Memorygirls - Make Do and Mend

Memory_Girl

Pork n peppers in black bean sauce. Loads of rice. Glass if iced water cos I'm saving my diet coke for "Ashes to Ashes". Might even make some popcorn.

As Homer would say Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!

Decided to add the found pound onto my signature - so It's actually down by 40p - Yipeeee:j

It's funny but I'm getting quite anxious about how empty the fridge is getting. Don't get me wrong - I actually have everything in that I would need to make food on Saturday, Sunday and Monday even Tuesday at a pinch - except some mozzarella for the pizza topping. But to actually see space in the fridge is a little disconcerting. Like a security blanket is being peeled back.

Random thoughts whilst hoovering.

1 tin of diet coke bought at swimming pool = 60 p say 40 times per year that we go swimming with the school. So a total of £24.

I tin of diet pepsi bought at LIDL on their 4 for a pound offer = 25p. Total cost per year £10.

Saving per year of £14 just in getting organised.

Currently £14 is a WEEKS food for us!!!! I'm wasting a weeks food on fizzy pop.:mad:

Not any more I'm not. Going to add 4 tins to shopping list tomorrow and I will store them in the boot of the car so that I can't drink them at any other time than at the pool.

I wonder how many other habits I've got that could be juggled to give little savings like that?? From now on nothing is sacred.

Memorygirl

chaoshappy

Loving your diary!!:D:T I tend to do things the same way as you...or at least i used to:o :eek: Unfortunately, i keep letting things slip and lose motivation after a couple of weeks:mad:... but i am trying to get back on the wagon...

Seeing how long £100 will last sounds more creative than setting a monthly budget...more likely to keep me motivated...so, hope you don't mind, but i am stealing that idea!!!:D and, despite thinking about it, have never followed through the idea of having specific food days. I plan meals based on the use of the stockcupboard, but am going to try to stick to food days to make sure i use everything up. ...ooh...another theft!!;)

Definately subscribing to help me kick off this process and stay on the right track...can't guarantee i won't steal anymore of your plans:rotfl::T

cha97michelle

I would have done what you did and added £1 to your budget as you didn't have it and now you do. Or maybe classed the coke as a neutral spend and put the 40p towards a bill or the mortgage.

Another busy day for you. I'm still feeling grotty so i managed to change the kids beds and wash the sheets and that was it. Crazy. I'm hoping i get better when DS1 goes to nursery in September and i only have one littlie under foot. Loads of great intentions get wasted by the time i have changed the nappies and repeated myself ten billion times.

Loved the idea of swapping one type of coke for another. If you don't mind it not being cold, then it would be a great saving. £14 for a weeks groceries seems well cheap. I spent about £9 this week but that was a rarity. Know what you mean about the empty fridge though. We only had one yoghurt left today when the kids wanted one. My DS1 was so sweet though. When he realised it was the last one after he opened it he let his brother have it. I did open them a tin of pears too so they didn't go without, but they came running to me and the 2yo said 'mummy, we need to add yoghurts to the shopping list.'

I sometimes feel bad there isn't more in, but then again it is less that might go off and i usually get to the shop before i run out completely. Not like i am starving them anyway.

Memory_Girl

chaoshappy wrote: »

Loving your diary!!:D:T I tend to do things the same way as you...or at least i used to:o :eek: Unfortunately, i keep letting things slip and lose motivation after a couple of weeks:mad:... but i am trying to get back on the wagon...

Seeing how long £100 will last sounds more creative than setting a monthly budget...more likely to keep me motivated...so, hope you don't mind, but i am stealing that idea!!!:D and, despite thinking about it, have never followed through the idea of having specific food days. I plan meals based on the use of the stockcupboard, but am going to try to stick to food days to make sure i use everything up. ...ooh...another theft!!;)

Definately subscribing to help me kick off this process and stay on the right track...can't guarantee i won't steal anymore of your plans:rotfl::T

Come on in and play chaoshappy - the waters lovely:j

Yeah, I know the budget thing is only mind tricks - but then its the unconscious habits that get us in a pickle in the first place. It turns it froma negative "I've only got such and such left" to a positive "I've ONLY spent x in y days"

Sounds boring, but I'm coming to the conclusion that meal planning is the way to go. I'm down to one baby yogurt today - yesterday my DS had a jelly because he didn't want me to go shopping a day early - Love him!!!

The only thing to do when you fall off the wagon is hop on again when you feel less bruised and ready to carry on. I'm usually pretty frugal - but just now I am like a woman possessed - even scheming how much additional it's going to cost to feed my house guest for the next 10 days;)

My challenge for the next 10 days - whilst my guest is here and we are writing together is to finally figure out how to knit mitts - I'm thinking brightly striped mitts for all the kids at Xmas this year - I just need to figure out the thumb bittie.

