Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - Part 3.

dizzy_lizzie

Hi Ruby. Your course sounds really interesting. Hope you continue to enjoy it.

Sandra it's such a heartbreaking illness but I would think that the better days are worth all the tea in China.

Mooloo hope you're feeling better now.

Kerry take care.

Ended up making the coffee and walnut cake late last night! Just hit the spot. Then finished off the x stitch.
Here are pics and cake to share for anyone that fancies a slice.
Love and hugz
x


This was sooooo complicated considering its size. Popped it in a frame and was given as an extra gift, which she loved.



Vegan coffee & walnut cake with coffee buttercream. Sticks to ribs kind of cake
x

rubytuesday

I didn't make it I'm afraid Dizzy I was in so much pain today and hadn't slept.

Ended up going back to bed and sleeping til four.

Just been feeling totally exhausted.

Not doing too well at the moment!

tumptyteapot

NSD today apart from £70 at the vets (which I sort of don't count as day to day living expenses if that makes sense). Cat has had a blood test cos the vet hit the guilt trigger - if it's her thyroid it can be treated and she will have a better quality of life for longer, how could I say no! I'll hear in a couple of days what the result is, she is still on diaretics and for maximum inconvenience has decided to live on the (tarpaulin) covered kitchen table. We are eating on our laps a lot rather than evict her. She is looking ok for a manky stroppy old bag :-)

I've finally got together all the evidence of the hours I work for the tax credits check. I phoned them to see if they need anything else and they said to write a letter explaining my circumstances; 'it doesn't have to be that long' she said on the phone - too late, my letter is 3 pages long and the 16 cross referenced print outs come in at around 40 pages in total. I'd rather they had all the info they need in one go than have them back and forth and me get stressed out digging out bits of paper.

No need to spend any money tomorrow, we will start to eat the pasta mountain - the big mr T bag reduced to £2. Dinner tonight was very posh home made fish fingers made from a rainbow trout my neighbour caught yesterday! They are so easy, you just have to get the dipping order right - flour, egg then breadcrumbs. Ours were oven baked along with some home made potato wedges. mmmmmmm

Plan this week is to do a couple of solid days working like a mad thing then I can have a relaxing Thursday and Friday. Got a facial and eyebrow threading booked for Thursday, then my art therapy class starts again and dance therapy after that.

Which reminds me I need to ask Tax Credits if I should take time off my working hours for things like therapy or just rearrange my working hours (which is what I do). Unless anyone on here knows. She said I could claim that my printing course is professional development only if it was necessarry to do my job which is a bit of a strange one because the more art I practice the better an artist I become so therefore it is necessary but I thought it better to err on the side of caution instead.

dizzy_lizzie

Ruby it's good that you're listening to your body and sleeping when you need to. I know it's not everyones cup of tea but horses for courses and all that but how about trying some colour therapy. This can be good for balancing the chakras if they are out of alignment. Might give you a little more energy and if not what have you lost by trying?
So first of all sit/lie comfortably and visualise the colour red. Imagine it as a red fluffy cloud enveloping you, or visualise bathing under a red waterfall, whatever you feel comfortable with. Do this for a few moments or however long you feel comfortable for, then do the same with the other colours orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and purple. Then stay relaxed for as long as you wish.
So the order of colours is Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Purple.
Colouring a rainbow in these colours everyday is also supposed to promote calmness and peacefulness for throughout the day.
And of course eating fruit and veg in these colours.
Sorry for the long post but if it helps then good
x

rubytuesday

Tumpty one of my cats has just had the thyroid op and is doing really well.

She's thirteen so I was worried about it but someone on here put my mind at ease - sorry forgot who now.

Silva I think - and I went ahead with it.

rubytuesday

Thanks Dizzy I just gave it a go but very quickly.

I am a bit of a one when it comes to anything to do with relaxation or meditation type things and conversly get a bit panicy!

I'll have a go again tomorrow.

rubytuesday

Ooh wow that cake looks amazing Dizzy!

Wondered where that came from but see you edited!

rising_from_the_ashes

LolaLemon wrote: »

I've since binned 20 bags of 'junk'/paperwork/rubbish. A lot I wouldn't have binned, but I had my parents helping and they bin everything!
Sold 13 bin bags of clothes!!! Got £37. I know I would have gotten soo much more via e bay etc, but I never list it, and have bn saying for months/years.
So nearly a fresh start.
Only 2 rooms then the loft to go!

Lola, well done!:D

I'm a bit of a hoarder myself and I know how difficult it is to throw things out (for me, it's the "well I better keep it just in case" and I end up with all the drawers stuffed with stuff I will in all honestly never use).

You've inspired me and I've just been and cleared out 2 of my kitchen drawers already this morning. One now has utensils (but not every day ones) in and I've also managed to fit in my winter stash of batteries. As for (what is supposed to be) my kitchen cutlery drawer......

It's been a long time since this was done and you've no idea what I found (34 tops from pop bottles in case I lose 1:o and 4 grill pan handles being amongst the ones that I do feel able to share).

I was looking for an elastic band to put round a bag of flour the other day and couldn't find one - now have an old margarine tub in the drawer with loads in (which were all in there:o) etc - and the drawer's only 1/2 full!:D

Thank you - keep going, it will be so worth it (going to try to tackle the desk drawers later on).

dizzy_lizzie wrote: »

Vegan coffee & walnut cake with coffee buttercream. Sticks to ribs kind of cake
x

Yum, yum!

tumptyteapot

Ohh Dizzy, do you have a recipe please, my sister is vegan and she is visiting soon

paidinchickens

Morning peeps

Had a bad few days, extreme moods etc. Reading through these posts this morning I just feel like a moaning, selfish bag as you ladies have things far worse than me and you cope so well I am sat here ashamed Next month I will be locking myself in my bedroom out the way of man and machine :rotfl:

DS birthday tomorrow so a bit of a big spend week for me. He wants a family tea party, so he can get all his cash on the day I expect :rotfl:

Must go and do something as the house is a tip!!!