Sorting through my rubbish

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog

Hi All

Hope you are enjoying this fabulous weather. Trixie, you have been a bit quiet, hope all is well with you and yours.

Had a quiet night last night, cooked a very quick dinner for myself, DH and DD, just beans on toast with some sliced sausages in (we had some nice tiger bloomer that was going to waste and the sausages were precooked and YS to 25p plus I was pushed for time due to DH being back on nights). We are having puttanesca tonight with added tuna, again quick and easy as DH has to leave by 6.30pm! I might try and walk the dog tonight and then do some tidying before having a nice soak in the bath.

I have an asda delivery due tomorrow (used a £10 off £60 shop and a £1 delivery slot), loads of basics to fill the cupboards in anticipation of my op on 16/5. Will only need bread, milk and fruit and veg then til payday and then will do a large shop for fresh stuff just prior to op. I really do need to meal plan and batch cook ready for then too. DS1's girlfriend is staying Thursday night and DH has the night off so will cook something nice for dinner then (will rummage in the freezer to see what we have!).

I have been a bit naughty and ordered some [EMAIL="rayb@ns"]rayb@ns[/EMAIL] from [EMAIL="Eb@y"]Eb@y[/EMAIL] (a third of the RRP) and have also ordered some of the face mask sheets from a website, got 70 for less than £30, should last me a good while! I intend to do lots of pampering after my op as I have to have complete rest and will probably not feel great so anything to perk me up has to be a good idea. Some of the sheet masks I have ordered have characters on them so I am planning a fun, girls night in with DD and both of the boys' girlfriends.

No other expenditure planned this month apart from my Dad's birthday, he'll be 75 and I have no idea what to get him!

Must fly now, enjoy the rest of your day

321 xxx

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog

Hi All

Had a good evening last night, DH cooked dinner while I hung out laundry (in our conservatory/drying room) and did other jobs and DD walked the dog then we all sat down for dinner before hubby disappeared off to work.

I cleaned out the fridge in anticipation of tonights asda order and found 3 lemon yogurts and a pot of low fat soft cheese, all a couple of days out of date, tasted them and the were fine so I mixed them up with 3 eggs and made a lowfat lemon cheesecake, didnt have any biscuits in the house though (downside of the dieting!) so used cornflakes (29p Savers ones that no-one likes) crushed into the butter instead, not sure what its going to be like but worth a try, better than just binning it all. I also made one of the slimming world dahl loaves so that is something to nibble on when hungry.

DH is cooking dinner tonight, think we're having jacket potatoes and salmon fillet. Finally got DH to get on board with the diet, we are both using My Fitness Pal to monitor calories etc, I find it really helps. For lunch I am having a huge bowl of carrot batons, baby sweetcorn and a small tin of tuna, 110 calories for the lot! I might push the boat out and have a 10 calorie jelly for afters! I had porridge for Breakfast and so still have 800 calories left for this evening. It is so much easier for me to regulate breakfast and lunch as we can still eat as a family at dinner. I have one more stubborn lb to loose before I am in another stone bracket.

Must dash, have a good day

321 xxx

Doobop

You're back! You are doing great

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog

Hi All, especially Doobop, not sure I'm doing great but treading water and not drowning just yet!

So quick catch-up, Wednesday we didnt have the salmon and jacket potatoes as planned as DH overslept so when I got home I took some shredded gammon hock out of the freezer along with leeks and peppers (all yellow sticker) and made a bbq pulled pork served with rice, one of DS2's favourites. Last night DS1's girlfriend stayed so I found a lamb shoulder in the freezer (which we were given) and used some vegetables from the fridge, stuffing and yorkshires from the stocks and we had a lush roast (DH cooked it!) followed by individual puddings from the local factory (12 for £1!!). Almost a free dinner! Tonight we will use up the leftover veg, either in bubble and squeak or cauliflower and brocolli cheese, whichever DH decides on, either way we have everything we need for it.

