The Make Do barometer is high

The recent high of walking away from a magpie shopping moment continues. Why I even dug out some khaki shorts I was giving to charity to dye them a coral colour so I can wear them this summer.

I was sent an email which I deleted by mistake which was an offer from a company for me and petit garcon to plant and grow herbs from seeds. How sweet was that and how annoying I pressed the delete button on my iphone when I was intending to press the home button.

The bread making continues, after 3 years we have graduated to a bread making machine and Mr MDS is in charge of its operation. He does very fancy pants things with it including adding seeds and setting the timer so we wake up to fresh bread. I like it when Mr MDS uses Doves Farm wholemeal flour, it produces the best wholesome bread, but he sneaks in a white loaf every now and again.

Another new money saving effort in these hard times comes in the form of alcoholic beverage. Not that I'm advocating drinking! However should you fancy a tipple then we recently tried Crabbie's alcoholic ginger beer and I have to say, not only is it cheaper than wine, less alcoholic (4% proof) but it is also refreshing. I couldn't imaging being able to drink alcoholic ginger beer in the manner in which I quaff white wine down so I'm thinking good for the hips too.


And the MDS purse strings are fairly blossoming with my spring summer bag purchase costing me £10.49 on eBay. It is a vintage (possible late 50s early 60s) woven handbag and is in a cheery turquoise blue . It also has the addition of a plastic wallet on a chain which is incredibly handy for my oyster card.




What with more sunshine I can almost smell the roses.

Soooo making do!

It's a big change becoming a student. Suddenly I'm a freaking church mouse! It's been a shock to the system because as well as paying a few thousand for the course, my income had dropped in half plus I've an extra day of nursery fees to pay for the petit garcon.

It's enough to turn me into a moany old bat...oh that's what I'm doing now. In truth I'd been enjoying my last couple of years belt tightening as it was the right thing to do what with a move to London. My grand allotment plans came to nowt. I got one but it was the most overgrown plot imaginable and we just got defeated by trying to clear it. The bread making has been delightful. How gorgeous is homemade bread and how blissful is it to make it. I haven't got a breadmaker so do it all by hand. It literally takes about 15 mins to knead together and then a further 30 mins to rise and 35 mins in the oven. The really funny thing is since I stopped buying shop bread I don't eat it as much. I think your own bread is so nice one slice is very satisfactory.

The other thing that has been a big hit for sticking to a budget is a weekly meal planner. Okay having the same meals week after week is repetitive but this is how you make real savings. I don't buy any things like cakes, crisps or biscuits, instead I make my own fairy (cup) cakes from a Nigella recipe every week. Again I'm amazed how 12 little cakes seem to last, mind you I practically lick the bowl clean!

I'm hoping my efforts will make a difference but I do miss my treats i.e. clothes. I have no money for these at all now, not even a penny. I've put a few things on ebay to raise some funds just to help with my course funding not to buy anything new. I'm quite happy to make do with what I've got as it does require invention and dressing up time to check out different looks. Yes it's hard not to be tempted and I'd love a pair of biker boots plus a few other items but when I read my course books I know I've made the right choice.

And today I really wanted to get a shoe rack for the hallway as I'm fed up of tripping over Mr MD&Ms shoes. Then I found the one in the garage which is rather functional and not very nice, just grey metal. I've decided I'll spray it a deep fucshia pink to match my Andy Warhol print.

Once I've made the shoe rack a brighter colour it should look OK.

Spurred on by my resourcefulness I decided to add some greenery. I've really missed having flowers in the house. Students don't spend their money on flowers, mind you I've got no beer fund either. I noticed my poor sunflowers in the garden haven't enjoyed the sunshine they've needed so I've brought them in doors. I added a few other outdoor trimmings and voila! Fingers crossed the flowers will bloom now.

Followed by a real successful little grocery shop at Sainsbury I treated myself to a copy of Grazia (it'll have to last a month!) and the petit garcon to Thomas the Tank Engine comic.

You see it's not all bad making do!

PS The Shirley Bassey bag isn't for me! Quite understated but plenty of bids already for a great cause!

Smugness

There is nothing like a trawl through the Daily Mail to cheer you up. A paper full of sniping at rich and poor alike. The paper has no fewer than 6 Facebook groups dedicated to taking the mickey of said daily. My favourite is their current obsession with Zac Goldsmith. Take a peek at this latest article on his supposed womanising ways.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=406989&in_page_id=1879

It all makes me glad of my blissful unexposed lifestyle. Who cares what I'm doing or what I'm wearing. I can potter about at the allotment, shop for a client and make a loaf or two without a second thought. I actually am really not interested in the life of Mr Goldsmith but the surmising and commentary on him is fascinating because it is so sniffy and pompous. It seems the Daily Mail are hellbent on destroying people's marriages whilst equally condemning those who stray/divorce.

I'm sure Zac Goldsmith's only vice is being a bit of a posh, rich cheesecloth loving homemade bread maker who encourages people to think about the environment.

I don't listen to the wealthy and loaded - it's to easy to preach when you've got a health bank balance. Far harder to strive for better things while balancing the household budget. I, as a poor cheesecloth loving homemade bread maker can't be bothered to tell people what to do unless it concerns their wardrobe and shopping habits - then I'm particularly bossy and come across as a bit Daily Mail.

Knead it!

The verb 'need' is the only one I've used of any significance. Oh I need that dress etc.etc. Except now I have a new 'knead' in my life - kneading bread.

Despite a few peoples scepticism or even disbelief, I'm now making my own bread. What's more it is very nice indeed - having home made bread. No two loaves are the same in size but every loaf to date has tasted wonderful.

I'm really shocked how easy it is to make, how much cheaper it is and how nice the smell is of freshly baking bread. The saving is 50% compared to an equivalent supermarket number making the loaves a great earner for me - over a year it is £104 saved. Which is one twelfth of a nice Chanel bag!