhere and ger wasted (some nice large stones to sit on them usually works well). Then I must double check the dates on any seed packets that haven't been entirely used up.

I'll record the seeds I've got in the back of my diary, I can then add this list to next year's diary so I know and don't go buying more next spring!

Month 9 - Bite 9

We've got a few flowering plants around the garden that are setting seed so I'm off out with some brown, paper envelopes to gather what I can - antirrhinums, poppies, that sort of thing. The envelopes need labelling and careful storage for next year - oh yes, and adding to my list for the diary.

Our neighbours do the same and we can have a seed swap in the spring to make the most of the free seeds we've gathered.

Month 9 - Bite 10

The other way of getting free plants is by taking cuttings. Our main 'crop' is geraniums. It's actually the one big memory that lots of people have of my dad! He used to dig up and bring in the geraniums over the winter. They lived on the tallboy on the landing and oh, how we used to avoid brushing past them so that they didn't release their pungent smell into the air!!

Anyway, we luckily have a shed so that's where they are going. Last year we saved the actual plants, but they have grown into giants so cutting it will have to be. Totting up what we've saved by keeping the plants going was eye-watering when we looked at the local garden centre prices earlier in the year. I know the cuttings might not get to quite the same size, but the savings will be just as good.

 

I've also just read in the last week that basil can be propagated from cuttings, so no prizes for guessing the next job...

Month 9 - Bite 11

Last year we visited a local farm for their pumpkin festival. While walking through the crops there were plenty of pumpkins and squashes that had split open so I was able to gather some seeds from them as I was curious as to how they might 'take'. 

This year, with very little care just lots of water this happened...

Will I be repeating the process this year? Definitely!

One of my neighbours has tried using the pips from a tomato that she bought and enjoyed so I think that needs trying too..

What can I say?

 I'd got all up to date with Bites to 7th all written and posted and was going to settle down to some more on Thursday, but events sort of overtook things and writing the odd blog post about saving pennies didn't seem very urgent somehow!

I don't really know what to write that won't seem a bit trite or repetitious of what others have said in the past few days, but the death of the Queen can't go unmarked even in a little frippery such as this.

I first made a promise to the Queen as a Brownie, then as a Scouter just like so many others. I learnt the National Anthem and facts about the Royal Family and passed them on.

I used to do a bit on a National Board, so a few times have helped out with the National Scout Service at Windsor which is where I met her. Just like my Dad and Mum had before me - only they were there for awards, I was just introducing people! I was also lucky enough to be invited to a Buckingham Palace Garden Party. My sister has met her twice - once through Scouting and another time through work and one of my nieces was part of the Royal Household for a while. My other niece's 5-year-old was only recently, very excitedly, showing everyone the card she'd had from the Queen to thank her for the letter sent for the recent Jubilee. I expect there are many families like ours with memories to match.

It's very strange to think that's she's no longer here - however expected it might have been that time would catch up and the inevitable would happen. She seems somehow interwoven into the fabric of life and I've never known a monarch other than the Queen.

I was spinning at an event this weekend where we had our silent moment for remembering and for the first time sang God Save the King. It felt weird, but we'll get used to it.

I'll be back with my nonsense in the next day or so, just wanted to add my two-penny-worth.. hope you don't mind.

Never look a Gift Horse in the Mouth

 Month 9 - Bite 4

We were out visiting and were offered some plums as they were going to be wasted. What an offer! The answer just had to be yes. So we drove home having picked about 8 pounds of ripe Victoria plums, all from one little tree.

One year we even got to go to the local community orchard apple day and returned with pockets stuffed with lots of different varieties along with some rather nice apple juice that we'd seen being pressed.

Fruit presents like these are always welcome and get preserved (as long as they're not eaten first) for later consumption.

We put our bounty to one side as there was another plan for the following day...

Month 9 - Bite 5

Hedgerow picking today then. The blackberries on one of the coastal lanes are plentiful and just begging to be picked. The lane is very lightly used by traffic, so pollution isn't a huge issue. We went in search of sloes too, but they weren't quite ready so that'll be another afternoon walk later on.

Some of the blackberries got frozen on a large baking sheet to keep them separate, before being packed into tubs for the freezer. I've got plans for the others!

Month 9 - Bite 6

A long hot day of jam making, but oh, won't it be worth it. First those plums, followed by the brambles.

Yes, the sugar had to be bought - I don't use quite as much sugar as the recipe states as the jam is more fruity and less sweet that way while still setting well. The gas for cooking needs to be paid for too, but the cost and taste are both in our favour when compared with shop bought!

Some pots are destined for gift giving (to the owners of the plum tree for example or for hamper presents at Christmas). The rest are sitting waiting in the cupboard.

Month 9 - Bite 7

Before I leave the subject of food for now, I'm setting myself one last task for today. I want to start trying some new recipes with less meat to make the money go further. So tonight, I'm going to have a go at a Moroccan lamb type casserole/bake. Most of it will be vegetables and fruit which I've got in the fridge (although I have bought some sweet potatoes specially) and I'm going to use a couple of small lamb steaks that are left from another meal to see if I can stretch them into a couple of full portions.

