My diary - A little bit of everything!

sidneysmum

Rubytuesday - Hello and thanks for posting. Lovely to hear from you. I`ve just cleaned out the top shelf of one of my kitchen cupboards so thats a good start. I think we are doing loads of the same money saving things :beer:. I`ve not spent anything today - In fact I`ve hardly spent anything this year. Keep up the good work.:)

Trixiepix - Thanks for your reply. I dont really need to loose any weight but I always watch what I eat IYSWIM. During the week I am really good but I weekend I let my hair down and have plenty of wine and sweet things. I try to follow Slimming World basics during the week because I think its a really healthy way to live. However I must say the best thing I started to do was to start running in my 30`s. It definately keeps the weigh off :T.
Anyway good luck with your food shopping today. Hope you stick to budget. :A

Have had a good day again today. Paid £2 off my mortgage. I have decided that I am going to check my current account at the end of the month - payday - and if I have any money left, I am going to pay that off the mortgage as well .
Sidneysdad and I bottled some home brew wine so thats another 25+ bottles in the garage. It works about 50p a bottle so its really great value.
I have managed to use up several items today - lip salve, lipstick and shower gel ( sob - only got 19 left - LOL ). Thrown all the empties in the bin. Over this last couple of weeks, I have cast a critical eye over all the toiletries I own. If I know I wont use it I have given it away or as a last resort, thrown it in the bin.
Used up more leftovers today so am still running stocks down. We didnt have to make an evening meal as we ate at our friends Indian restaurant for a change.
We did the freezer inventry today. Actually we didnt have as much food left as I thought. I will have to be quite inventive with some items or else they will get thrown in the bin. I think I have enough main meals till the end of the month even though I might have to buy oddments to make up a complete meal. Hopefully that should keep my spending low for the next couple of weeks at least.
Anyway I hope you have all had a great frugal day. Be positive and happy

ironlady2022

Hey sidneysmum, I have this thread on my favourites so I don't forget to check on your progress. Yes, I have bought a load of cheap toiletries post Xmas and vow not to buy anything else til I've used them. Bythe way, there is a section on this site where you can check where your nearest petrol is. Don't know if you are already aware! Also package that you send abroad every week to your Son, does it cost you any money? If so, sending it every fortnight may be better as I believe the more the send the cheaper the postage. Also how about signing up to a cashback credit card? And also putting away the money which you would have spent on your weekly shop away to motivate yourself!

rubytuesday

Not a frugal day today, chicken fillets bought from the Free Range Butcher to avoid Mr T, nearly had a heart attack when he told me the price after he prepared them but enough for a Thai green curry tonight and two portions in the freezer. They were huge! So really not too bad comparatively.
Major shop in 99P Store and Poundland due to spending withdrawal but got some good bargains although an elbow support I bought seems to have made it feel worse and the fumes have given me a headache!
The major clear out continues, two kitchen cupboards of various paraphernalia done today with some good finds and two very scary drawers to tackle tomorrow!
Who is this woman?:rotfl:

EC12345

Hi everyone. This is a brilliant thread and it is great to read about everyones' goals and what they have been up to.

Well, like a few people on this board, I have also tidied my cupboards today. I have put everything that I haven't worn for ages into a bag which I will take to my local charity shop this weekend). I wanted to get my work wear in order. I now have a couple of pair of trousers, around 4 skirts, 5 blouses and 3 cardigans which I rotate. I have also sorted out my shoes into work and going out. I would much rather have less in my cupboard which I wear all the time instead of loads that I never wear - hope this makes sense.

Like everyone else, I also have loads of toiletries. I may sort out these later as well today and put them in various boxes so I know what I have.

Well another week for me until I get paid and I am absolutely broke. I have around £8 in my purse and this is to last until Friday. However, I am very disciplined with money and so this should last easily. I have everything I need for lunches for work and a full tank of petrol so will be fine. May just have to pop into Poundland though towards the end of the week for a few things.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Emma x

PS. Sidneysmum - I bet your son is doing a brilliant job in Afganistan. xxx

DansMum_2

Hello everyone hope you having a good weekend....:D

I have 4 cats, a dog and 2 horses... My animals are my babies

Have had a frugal weekend. 2 more NSD's (thanks to DansDad who went to the shop today :cool:) have done a wee bit of hoovering cleaned my saddle and bridle (which were minging) had a ride such a gorgeous day and Danny was SUCH a good boy.
:A

Worked yesterday and NEARLY spent money, but all I did was post things from ebay. Have more items finishing tonight. Still havent been in the loft yet, we think we have bats in there :T but must get up there some time this week.

