Silaqui's Make £££'s, Lose lb's Diary 2009

mooomin

I'm really impressed that you only spend £80 a month on shopping. Is it just for you or are there OHs/pets as well?

Have you got any tips? I spent about £200 this month for me, t'other half and the two kitties, and any tips for reducing it would be greatly appreciated!

Silaqui

Hiya,
I don't know how I do it tbh! It's just us two and the hamster, but I don't include the hamster stuff as I buy that out of my 'pocket money'. She doesn't cost much anyway, maybe a tenner every couple of months?
Included in the shopping budget is food and household stuff but NOT toiletries as we buy our own.

For the human occupants, I tend to buy the 'basics' versions of staple food like rice and pasta, and always a bag of spuds and carrots on the go. My cupboard is always FULL of value tinned tomatoes! I'm obsessed, my bf thinks I have a problem I buy them everytime I go shopping! So versatile though! For eggs go to farm shops they are far cheaper and nice and fresh too.

I get meat as and when it is cheap (including 'whoops' ones) and portion up and freeze. Some of my bargain finds (although maybe not particularly ethical if you like to buy free range) are asda frozen chicken breasts - they come in a bag and you get about 12 smallish breasts for about £4.50. They usually last me the month. Also in adsa and tesco they often have stuff like mince, pork steaks, that kind of thing on £3 for 10. And Tesco butchers frozen sausages (come in cumberland and lincolnshire varieties) are quite good quality and you get 24 sausages for £3.

I don't have a huge amount of freezer space so don't tend to cook too much in bulk as it gets wasted, which is why I portion up stuff like mince before I freeze it. I usually get 4 portions of mince out of a normal sized (think its 500g?) pack.

The biggie - MEAL PLANNING - do you do this at all? I used to spend loads on shopping when I first started uni and used to find I ended up chucking stuff away because I didn't use it in time. So I started meal planning, I try to do it so that I use the fewest ingredients in the most economical way. So for example, this week we had stir fry on tuesday. I like peppers in stir fry, and the cheapest way to buy peppers is to buy the economy bag with 5 in, but I wouldn't use all of them in the stir fry so later in the week I planned a veggie pasta bake to use up the rest of them. Does that kind of make sense? I'm crap at explaining things! Honestly, try it if you don't already you'll be amazed at the difference it makes!

Saying all that, I have just been really naughty on both counts and had a kebab instead of cooking - its the bf's fault!
xx

Silaqui

Back again, I have just got in from work. Feels like it's been a really long day and I sooo can't be bothered to go to the gym later. I will make dinner and see how I feel after, I really ought to go though as I won't be able to on weds or thurs. Maybe I should check Ebay for an exercise dvd for nights like this lol.

Another NSD today, just as well really as we haven't got any more money coming in now untill I get paid on the 30th, thanks to bf's agency. It's been kind of sorted - his work are going to claim their cash back from the agency and they'll pay to him in his first wages (same day as mine) but that means I won't get this months cash that I was expecting from him, leaving me only 60quid to last us till the end of the month. Hopefully I shouldn't need to spend too much of that though, I might need a top up of petrol and a few bits of food but that should be it.

I've just sat down at the computer to try and do some work, I have another assignment thats due at the end of February but I just can't get into it. I've done most of the legwork, reading and research and stuff but it's one of those things that just isn't grabbing me. We couldn't choose our own topic for this one and I'm finding it so hard to put it all together into something that doesn't sound stupid! Grr sorry for moaning I'm trying to force myself into getting going but it doesn't seem to be working!

I'm gonna go make dinner I think. If I'm on here later I'm very naughty for not fdoing work or going to the gym - somehow I think that will be the case!
x

mooomin

Hello!

Well done on another NSD :T Why don't you add a signature on so you can keep track of the amazing progress you're making and motivate yourself.

