Memorygirls - Make Do and Mend

13031333536461

Comments

  • Memory_Girl
    Memory_Girl Posts: 4,957 Forumite
    miggy wrote: »
    I have just discovered your thread Memory Girl - and have been reading most of the evening! I'm afraid I'm hooked. I haven't reached the end and
    1. am planning my own diary sometime
    2. have worked out how many £5 savings I would have to make to pay off the mortgage and
    3. have decided to raid the charity shops for all the gadgetty things I've spent the last ten years resisting...
    You are so readable! I agree with the person who said you have it in you to write a story. I know you write anyway and this would be a real departure, but it could add a few £124ses to your tree. ;) You could always write under another name. ;)


    ........................and the name we suggest is "Mrs Robinson":rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

    Sssshhh!!!! But I have actually been approached by an old colleague who wants me to write a book of what happened and how to fight back from my horrible "71p and three nappies" day.

    So do you think people would read a story like that? I'd like to make it practical so what stuff should I include (cooking, sewing, refurbing home??? ...................dating footballers - LOL)

    Where do you think the "end point" should be???? Getting the bank off my bank, getting "solvent but poor", getting back to work, starting to pay off the mortgage - or PAYING OFF THE MORTGAGE!!!! Yay!!!!! dream big Memorygirl.

    ............. off to calm down and dampen the endorphins a little:cool:

    Memorygirl
    FINALLY AND OFFICIALLY DEBT FREE
    Small Emergency Fund £500 / £500
    Pay off all Debts £10,000 / £10,000
    Grown Up Emergency Fund £6000 / £6000 :j
    Pension Provision £6688/£2376
  • Memory_Girl
    Memory_Girl Posts: 4,957 Forumite
    OK Ladies .................... cup of tea at the ready??????


    It was fab!!!! Nice dinner, couple of drinks, good laugh .............sooooooooo cute. Walk along the beach - even told him that I had kids and he didn't run a mile.

    Turns out he was taught Mind Mapping at school - and I was the one who taught his teacher :eek::eek: Bit of a icky - "OMG!" moment there. Mind you that was 12 years ago.

    The dress was just right - although the waiters face was a picture when he took my jacket at the restaurant. Thank you Gok!!!!!:j

    15 minutes ago a cab arrived with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, bottle of champagne and a card. He'd like to meet up again - perhaps when I am in Birmingham next - or when he can get back up here.

    Nice!!!! His mama obviously told him that its polite to write thank-you notes:D:D


    .................. as for Chemistry???? Well lets just say .............. I am definitely thinking about it;)

    .................but in the meantime, bring on the dating nice men, nice times and nice chat:)

    What a lovely little ego trip anyways - makes you feel all alive and tingly when you realise that people don't just see you as "single mom of two - beware!!!!!!!!"

    Memorygirl
    FINALLY AND OFFICIALLY DEBT FREE
    Small Emergency Fund £500 / £500
    Pay off all Debts £10,000 / £10,000
    Grown Up Emergency Fund £6000 / £6000 :j
    Pension Provision £6688/£2376
  • January20
    January20 Posts: 3,769
    Debt-free and Proud!
    Forumite
    This is just like the stuff you would see in a film, MemoryGirl!

    Well done! So glad you had a nice evening!
    LBM: August 2006 £12,568.49 - DFD 22nd March 2012
    "The road to DF is long and bumpy" GreenSaints
  • cha97michelle
    cha97michelle Posts: 5,818
    First Anniversary
    Forumite
    Sounds like a lovely night to me. It is lovely to be appreciated. And on the plus side, if the food was good it is a whole meal you didn't have to get out of your stores so it should stretch your budget a bit further. :D

    In terms of your book, i would stop at starting to pay off the mortgage as then you could do a sequel. ;) That's what the celebs would do.

    Include everything.
  • Firewalker
    Firewalker Posts: 2,682 Forumite
    Hi MG,

    three blokes sounds good - variety and choice are essential for success. Last evening sound magical anyway. As to the book - go for it! My feeling is that there will have to be a chapter of your 'story' and than emphasis on living on little without compromising quality - ingenuity in all major areas, including cooking and household organisation. And I would not do 'poor' - you are not poor, you are broke. And as I said on my tread you might be 'making do' but you are always expending your means (and the means of your children and your community).

    I see a big market there - and am sending this vision to the Universe.

    Firewalker
  • SmlSave
    SmlSave Posts: 4,911
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    Soo glad you had a good time MG :) How nice to get sent flowers etc too

    Definitely include recipes with your book! :) I'm more than happy to be a proof-reader for you :D
    Currently studying for a Diploma - wish me luck :)

    Phase 1 - Emergency Fund - Complete :j
    Phase 2 - £20,000 Mortgage Fund - Underway
  • NewLeaf_2
    NewLeaf_2 Posts: 2,116 Forumite
    do the book! deffo!
    Mortgage: £280,752/ £262,515.84
    hmrc:£16760/£5,480.20
    evil credit cards: £41,208/ £37,841
    Car: £18,800/£13,101.18
    Weight 13.9/ 12.6 -1 stone 3
    saving for refurb £2000/£700 1 July 2013
  • Memory_Girl
    Memory_Girl Posts: 4,957 Forumite
    Sounds like a lovely night to me. It is lovely to be appreciated. And on the plus side, if the food was good it is a whole meal you didn't have to get out of your stores so it should stretch your budget a bit further. :D

    In terms of your book, i would stop at starting to pay off the mortgage as then you could do a sequel. ;) That's what the celebs would do.

