Hello one and all. Miserable, wet and cold to start off with today, but it turned out nice again. My food stocks are getting dangerously low, the fridge is empty, and not many tins left. Yesterday I decided to use up the half packet of dried soup mix, which was only two years out of date. Soak it for eight hours, bring to the boil and simmer. I added the last onion, a large potato, and three packets of frozen home grown runner beans. Then I zapped it with the stick blender.
Anybody like a slice of soup, ha ha. Had some for dinner last night, lunch today, and another bowlful just now. I think I'll go into business making healthy baby food, ha ha. It tastes alright, I watered it down a bit so it goes down more easily without chewing.
I made time to go to the park this morning. They are busy with clearing the leaves at the moment, one tractor with a blower on the side, and two men walking around with hand held blower machines strapped to their body. They didn't seem to be making much progress, just moving them around.
The ducks lolling about in the sunshine.
It was a lovely afternoon so I did a bit of tidying in the garden. The brown bin is to be emptied on Monday, and as I haven't put much in it over the last month I thought I would trim up the hedges between me and next door. I'm afraid I went a bit crazy with the loppers and hacked quite a lot off. It won't all fit in, I will put some in my neighbours bin, he won't be doing any gardening before Monday.
The gas and electric bills came through the letter box this morning, I was keen to see them because it's about a year since I changed supplier. Three weeks short of a year actually, so my bills are from 12th Jan to 23 December. My four electricity bills add up to £89.09, and my projection for the next twelve months is £107.06. There is a mistake with the reading on the gas bill, they have taken the November reading instead of the December one. It comes out at £10.25, they are 39 units short. I rang them up and they are going to send another bill. I estimate the new bill to be slightly more than double this one. Total gas over the three bills is £57.07, they project my next years usage will cost £71.73.
All in all I am pleased I changed to Ebico, no this isn't an advert, they are not paying me, I have no standing charge, no penalties for quarterly bills, and their prices are frozen across the board for everyone until 2016. If you are considering changing you need to know your annual consumption, this company may not be the best for you if you are not a low user like me.
I've just seen the time, I'm off to Tesco now to search for yellow stickers. Toodle pip.
Goodness, you are very good at keeping your bills low. As you quite rightly said you do need to know your consumption to make an informed decision before you make any changes to your supplier. I inherited a supplier from the builder of my new house. The electric and gas unit prices were relatively low but the daily standing charge was extortionate. It was a new build with insulation in every orifice so consumption was low any way. So I found a supplier with a lower daily standing charge but similar unit price. The bills came down dramatically.
ReplyDeleteI think your soup sounds good, probably because I make stuff quite like this, lol, waste not want not!
ReplyDeleteBeen there done that! (re soup) it did make us laugh. Your bills are so low - amazing! Good for you. Debbie
ReplyDeleteWhen we were first married 25 years ago, we were absolutely broke. We had just bought a one bedroom flat, my husband was a full time student so not earning and I was working. Interest rates rose every month until they reached around 14%. We had very little money to live on and every week, we would make a batch of thick broth. It would get thicker and thicker as the days passed and we used to cut a slice of soup and water it down. Your post reminded me of this. I still make soup every week but my husband refuses to eat it these days. He says he was sickened of it when we first got together!!
ReplyDeleteI like my soups nice and thick too, Ilona. I have some similar dried mix I got reduced in the Co Op a while back and it makes a lovely soup with some veg and stock added and, for us meat eaters, a little chopped gammon or chicken.
ReplyDeleteYou are good using all your leftovers. But your soup made me laugh. I had to pop to Tesco's for the first time today, mainly because I had ran out of dog food. I don't understand those leaf blowers. Thjey just seem to move them not get rid of them. Pointless.
ReplyDeleteRosezeeta.
That reminded me of my Dad who use to offer a slice of gravy or custard when he cooked!
ReplyDeleteI love the ducks!
ReplyDeleteWe blow leaves into the street and big sweepers come by to get them and mulch them. The city trades these and some ground limbs as mulch from a tree farm for some new trees for parks, etc. Pretty neat.
ReplyDeleteLooks like some of the soup I've made over the years xx
ReplyDeleteYour soup looks yummy. I sometimes use soup (always very thick) as a basis for my veggie stews or curries - very handy. Natalie
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