Mortgage freedom..Shala_moo's attempt at a diary..

shala_moo

BlueMoo wrote: »

Yes, I have a job too that can offer Overtime. I flipflop over the issue in that we should have enough time during our work week to carry out all tasks relating to our job in that time not be doing overtime as we have too much work to actually finish it all. On the other hand, we had no overtime last month and I am really dreading being on basic pay especially coming up to the C word!

What a shame about the cabinets - could you not maybe get a handyman round for a day to sort out the doors properly?

I completely agree with this BlueMoo, unfortunately I think a lot of managers seem to ignore the fact that everyone in the office can't complete their work in the allotted time :mad:

Re: the cabinet doors, we just fix them as they start to come loose.. it's not a big enough job for a handy man, my dad usually gets the job when he pops round - well he has to earn his cup of tea!! :rotfl:


Miserable old day means we haven't been out and I've got a beef pie cooking which smells lovely... I've put the filling in the slow cooker and we'll just top it off with some pastry later.. nomnom love winter food!:D

shala_moo

Afternoon,

It's been such a beautiful day here so we went out to town to make the most of the sunshine.. it also meant we spent a little money



So spends :

• £7.70 in Debenh*ms - should have been £27.70 but had some vouchers - polo shirt, pants and slippers - all needs not wants
• £20 on a gorgeous wooden advent calendar in the shape of a gingerbread house (new xmas shop opened in town:happyhear) - definite need :rotfl:
• £11 in B&M on a snowman plate , some bits for hampers and xmas crackers - mix of wants and needs

Also I've properly started my Christmas shopping :j i'd only done the hamper stuff so far. I've ordered all OH's presents for his stocking (£34) and just got to get him a whisky glass and bottle of whisky to go with it and then he's done.

I think this afternoon I might go and make a list of everything still left to do and everything that I need to buy/have bought - it might be easier to tick off stuff on the list..

:TI love a good list!! :T

Forgot to add - I had an email late last night saying i'd sold my concert tickets :j should get back £88 if they ever turn up so I can send them on. Very relieved at this as I started to think they'd never sell and we'd lose the money..

shala_moo

Still 5 days till payday come onnnnnnn...

Well 2nd instalment of the dentist this afternoon.. just a normal filling this time, but I got him to fill out my insurance forms to see if I can claim any money back. I think I just get NHS costs back but we'll see once I send them off. £168 this time, still :eek: but not as bad as last time.

3rd instalment will be after Xmas but that's just a visit to the hygienist, hopefully that will be it then until my normal check-up. Thank G0d!!!! As lovely as he is, I really don't like going to the dentist!

Popped into Lid1 on the way home for the week's shop, £22 (plus some bits for the hamper but I won't class that as part of it)

Money saving this week

• 3.75 hours overtime:T
• got 3 pints of milk with short date so i'm making rice pudding :drool: in the slow cooker (with rice that moved house with us - no idea of the date on that!:rotfl:)
• finally filled out expenses form for work £33 back
• filled out dentist insurance forms - hopefully a hundred-ish quid back
• have recorded loads of xmas movies to sit and watch - not going out = not spending money
• having indian fakeaway for tea - although my face is still completely numb :rotfl: that might be interesting!
• surveys up to date
• got the Group0n B0dy Shop deal + cashback, needed moisturiser and cleanser anyway £30 for £15

Right, off to check my rice pudding.. x

shala_moo

Thankfully I've peeled all my onions and sliced all the cabbage for the year :j gosh I sometimes forget what a long winded process that is! I put a Christmas movie on to watch whilst I did it though so at least I was entertained :rotfl:

Jarring up will be done tomorrow, whilst I make copious amounts of onion chutney and label up the chilli jam I've made this afternoon.. I can hear the chilli jam lids popping now - I love that sound!!

I went through the freezer the other day and found another 2 bags of damsons so i'll have another go at damson jam, if it works out I can stick it in the hampers. too.

OH has invited his family round for Xmas buffet tea on Xmas eve, so we'll be able to present everyone with their hampers then. I really hope they like them and they don't just think we're awful for not buying "proper" presents.



Random quick question, if anyone can help. Can I buy some sort of posh pate that will last and not need to be put in the fridge? I'd like to put some in the hampers but as i'm not a pate eater I have no idea how you buy it or how long it lasts!

shala_moo

Busy, busy, busy in the kitchen again today.. I've made :

10 normal jars and 1 massive kilner jar of pickled onions
5 small jars of red cabbage
5 small jars, 8 big jars of onion chutney

there has been lots of stingy eyes and crying :rotfl:but it was all in a good cause..

This is my xmas hamper so far - still needs xmas biscotti, choc marshmallows and spiced nuts adding (and obviously rearranging properly!) still may get some other bits too.



I think it's missing something but I can't quite think what it is.. OH said it's a tin of spam/ham :rotfl:I don't think the recipients would be pleased, it's not the 80's after all!

muddywhitechicken

Your hamper looks fab shala_moo :T

I still need to make Christmas chutney, lemon curd, white chocolate, cranberry & pecan cookies, and chocolate-dipped candied orange peel for mine. The chutney will be made this week, I'll candy the orange peel in early December but everything else will have to wait until Christmas week :eek:

MWCx

BlueMoo

Random quick question, if anyone can help. Can I buy some sort of posh pate
that will last and not need to be put in the fridge? I'd like to put some in the
hampers but as i'm not a pate eater I have no idea how you buy it
or how long it lasts!

Don't buy the pate that comes in plastic pots. If you buy good quality pate with a thick layer of fat on the top (looks yellowish colour) in a air tight glass jar then you should have no problems with that. Your other option is pate stored in a tin. Both of these will keep outside the fridge but obviously need to be in a cool larder type place and not in direct sunlight etc.


Hampers look great though - how about a wheel of cheese?

shala_moo

muddywhitechicken wrote: »

Your hamper looks fab shala_moo :T

I still need to make Christmas chutney, lemon curd, white chocolate, cranberry & pecan cookies, and chocolate-dipped candied orange peel for mine. The chutney will be made this week, I'll candy the orange peel in early December but everything else will have to wait until Christmas week :eek:

MWCx

Thanks MWC, your list is as endless as mine :rotfl:you're post has reminded me about the Orange, cranberry and walnut cookies I wanted to make out of the Sarah Raven book.. must go find the recipe, they look yummy!

BlueMoo wrote: »

Don't buy the pate that comes in plastic pots. If you buy good quality pate with a thick layer of fat on the top (looks yellowish colour) in a air tight glass jar then you should have no problems with that. Your other option is pate stored in a tin. Both of these will keep outside the fridge but obviously need to be in a cool larder type place and not in direct sunlight etc.


Hampers look great though - how about a wheel of cheese?

Thanks Bluemoo, i'll have a look in Waitrose and see if I can find anything suitable. I would love to put cheese in there but we're giving them out on Xmas eve and I can't put anything that needs refrigerating really.

Mortgage_Reduction_Novice

Very smart hamper!

shala_moo

Thanks MRN..

I was a bit worried people wouldn't be happy with just homemade stuff so I added bought stuff too. Although most of it was bought with vouchers or at cheapy shops.:T