Trials and tribulations of a Debt Free Wannabee!

savingholmes

The_Golden_Goose wrote: »

G'day diary buddies!

I am busy catching up on diaries and am now wondering if I should have popcorn to help keep my energy up as diary reading can be pretty full on!

Must say I have troughed like a wee swine lately.

I may even finish off the box of After Eight Mints too.....

*must stop thinking about food*

SH - pleased to hear no playdates. (believe me so am I:rotfl:) Well done on the exercise.:T

Like you, once our Debts are gone, then it will be the mortgage.

I must admit I thought before I was off it would be a great opportunity to go on a diet, lose weight and exercise more! At the moment tho I am doing well to stay still as there just seems so much tempting food about! (Choccies when left job from 3 different sources plus Easter!)

The_Golden_Goose

I'm going on the theory that if we end up in serious dire straights financially, then I won't need any food as my body will be able to survive for years off its fat reserves.

Til the bitter end, I am MoneySaving all the way!

mrscmr

hi sh
i really want to read ur posts for today but its mad here. critical time - homework/tea/fighting kids etc
will pop in when calm reigns at last ...
mrscmr

sistercas

just got in from work so not had time to catch up yet.hope everyone is ok

feel cream crackered got to take DD1 to gym and DD2 to dance
DD2 has started doing tap dance on a tuesday too and now wants tap shoes £25! its all expense she loves it though.

waffles scrambled egg and beans for tea cant face doing anything involved.

savingholmes

Hi SC you sound really busy too - especially with kids activities. I must admit I ducked out of taking my DD to ballet partly due to the costs!

We had chilli con carne with rice for tea - and have enough left for another day too! that is my kind of cooking!

I think it will have cost about
£1-1.50 for the mince beef (and quorn I snook in)
£1 for a chilli and tomato jar
40p for passatta
28p 2 tins kidney beans for about 14p each
a few sesame seeds thrown in
30p a red pepper
25p onions
20p mushrooms
40p rice x 2
extra dried chillis!

So around £4 for about 8 meals about 50p each and tasty too - not as cheap as the thread that GG quoted from old style - but tasty and a lot cheaper than feed a family of 4 that James Oliver suggests doing for a fiver!

Karen_30

All this talk of food is making me hungry Sounds like a lovely dinner, I need to use our kitchen more - its huge and I don't make the most of it.....oops!!

Off for an early night now so will catch up on the posts tomorrow

savingholmes

Hi guys - well it is a lovely bright shiny day today. Even better I have a cleaner (still - oops) and she is here today! I am going out shortly to get out of her way. I am going to take bottles to recycling, get some more cleaning products (for her to use LOL) and then I am going to meet a friend for coffee! Now that sounds more like it!

Then this afternoon I suppose I had better try and look for some more jobs to apply for and ring round the agencies again! Then get kids from school and the whole rigmarole will start again!

Got 45p on my scratchies today so that is a good start and won 1000 points on bp so currently 3/8 the way there to a £5 Amazon voucher. I should have one coming tonight too from last week which I will put towards my DD's birthday present. We are recycling my Nintendo DS into hers by buying pink accessories for it and age suitable games (funded by the £10 a day challenge). Hopefully she won't notice mine has gone missing but then she is a bright spark so she might!

I've already bought her all her wrap ups it is important to keep telling myself this so I don't give in to pester power and buy her more! She is such a persistent little soul! I do need to work out what I am doing for her party (in May), draft in additional adult helpers and send out the invites.... (EEEK)

Swinstie73

Hi savingholmes, your chilli sounds great! It's one of my favs, I usually put kidney beans plus a tin of mixed beans like aduki (and have drawn a blank on the others), but it bulks it up loads and lasts twice as long.

Might make that tonight actually.

Enjoy the coffee break x

sistercas

SH I love chilli and make it often . I add baked beans and lentils to bulk it out- love it with a jacket spud.

we are having pizza, oven chips and salad ( my cooking skills know no bounds lol) actually i am trying to run the freezer down as there is more ice than food in it.
I find I can save quite a bit on food by cooking from scratch and bulking out with lentils, oats and pulses and the family dont know those things are even in there!

hope you are all ok x

savingholmes

Hi Swinstie and SC (and any lurkers)
Well I have had a fairly relaxing day today. NO PLAY DATES:j Met my friend for coffee - unfortunately that turned into lunch out (but she is my friend who is seriously ill so decided not to worry about that). She bought me coffee and cake tho after and we had a good chat so that was nice. Also managed to get some things for my DD's party - I've decided to bite the bullet and have a craft party at home again. It is one of the cheapest and "easiest" things I can think of doing. We went to home and bargain and I got things to go in the party bags starting from 29p for 4. Between there and the works I found:

• princess stamper rollers and extra stamps for £1.49!
• some decorate your own hairslides for 99p for 4
• I already have some wooden pegs with stands (and lots of craft papers) so I am planning to get them to make some peg people too.
• I was able to get packs of 8 handbag and 8 star shaped cards for about 89p each.
• 8 mini rolls of disney princess stickers for 99p
• I still ideally need to buy some more sequins and stickers to stick on (about £2-3) but otherwise I am done.

I will still need to buy a bit of food and drink - we normally give them mcdonalds happy meals but because of the time of the party I have decided to just give them snacks like crisps and icecream (at the end of the party of course so they can go home hyper to their loving parents!!):rotfl:

I have roped in my sister and her OH to help. :jMy DD is currently making party invitations as we speak. (so relaxing :rolleyes: not)! My DS found some bratz clipart on the internet which we printed out and DS is colouring in. I've also printed the invite message for her to stick in...

Nothing got done on the job front today tho . We are having left over chilli for tea apart from DD who wants something less spicy

My DS is sat her playing boom blox on the wii - it has become our new family game since HE bought it himself last week. I highly recommend it (Asda £19) as everyone from 5 and up can play! OH and I were secretly playing it last night! I beat OH which is a first :jand sometimes I can beat my DS!:j