My Asd@ delivery arrived on Wednesday, actually had everything I ordered with no substitutions, don't think thats ever happened before!! Plus bonus, there were a couple of extra bags with items I didn't order but we will definaitely use, tuna, pasta, sauces, packet mixes etc, probably about £20 worth as it was all branded (whereas most of my order was smart Pr!ce!!). We are well stocked now and I will limit what I buy over the next few weeks to use up some of our stash.

Financially this month has been a bit of a disaster, lots of out goings and I still have Dad's birthday next week and DS2's girlfriend's. Off to the big town on saturday to see what I can find them (I have an appointment there anyway), DD is coming with me but I have told her I have no money for expensive treats, we will have a subway each for lunch as thats only £6 total and she loves them and she can mooch in Primarni but anything she wants will be from her money.

My weekend apart from that will be quiet, DH is on nights, so I will go to see my little lady on Saturday morning (the money from that will fund the shopping trip) and sunday I plan a nice long dog walk with my breeder friend and our dog's siblings. Tonight after DH has gone to work I will have a nice long soak in the bath and some pampering, have started again with saving £1 for every product used up and will use the savings when the tin is full for a nice treat for us all.

So that's me up to date, nothing particularly exciting, just plodding on, oh and still havent shifted that darned lb!!! Hopefully if I'm careful with what I eat this weekend, with all the walking etc it might finally go!

Have a great weekend all

321 xxx

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog

Hi All, hope you've all had a lovely restful weekend.

I've had a lovely weekend, got home on Friday and DH had made Bubble and squeak for us with bacon and eggs (a favourite) and found a tub of bolognaise sauce in the freezer (made a couple of weeks ago) so the kids had spag bol. He went to work and I had a good pamering session, my sheet face masks had arrived so i used one of them whilst I had my soak in a hot bubble bath then used some of my collagen gel to moisturise my body and finally but a layer of Cremolia on my feet before bed, lovely.

Saturday I went to see my little lady and then picked up DD to go to 'Big Town'. Had our [EMAIL="Subw@y"]Subw@y[/EMAIL] for lunch and she raided Primarni, got some lovely new pjs and dressing gown. We headed to [EMAIL="TKM@xx"]TKM@xx[/EMAIL] and found pressies for Dad and DS2's girlfriend and then I looked at the remenants of the M&S sale and managed to get 3 bras and 3 thongs for a grand total of £10! So a successful day. Got home and a good friend came over for a drink or two, we felt hungry so I made cheese crumpets with some that I had been given and needed using up.

Sunday got up and met our breeder friend for a nice long dog walk, my dog loved running around with her siblings and it was good to see them all together again. Then home and tackled DD's bedroom, a black bin bag of rubbish and two bags to the charity shop later, it looked much better. Dinner before DH went to work was a clear out the freezer job, YS chicken nuggets for DD and YS haddock fishcakes for me and DH, served with Crispy Sweet Potato slices (also YS) and wedged tinned potatoes as there weren't enough of the sweet potatoes. Surprisingly tasty and filling. Another hot bath, face mask and all over moisturising and and early night followed.

Back to work and school today, I cooked up some pizza twists yesterday for DDs lunches and made her some pots of jelly and also bag up dried fruit and nuts to make things easier in the mornings. Tonights dinner (again from freezer/stores) is Chicken Korma with naan and pakoras (this will use up the dregs from a pataks paste jar, a lump of creamed coconut that has lingered in the fridge for ever and a pot of elmlea opened the other day).

Whilst rummaging in the freezer I found cocktail sausage rolls, mini savoury eggs and croissants so they can all form part of the kids lunches for the next couple of weeks. I can't believe I am so skint this month and still two weeks til payday BUT we do have plenty of food so won't go hungry! Also have a big box of crisps which were on special offer at February half term and haven't even been opened yet (hidden in the under stairs cupboard!).

Anyway that's me up-to-date, have a good day

321 xxx

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog

Hi All

Another beautiful morning here.

