Mrs. P's Diary

MrsPorridge

Hi MF - yes I heard that news about the food today and am just watching it on the TV.

Dinner tonight was chicken pie, mash and broccoli and spinach (both DS and I need to up our iron intake so we are trying to get as much green veg into us as possible)

I have managed to get my "free" lunch at work tomorrow by gatecrashing the induction - I have offered to help out in the moring - an offer which was gratefully received.

Another resolution I would like to keep is to try and get out and about a bit with my job - I am mainly stuck behind a desk but there are opportunities to get out and network and mix with people - so I am going to try and do a bit more of that.

No NSD today as I had coffee with a work colleague - we usually go once a week and have lunch - I told her my resolution was not to fritter money and she said she was trying to do the same - so we both had our packed lunches and just had the two coffees. I spent £2 and got my final loyalty stamp on the coffee card so next week I will get a free coffee

I have planned all my meals for next week. I have written a very small shopping list. DH and I will go shopping tomorrow when we take DS to air cadets - thereby making use of the journey.

We will stick to our resolution and not go out in the car this weekend.

We plan to start decorating our bedroom - first we need to strip the wallpaper off and prep the wall. We will then paint it. We have a lot of condensation and have to have a dehumidifier going during the day - the "curse" of living beside the sea. DH thinks that paint would be better than wallpaper and I think I have to agree with him. I bought some lovely curtains in the sale at Christmas so all we need to buy is the paint. We will then have a lovely new bedroom at a very minimal cost.

MrsPorridge

Friday

No NSD as I spent £40 on DS lunches/snacks etc. They have a fingerprint system at College - I can pay money into an account (bit like Paypal) and I can see how much is in there and how much is being spent and on what - gives me the date and what he bought - the other day he spent 40p on a packet of crisps. I think this is a brilliant system. He takes a packed lunch every day but its just if he wants something a bit extra. That £40 should last a good 6 weeks.

Also went and did my top-up shop of fresh fruit, cooked meats etc and spent £55 (a couple of bottles of wine found themselves in my trolley )

Saturday

My lovely Dad has sent me a cheque for £800. Normally I would be jumping for joy - but is tinged with sadness as we found out over Christmas that he has cancer. He was going to have radiotherapy but things have got worse and he will need an operation. Its a bit of a worry because of his age - he will be 85 next month.

Anyway - life goes on. Thanks to Dad that should mean that the overdraft is now clear. I have also upped my payment to the Nationwide CC by another £25 per month so at least that one is paying over the minimum.

As money goes so far this year I have had a cracking start - Dad's cheque plus the ppi cheque has wiped out the overdraft. The restructuring of the secured loan now its without ppi has wiped off around £5k off that loan.

Let us hope it continues.

DH and I are sticking to our guns and staying in this weekend so there will be no petrol expense (we are 12 miles from nearest town).

DH is starting to prep the room for the decorating - he spends days prepping prior to decoration which drives me mad - but I know that is how it should be.

I have done one load of washing, another load now in the machine. Have meal planned for the next 1 and a half weeks.

still no sign of my Barclaycard statement - so still waiting to update my CC spreadsheet.

Today and tomorrow will both be NSDs

We are having steak and HM chips tonight with mushrooms, peas and spinach plus Bernaise sauce (I have about 3 unopened jars in the cupboard )

MrsPorridge

Sunday.

3 out of the 4 walls have been stripped of their wallpaper in the bedroom and the window frame has been rubbed down - we will call it quits at that for today as will need to move the bed to do the fourth wall - so that will be next weekends job. Its no good saying it will be done in the week - we always say that and never do - especially with the dark nights.

Dinner tonight is roast chicken with the trimmings plus Yorkshire pudding.

Packed lunches made for tomorrow and chicken chopped up ready for a Gok Wan chicken noodle dish to tomorrow's tea.

As predicted an NSD weekend and we didn't travel anywhere either so no petrol costs - I am amazed as I cannot remember when either of those two things happened - has got to be well over a year ago.

MrsPorridge

My CC statement has arrived. So I have been able to update my spreadsheet - total CC debt stands at £11,630.26. My aim to reduce by a third - just under £4k in a year.

Tea was a Gok wan garlic chicken dish with noodles. There was enough left over for mine and DH's lunches tomorrow so they are all packed into the tupperware and are sitting in the fridge. DS' sandwiches made and ready for tomorrow.

Today was another NSD.

MrsPorridge

Another NSD today.

Finished work later due to a meeting over-running. DH had our dinner ready when I came in - sausage gnocchi. I also have a portion of it for my packed lunch tomorrow.

MrsPorridge

No NsD today My leftover packed lunch wasn't very appetising so I went to the canteen for a sandwich and bag of crisps = £3.50.

Am at a meeting tomorrow so will get lunch there.

Aiming for an NSD tomorrow.

MrsPorridge

No NSD today as DH needed to get some supplies.

Tea tonight was pie and veg. Packed lunch of jacket spud with tuna mayo ready in the fridge.

Hoping for an NSD tomorrow.

MrsPorridge

Well no NSD yesterday or today. Did a small top up shop yesterday for packed lunch stuff and fruit and veg. Today we are going to the cinema to see Les Miserables and will get a Chinese takeaway for dinner.

Lunch today will be spag carbonara as I have bacon and some eggs to use up.

Packed lunches tomorrow will be left-over Chinese.

Dinner tomorrow is sausage slow cooker - I will cut the sausages up (that way they seem to go further). I have cut up some potatoes quite small they will go in bottom of slow cooker, followed by some left over baked beans, tin of tomatoes and the sausages on top. when I get in from work will just add a spoonful of gravy granules to thicken it all up - hopefully there should be enough for at least 1 packed lunch the following day.

MrsPorridge

Well I knew it couldn't be good news all the way - I need two new tyres - so no change out of £300 then

Still its not going to get me down. I have half that money saved up already in my car account - and I have a couple of bits and pieces I can Ebay.

I will not be beaten in my quest to pay third off my CC.....

MrsPorridge

I'm afraid I have fallen off the wagon slightly - went out for dinner on Thursday night - special offer at the pub two steaks and a bottle of wine for £25 - even my favourite Pinot Grigo was in the offer Of course we ended up eating and drinking a bit more and it come to just over £40

Had to get the two new tyres and car also needs new front brake pads and discs. The quote from the garage for the brake stuff and labour came to £450 - DH has bought the brake stuff for £127 and will fit them himself He went to make a start today but says there is still enough wear in the pads for a few more weeks He is now upstairs decorating our bedroom. I am lucky to have such a "handy" person around. Our justification for going for our pub meal was the "saving" on the garage costs!

Am back on the wagon now and have spent most of the day batch cooking ready for the week. I have made:

slow cooker stew for tonight and Monday night
tomorrow will make chicken curry and bombay potatoes
have made a meat and potato pie ready for Tuesday night
Have also made some jam tarts.

the pie and tarts were made as I found some leftover frozen pastry in the freezer.

I am determined that we will live out of the freezer for the next week and a half if possible.

Tonight DH and I are going to see Brendan Cole from Strictly come Dancing. Normally we would have eaten out but no, we are eating at home (hence the slow cooker stew) and will just be paying out for parking when we see the show - actually may not have to pay that as I think it is free after 6pm.

One annoyance is that I did a top up shop yesterday and bought some dental brushes for DS (has just had braces fitted) and we can't find them anywhere - they are on my receipt. Must have left them at the till. so that is £2 I have wasted - but could have been more.