Spend Nowt, Buy Nowt, Owe Nowt

I must get some stuff done today as I am picking DS up from school and attending parents evening straight after. If I make a list I might just achieve something

1) Work expenses [STRIKE]part 1[/STRIKE] and part 2 (still locked out of account!)
2) [STRIKE]Plan for work call first thing tomorrow[/STRIKE]
3) [STRIKE]Create structure for report[/STRIKE]
4) [STRIKE]Prep SW chips for par boiling[/STRIKE]
5) [STRIKE]Defrost sausages[/STRIKE]
6) [STRIKE]Buy glitter, press studs and super glue for DS CIL 'dress-a-duck-for-a-duck race' event and create a rock star duck. Ziggy Starduck???[/STRIKE]
7) [STRIKE]Hoover living room and hall[/STRIKE]
8) [STRIKE]Unload and reload dishwasher[/STRIKE]
9) Once DS has decided what to wear for dress down day tomorrow iron it
10) [STRIKE]Sort out laundry as currently lying in a heap/mini mountain in the conservatory[/STRIKE]

I am off to sort out the dishwasher and hoover before I get my head down over the lap top until lunch.

DS is at DPIL most of tomorrow to allow DH and I to go into the city and have our haircuts, which are 4 hours apart and again on Sunday to take DS to a cousins birthday party.

I have a massive to do list for the weekend but DH is tempting me with a walk with the dog on Sunday and a bowl of soup at my favourite Nat Trust site which will close for the winter soon.

The batch cooking and meal planning has really worked for us this week. We have stuck to the meal plan everyday and at the end of the week have only 3 sulky bananas and 1/2 cucumber to use up. A couple of smoothies and some sandwiches will see the back of them No waste is a big achievement for us.

Weekend to do list (Friday to Sunday)

Up to date with washing
Some ironing, any amount of ironing will do
Put away the underwear and pile of non-ironing
Batch cooking - veggie chilli, courgette and feta fritters, SW pasties, Jamaican chicken, sweet and sour chicken, pear and mincemeat cake (inspired by MWC) - all SW friendly except the cake
Buy dining room bulbs and fit them
Buy things to hang DS new curtains
Wash DS new bedding and put on his bed
Rip up carpet in our bedroom ready for new carpet on Monday
Dismantle our bed and move to guest room until carpet fitted
Tip run - old carpet, old bedside tables, cardboard, big bag in garden
Take the wallpaper off our bedroom walls
Glue broken dresser door
Haircuts x 2
Eyelashes
Last bits for DS Christmas (new David Walliams book, a board game and maybe a space book) and stop DH going mad in department store toy department
Hoover and dust downstairs
Clean kitchen and conservatory floor
Clean kitchen sides more than usual daily swipe over
Clean main bathroom and floor
DS to wrap gift and write card for cousin
Bag up all coins to pay in after school run on Monday
Festive coffee with DH in city (used to be an annual treat but coffee now makes me ill so tea and a mince pie for me )
Buy a party outfit for me (didn't like either of the jumpsuits I bought yesterday)
Message P&D to confirm dates for painting in December
Help DH create PowerPoint for work meeting on Monday

I think that's it for now:eek:

redofromstart wrote: »

Go for the walk and soup if the sun is shining.

On the curry I keep a pot of chipotle chilli flakes (80p MrM, with the spices) for this sort of issue. You crumble them in and give it a couple of minutes simmer, they improve the flavour in a smoky hot way but don't take ages to cook out. Good in soup as well.

I have given into temptation and will go for the walk on Sunday

I will keep a look out for the chipotle chilli flakes. I like the sound of adding flavour as well as heat as it was a very boring curry.

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

"I'm not sure there is much about debt repayment on my diary at the moment"

- It doesn't matter, you are conveying your frugal approach and sorting out your head. I always think setting it out helps me see different things (and it certainly lets others do so and make their suggestions). You know you are on the right lines when nobody comments!

apple_muncher wrote: »

Yep. Indeed. Money saving skills and habits are not just about money - they are a lifestyle. A path.