From now on this needs to be a regular occurrence with me trying something like this more often. I've got plenty of recipe books gathering dust as I think I've shown before, so they need to start earning their place on the bookshelves!

 

Meltdown

 Just what I didn't want.. a
meltdown - in the freezer.. aarrgghh!

Month 9 - Bite 2

decorating at the moment which involved himself switching off the electricity in order to remove light fittings for easier ceiling painting. The only problem was missing flicking a switch to turn it all back on again. Only one switch. But sadly the one controlling the power to the freezer. That, coupled with the fact that we were out all the next day means that we've come home to  a soggy floor and a dripping freezer.

Still, it does mean a complete clear out and taking stock of what was in there.

Some stuff can't be saved, some can be eaten immediately and the rest needs cooking. That's not been a bad thing as I've managed to cook up a number of meals that can now be safely refrozen and used for quick meals later. I've also double checked what else we had that could be batch cooked and frozen to save time and money. After all, if I've got the cooker and hob going I might just as well make the most of the energy use. That and the freezer is now fairly full so must be running more efficiently.

All that and I won't have to defrost it again for a while - well, you've got to look for the positives haven't you?!

Month 9 - Bite 3

During the freezer incident it struck me that there were other things that needed gathering ready to freeze, so I've done those too.

The runner beans are cropping well and we can't eat them all. So it's prepping and freezing for them.

Then there's the herbs - the giant parsley has truly taken over.. and the oregano and basil have done well...

 

There's plenty left even though I've picked and frozen lots too.

     

Another Month, Another Elephant...

 

This month is a bit of a motley collection - a random harvest of ideas to save that extra bit of cash..

Month 9 - Bite 1

This first task for me takes me right back to where I started this year of financial elephant eating... It's time to take stock of where I am and how far I've got. So, the top job on my list has to be recording my spending every day. I want to see whether all the things I've done have had any impact on my spending patterns and how much changes in the cost of living have hit my cash flow. Then at the end of this month I can revise my budget to see how far I've come.

So, app ready and off I go...

Hang out the Bunting!

 Extra Mouthful Number 5

Following on from last month's bunting cards here's  a mouthful showing how to make the full size thing!

You could cut out triangles of scrap fabric and edge them using pinking shears, then attach them to ribbon or string, but here's how I make decorative sewn bunting to dress up children's rooms or as Christmas decorations.  

Firstly you'll need some pairs of fabric triangles. Because these were for presents I did buy the main fabric, but the backing for the llama one comes from an old tablecloth and the unicorn bunting was from an old cotton pillowcase!

This bunting is made from 7 pairs of triangles, but you can make yours as short or long as you like.

So start off by cutting out the pairs of triangles. These are patterned fabric for the front and plain for the back.

Sew them right sides together leaving the wide end of the triangle open.

                                                

Clip the tip of the triangle to cut bulk and turn them the right way out.

Now iron them to give neat edges.

Finally, sew them at equal intervals (these are 2 inches apart) onto a strip of bias binding.

And Voila! Ready to hang.....

You could make them for hanging decorations using Christmas fabric like these...

Or as presents - for a new home, perhaps...

If you use scraps or old fabric or even outgrown children's clothes it's a very cheap make!

In other words...

 

For the end of the holiday here's a couple of activities could start back in the library. One uses words from another language and the other the children's own words about their break.

Month 8 - Bite 29

Just to keep those thoughts of holidays and more exotic travel alive (even if you didn't venture abroad) how about learning some words or phrases from another language?

Our library has a selection of languages and methods to choose from - books, DVDs, online videos. Choose your medium and let everyone have a go. You're not looking to become word perfect or grammatically wonderful. The idea is for each of you to learn and remember a number of helpful phrases or interesting words.

Having started with the most basic 'hello' and goodbye', 'please' and thank you' see what they would like to be able to say. It might be that you did get away to a different land and found that there was something you wish you'd been able to say. Well, now you can try it out ready for another time.

Don't forget there are plenty of short video clips, online courses and ebooks that you could try too.

Who knows, it might lead to the whole family going even deeper into a foreign tongue and taking a course to learn more. Doing this together means you'll have plenty of people to practise your conversations with too.

Month 8 - Bite 30

Our library also has a lot of local interest pamphlets advertising some of the attractions and events around here. Have you noticed a rack like this in yours? or in the local tourist information office?

You could round off the holiday by providing the wherewithal for making brochures or scrapbooks about some of the places you've been or events you've attended or things you've done together over the break.

Pictures, writing, photos, downloaded information - they can all go into your family's very personal brochures of their holiday.

While you take the time to create these it will provide the opportunity to chat about everything you've done and to find out what the favourites were. It could be surprising to see what comes out on top. Was it the most expensive outing or the most creative day or just the longest time you had to laugh and have fun?