Single and in Debt Part II

RosaBernicia

PS. Worked out a proper budget on the weekend and am VERY proud of myself. Going to implement it month after next when I have the overdraft paid off. I used the Make Sense of Cards and CCCS sites and there was some good stuff there.

Summer74_2

Gwen80. I think you are right. I do need to reduce my outgoings. I have a limit of £250 per month for food, toilettries and cleaning products but find this difficult to stick to. I try just taking out a limited amount each week, I do this for the 1st week with the best intentions and then end up using my debit card. I keep my card with me all the time in case of emergencies. I put aside £55.00 each month for oil (for heating/hot water) and septic tank. I usually end up using this.

I have always tried bulk buying food but seem to end up throwing a lot away. I think I need to get myself into a better routine with my meals but as I work late sometimes my meal plans can fail quickly.

I will post my SOA when I have a little more time. I am trying desperately to keep busy at the moment. Any suggestions to reduce my outgoings would be gratefully appreciated but I do have a DMP in place.

As for spending time with my married friends, I am finding that my friends are all going out of their way for me at the moment. I have just spent a couple of days with one friend so feeling quite better.

One day at a time I think :-)

RosaBernicia

Hi Summer

Know the feeling re. meal plans and working late... the two don't go well!

Two things that have worked for me are a stash of decent ready meals in the freezer (because even M&S ready meals are as cheap as takeaway, and healthier, and certainly better for me than getting rattled and going to bed after only eating biscuits), and Nigel Slater's Real Fast Food book. I got a free copy with a magazine at some point and it's fantastic as all the meals are set up for one and can be done in 20 minutes. Plus they are simple (even by my very limited culinary standards) and usually only need half a dozen things that can be grabbed from the supermarket.

I think some of it is about being realistic about what you can face cooking and will eat. I've given up trying anything complicated until I have more time and I have certainly given up buying salad as I never actually eat the stuff and apparently just paying for it doesn't have the same health benefits

Rosa xx

Summer74_2

Hi Rosa.
Apart from sheppards pie I have never really eaten ready meals as have always found them really salty and I never add salt to my food. I have recently just been eating a lot of stir frys with noodles as they are quick and cheap...can never remember to get meat out of the freezer though.

As for salad, I agree. I get bored of it so end up throwing so much away. What I have done recently is buy some mixed leaves and put them in containers on the patio...I'm just waiting for them to grow now.

Summer

FeeFee

eco wrote: »

On the subject of free/cheap treats, has anyone tried local colleges for hair and beauty or meals?

I have enquired locally about hair... and then bottled it! I have been brave enough to move to a more MSE option for the first time tho. My hairdressers fees had gone throughh the roof - £146 a pop, so a friends cousin did my hair at the weekend for a very reasonable £50:T and I am very happy and relieved to say that despite the nerves I love it!!

Hope everyone has had a good Monday and seen some of the lovely sunshine ... it is free after all :rotfl::rotfl:... Updated my siggy for months end.. will have to try and ebay to get down to 5K....

Been offered tickets for the twenty20 cricket on Friday but can't go :mad: gotta work that overtime monkey instead ..... joys of the DFJ!!!

sarahb123_3

Hi Summer, I agree about the working late and trying to eay well, it is very difficult at times when you come home really tired and hungry and can't be bothered to cook.

I tend to make sure I have things in the freezer which can be done fairly quickly ie fishcakes and boil in the bag veg (I tend not to buy fresh veg as it takes longer to cook and goes off before I can get through it) the small bags of frozen veg are the perfect size perfect for me.

I also make sure I have lots of fruit, yoghurt, big bags of mixed nuts, bread, individual packs of ham, chicken and cheese etc to fill up on if I am too tired to cook.

I have started just doing one food shop a week so I don't overbuy, if I forget anything I can last a week without it. It stops me going to the shop for milk and spending £10.

I do try to be sensible and buy the basics range of a lot of things as well- it's amazing how much cheaper they are sometimes- and also stock up on snacks for work so I don't spend anything at the snack machine.

