Got to get a grip of this...

E2006

Thanks and hello Dolly Rocker, copperjar and banwa. I know its do-able living on less, some people dont have any option..but it just wasnt working for us, and we were spending almost as much on the cc's as we were paying off. This way we dont 'need' them so every penny will bring the balance down.

Hubby and I are off out today with some friends. We're heading out about 2 ish, with the plan of returning around 8pm ish for a Mr A curry. Im not really in the mood to be honest - I will probably be ok once we get out, but its the money Im thinking of. I wish I had the nerve to take some spirits in my bag and just buy soft drinks! Ive done it before at functions etc, but dont think I will get away with it in the local pubs . DS is sleeping at my mums, and I miss him already (I hate it when he sleeps out). I also cant believe that its almost the new year, and worse still, back to work in 3 days :(:(.

I had my parents down for tea last night and made a huge batch of chilli. Ive managed to freeze two small portions for me and DH to have at a later date so that worked out ok. Ive also got some lamb in the freezer for a casserole, some prawns, 2 jars of curry sauce and 2 packs of rice, and 2 Mr A fresh pizzas so that will be enough to keep us going until next weekend (just need milk, fruit and ham for DH's packed lunches), so I might try to get that before we go out today then Im all done.

Have a great New Years eve everyone x

E2006

Happy New Year - cant believe its 2012!!! I remember the millenium like it was yesterday!

We had a really good day/night yesterday. We stayed out until nearly midnight - we'd been out from 2.30pm :eek:. Needless to say we didnt bring much change home from £75. Oh well, its once a year, and DH and I never go out.

New Years Resolutions are as follows:

• Pay off the debts in 2012 (obviously) :rotfl:
• Loose weight :j(about 21lbs would be grand)
• Learn to budget properly, and stick to it! Accept that I cant have everything 'now' and instead need to save for it
• Become more organised in the home, Im thinking of drawing up a rota for DH and I - Ive done this before and it worked..:T
• Enjoy every single second of the year....:D

Thats about it...dont want too much because theres more chance of not succeeding.

Plans for the day.....lazing around (housework is all done), play with DS and his new toys (maybe do some crafts), eat the remainder of the bad food in the house cos the diet starts tomorrow :EasterBun

E x

E2006

Aaaargh...last day off work! I know Im lucky to be working at the minute, and I do love my job...I just have those end of holiday blues! Once Im back, it will be fine.

Ive got to make some home made soup for lunches today, I will have that all week with fruit for snacks. DH will have rolls, fruit, and some pasta pots I have in the cupboard. Ive also done a meal plan for the next 2 weeks which is as follows:-

Mon: Roast chicken dinner
Tue: Chicken dinner
Wed: Chicken stirfry
Thur: Jacket potatoes, beans and cheese
Fri: Chilli & rice
Sat: prawn curry & rice
Sun: Mr A pizza's
Mon: Meatballs & spaghetti
Tue: slow cooked lamb casserole
Wed: Chicken (left over from the freezer) stirfry
Thur: Jacket, beans and cheese
Fri: Chilli & rice
Sat: Prawn curry & rice

That only leaves 5 more days to think about before payday (although I will need a little fresh each week, milk etc).

Ive stripped all the beds today and washed the bedding, and its a lovely sunny blowy day today so Im off to put them on the line...

E x

E2006

Afternoon diary,

Im quite chuffed - my mobile phone dd has gone out of my account and was £9 less than I had budgeted for. I also had a few pence left over in my spare savings acc and my other bank acc (as all of the money is now withdrawn and in little pots), so I now have £10.85 in my 'extra payment' savings account. I was starting to fret yesterday about where I was going to find an extra £75 each month, but now that the balls rolling, I feel a bit more optimistic. I have 2 items that I need to return to boots which amounts to £16.50, so that means I only need to 'find' another £47.65 to make this months target. I have a few bits to ebay but was going to wait a few weeks to allow people to be paid again, I also get paid again on 21st of the month, so may have some spare there too.

I learned today that my 5 year old is a MSE'er after my own heart.....he only went to school today and managed to blag a free lunch by confusing everyone about when he was supposed to be coming off packed lunches and starting dinners!! The little monkey isnt supposed to start until next week but as he insisted he was starting today (despite me sending him with his packed lunch) they let him have lunch! (It helps that my mum works at the school - not quite so embarassing hehe). The packed lunch wasnt wasted either as he had it for his supper :rotfl:

Oh well..DH is shouting for me to go and help him make tea - stirfry yummy yummy!

E x

E2006

Morning diary,

Wednesdays are my lazy morning - I usually start work at 7.30am but on a Wednesday take DS to school so dont start until 9.15am. As we all get up at 6.15am (the boys are early risers, I just get up because they are up...) we have enough time to relax a bit before getting ready.

Ive been on doing the banking, and we're not doing too badly. There should be enough to scrape it to next Friday (payday), and I have plenty of food in the house (although will need a top up of fresh things next week).

Im thoroughly enjoying reading the 'dont throw away food challenge' at the minute. I havent posted, just lurked. Im quite good, but my DH is terrible for randomly throwing things away when Im not around, so Im not sure I could keep enough control over the situation to join the thread. Its certainly given me inspiration though! I want to empty my fridge, freezer and cupboard (other than spices etc obviously) before buying any more, then the plan is to buy only what I need each week and use it all before buying more - simple in theory I know, but I have a habit of buying food weekly even when I have loads in stock already!

Oh well, time to get moving...