Will have to spend tomorrow as cats and horses both need food. Horses will be a big spend as I have to get haylage, bedding and food, cats are just biscuits and I get them in bulk.....

Sorry to hear about your pud Trixiepix, I lost one 7 years ago and never forgot him.... My cats are the same as Sidneysmum, sleep, eat and poo :rotfl:

How long til your Son is back from Afghan?

rubytuesday

I have four cats too DansMum and should soon have a foster dog too.
I have cleaned and sorted those dreaded odds and sods kitchen drawers today and am so pleased with myself. I now have one kitchen drawer and one greatly culled odds and sods drawers. Found lots of seeds and a rainforest sounds cd in there. Not sure if the seeds will germinate but might as well give them ago. Also found some tasty recipes to try in there.
I've just made some bread for the first time in years by hand as I'm not too keen on the breadmaker results but want to give it another whirl before I decide whether or not to get rid of it.
Another NSD for me!

trixiepix

Hey ya all,

I could be really stressed today if i thought about it (so don't think i'll bother thinking about it!!!)

As u all know i am in the process of sorting and ebaying my attic (well the contents not the actual attic,as i tkinda has to stay attached to the rest of the house - lol), the boxes that have gathered around my house of stuff that has been sorted and are waiting to be put back (once one corner at least of the attic is sorted) are driving me madddddddddddddddddddddd!!!!! - i feel like not going into work this week just so i can crack on with it but i can't do that.

Anyway, so glad to hear about how well you're all doing - NSD today and yesterday (yippee) and the fruits of my labour will be apparent a little later when last weeks ebay listing auctions end, so far have quite a few bids (mainly for 99p - boo) but one item is at £10.50 (yippee) - will let you know how much i have actually made once listing have ended and i've sorted postage - just hope all this blinking work has been worth it.

Having rolls for tea as haven't got enough time to cook because of more ebaying!!! (kids have been fed and laundered for school though) - it's lovely to hear of the animals you all have, i loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee animals and will be getting a new moggy later in the year (we're moving in the next few months and thought it fairer to wait until we're in the new house before getting a new !!!!! galore)

Anyway, love hearing all of your tales, keep up the good work.

xx

sidneysmum

Mayling03 - Thanks very much for checking in. Thanks for your advice about finding the nearest petrol station. I will look into that. With regard to sending things to Afghanistan to my son, believe it or not, its FREE. You can send a parcel up to 2kg free of charge. I try to send one every week but sometimes its hard to think what to put in the parcel. One good thing is that the lads all share out the contents of their parcels so nothing goes to waste. :beer:

rubytuesday - Well done on your poundshop bargains ! Also well done on the cupboard cleaning. I always have a busy family day on a Sunday but I still managed to clear our my bedside cabinet. Only got rid of a bit of rubbish but still feel good about actually doing something :T

EC12345 - Thanks for posting. You sound so very organised. Please keep passing on tips. I am really proud of my boy. He is only 20 and he actually volunteered to go to Afghanistan. He has a post in the Household Cavalry at Windsor riding the horses so didnt have to go. At first I was gutted when he volunteered but now I am very proud of him. PS. He drives a tank in Afghanistan not horse riding !! :rotfl:

Dansmum - Great to hear from you and read your news. Having animals is a full time job. I am hoping that Sidneysdad gets us some chickens this year. I am waiting of him either making or buying the coop :rotfl:Thanks for asking about my son. He is hopefully coming back at the start of May and he has been gone since October. God I miss him soo much

