Bang...and the debt is gone! (Hopefully!)

MissShoes

Made stirfry for Thursday dinner, casserole and dumplings tonight. Pack of bacon defrosting for breakfasts on Sat and Sun, pack of sausages defrosting for big sausage and red onion pasta bake ready for lunches, pack of mince defrosting for big batch of spag bol. Will defrost some scones on Sunday ready for OH lunches.

miggy

MissShoes wrote: »

I HAVE VANQUISHED THE VANQUIS. I vow that that money-grabbing, extortionate interest company will not receive one more penny of my hard-earned cash.

MissShoes wrote: »

Made stirfry for Thursday dinner, casserole and dumplings tonight. Pack of bacon defrosting for breakfasts on Sat and Sun, pack of sausages defrosting for big sausage and red onion pasta bake ready for lunches, pack of mince defrosting for big batch of spag bol. Will defrost some scones on Sunday ready for OH lunches.

You are doing a fantastic job! So organised! I'm afraid my freezer is boss here, not me. I don't really know what's there let alone how to get it out! Whoever invented chest freezers obviously didn't have to use one. Yours all sounds yummy too: real autumnal warming food.

And :j:j:jwell done :j:j:j on vanquishing Vanquis! I am sure you'll cope fine with the amount you've allowed yourself. An inspiring read along those lines (but a lot less money!) is https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2116179

MissShoes

miggy wrote: »

You are doing a fantastic job! So organised! I'm afraid my freezer is boss here, not me. I don't really know what's there let alone how to get it out! Whoever invented chest freezers obviously didn't have to use one. Yours all sounds yummy too: real autumnal warming food.

And :j:j:jwell done :j:j:j on vanquishing Vanquis! I am sure you'll cope fine with the amount you've allowed yourself. An inspiring read along those lines (but a lot less money!) is https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2116179

Thanks for posting Miggy- how are you getting on?

Once I'm in a bigger house I dream of having 3 freezers in the utility room I'll also have!!! Right now we have a big fridge/freezer and the 3 drawers in the freezer are full with ingredients, so when I batch cook, the portions need to be eaten within 3 days.

Will read that thread now, thanks.

So happy vanquis is gone, although my bubble was burst today when I smugly phoned up to close the account and the advisor said that I'll have a bill of £10 interest next month. So it's gone but still haunting me. I now have a note on there that as soon as that £10 is paid, the card is closed. I'm literally waiting for the bill to come and then the £10 will be swiftly paid across.

Sigh- nothing is ever simple!

On the plus side diet is going well. A mental week at work until next Wednesday means I have yet to go to the gym so that needs to be priority too.

Shoes x

MissShoes

1) batch cook bolognese- DONE
2) batch cook pasta bake DONE
3) batch cook cottage pie using leftover soya mince DONE
4) washing up DONE
5) laundry- throws/cushions DONE
6) package ebay sales from yesterday DONE
7) list items on ebay
8) big paperwork task
9) organise and tidy bedroom
10) clear out rubbish in car
11) take out £70 cash

I'm up to £3.36 on crowdology so 64p needed til I can withdraw.

£25 left for groceries for 17 days. need veg, fruit, milk, cheese, loo roll and ham.

No sign of orange bill leaving my account but they may take it on monday.

MissShoes

Sat- fry up for brekkie and leftovers for rest of day
Sun- fry up for brekkie and leftovers/batchcooked for rest of day
Mon- cottage pie and veg
Tuesday- cottage pie and veg
Wednesday- pork in cider
Thursday- fresh pasta with tuna
Friday- curry with rice and poppadoms

Will see how we go using spag bol and pasta bake for lunches. Will also see if we can portion control enough for one meal to last 2 evenings and see how OH responds to this- big appetite and no concept of meal-planning!

Will have leftover for 15/10-21/10- beef mince, 4 sausages, 3 pork steaks, beef steak (enough for 2 meals), 2 packs bacon, 2 portions fish (for me, OH doesn't like them) plus enough for freezer jackpot a couple of nights. So no need to buy meat or fish when I go shopping unless it's reduced.

edited to add- cottage pie with soya mince is quite bland- will try to eat it with extra gravy and see if we can make do. Fall back is freezer jackpot, beans on toast or tuna pasta bake

miggy

I'm fine thanks, MissShoes. Boo to Vanquis coming up with the extra charge - but you are still very nearly free of them! Won't be long now.

I sympathised when you said your OH has no concept of meal planning! I imagined you saving enough of whatever ingredient to add to tomorrow's meal, and along he comes and just puts the whole lot in because he feels like it! Oh dear. Well I hope that after all your hard work he will relax and say to himself it's all in hand and allow you to take charge.