E2006

Had a bad day yesterday! Popped to the library, being all MSE instead of buying books as I usually do, only to get a £70 parking ticket :eek::eek::mad::mad:
I was parked on a street, where there are no road marking or signs that say no parking - the ticket says Ive parked in a restricted street during prescribed times, but I cant see how that can be the case where there are no apparent restrictions?:mad: Needless to say Im going to appeal it!

I then took DS to an indoor play area (I had promised him) only to find their prices had gone up by over 100% (from £3.50 to £7.90:eek:) When I asked when/why she said 'well the price of everything else is going up so we've put our prices up'!! She also informed me that I had to pay in too - to observe DS! Her face was a picture when I said, ok then, I'll send him in on his own and wait out here! (I wouldnt have of course, but wanted to see what she said). How wrong to make parents, who have no choice but to accompany their children, pay to get in!

Anyway, I didnt take him in, que crying 5 year old - but took him swimming instead. It cost £7 for both of us to go in, we didnt need to buy anything extra like a drink etc which we would have had to at the soft play, and the lockers etc are free. We were in there 1.5 hours and DS had a whale of a time so it worked out ok in the end.

It will be a NS trip to the play park today once the frost thaws a bit.

Pay day in 5 days :j . Also, we go away for the weekend next weekend. We go the same time every year. Its a self catering holiday and we use it to the full by eating all meals in the lodge. The only things we will pay for will be an occasional coffee, and a couple of drinks in the pub at tea time. The swimming pool and all of the play parks are free, and we will book a couple of lower priced actvities for DS to do. My challenge is to do it as frugally as possible whilst still having a lovely time.

E x

E2006

Lazy Wednesday today (well lazy morning that is...off to work soon).

Pay day in 2 days...I cant wait to get into db'ing and budgeting properly - Its my first payday since before Christmas so we've just spent the last few weeks 'surviving' as best we could on the little we had left over. Ive really ran the fridge/freezer down - and actually enjoyed doing it.

DH and I both have very MSE packed lunches today..DH has some of last nights left over casserole, some left over Christmas biscuits and a small cheese salad, made from a few left over cherry toms from last week, about 2 cm of l/o cucumber, red onion, last few picked onions from the jar, and grated cheese. I was also going to put in a boiled egg (went out of date last monday) but I burnt it....how can you burn a hard boiled egg.?..:rotfl:

I have, for brekfast a l/o crumpet from the weekend, and the last little bit of cheese from the fridge and for lunch l/o casserole from last night. Yesterday I had l/o meatballs and spaghetti and really enjoyed it!

For tea I think im going to dig out the salmon from the bottom of the freezer (where its been for about a year) and make a curry with one of the jars from the store cupboard. I have some naan breads lurking somewhere in the cupboard too. As we're away for the weekend I won't need any more shopping until next week and Im only going to buy literally what we need for that week - nothing extra! Ive been trying to find a wipe clean board for the kitchen to put the weekly mean plans on...need to keep looking for that!

Ah well, off to get ready for work!

E2006

Grrr. Had a letter from my bank tonight informing that their o/d charges are changing. I have a small o/d of £250 in the account that will be affected - but it is overdrawn by that amount. The plan was to gradually pay it off over a few months - it costs £10 per month so quite high relative to the level of borrowing. The bank are now increasing their charges to £1 per day - theres no chance Im paying that! The plan is to put the savings money into the account this month, and then I will pay the extra £10 that used to pay the charges into the savings account, and by the end of the year I will have made the money back

On other matters...my cupboards are like old mother hubbards! :rotfl:All that remains in the fridge is a couple of carrots, some soft potatoes, butter and milk. In the freezer all that remains is some stewing steak, some frozen peas and some frozen mushrooms. The salmon that had been lurking is out of date - and looked it , and the chicken has been lifted out for tea tomorrow (curry made from a jar in the slow cooker). Theres no bread left in the freezer either. Its the barest my fridge & freezer have been in ages.

The last out of date egg is currently being boiled for a snack for DH tomorrow at work :rotfl::rotfl:(he eats anything!!).

Im really enjoying being creative with the left overs - normally I keep shopping and shopping even though there's food already in!

E x

debtfreewannabe321

Hi e2006,

Good luck with paying it all off this year i'm going to have a look for that thread, -don't throw food away- i'm guilty of this! I do try my best but things always escape my attention when pushed to the back of the fridge or cupboard lol

DFW

E2006

Hey DFW, its on the old style board - its an ongoing thread. Its certainly making me think twice about throwing food away - something DH and I used to be so guilty of!

Payday last week - debts paid, and signature updated. (Max) 13 more paymets to DFD :j. I also have enough left over (including what we brought back from our weeked away to almost cover the £250 o/d. I need to juggle some more figures to see if I can cover it completely -thats a saving of £10 per month at the minute the £20 pm from March!

All the budget 'pots' are topped up with the months money. DS's lunch money is in the sealed and marked money envelopes ready to be handed in each week, and ive now got a 'silver pot' - 5p 10p & 20p's for DH to take to work to buy coffee's with. Its only 10p per coffee - he does take some from home, but on an afternoon doesnt get a teabreak and has to get one from the machine - this way he wont be bugging me daily for change

We have a family wedding coming up in April - theres a premier Inn close to the venue, and this morning Ive checked the prices and its £29 for the three of us - I just need to ring the hotel directly to make sure its the correct one, then will book that. Thats a saving of £100 on the price of the hotel where the wedding is taking place :T

E x