    Include everything.


    Spoken like a true MSE'r - "well he saved you on your food bill didn't he?" :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

    You got me doing - "Single Moms Bite Back - the sequel" - woohoo!! Just call me Arnie

    ...............and I most certainly will not include EVERYTHING!!! Theres only you, me and a few thousand others who know what went on last night:beer::beer:

    Memorygirl
    FINALLY AND OFFICIALLY DEBT FREE
    Small Emergency Fund £500 / £500
    Pay off all Debts £10,000 / £10,000
    Grown Up Emergency Fund £6000 / £6000 :j
    Pension Provision £6688/£2376
  • Memory_Girl
    Memory_Girl Posts: 4,957 Forumite
    SmlSave wrote: »
    Soo glad you had a good time MG :) How nice to get sent flowers etc too

    Definitely include recipes with your book! :) I'm more than happy to be a proof-reader for you :D



    Recipes??????? or food parcels?????????:D:D:D Shall we read proof-eater for proof-reader then??

    Which reminds me - recipe for ciabatta. Scurries off to find notepad.

    Memorygirl
    FINALLY AND OFFICIALLY DEBT FREE
    Small Emergency Fund £500 / £500
    Pay off all Debts £10,000 / £10,000
    Grown Up Emergency Fund £6000 / £6000 :j
    Pension Provision £6688/£2376
  • Memory_Girl
    Memory_Girl Posts: 4,957 Forumite
    edited 9 July 2010 at 9:41AM
    Righto!!! Just a quickie to get us back on the important Money Saving Stuff!!!

    CIABATTA BREAD

    Right this might seem rather long-winded - but let us start to consider bread as less off a staple convenience food (pappy white loaf that costs as cheap as you can get and goes mouldy in three days) and regard it instead as the truly luxurious stuff of life and a gourmet addition to any meal.

    ..............although I reserve my right to a fluffy white loaf for jam or bacon sarnies - :)

    So this loaf of bread actually gets it flavour from the slow sour maturing of the biga (yeast mix) - so you got to plan to make this the night before you need it for lunch (so not exactly convenient) - but then as we are all now expert meal planners it should be quite easy for us to organise.

    And trust me this is an oily, chewy authentically holey ciabbatta bread that just shouts Italian Holiday at you.

    CIABATTA - 2 large loaves

    The night before you want your ciabatta. Throw the following ingredients into your breadmaker,

    7/8 cup warm water (200ml / 7fl oz)
    1 1/2 cups bread flour (I use LIDLS) (6oz or 175g)
    1/2 tsp dried yeast

    set the maker for "dough", press start and then let the cyle run for 5 minutes then switch off the machine. You then leave the yeast mix in the breadmaker until the next day.

    The next morning ( I do it before the school run whilst making breakfast) add the rest of the ingredients to the pan

    7/8 cup warm water (200ml or 7 fl oz)
    2 tbsp milk
    2 tbsp virgin olive oil
    3 cups bread flour (325g or 11 1/2 oz)
    1 1/2 tsp salt
    1 tsp sugar
    1/4 tsp dried yeast

    Set the machine to the dough setting and press start. When the cycle has finished slop the fairly wet mix into a very large oiled bowl and cover with a piece of oiled cling film. leve ina warm place until tripled in volume (about an hour or so)

    Sprinkle 2 baking sheets with flour and using a big spoon scrape the mix into 2 portions. "Pour" because it is quite a wet mix one of the portions onto each tray without working it too much shape into the traditional "slipper shape". Careful with this because you want to keep the big holes of air.

    Sprinkle both with more flour and leave then standing uncovered whilst you heat your oven to 220/425/Gas 7.

    Bake for 25-30 minutes until bread is risen, light and golden. They are done when they sound hollow when rapped on the bottom. Cool on a wire tray.

    NB Makes 2 big loaves - but any leftovers can be sliced, drizzled with oil and griddled as a base for brushetta - or slice up and freeze in individual portions.

    See you later

    Off to convert a sprouty bag of potatoes into yummy suppers.

    Memorygirl
    FINALLY AND OFFICIALLY DEBT FREE
    Small Emergency Fund £500 / £500
    Pay off all Debts £10,000 / £10,000
    Grown Up Emergency Fund £6000 / £6000 :j
    Pension Provision £6688/£2376
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.2K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.8K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.3K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.4K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 606.7K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.7K Life & Family
  • 247.2K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards