Fire Fox's Debt-Free in 2009 Diary

Fire_Fox

Thanks for posting Tinypawz! It was nice, we have over half left and Mr. Fire Fox did not seem to notice the lentils. :j

The slow cooker is totally foolproof (me not you!) and the perfect way to cook if you are run off your feet or just fancy putting your feet up. I don't bother sweating off onions or browning meat, just chuck it all in. This concoction was a little too 'wet' so I drained off some of the tomato juice and reduced it. But I rarely bother - it's nice sopped up with bread.

Also yesterday Mr. Fire Fox had a mini-paddy about how much money he has given me lately (bills, supermarket etc.) and the fact that he has is £500 behind on the council tax (keep getting incorrect bills). Thought he was going to refuse to pay something but instead he suggested we get a joint account for the bills! :eek:

We can't due to my student status and because he already has an Alliance & Leicester account, but I have tried to open one in just my name which we will both fund. If it works ... £50 from Wepromiseto and £100 from A&L after four months: Nice.

Fire_Fox

So excited!!! I have ordered an induction hob from the B&Q sale for £129 delivered! Plus £6 cashback - a massive thanks to the 'Grabbit' board peeps.

:j:j:j

Fire_Fox

Letter today from Alliance & Leicester, wishing to discuss my letter requesting they remove the seven year old late payments from my credit file. Will call them from work (08 number!).

Spend of £75 in Asda, plus £5 taxi home. Expensive items were
1. Six bottles of squash £5
2. Bottle of wine £5
3. Pistachios £3
4. Chocolate £6
5. Frozen half leg of lamb £5
5. Teviot pie £3
6. Two packs garlic kievs £3
7. Three packs of cheese £3.20
8. Two packs smartprice bacon £2.70

I have adjusted my spreadsheet, so am now budgeting £1200 a year (each) instead of £1500 a year on food. Still high, but Mr. Fire Fox does not do compromise when it comes to his food! So I am having to be clever - Smartprice ginger snaps already in the biscuit tin, empty packet spirited away ... He is saying he wants to sell some CDs and DVDs tho, and has been asking my advice on the best way to do this! :eek: This is as a result if finding out how far the interest rate on his ISA has fallen.

Fire_Fox

Today's online purchase £19 on music for my exercise teaching and £41 on two college books from Amazon. Dinner tonight - if I can work out how to cook it! - will be roast lamb with whole roast onions (Smartprice), roast potatoes (Smartprice), sweet potato and red wine gravy. :cool:

tinypawz

I wanna come a live with you and mr Fire fox!

Dinner sounds yummy again!

I rarely if ever make proper dinners, cos lo is still quite fussy and I am a lazy moo.

Fire_Fox

Well, Tinypawz, if you are ever in my part of Yorkshire ... ?! The slow cooker does most of the cooking - I throw everything in raw - which would leave us plenty of time to nip over the road for a few glasses of wine! :beer: I am sure you are not lazy, you have your little one as well as a job, and I just have myself to keep in order! Not even too great at that as I am two months behind at college ...

The roast dinner was fine, but not my best effort. The lamb was cooked just right, courtesy of our meat thermometer! But it didn't release much fat so the veg was as much baked as roasted. :mad:

No spending today as I am on an out-of-date travel pass. Not sure if that is MSE or just naughty? Got paid, and went into the Abbey to close an ancient bank account for another £10. Tomorrow I am out and about with my mum, which is traditionally a high spend occasion ... either IKEA or the nearest outlet shopping centre. But it'll all be recorded here and on my spreadsheet, and next month I will start on listing stuff on Music Magpie, eBay or Green Metropolis.

Fire_Fox

Back from my shopping expedition, no spend in IKEA and only spent £17 on bits and bobs at the outlet centre:
£4.50 on a roasting rack
£6.50 on some undies and a sweat-wicking t-shirt for the gym
£6 on a meat thermometer (gift) and radio with movement sensor (for Mr. FF)

Mum spent a £10 Debenhams gift voucher that I have had for ages, and will give me the cash next time I see her!

Fire_Fox

End of month accounting:

Income £1640
Essential outgoings £305
Non-essential outgoings £460

Paid off overdraft £700
Paid into savings £150
Unaccounted for £25!!
:beer:

Really pleased that I still have £700 of my grant left (the bit that has decreased my overdraft) even tho I haven't exactly gone without!

tinypawz

Well done you.....I wish I could do that!

Fire_Fox

Spend today £56 on supplements from Maximuscle to take advantage of the 20% discount, with 15% cashback from Wepromiseto on top. Also signed up for a free Blockbuster trial with £7.50 cashback, and raised tickets for two sets of cashback that haven't tracked. :mad:

Yesterday's dinner was spaghetti carbonara with Smartprice bacon, mushrooms and peppers and needed-finishing tinned evaporated milk. Pleased with how much I have reduced our food shopping and wastage of late - only spent £85 each during January including the taxi fair home. This evening Mr. Fire Fox bought us a very greasy Chinese takeaway which doesn't count as he always pays! :rotfl: