Thrifty tip #2 sparkly windows

When doing your housework you don't need to spend masses on cleaning products.

To get really sparkly windows, all you need is vinegar, a cloth and some newspaper.

Put a small amount of vinegar on your cloth and rub it over your window. Then use the clean side to remove most of the vinegar. Scrunch up the newspaper and use this to polish the window.

Ta da! Sparkly windows on the cheap!

Thirfty tip #1 - Jacket Spuds

I'm going to be sharing some great thrifty tips, so lets start with number 1....

Jacket spuds make a quick and easy meal for when you're trying to save a bit of cash.  You can normally pick up a bag of basics potatoes for a couple of pounds from the supermarket or fruit and veg shop and you can get quite a few meals from this.

One way to cut down the cooking time (and your energy bills) is to wrap the potato in kitchen roll before placing it in the microwave.  Because it's trapping the steam inside the kitchen roll, it cooks a lot better.  You can either completely cook it in the microwave or pop it in the oven afterwards to finish it off.

Saving for a fresh start

I'm currently in the process of buying a house and I'll hopefully be moving into my new house on 13th Dec :)

As we all probably know, buying a house is very expensive and I need to save as much money as possible by the time I move in. I'm buying a new build so need everything from carpets to curtains!

Inspired by the fab book, How I Lived a Year on Just a Pound a Day by Kath Kelly, I'm trying to think how I can live for as little as possible over the next few weeks. Obviously I have costs I can't avoid like petrol to get to work, but where possible I'll try to avoid spending on everything else. I don't think I'll manage £1 a day but I'll try!

I'm going to document my progress on the blog. I'm starting with £423.21 in my savings pot, I'm aiming for £1000.

I'm starting tomorrow so wish me luck!

Thrifty Moo x

Jam making

After my little foraging adventures, I have made masses of jam! Some blackberry jam...

And some crab apple jelly...

 

I thought that jam making would be difficult but it's so easy! It doesn't take very long to do either.

The main ingredients in jam making are fruit, sugar and sometimes pectin depending on the fruit you're using. You will need jars but you can recycle old ones, they just need sterilized.

Both these jams are yummy, I'll post the recipes ASAP.

I'd love to know if you've tried jam making?

Thrifty moo x

Foraging for free food!

Recently I've discovered the wonders of foraging. It's a great way to spend some time in the outdoors while gathering some yummy and best of all, free food!

We are lucky enough to live across the road from open fields and woods, so there is plenty of opportunity for foraging.

My dad had spotted lots of bits and pieces while walking the dog - blackberries, elderberries, rosehips and crab apples.  So off I went armed with my backpack and some rubber gloves to protect my hands from thorns and nettles.  One tip - take gardening gloves if you can.  They offer more protection from thorns and the fingers fell off my rubber ones!

Here's some pictures of my finds so far...

I've also seen quite a bit of wildlife on walks....

I've used my foraging finds to make lots of lovely bits and pieces which I'll be sharing in a future post.

Thrifty Moo x

Great thrifty cake recipe - Banana Bread!

I wanted to share one of my favourite cake recipes!  It's fab as it uses really over ripe bananas which you would normally throw out.  It's not the lowest in fat but it is delicious!  It's really nice fresh out the oven :)

I've made this banana bread as suggested as both muffins and in a loaf tin and both were great.

I found the recipe on the Money Saving Expert Old Style Forum.  You can find the original post with the recipe here.

I'd love to know if you try this cake, feel free to leave me a comment if you do.

Moo x

Welcome to the Thrifty Moo blog

Hi and welcome to Thrifty Moo!

I will be using this blog to share hints and tips on saving money, making money and living a simpler, more self sufficient life.

I'm also going to be making some videos to share on the blog so watch this space!