Have you thought about second hand sofas? Obviously if these are your dream items please ignore and continue using them for motivation. I wanted cream, old fashioned, feather upholstered, wooden legged, saggy, comfy warm sofa with high backs and sides for snuggling away from the drafts in the winter. I wanted them "proper" as in able to be upholstered again in the future, rather than chipboard construction that needs replacing as soon as the money is finally paid off. EEEK - they too were about a grand each:eek::eek::eek:

Funnily enough, three days after writing my sofa wish list the local furniture recycling shop had two sofas brought in that ticked all my boxes. £35 the pair:j You've never seen a woman sprint home so fast and count out her collection of £2 and £1 and even 50p's to get the money together - we were so fast I think the baby got jet-lag:rotfl:

They were a bit grubby - but great quality. I washed the covers twice in the machine with OXY to boost the cleaning power and scrubbed the rest with 99p of furniture shampoo and a nail brush.

So I make it that my sofas cost me the DFW busting total of £36 - but THEY WERE EXACTLY THE ONES I WANTED - they are in no way a compromise.

I'm thinking that this programming / cosmic ordering has something to it.

Now - to programme for a man - or a cleaning lady :rotfl:

Off I go

Memorygirl

Memory_Girl

Right heres the list

2 x 15 minutes in the office blitzing paperwork mountain
Shopping - looks like mostly LIDL
Get Petrol - dropping kids at Grans before Arport run so get it then
Usual clean of bathroom
Move some soil into my raised beds - surely the beans can go out his week ??
Find a mitten pattern at the pins for DK
Airport run - natch!!
Pizza for tea (by request so shuffled menu around - in front of Dr Who I should think)
EXperiment with making Krisprolls for snacks and Babies lunches

Righto - that enough

Memorygirl

cha97michelle

You tube might be the answer for your knitting tuition. A couple of months ago i took up knitting again and taught myself how to do stitches needed for sock making like wrap stitch, mattress stitch.

Just search for the stitch you want then spend a bit of time looking through the different videos till you find a useful one that shows you how to do it. Fab idea for mittens.

I'm thinking i might do similar for my kids to be honest. I'm already thinking i am going to make some very thick and long socks to go over their cotton ones to wear with wellies out in the garden. They love being outside but their little toes get frozen. I'm also going to do ones for myself and DH to wear to his workplace if all goes well. If i get good at it, i might even try making some funky ones for female family members as they all love them.

We are going to brave a supermarket shop today. After spending so little all week we definitely need a few bits of fruit and veg to replenish stocks. I'll bear you in mind though and think before i buy.

ClootiesMum

Hi there MG,

When you start to calculate things like the Diet Coke then you realise that even if you won the lottery then you would always be a DFW at heart - I worked out that my new car saved enough petrol so that I had almost a month's extra in wages per annum.

Wee aside - will PM you - if you want a half dozen fresh laid eggs & are passing Newton on way to the airport I can let you have them - ladies have been busy

CM

knitwit67

Hi cha97michelle, don't feel bad about the yogurts. How your little boy reacted prooves you are a good mother. We can't always have what we want when we want it, but it sure does taste good when we get it. These are life lessons that will help them later, look at the teenage kids of the rich and famous, on drugs or in rehab. I'm glad I could not give my son everything, at 17 he has everything to work towards and enjoy in the future. Best wishes

Sorry memory girl to butt in on your diary , also a requst take a break from the cleaning, your a good influence on me I've gone into spingcleaning mode over last few days , it's so unlike me. Have a great weekend all:D

PS , ravelry.com have loads of free patterns to download, you do have to apply to join and can take a few days but is a great site for knitters:beer:

Memory_Girl

ClootiesMum wrote: »

Hi there MG,

When you start to calculate things like the Diet Coke then you realise that even if you won the lottery then you would always be a DFW at heart - I worked out that my new car saved enough petrol so that I had almost a month's extra in wages per annum.

We aside - will PM you - if you want a half dozen fresh laid eggs & are passing Newton on way to the airport I can let you have them - ladies have been busy

CM

Here's another one - worked out on the hoof in LIDL.

2 loaves of kindsmill per week - at LIDL 2 for £2 - £104 per year
3 loaves in the breadmaker - 65p per week - £33.80 per year

Saving of £70.20 per year - ON BREAD!!!!!!!! That's 2 pair of Clarks shoes at Full price (not that I buy at full price but YSWIM???

Guess who brought more flour instead of the two loaves then

I'd love some eggs - Home-made Eggs!!!! Can't get much more "Make Do and Mend" than that - I'll PM you my details and ETA.

Ta Muchly

Memorygirl

Memory_Girl

knitwit67 wrote: »

Sorry memory girl to butt in on your diary , also a requst take a break from the cleaning, your a good influence on me I've gone into spingcleaning mode over last few days , it's so unlike me. Have a great weekend all:D

PS , ravelry.com have loads of free patterns to download, you do have to apply to join and can take a few days but is a great site for knitters:beer:

Just joined ravelry - the Lady downstairs (we had a very odd shaped house - LOL) has promised to show me how to do thumbs - Yipee!!! She's delighted "one of the young ones" wants to learn to knit - Don't think she realises I'm 40 - :rotfl:

Don't worry - I don't always clean like this - just trying to get a home back to normal after everything moving in and out. For the next 10 days nothing will get done because I've got a writing project on - so we will all get a rest - LOL.

Been out and done the shopping - Spent £18.50 although some was for stockcupboards stuff like sugar and oil that I was running low on. Still its enough to keep us all going for a week with just some milk as a top-up.

Better go update my signature

Memorygirl