Back to the car boot sale! #fivefrugalthings

Back to the boot sale

So, I braved it and went back to the car boot sale this week. I did hesitate to be honest. The thought of being surrounded by lots of people didn’t appeal much. However, the lure of a good car boot on a sunny day won out. I even took Archie! The organisers had created much wider aisles than usual and a one way system. Quite a lot of people seemed to find this concept quite difficult to follow, for some reason. Fortunately, it wasn’t so busy that this mattered, but it might as time goes on and more folk venture back to the boot sale. Archie was a bit of a distraction, but I still managed to find some good bargains. I will leave him at home with Mr S this weekend, as it was a bit too hot for him. I spent about £25, which was great for what I got. I’m pleased with this big wicker laundry basket for £2.50, which I plan to spray white and use for the recycling. This will stop the puppy pulling it all out and eating it!

Sugar free treats

As I said in last week’s meal plan, I am trying a gluten and sugar free diet at the moment, rather than strict low carb/keto. Although keto makes me feel massively better, both mentally and physically, it is quite hard to maintain. I want to see if I get the same benefits (more energy/fewer aches and pains) just by avoiding gluten and sugar. if not, it will be back to keto! Anyway, I made this very nice keto chocolate pudding, which uses almond flour with stevia to sweeten.

It’s a quick and easy recipe. Although it wasn’t as light as a traditional pud, it was really tasty and filling. We had it with Greek yogurt and sugar free chocolate syrup.

A bit of decluttering

One of my goals for the month was to sort out and declutter the drawers full of random stuff in the kitchen. This was very satisfying. They really were full of random rubbish I had forgotten about. I found some glue sticks that I didn’t know we had! Just got to do the rest of the drawers and cupboards now. Decluttering really is an endless task.

Home made dog lollies

Archie doesn’t seem to like it when the weather is very hot. He gets tired and listless. I decided to make him some puppy ice pops using low sodium chicken stock. It was really easy; I simply poured it into an ice cube tray with a couple of his treats in the bottom. He loves them! Mind you, he also enjoyed the ice cream cornet my daughter gave him at the boot sale when I wasn’t looking. Never again! It wasn’t fun picking up his poop that day, I can tell you. She didn’t know that dogs are pretty much lactose intolerant!

A trip out

As we are allowed to drive a little way now, we packed up a picnic last weekend and headed to a quiet bit of the Essex coast. We knew there wouldn’t be too many people as it’s off the beaten track a bit without a lot of parking, only half an hour from where we live. A special place! I’m not saying the name as I don’t want hoards of people finding out about it. I made a big brown rice and chicken salad and a flask of coffee. Archie had his lunch and a big bottle of water too.He loved it and had his first swim! He was like an excited toddler charging between the two of us and getting us both soaked. We are definitely taking him back.  The weather was fabulous and it felt like a holiday to get out after so many months stuck at home. So, that’s my weekly five frugal things round up. Have you been back to the boot sale or are you staying home still? The charity shops are open here as well, but I haven’t ventured in any yet. Maybe next week as I know they have lost a lot of money being closed and need our support. I know we have a way to go before life is back to normal, but it’s nice to add a bit of variety to our activities from time to time. How has your week been? I’m linking up with this Cass, Emma and Becky in this week’s ‘Frugal Friday’ linky.