DH made a lovely Korma last night, it turned out really well and used up some odds and ends. Tonights dinner is pork meatballs in a sauce served with spagetti (really is a free dinner, I was given some pork burgers but they are really bland so better made into meat balls and the Dolmi0 meatball sauce and spagetti were in the extra Asd@ shopping the other day!), DH is cooking again as he is on rest days between night shifts.

He was on a rest day yesterday and I went home to clean sheets and all the laundry done, lovely.

We will be doing some more decluttering this evening ready for another charity shop run tomorrow. We partitioned our second bedroom into two rooms when the children were younger and it worked really well at the time but now we want to return the room to its full size, its only a stud wall so very easy to remove and DH hopes to do that this week in preparation for re decorating. We also need to cost some carpet and choose paint and wallpaper at some point. I would like the ceiling reskimmed but not sure how expensive that would be?

I need to really get my head into the 'using it up and not buying' mindset. we have heaps of things at home, clothes, toiletteries, food, books etc etc. I need to make sure we use what we have instead of buying more. I personally need to re-sort and assess my wardrobe as I have plenty of clothes and I need to take a fresh look at what I actually need and when I do replace items do so thoughtfully. I think I am getting better at this, I have a budget for the year and that is making me consider purchases carefully, I am also trying to buy better quality items when reduced, ie my cashmere and merino cardigans and m&s underwear. I certainly don't need more toiletteries and am trying to make sure I actually use what I have.

I plan to keep my spending to an absolute minimum for the whole of May, I have a couple of birthdays and a wedding to go to but I think I have presents in my stash for those. I am also having my op on the 16th so will be out of action for a couple of weeks, resting and pampering, so that should help with not spending. If May goes well I will try it for June as well and any money saved will be paid off of debt.

Anyway enough of my ramblings, enjoy the sunshine

321 xxx

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog

Hi All

I wish the weather would decide what it's doing, glorious sunshine one minute and blowing a hooly and pouring down the next!!

The meatballs in sauce last night were delicious. DH had also bought some lovely Thorntons cookies for afters but I baulked when I saw how many calories were in them and just had quarter of one which I ate very, very slowly! Previously I could have easily ate he whole packet with out thinking twice, that's why I'm overweight!!!

Tonights dinner is again in DH's hands, I have suggested bacon and mushroom pasta as we have the ingredients to hand.

DH took down the stud wall yesterday, seems really weird having it back to one room again, but it will be lovely for DD once it is decorated. DH has asked a friend to quote to reskim the ceiling and another friend will fit the carpet once we have it. DH is planning to do the decorating etc when I have my op as he will be home for two weeks to care for me. I will go to the local bed shop later to get a quote for the type of bed DD wants as I like to support local businesses where possible, provided the price is right! We will then have to venture to Big Town again to buy wallpaper etc. I have told DD that she may have to make do with the hanging rail she has in an alcove for now until we can afford wardrobes but it will still look a lot nicer than it is now.

Anyway I must go and do some work.

Have a great day all

321 xxx

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog

Hi All, Friday at last:j

We have had a pretty good week generally, I've just checked my spending diary and apart from a few odd bits of food I haven't bought anything since last Saturday when I went to Big Town to buy Dad and DS2's girlfriend their birthday presents, I'm quite please with myself! This weekend should be pretty frugal too, will get the weeks groceries tomorrow after seeing my little lady, just milk, bread etc. Decluttering tomorrow afternoon and off to a friend's for curry in the evening. Sunday I hope to meet breeder friend for another dog walk whilst DH is sleeping, then family lunch and a trip to flea pit cinema again to see Jungle Book. So a nice weekend planned without too much expenditure.

