Live on £4,000 for a year - 2009, Part 3

thriftylass

Forgive me, for I have sinned. This month is not going too well :mad:. Had a BBQ last night (gave BF money to pick meat and beers up from Mr T) and went to the pub later. Just checked my debit card balance online :eek::eek::eek:. My my....Beans on toast for the rest of the month . I'm dreading the hen do next Sat....

sophiesmum_2

Just having a minute or two whilst the first coat of emulsion is drying on the cupboard.It has been cleared out and stuff moved to OH's shed:rolleyes: the gaps have been filled with expanding foam and levelled, and it has had one coat of magnolia emulsion walls and ceiling.
OH is out strimming the garden and along front wall so that's him out of mischief for a while:rotfl:.
Very quiet on here last few days.

Brighton_belle

I think I have the constitution of the princess and the pea: any change to my sleeping arrangements and I just don't sleep. Got up at 4a.m. and had hot chocolate. Nearly came online but decided that might stimulate my mind even more. Yesterday we turned our bed around by 90 degrees which means for the first time in 7 years I am not sleeping against a wall. And would my body go to sleep, no:mad:. Dropped off about 6a.m. We've changed it as I have had to admit I am finding it increasingly difficult to get out of bed my shuffling across to OH's side, due to arthritis flare in wrists and elbows. So it is sensible to change it by I am so used to curling up against a wall...

Anyhoo, after extended lie in I have now cooked another 12 portions of dinner (6 meals fo 2): 4 shepards pie;2 spag bol;6 pork and chorizo sort of stew thingy. I have also now frozen 7 lunch portions of lentil recipe for lunches that I cooked yesterday. Oh and I am roasting 2 butternut quashes to use up oven space which I will freeze in portions: we often sub this for potato to help keep high carbs down.
OH helped with all the chopping.
I spend £25 at the butcher on Thursday for 2 lge chickens, 20 rashers bacon, 600g mince, 550g diced pork, all free range and very tasty. With this I have made 30 portions of food with that (rashers have been frozen in 2 & 3 for specific meals) so that is 15 meals which is £1.60 per meal, hich is 80p each. Which I am pretty pleased about (but very conscious that NYk is feeding ehrhouse hold on about £1 a day:o.

Well done on your 1st egg natalie:T. I would be so excited to.
Gorgeous lamp SC.
Looking forward to the tranformation SM

There is a forum on losing weight the OLD Style way - maybe that might offer some handy tips.
I'm lik eyou NYk - get bored easily so pick at food, but also just like food:o. I also eat when very tired, which is too often to try and find some energy and my medication can also make me hungry. I think reducing portions is the way to go, also eating more slowly so stomach has the chance to signal it is full before you have wolfed down half a chicken carcass. I tend you use a smaller plate or bowl than OH which helps me not feel deprived. And some find eating little and often better so you never get really hungry and pig out, but that does mean keeping main meals smaller. Also, soup before meals has been scientically proven to keep you fuller for longer.

Will keep you posted on the bike persuasion sucess.

skint_chick

BB - I'm intrigued by the pork and chorizo stew - how do you make it? It sounds like one of the few things Mr SC and I could eat together - he is trying to be more adventurous with his food.

Hardup_Hester

Here is a link to a weightloss thread, hope it helps. http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1326845

Hester

Brighton_belle

it is really delicious SC - it a slight adaptation form a [EMAIL="deli@f"]deli@f[/EMAIL] recipe I got of one her tv progs last year - it introduced me to chorizo for the first time and now I flavour several meals with it.

This time I have added more veg etc to it, to bulk it out more to stretch it to 6 portions instead of 4:

So 'Deli@ stew':
I have previously used belly of pork, quantity to suit taste & budget but we have this time used diced pork as although belly so tasty & cheap, it is quite fatty. The 530g diced pork I coated in flour and sealed in pan for 5 mins before chucking in slow cooker.
1 chorizo sausage diced quite small
200ml white wine (I buy a box of Hock for cooking - lasts us ages)
roast peppers (optional - didn't ave any this time)
chopped onion
worcester sauce
1 crushed garlic clove
2 corgettes sliced
130g orange lentils (new addition)
1 tin of kidney beans (new addition)
salt & pepper
Cook in sc for 5-6 hrs on low. It doesn't have to be in sc, it just suits us.

Serve with mashed roast butternut squash that was roasted with a little olive oil and coated with herbs de provance.

Will let you know how latest version tastes tonight:D

bails

Wel-com from Kathmandu :hello::hello::D

Just a quick hello as the laptop battery is about to go, will pop in properly tomorrow. We are well settled and at home here already, it is every bit as amazing as we knew it would be :j No blog set up yet but I'll give you a better picture of life so far tomorrow.

Hope you're all well and happy; OH is practising his Nepali next to me and his mumblings are making me laugh! Best go and eat some dahl baht, see you tomorrow xx

sophiesmum_2

sophiesmum wrote: »

Before picture of porch storecupboard.

This is what it looks like now after two coats of magnolia on walls and ceiling and the recycled shelving putting in. Still need to source some kind of flooring, (might try freecycle for an offcut of lino) and a light, will probably get one of those stick on pushlights from £1 shop or something similar.

At least I now have somewhere to put my kilner jars, marmalade pan, and my jars of preserves.:D
Also taking a tip from Shaz and now saving the containers that the bird fat balls come in

BB - the batch cooking looks like it is coming along nicely, like the sound of the chorizo recipe. I love chorizo

grandma247

Evening everyone Just popped in to catch up before tea.
I might have blown the budget this month but we have bought a LOT of food.
The local asian supermarket was having a sale so we bought a lot of dry goods and milk cheap yesterday then went into MR T today and bought loads of meat. Should have been £116.30 but we paid £34.31 so I am glad I was there at the right time. I could not believe the number of people who picked stuff up and slung it down again though, Obviously they wanted it free. Got to go tea ready now back later.

grandma247

xnatalie I am envious about the chickens, we have to wait a little while because we really need to build a replacement greenhouse due to ours being mangled in the high winds last year.
SM Great space .
BB that stew looks great I might give that a try.
Bails glad you got there safely.