Anyway Today has been a really good day. I always like Sunday because my children and partners come round for tea. Its a great get together. It also means that they can see each other as well. However me and sidneysdad always end up doing loads of cooking. Today for a change I made 2 huge pasta meals - tuna and pasta and chorizo and pasta. Both very nice. I also made 2 huge homemade pizza and 2 garlic breads. Sidneysdad who fancies himself as a bit of a baker made a chocolate and cream sandwich and flapjacks plus jelly and ice cream. We always try to put on a good spread and any leftovers either get eaten up in the week or are frozen for another time. :T
Today I made yet another £2 mortgage payment. However had a bit of a spend on ebay. We decided that our top oven needed another shelf so we bought one. It seems a shame to have the oven on twice as long to make two cakes when with another shelf we could put them in together. I dont mind spending on items such as this as it will soon pay for itself. What I want to do is not spend on needless rubbish.

From reading all your messages, it seems as though we are all trying to overhaul our lifestyles in one way or another. I just want to live a more organised, less cluttered, mortgage free life.
Speak to you all soon x

DansMum_2

Wow Sidneysmum a place at the Calvary as you cam=n imagine I would have loved to have done that (although FAR too old now ) The course is really really hard, but I love watching the demos at the Horse of the Year show when we go.....

Ruby - Had to laff at your attic comment, sounds like we're in the same boat. My Spare Room of Doom wasnt quite so Doomful until a week or two ago when I started filling it up with stuff for ebay/charity/carboot

If you find my thread on the MFW board, you'll see that we're doing 11 things for 2011, like simplifying life, sorting money, being happy etc.... Twas a brilliant idea from Tesco Points Addict... We also have a MFW weight loss forum too if anyone feels the need to join (ahem I run it but aint going the right way )

Have spent loads on animal essentials today hope it'll last a few weeks now....:o My cats were furious with me this morning as I had run out of cat biscuits. So they started on the dog food....

sidneysmum

Hi Dansmum- How did I know you`d be interested when I mentioned "Household Cavalry" ?:rotfl:

Had a great money saving day today! Paid £435 off the mortgage which is great news. I think the next few weeks could be a bit tighter moneywise. I help one of my sons with his car (long story) as he is getting himself on his feet. It needs a service (booked for this week) and in Feb it needs an MOT and Taxing. He is such a great lad and appreciates all we do for him so its no trouble at all. I am really lucky with my sons. None of them live at home but they are all family minded. At least I have done something right in my life. LOL

I had to spend a bit of cash today as I had to buy some kale for Mrs Tortoise. I am looking for kale seeds at the moment and as soon as I see some they`ll be being grown. I think I might also try and grow some basil. I love the taste but am put off buying it ready grown as it can work out quite expensive.

I have now emptied one of our freezers ( the small one) and we just have the chest freezer now to empty. I cannot believe that I`ve hardly been in a supermarket since I did my Christmas food shopping. One thing I have noticed as a consequence is that my huge stash of carrier bags has almost gone. No shopping = No bags.

This morning I did 2 loads of washing. I have a tumble dryer but only use it very infrequently. In the summer I bought 2 clothes maidens from the car boot sale and they are up in the spare bedroom. This is now where my 2 loads of washing are hanging
. I feel they were money well spent.

I also treated myself with the Tesco points. It seems a waste to use them to buy goods in store so I cashed some in and have "bought" two yearly magazine subscriptions with them. I ordered Essentials and Prima so there should be a bit of something in there to interest me.

Changing the subject completely, I decided that one of my NY resolutions was to try and look after my feet a bit better :rotfl:. YUK. Most days I go for a good old run around with the Sidney - probably about 5 miles. Well your feet can end up in a terrible state if you dont look after them and subject them to hard exercise. Anyway my better treatment of them has definately paid off. They are looking loads healthier - no hard skin. I have been using the pumice every other day and have been putting cream and oil on them twice a day. :T

We have been eating leftovers again today - The very last of the blackberries for breakfast, Pate (frozen from Christmas) on toast for lunch and leftover pizza and tuna/pasta for our tea. Now I have done the freezer inventry I am predicting some very strange food combinations over the next few weeks :eek:

Anyway thanks for reading all my ramblings.
Sidneysmum
PS. You should see all the drivel I put in letters to my son in Afghanistan !!!