If you're not using the soya mince for vegetarian reasons, could you use it to stretch other meals rather than as a complete substitute? You might have to experiment a bit to get the taste right but it would make meat go further. Maybe get some chilli or something! I stretch casseroles with a tin of cheap kidney beans which is about 16p, and I stretch our favourite very tasty commercial pasta sauce with a tin of tomatoes (36p) which makes hardly any difference to the taste but of course makes an extra serving out of it.

I think you will already be doing this but remember you can get nice surprises in the way of cheap veg at the supermarket at the end of the day, and maybe at about 4pm too, though not by as much.

I do like your phrase 'freezer jackpot'! What a good way of looking at it!

MissShoes

miggy wrote: »

I'm fine thanks, MissShoes. Boo to Vanquis coming up with the extra charge - but you are still very nearly free of them! Won't be long now.

I sympathised when you said your OH has no concept of meal planning! I imagined you saving enough of whatever ingredient to add to tomorrow's meal, and along he comes and just puts the whole lot in because he feels like it! Oh dear. Well I hope that after all your hard work he will relax and say to himself it's all in hand and allow you to take charge.

If you're not using the soya mince for vegetarian reasons, could you use it to stretch other meals rather than as a complete substitute? You might have to experiment a bit to get the taste right but it would make meat go further. Maybe get some chilli or something! I stretch casseroles with a tin of cheap kidney beans which is about 16p, and I stretch our favourite very tasty commercial pasta sauce with a tin of tomatoes (36p) which makes hardly any difference to the taste but of course makes an extra serving out of it.

I think you will already be doing this but remember you can get nice surprises in the way of cheap veg at the supermarket at the end of the day, and maybe at about 4pm too, though not by as much.

I do like your phrase 'freezer jackpot'! What a good way of looking at it!

Hey Miggy

yep the can of toms trick is used whenever I use a commercial sauce like a pasta bake sauce. Not exactly MSE but quick and easy and I stocked up when they were £1. As well as toms I add whatever bits of veg I can and a couple of cut up sausages. I got 10 portions out of one jar of sauce yesterday.

The soya mince is a funny one. It's just Mr Ts wholefoods soya mince which I used to love but now I really don't like the texture and it's very bland even with lots of seasoning and added bits. I won't buy it again. The cottage pie I made to use it up is 6 portions so a lot of eating up to do but OH will dig in if there's extra gravy poured on top and a pudding (cheap, bought in bulk on approved food!).

OH is annoying with the meal plan. Yesterday at 11pm he took out his pizza and had it as he was hungry- this is after a meal of casserole and dumpling for lunch, a meal of pasta bake for dinner and a brekkie if egg and bacon plus lots of drinks and snacks, including a big bowl of HM popcorn.

That was his easy dinner for when I'm out on Wednesdays. Sigh.

Hope things are less stressful at your end.

Shoes

MissShoes

Things to do Sun 9/10- working today so only a few things. Hoping OH will take a bit of initiative and tidy up.

1) pack ebay sales from last night DONE
2) take ebay sales down to car
3) transfer money for friend's present DONE
4) check surveys DONE
5) check online banking DONE
6) check post
7) take drink/snacks to work

Down to £117.37 in bank. Have payments from ebay of £7.47, £9.45, £2.61, £12.11 and £3.66 on way from paypal. Also have 6 items still to receive payment for and another 19 selling. I'm so busy today but it would be great if I manage to list some more items, so there is a carousel effect of money always clearing into the bank account and items always listed. I can but hope.

Up to £27.35 still on onepoll and £3.36 still on crowdology. Nothing really heading my way from quidco at the moment either.

miggy

MissShoes wrote: »

OH is annoying with the meal plan. Yesterday at 11pm he took out his pizza and had it as he was hungry- this is after a meal of casserole and dumpling for lunch, a meal of pasta bake for dinner and a brekkie if egg and bacon plus lots of drinks and snacks, including a big bowl of HM popcorn.

That was his easy dinner for when I'm out on Wednesdays. Sigh.

In the good ol' days I believe housewives used to lock their larders. They knew a thing or two.

(Miggy toddles off to research locking padlocks, portcullises, booby traps and the like...)

MissShoes

Paid ikea card early £20.59 plus took out £50 cash to repay £25 to grocery pot and get £25 ready for cleaner on Friday.

£13 left for groceries for 16 days.

Left with £46.98 in my bank and around £12 in my purse. Have a big stack of ebay parcels (13) to post. Hope I can do them all for £25.

Have the following payments to clear from paypal:

7.47
9.45
2.61
12.11
3.66
4.62
10.12

which gives me £46.98 + £50.04= £97.02 to last 16 days. This has to cover a ebay p&p, small phone bill, a night out (3 drinks max) and a lunch (will have a cheap course and not drink). Have more ebay items listed and will keep listing. OH might have to pay cleaner next week if I can't make it. Groceries will be tight too. Sigh.