Want to be a mfw but worried?

ally18

Thanks Thrifty, I am happy with it but bear in mind it hadn't been done for quite some years. My living room carpet is currently nearing 20 years old! It has taken me a long time to get things going tbh.

Don't be so downheartened yourself either, you have made a start on having an emergency fund so well done you :T. You should be proud of yourself in achieving that.

I try to do little things at a time. One goal each week sort of thing even if it is something little like doing a patch of weeding in the back garden. I may only spend 30 mins or an hour doing it but believe me, am so chuffed when it is done because it is something achieved for that day.

Today after work and before I sit down, it will be 30 mins on my knees wiping the skirting boards in the living room. After that, it is feet up, tv on and coffee and biscuit in hand.

Keep smiling

ally18

Well another week gone and spends are looking bad. I went over the top this weekend, as the sun was out and bought some bulbs for the allotment as I want to grow flowers as well. In addition to that I bought some decorative items for the back garden, two of those wall decs that can be attached to fences. They may be a little cheesy but do look nice, plus grass seed, weed killer, new watering can, new fork and spade and some other bits and bobs I can't remember.

So, back garden was cleaned up properly. I have reseeded the area of the lawn that was dug over for veg last year as this is not suitable for veg growing, it is just too wet. I also managed to move the marble hearth and surround from the fireplace I had took out as this was left in the way. Gosh, they are heavy. I'm trying to think of some way of using these in the garden, perhaps a marble seat somewhere?

Garden table and chairs were cleaned and patio swept up. Pond has been cleared a little. The small plug plants that I bought from Mr A weeks ago are now planted up in the hanging baskets and spare pots I had lying around. Now ready for BBQ end May .

At the allotment, runner beans are now in, weeded potatoes and onions. I still have half the plot to clear of weeds, this is going to be a really daunting task and so will plan to do this in stages still. I collected my slabs on Sat and put these down after a fashion :rotfl:, they will need doing properly but I was so tired, I had to leave them where they fell!

In the house, made two batches of soup for lunches this week and for the freezer. Cooked a ham joint in the slow cooker and this was sliced up for sandwiches.

Today I have had to book the car in for its MOT and service, plus it will need a new tyre. Budget is £250 but I think I will need more.

On a savings note, parents brought me back a bottle of Spanish brandy from their hols which means I can now have my La Bumbas in the sun (when it is out) .

Food shopping at mo £55/£160, no diesel bought this month yet. Overspent by £28 this month so far and that will have to come out of money that I was hoping to save .

julliff

Hi ally

hope you don't mind me popping by.

I have read your first post, and the last page, and I am so impressed with your organisation!

I did laugh to myself when I read about your washing machine sounding like a jet taking off -- mine is exactly the same. And my cooker is really noisy too, so it can be horrendous if both are going at the same time!

I bet you are enjoying the quietness of the new machine

Hope you don't mind if I follow along. I am a single parent too, with two teenage girls. One is in her first year at Uni, the other at home with me.

Goldiegirl

ally18 wrote: »

. Cooked a ham joint in the slow cooker and this was sliced up for sandwiches.

.

I did that today as well.


Previously I had a premium range of sliced ham which tasted good, but was expensive. So I switched to something cheaper, and found it very tasteless.


So I've started cooking a gammon joint, and it's delicious, and great with my home made bread! Only problem is slicing it thinly enough, I tend to carve massive chunks!

thriftylynny

Bloomin' 'eck Ally after all that i think you deserve that Spanish brandy in the garden so do make sure you get some time to enjoy the fruits of your labour!! Oh dear i'm wanting to spend my tiny savings now on nice garden things , worked out it's gonna take me best part of four years to save a 5k emergency flippin''fund? It's so hard doing all this on our own isn't it & wanting a nice home at the same time !!

ally18

julliff wrote: »

Hi ally

hope you don't mind me popping by.

I have read your first post, and the last page, and I am so impressed with your organisation!

I did laugh to myself when I read about your washing machine sounding like a jet taking off -- mine is exactly the same. And my cooker is really noisy too, so it can be horrendous if both are going at the same time!

I bet you are enjoying the quietness of the new machine

Hope you don't mind if I follow along. I am a single parent too, with two teenage girls. One is in her first year at Uni, the other at home with me.