DH cooked the bacon and mushroom pasta on Wednesday which was scrummy and bless him, he tried to make garlic butter to use up some bread but he put it on toast so it was raw garlic - it was very strong! Last night we had Thai Green Curry, 3 good size ready meals reduced to 89p each, 3 for less than the price of one, made a good quick dinner before DH went off for his night shift. I'm making fajitas tonight as DS2 took wraps out of the freezer and then didnt use them, so I pulled out some chicken breasts last night and will add mushrooms, peppers and onions from the stocks. The freezers definitely have some room in them now rather than being rammed full. Will carry on using stocks for as long as possible unless I get another good voucher to use. Saturday I will make something to use up the lamb style quorn steaks that have been in the freezer for ages, just DH and DD to feed as I am eating at a friends and DS2 will be at his girlfriends. Sunday I may put a gammon joint in the slowcooker and do a roast, then ham egg and chips on monday. I might make a pudding on Sunday to use up some stewed apple in the freezer and a tin of ood apricots, sponge mix over the top and serve with custard, lovely!!

Must go, have a great weekend all (Trixie - hope you are ok?)

321 xxx

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog

Hi All

Hope you have all had a good weekend.

Well we stuck to our frugal plans, the film (Jungle Book) was excellent, thoroughly recommend it.

Food wise, the fajitas were yummy on Friday night, I found lemon chicken in the freezer for DH and DD on Saturday which they had with noodles and Sunday I did the roast dinner with a large gammon joint. I also made the sponge pudding but with the stewed apple and some tinned rhubarb that was well out of date, added brown sugar and cinnamon and topped it off with a value sponge cake mix which I mixed up with lemonade to save my eggs! Tonight DH is working til 11pm so I left him a plated up roast for his lunch, the kids and I will have cesaer salad with a crustless quiche to use up the leftover broccoli, there should be enough quiche for DH's lunch tomorrow. Tomorrow I might do ham egg and chips and then either a spag bol or chilli on Wednesday.

I am planning my budget for payday (next Tuesday) as this month has not gone to plan, lots of birthdays etc, big expenses but not lots of them, I have had loads of NSD's. I have also been naughty and bought my Raybans and face masks but they were one off, bargain, purchases that should last me a long time.

DH is planning the work on DD's room, carpet fitting and ceiling skimming scheduled and IF she can clear enough of her stuff this week we might go carpet and wallpaper shopping at the weekend. It is all on him this time as I will be laid up whilst he is doing the work!

Must fly, will catch up again soon

321 xxx

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog

Hi All

Another beautiful day here.

Hoping to take my dog for another nice long walk on the hills this evening, as I did last night, good exercise for both of us and it really is my happy place, peaceful and tranquil and stunning scenery, can see for miles.

I made the crustless quiche on Monday which we had with salad as planned and then last night I did ham, egg and chips with the left over gammon joint. Tonight we have chilli which I popped in the slow cooker before work this morning, should be plenty for at least two meals, if not three. I also made some bagel pizzas for the kids' lunch boxes, YS bagels, topped with a mixture of tomato puree, olive oil and herbs, YS mozzerella and YS pepperoni, made 8 pizzas for about £1 total, bagged and in the freezer for them to grab in the mornings, will be defrosted by lunch time and help to keep everything else cool. I also have bagged portions of mini savoury eggs, cocktail sausage rolls and bacon and cheese croissants all in the freezer ready to add to lunches as DD has gone off of sandwiches. All of this has been from stocks (apart from the salad).

So payday next tuesday, the plan is to spend as little as possible and pay off as much debt as I can. I am also going to start transferring the odd pence on my bank account balances each day to my credit card with the same bank, will be able to monitor via online banking how much of an effect this is having, potentially could be an extra £25 pm coming off of the balance and hopefully wont be missed by me! I'm still saving all of my £2 coins for DH's big birthday next year and everytime I use a toilletry up £1 is going in another tin, aiming to fill this before I open it and treat everyone with the money inside (or pay off debt, I'll decide at the time). We are saving our Mossies £5 vouchers for Xmas but don't get as many of those as last year since they changed the rules (used to get the price difference in points, now just get points per £1 spent) and as you know I am careful about how much I actually spend there!

Sorry if my posts are a bit repeatative at the moment but it is helping me to stay focused and on plan which is something I have struggled with in the past.

Have a lovely day

321 xxx