Countdown to Freedom

sweetdaisy

I don't have time to post as much as I used to, but congratulations on only having 9 payments left :T.

Goldiegirl

9 payments? That's fantastic:beer:

I've read a lot of your diary and you've clearly put your heart and soul into your quest, and I don't say this lightly, but I think many of us on this board have been inspired by all of the Tilly family.

Once you've made your last payment, you'll deserve a period of relaxation on the financial front, and maybe even have a splurge on something if you fancy it. However, I really hope you'll continue posting, as retirement planning bears a lot of similarity to MFW, so it'll be fun to chart your progress. (just trying to be persuasive to keep you posting!:rotfl:)

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Morning, it really has struck a chord knowing it's only 9 months. I feel a little stupid frankly, for not having connected the period left with actual months :eek:

Anyway, busy Saturday ahead in order to ensure Rememberance Sunday is peaceful.

About four hours work in the garden. Shopping at L!dl first (budget £30 and using Tewco CC - the bill is cleared each month but it gives me satisfaction knowing their analysts will see my L!dl spend, and this type of analysis will definitely be done given the dire straights they are in) whilst Mr T does a couple of things with DS.

PT session at the gym this afternoon. I've also booked into a spin class for in the week.

I have a couple of financial tasks to do and hopefully will remember to clean the study once I'm done

Dinner this evening is bargainous rib eye steak, HM sweet potato chips and a tomato and cucumber salsa.

I'm making tomorrow evening's dinner today, Cinammon lamb in the SC.

The sky looks glorious but it's a cold old day.

Red sky at night shepherd's delight, red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning

I'd better crack in.

Best wishes, Tilly

Karmacat

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS wrote: »

Shopping at L!dl first (budget £30 and using Tewco CC - the bill is cleared each month but it gives me satisfaction knowing their analysts will see my L!dl spend, and this type of analysis will definitely be done given the dire straights they are in)

I especially like this bit :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: that made me laugh. Good for you :j I popped in to a Tewco last Saturday when I was out adventurising, and although it had its usual expensive prices, it had the look and feel of a discounter - they've definitely lost the plot.

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Hi Karmacat, L!dl shop complete and it came in at just under £23

I find some quiet satisfaction in seeing the supermarkets struggling at the moment.

In 1984 I started shopping Tesco. I wasn't happy to see the small independents closing and I did use a butcher and a bread shop until Tesco finished them off. Tragic. I then moved abroad and found Lidl and Aldi and have shopped in them ever since - 24 years ! Friends always thought I was wrong to do this - why not shop in M&S or Waitrose - why? I do pop to WR for stuff and do like to take advantage of their bargainous reductions but in my opinion, a carrot is a carrot whether it comes in an M&S bag or a lidl bag.

I have posted on my diary before that I find the major chains quite obscene in the quantity of stuff they sell. As I don't shop in these places much anymore I can ignore it but seriously how many types of chicken nuggets does anyone need.

Buying 3 chickens for a £10 - albeit not FR but that's a different topic - you can joint them and end up with: 6 large ish breasts which could be chopped up for nugget type dishes, bashed out to make breaded escalopes, or in myriad recipes. 6 legs and wings which could be dusted with flour, spices and roasted, plus thighs to make casseroles, curries etc, plus three carcasses for chicken stock/soup, risotto's.

Mr T and I popped to Morrisons the other evening. We walked past the pre packed cheese section. I guess it would have been 10' long, of which 3/4 was cheese strings, cheese twists - I don't know, I didn't look at them all but variations of cheese 'stuff'. Now I really do sound old but what's wrong with a block of cheddar or Lancashire, and just cut it into chunks for lunch boxes. The world seems to have gone mad.

My advice, if you can't understand the stuff on the label, don't buy the product. The supermarkets have encouraged people to buy this stuff. Not only that but they have developed more and more types.

For anyone struggling to work full time (as an example the minimum hours worked In a week for me was 40-45) believe me cooking from scratch can be done. It just takes some planning. I used to spend my Saturday mornings shopping and cooking. DD and DS used to help me as they grew up and now DD is batch cooking too. Some food would then be packaged and frozen, some left in the fridge ready for the next day or so.

Apologies for going off on a bit of a rant, but schools stopping domestic science in the '80s and families relying more on ready meals, has had a direct positive impact on supermarkets profits and arrogance.

I love reading Greying's diary as she really shows what can be achieved whilst being economical. Edinburgher, a delightful young man (in comparison to me who's a dinosaur) shares gorgeous meal ideas.

How amazing would it be if more people just boycotted the carp and if a cake was needed, make one. Scones take 20 mins from start to finish, including the washing up. DS knows if he wants a cake, he has to make it. He's been doing that since he was 8!

Imagine the impact on SM when sales reduced - we may go back to simple ranges of products.

Sincere apologies for the rant and I hope I haven't offended anyone. If I have, you can always boycott me .

My passion is driven by my knowledge that if I can work full time and cook, really anyone can.



Best wishes Tilly


Karmacat, I realise I have gone slightly off piste x x x x

Polly_Wolly_Doodle

Well said Tilly. I'm lucky DH likes to food shop and cook:D:D and he has embraced Lidl!
However i do like M&S, sorry:o, just as well he does the shopping!!

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Polly_Wolly_Doodle wrote: »

Well said Tilly. I'm lucky DH likes to food shop and cook:D:D and he has embraced Lidl!
However i do like M&S, sorry:o, just as well he does the shopping!!

Hi Polly, just taking a break before going back in the garden :eek:

I like M&S too but I just buy treats occasionally rather than doing a whole shop . I did the same with WR too

Tilly x x x

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

We managed to finish in the garden and off to the gym now. Christmas cake is in the oven (2nd one), washing and ironing is finished and no more jobs to do.

Looking forward to a relaxing evening.

Tilly x

Karmacat

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS wrote: »

Hi Karmacat, L!dl shop complete and it came in at just under £23

I find some quiet satisfaction in seeing the supermarkets struggling at the moment.

I have posted on my diary before that I find the major chains quite obscene in the quantity of stuff they sell. As I don't shop in these places much anymore I can ignore it but seriously how many types of chicken nuggets does anyone need.

My passion is driven by my knowledge that if I can work full time and cook, really anyone can.

Karmacat, I realise I have gone slightly off piste x x x x

Mmm, Tilly, its impossible for you to go off piste on here - this is *your* diary! As it happens, I completely agree with you :j my only slight reservation is for very elderly people like my mum - she gets very tired, and needs to maintain her energy for interesting things, not routine things, so nice chilled foods is a godsend for her. As she says, she's been cooking since she was 9 years old (her mum was in hospital) and she's really, really had enough

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS wrote: »

We managed to finish in the garden and off to the gym now. Christmas is in the oven (2nd one), washing and ironing is finished and no more jobs to do.

Looking forward to a relaxing evening.

Tilly x

That sounds great! So you're going to get your peaceful Remembrance Sunday. Thats good. I'm a bit sad that I only found a poppy seller today, but at least I got one before the Sunday.

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Hi Karmacat, completely agree with elderly and ready meals. My mum has a few a week - she's cooked for over 80 years, I think she deserves a rest

I'm looking forward to her moving in for the winter. It's been delayed due to good weather in October.

Best wishes Tilly x x