Instead of buying a fitness DVD, why don't you do some sit ups (If you really prefer to do this sort of stuff instead of eating cake, which I prefer!) Use tins of beans as weights and tone your arms. Or lift cake and tone your arms

HallamLad

Hey good news on the MOT! £60 isn't bad at all for repairs.

Well done on the NSD too, I'm sure you will m the £60 last until the end of the month.

Can't your bf's work do anything else about his wage? At least it's out of the agencies hands!

Silaqui

Hi FF and HallamLad

Well I think his work are looking into it but it won't affect him now as far as I know becasue they are going to pay him what the agency owed him, then chase it up themselves.

Yet another NSD - should probably count these up lol I might well add a sig FF but knowing me I'd probably forget to update it! To be honest most weekdays I don't really spend anything, its more often at the weekends when I splurge! Tomorrow won't be though as I am up the the Uni so will have to buy dinner (luckily lunch is provided!) and will have to resist the temptation to go to Meadowhall!

I do do situps FF! Cuz I is stupid like that... I usually do around 1/200 a night (depending on how much I can be arsed!) but if I have wimped out of the gym I make myself do 400 as a punishment! The cake system sounds far better but I think I have done far too much of that in recent years! MMM cake - I might bake some cookies later - now look what you've done!!! :rotfl:

xx

Silaqui

Well here I am sitting around in a hotel room in Sheffield... sooo bored!

I have completely fallen off the wagon today on both my goals. There was another birthday at work and I couldn't resist a cream cake - to be fair I did cut it in half and share with someone. Healthy lunch but I've just gone and blown it all with a double whopper from BK because it's round the corner from the hotel and it smelt BEAUT :rotfl:

Which is also where my cash went as it cost me about a fiver for the meal. Luckily I have borrowed bf's mobile internet dongle thing, he gets quite a few minutes on it to use. The prices for wifi in here are extortionate - £5 for 1hour of internet access, or £10 for 24 hours. How does that make sense?

I haven't actually made a PAD today because I literally came home work and dashed back out again, and I don't want to log in to internet banking from my laptop, so I'll just do a double one tomorrow instead I think!

Gonna do my daily clicks now but no doubt I shall be on here later on!
x

HallamLad

Have you got that daily clicks list? Haven't received it yet.

Get yourself out onto West Street! You'll have a good time there, actually no that'l cost a fortune

The prices for wifi are rubbish, almost forcing you to pay a tenner! Very Clever!

Silaqui

I have got it do you want me to send it on if Eager Learner hasn't?
You'd have to PM me an email addy though.

Or I can just post the links to the sites I've been using, she does reccommend more though.

LOL I thought about going out with a couple of people off the course but decided against it because I know I will end up spending a fortune on vodka and then probably over sleeping tomorrow hehe

x

Silaqui

OMG is it just me or have the colours gone all wierd on the forum? It all looks too bright and light all of a sudden!

Well all round it's been an OK day today! I have been good and stuck to my diet again, AND been to the gym so I'm happy on that count. And although it hasn't been an nsd I only spend a couple of quid on milk, eggs and bread which is all I need shopping wise for this week and next so it's all good.

I am now at home and the bf is watching star trek voyager :rolleyes: on telly so have taken refuge in my lappie! I am going to grab a pile of books in a minute and list them on amazon, they might as well be on their trying to attract someone even if they don't end up selling! Most of mine are bog standard crime/horro paperback so will probably only be worth a penny for the most part, but hey never mind. I've looked on the green metropolis 'wanted' list and I haven't got anything thats on there so will just whack em all on amazon.
I think I'm going to do the music magpie thing to get rid of my old cd's too. I could car boot them but I'd probably only get 50p each for them if that so may as well stick them on there for some guaranteed cash.

I've been scouring the house for something to sell that might actually be worth something lol, I have so much old crap. I do have my old digital camera but am going to put a poster up at work to see if there is any interest from there first.

Right - gonna have a quick (honest!) read of these forums then get to work!
TO DO TONIGHT>>>
Daily Clicks
Music Magpie
Amazon

GO GO GO!!!!!!