Agree that buying salad for one is useless, I have never finished a bag yet:D

RosaBernicia

Good plan Sarah, I used to do the frozen veg and should get some in as a back up. I usually manage to get through everything except salad. Should also sort out stuff for work as it avoids the temptation to either walk to M&S or pick up something in the shopping centre (worse food, more other temptation).

Summer I like the patio salad idea, must look at doing that. I have some pots in the shed that would be ideal so might raid the garden centre at the weekend. I agree about most ready meals, I haven't even tried the stuff in Tesco's, but the M&S ones include decent veg and don't seem to be too fatty either. Not something I should do all the time at £3.50 a pop, but I do get a stash in when I have an exam! I never remember to get meat out of the freezer either... but that's what the microwave defrost setting was invented for.

Rosa xx

sarahb123_3

I rang Next today -thanks for the number Shoe Gal- and they confirmed I don't owe anything and that it was probably a marketing call.:rolleyes:

Anyway, debt things for today

• coins in piggy
• £2 coin in pot
• took snacks to work
• washing at 30 and line drying
• store cupboard meals
• 1 piggy click (woo hoo:D)
• read papers online
• free coffee at work

Would have been an NSD but needed a hair towel (£1.99) and spent £1 of treats budget on ice lollies. (£94.11 left).

makeup

Hey All

I do tend to eat the same thing several days in a row. I do only cook things I really like though and I don't mind the repetitiveness of it!!!! So on a day when I know I am in all evening and won't be home late I'll cook some bolgnese sauce or caserole or something. Then the days when I am home late I can just heat it up.

I don't make a lot of salads with lettuce but I do make quite a few couscous salads, with chicken, olives, cue, peppers that kind of thing. I find it keeps really well in the fridge. Just dress with a bit of olive oil & lemon juice.

I know it is a bit boring but meal planning totally saves me as well. I can work out what meals I need to do, what I have in the house and what i need to get. If I'm feeling really organised I'll dig out a recipe book and find something nice to base my week around. This week I made aubergine & chickpea burgers. I made them yesterday and they will last a few days.

I also find having a jar of pesto in the fridge to be a complete lifesaver. It lasts for ages so when I get desperate I will always have a bit pasta and then can throw together with whatever odds and ends are lurking in fridge.

£250 per month sounds like a lot for one person for toiletries, food and cleaning stuff to me..... and I get an organic veg box delivered and I generally buy organic stuff and won't buy cheap meat so spend more on my shop.....(see I'm a mass of contradictions - spend ages weighing up organic produce vs. non organic in supermarket but 241 on Jaffa cakes and they're straight in the basket..............)

I'm glad your friends are being supportive - that is really nice of them.

I'm knackered though so heading to bed. Night all!

gwen80

Hi everybody

Quick message, I really need to get myself off to bed. Made some, but limited progress today. Called the council, changed my c.tax to being over 12 months. Might help me budget and plan a bit and it seems to be recommended on people's SOA here. Also called the SLC to see if they're going to bother sending me a statement any time soon - apparently they are. Still frustrated about all that cashback sitting there. I haven't had it in Quidco as long as you though Sarah, so you must be mightily peed off. I just look at the balance and think - I'm paying interest on that, move it along!!!

I've had a couple of searches on match and 'winked' at a few people. Usually I get a wink and maybe one email back. I must be super popular at the moment because practically everybody has responded in some way. I've got loads of emails to reply to now and I'm not sure how I'm going to find time to correspond to all these people. An annoying few have 'winked' back, leaving it to me to write the marvellous, witty, entertaining, all-important first email. Still at least there is potential. I've also just arranged a possible date for Wed night with one of the resurrected possibilities from before Gavin. For all these possibilities though, I don't think there's one that makes me think Wow! Am I expecting too much? I either have quite a lot in common, but am not too sure if I fancy them or else I fancy them, but don't have much in common. I'll do my utmost to reply to all though, keeping my options open until I can wittle it down (or they wittle me out). Hope you've all had a good day! How hot was it today?!

Gwenx