Challenge Monday, not quite April!

No, I know it isn't quite april, but I do so like to start things on a monday! It's so much neater!

And thats the mealplan for the month. Main meals anyway. Breakfast is always porridge. With watery milk or milky water, depending on how you look at it!

New vat of easiyo is in the fridge (from the shelves, bought when on offer!) and super cheap jam as a sweetner!
Lunches will be mainly soup, as I love it! And OH should be allowed his ham or he'll moan! Mind, if it won't fit in the budget he'll know about it!!

Treats and cakes will be homemade, but thats not unusual. And as the last of the stored apples...

Are getting past their best, its time for an apple cinnamon herman:) perfect for a sweet treat! And I'll make fudge brownies for DS (honest they aren't for me) at the end of the week! Especially as its then the Easter holidays!

One of the things that will have to go on the storage list is meat. Of every kind. I know this time of year I couldn't have it if it wasn't in the freezer. I make it go as far as possible anyway! Herman sponge, sterted at 4pm......

Herman dough the next morning at 7am!

Knocked bacck and shaped...bloomer you think? Ready to rise...couple of hours later..

OOOhh! I've not used herman to make loaves before, just rolls! So oven to super hot..

Aint they pretty!!! I'm quite happy with them little devils...

Pretty good texture and yummy with butter:) So thats bread taken care of for the next couple of days...unless DS gets peckish!!

BBS x nothing earnt...but nothing spent:D

The Wheelbarrow Fairies April Challenge

The April Challenge:

I work on a smallholding. Which means my hours round to 16 a week.
But this time of year its nearer 4 hours a week. Or 2.
Self employed, just under minimum wage.
This time next year DS will have left college. So no tax credits.
I can't be a magician and conjour up more work hours.
I can't make the land more productive.
I can't charge more for what I grow. I tried that before. I put the prices up 10p a thing. No one bought them. So things are now 50p. And thats what they'll have to stay. Even though everything I have to buy goes up.
We already eat ALOT of what we grow, we are semi subsistence farmers.
But April, May and some of June are the 'hungry gap'. Things aren't quite ready and old things have finished.
Not alot if anything left to sell. Not alot of money to be made.
Through the year I preserve alot of things, dehydrate, can, freeze and coldstore.
And when I have money I stock up.
This challenge is for me to figure, while I still have a little back up, what is the most useful things for me to really stock up on.
And I want the menfolk to realise what money I actually have, that I'm not a never ending source of can I have's.
　
So, those are the reasons for the challenge.
And this is the challenge:
For April, we will live on whats in the freezers, the shelves, the sheds. Anything else can be bought only with the money I have earnt.
(If I earn nothing there is a 'below the line' slush fund of £15 a week as there are 3 of us)
So, it may be £30, or it may be nothing. It depends.
I already have a month mealplan on the planning board!
And for evening meals and breakfasts all we need is milk.
There's alot of flour and baking ingredients on the shelves.
Lets see what I learn!!
If I earn anything I'll say, and if I spend anything ditto.
So far in March 1 wholesaler has finished, and 2 market stalls.
And it gets worse...watch this space!! It starts Monday, as April is tuesday!!
BBS x