Thanks to you both for your comments. I read so many diaries where people are super frugal and never seem to buy a thing and I am trying to find the right balance for us, not helped by having a money pit of a house to do up. But we bought it knowing that everything needed to be replaced or repaired so can't complain about it.

We spent 7 hours in the city today and are both worn out. This is a once a year occurrence as I certainly don't shop for fun anymore, especially when it was as crazy as it was today.

We are undecided if we should go for the walk tomorrow as it is an hour away and we have so much to do in the house in preparation for the carpets coming on Monday and there is still so much on my list. I also want to get some batch cooking done as this really helped us this week and I have some defrosted chicken that must be cooked.

The Nat Trust place is opening every weekend this year instead of closing Dec - March so we will be able to go another time. There is also another site 15 minutes from us that we could always go to instead.

Weekend to do list (Friday to Sunday)

Up to date with washing - 1 load of coloureds still to do
Some ironing, any amount of ironing will do
Put away the underwear and pile of non-ironing
Batch cooking - veggie chilli, courgette and feta fritters, SW pasties, Jamaican chicken, sweet and sour chicken, pear and mincemeat cake (inspired by MWC) - all SW friendly except the cake
Buy dining room bulbs and fit them
[STRIKE]Buy things to hang DS new curtains[/STRIKE] Hope they fit
[STRIKE]Wash DS new bedding and put on his bed[/STRIKE] Done
Rip up carpet in our bedroom ready for new carpet on Monday
Dismantle our bed and move to guest room until carpet fitted
Tip run - old carpet, old bedside tables, cardboard, big bag in garden, waste from wooden floor fitting
Take the wallpaper off our bedroom walls
Glue broken dresser door
[STRIKE]Haircuts x 2[/STRIKE] Done
[STRIKE]Eyelashes Done [/STRIKE] Done
[STRIKE]Last bits for DS Christmas (new David Walliams book, a board game and maybe a space book) and stop DH going mad in department store toy department[/STRIKE] Will get the DW book with my n3ctar points as forgot to buy it
Hoover and dust downstairs - hoovering done
Clean kitchen and conservatory floor - swept will need washed
Clean kitchen sides more than usual daily swipe over
Clean main bathroom and floor
DS to wrap gift and write card for cousin
Bag up all coins to pay in after school run on Monday
[STRIKE]Festive coffee with DH in city (used to be an annual treat but coffee now makes me ill so tea and a mince pie for me ) [/STRIKE]Yummy
[STRIKE]Buy a party outfit for me (didn't like either of the jumpsuits I bought yesterday)[/STRIKE] Bought a red dress which I should get a lot of wear out of as not Christmassy looking
[STRIKE]Message P&D to confirm dates for painting in December[/STRIKE] - Dates and start times all confirmed, phew
Help DH create PowerPoint for work meeting on Monday

The dress I bought was the first one I tried on and loved it so didn't look elsewhere much to DH relief :rotfl:

DH was very restrained in JL and only bought 1 game and a stocking filler for DS. We also bought him a tracksuit and some more PJS (love JL PJs for kids as they last for ages) which he needed but we will wrap up for Christmas to bulk up his prezzie pile. DH also bought DS a M0z which DS fell in love with straight away :heartsmil and is now tucked up in bed with.

DH has ended up with a Christmas present after all which will also be his birthday present (in Feb). My Christmas budget isn't going to be as low as I thought but probably still half of last years and less than 50% of the year before. I bought a few bits today like some makeup I had run out of and I am sure DH thought I was buying stuff for me out of the joint account and he should have something too, only thing is I was using my personal spending money!

We also ordered some lights and got a bargain of a returned outdoor light for less than 50% of the price on the shelf as someone had put it up and then taken in back. Nothing wrong with it at all and £25 instead of £60 was a good saving.