Hi Julliff,

Lovely to have you pop by, thanks. Yes, the new washer is fantastic, it is so quiet compared to the other one and now I can set it to run over night when my electric is cheaper as I went specifically for one with a time delay switch. It has stayed where I put it as well so far .

My eldest is currently finished with uni for this first year and fortunately got herself a part time job yesterday which is great. I still got a telephone call though last night to say she needed a new jacket, trousers and shoes for the job today so I ended up sending her money to pay for these. But that means she won't get her money at the end of the month but I don't think she has realised that yet .

My other two girls are both at home too, the second one is planning on uni next year.

ally18

Goldiegirl wrote: »

I did that today as well.


Previously I had a premium range of sliced ham which tasted good, but was expensive. So I switched to something cheaper, and found it very tasteless.


So I've started cooking a gammon joint, and it's delicious, and great with my home made bread! Only problem is slicing it thinly enough, I tend to carve massive chunks!

Hiya goldiegirl,

Lovely to hear from you. My joint cost £6 which is a bit much I guess for ham sandwiches but at least it is the proper stuff iykwim. I really hate that thin processed ham in packets. The only downside is that it doesn't last as long as I would like because the kids and me, eat it by the slice whenever the fridge door is open.:D

The other plus thing about cooking these joints in the slow cooker is I use the remaining juice as the basis for my hm veg soups. I always go for the smoked one just for my soup.

Some years ago I bought a food slicer for about £25 and I use this to slice my ham, it is fab because you can slice it whatever thickness you want. I've used it for slicing joints on Sundays as well as it makes the meat go further. I can definitely recommend one plus it will slice hm bread as well. If you are anything like me, my hm bread ends up with a 45 d angle half way through plus 3 inch sandwiches are not good for my waistline :rotfl:

Have a lovely day

ally18

thriftylynny wrote: »

Bloomin' 'eck Ally after all that i think you deserve that Spanish brandy in the garden so do make sure you get some time to enjoy the fruits of your labour!! Oh dear i'm wanting to spend my tiny savings now on nice garden things , worked out it's gonna take me best part of four years to save a 5k emergency flippin''fund? It's so hard doing all this on our own isn't it & wanting a nice home at the same time !!

Hiya thrifty, how are you doing?

Why don't you treat yourself to something nice for your garden, it doesn't have to be expensive. Do you enjoy gardening at all? I got my fence art from FBargains, £5 and £7 and it brightens up the dull fence on my small patio. I had my first La Bumba last night sitting outside for an hour. It was bliss (till it got a tad cold)

Enjoy your day today. The sun is out here at the mo and don't know about you but I could do with a sun lounger and another drink. That is my sort of relaxing. Don't think that brandy is going to last long though :rotfl:

ally18

OK, well an expensive weekend.

MOT came out at £320 for MOT, full service and two new tyres so budget of £250 spent plus £70 out of the contingency fund. I have had an advisory note for a brake disc which will be around £80 in Oct, oh and the cam belt will need replacing next year because it hasn't been done yet and the car is now 8 years old. This will be over £250 next year.

Spent £123/£160 grocery budget because I cooked a meal for my bro & his wife at the weekend. So had drink costs out of my food money as well.

I haven't managed any time at the allotment due to the weather so no doubt the weeds will be scary by the time I go back.

I don't think I have anything else to report money wise. Can't do any tilly tidies because I don't have anything, oh dear.

Goldiegirl

ally18 wrote: »

Hiya goldiegirl,

Lovely to hear from you. My joint cost £6 which is a bit much I guess for ham sandwiches but at least it is the proper stuff iykwim. I really hate that thin processed ham in packets. The only downside is that it doesn't last as long as I would like because the kids and me, eat it by the slice whenever the fridge door is open.:D

The other plus thing about cooking these joints in the slow cooker is I use the remaining juice as the basis for my hm veg soups. I always go for the smoked one just for my soup.

Some years ago I bought a food slicer for about £25 and I use this to slice my ham, it is fab because you can slice it whatever thickness you want. I've used it for slicing joints on Sundays as well as it makes the meat go further. I can definitely recommend one plus it will slice hm bread as well. If you are anything like me, my hm bread ends up with a 45 d angle half way through plus 3 inch sandwiches are not good for my waistline :rotfl:

Have a lovely day

We have been considering getting a food slicer. At the moment my method of slicing is Mr Goldie wielding our ancient electric carving knife! Actually he is quite good, but I think a food slicer would get more uniform results. I'm have to have a ponder!