Champagne Lifestyle Lemonade Budget (My attempts to get debt free by April 2010)

Swinstie73

Yum, I love sweet potato, do you just cut into wedges and bake in the oven? I only know how to bake whole, or make mash. Served it to OH one day and he was like, I like the mashed turnip, ha!

Sun_Addict

Hi Swinstie - I love sweet potato too. OH won't eat it, he's never tried it - he's just a pain about anything different! I cut it into wedges and spray some 1 Cal spray oil on them and then usually Cajun seasoning and chilli flakes or paprika and cumin - anything spicy really - then just cook in oven, they don't take long. I also make a lovely sweet potato, chickpea and spinach curry.

Luckycharm_2

Hi Sun Addict

I've been lurking around your thread and thought I'd duck in and say hello. I sympathise with your OH. I'm self-employed too and not being able to work in this weather is worrying when it means no cash coming in. Fingers crossed for a huge thaw.

What about posting the recipe for sweet potato, chick pea and spinach curry? It sounds scrummy!

LCx

Claw_back_money

Its started thawing here - hope its looking that way where you are too. That curry does sound scrummy (and veggie - hooray) so I'd love to see the recipe too.

Cheers
Cbm

Sun_Addict

Hi Lucky Charm and Cbm - all I do to make the curry is chop up a couple of sweet potatoes and a large onion, bung them in the slow cooker (or a pan) with a carton of passata and a tablespoon of curry paste (I use Madras or Vindaloo but you can get milder ones). I cook this for around 5 hours in the slow cooker or until softening in the pan, then I add a tin of chickpeas and a whole bag of fresh spinach (but you can use frozen) and then cook for just a very short time longer just to heat the chickpeas and wilt the spinach. That's all it is. If I don't have any curry paste I use curry powder or mix up some spices but I find the paste so much easier. This makes 4 small portions so you can adjust if necessary.

OH had one day back at work yesterday and is now off again due to the overnight fall of snow. He is so fed up now. He's hoping to go back tomorrow if it thaws. I think we're just going to have to write January off at this rate!

Some good news is that I had £9 left from my weekly grocery budget which runs Thurday to Wednesday and I've sent this to my Virgin card so I now owe £290. I'm going to keep doing this to try and chip away what I can.

Couldn't post yesterday as I was so busy at work and we had a bit of an office crisis just before hometime when I normally post so I was kept busy right up until the last minute to sort it out. Sorted now thank goodness!

Off to update signature and report in to 1 debt vs 100 days thread!

Claw_back_money

Mmmmmm I'll have to give that one a go!

Congrats on the grocery budget. I did our shopping yesterday online, in a hurry in my lunch break - and spent £65 for the two of us :eek: . Shocking I know. I generally make it last more than a week, but even so...

That Virgin card is coming down - you are so close to being DF!!!

Cheers
Cbm

Sun_Addict

It's Friday at last!!:beer:

It's been manic at work so glad to see the back of this week. Fed up of the snow as well but at least it's starting to thaw. It was nice to walk to work this morning and actually see parts of the pavement again! OH back at work again today but he phoned me this morning moaning about the rain! It was pouring down this morning. It's unbelievable.

Trying really hard to spend as little as possible and definately not buying any unnecessary. I'm realising it's not that hard with a little effort.

Cbm - I'm edging closer to being DF albeit very slowly but it's taking every last effort not to add to the debt with OH not being paid for 4 weeks now. Should just about scrape through this month without dibbing into savings with a bit of shuffling about. I hate January!

Looking forward to relaxing with a glass of wine tonight without having to worry about getting up for work. Of course I will be spending some time on my Wii Fit first to earn it! Tonight's meal is salmon, new potatoes and veg. OH is having steak in place of the salmon as the only fish he will eat has to be covered in batter and deep fried!

Hope everyone has a great MSE weekend.

Sun_Addict

Forgot to say I've done two very MSE things this week:

1. Used Tesco Clubcard vouchers to pay for OH's RAC membership:money:

2. Used Tesco Clubcard vouchers to pay for a year's magazine subscription for me instead of buying it every month. :money:

Swinstie73

Your dinner sounds tasty SA, I love salmon but don't have it enough. I'm having some soup for dinner as tum still not great, it's either a bug or I've eaten too much! Enjoy the vino!

ETA: Well done on the clubcard purchases too!

Sun_Addict

Just nipping in quickly to report I've lost 1lbs this week :j and have just discovered I had £13.84 left over in my current account so have paid this off debt bringing my total down to £276.16 :j

However, not a good day diet-wise as me and OH are having a Pizza Hut pizza between us tonight. I'm going to make a nice side salad to go with it to throw something healthy into the equation! We've also got a bottle of Freixeneit (on offer at £5 in Tesco) chilling in the fridge. Naughty but nice

Back on the waggon tomorrow! Will have to do a heck of a lot of running to make up for it!