Got to get a grip of this...

debtfreewannabe321

Yay great news about the parking ticket

Yep i bulk buy milk and freeze it. When i need to defrost i take it out and leave over night on the draining board so water runs into sink. Noone has ever noticed any change in taste (as some people have said to me you shouldn't freeze it??) If i have enough room i buy loads of bread in the reduced bit and freeze that too. If cheese is on offer I also freeze that and defrost in same was as milk

That way your big spends are around pay day with all the direct debits etc and once the month starts to wind down and you end up with less money you won't need to buy so much anyway. A typical weekly shop for me will be fruit/ved/fridge stuff and sometimes bread if i didn't have enough room to store it

I know how you feel though. I remember when i first started on the dmp, then the car broke down we would usually whack it on the CC/ overdraft or whatever and i couldn't i was absolutely gutted. And i remember the snow being particularly bad, not having money for a bus so ended up spending a whole month in the house nearly. was so depressing, but i got through it and tbh after that I think I could handle any situation now

keep going you're doing really well xxx

E2006

Thanks DFW, that must have been so hard with the car, and the snow and having no money to get out, but I bet once you had got through that without using any credit you felt great? Thats the thing with this, its carp at the time, but once you get passed it you feel such a sense of achievement.

Ok, so I get paid on 21st. Its half term next week and I have a couple of bits things lurking in the freezer and some potatoes etc, that may get us through to payday. Not a lot mind, but If im creative, we may just make it. I havent done any shopping this week, but need some loo roll and some fruit (just bannanas and apples this week from al**). I have bread in, and a little cheese and a few eggs, but rather than use those for sandwhiches (as I have them earmarked for a quiche) I think I will buy a pack of ham for DH from al** which costs £1 and will do him 2 days. I have a little bread in the freezer but will buy an extra loaf from Al** to for 45p. So I reckon my spend will be under £3. I have a recipe for weetabix brownies so think I will make some of those this week (last week I made cheese and fruit scones and cornfkake cakes), or I might buy a value bar of choc and make some more cornflake cakes as it ends up cheaper than buying biscuits.

My month runs from 21st to 21st - this next month has 29 days in it. The plan is to fill the freezer with HM ready meals - Ive planned 24 meals, which leaves 5 days where we can either have something like jackets or something egg based etc, or can pick something as a treat, like a Mr A curry, or Fajitas. I havent planned what we are having each day as I thought it would be better to have a bit of pot luck as to what we fancied each week, and just lift something out each morning. The meals Ive planned are:
3 x chicken curry 2 x lamb curry
2x shepherds pie 2x chilli
4x steak casserole 2 x lasagnas
2x meatball/hm burger portions
4 x single roast chicken portions (for stirfrys)
3 x chicken pie's (like shepherds pie - topped with potato)

For that Im hoping to get away with 1 large whole chicken which will be roasted and then portioned up/cooked into meals to be frozen, 2 large packs of mince that will be bulked out with grated veg, mushrooms, onions and lentils etc, one pack of lamb and 2 packs of stewing steak. Ive checked Mr A prices and the meat for the month should cost approx £20-£22. All the fruit/veg pop, juice and cleaning products etc will come from Al** and home bargains, loo roll and milk from farm foods. Whatever is left over will be split into the remaining weeks to buy fresh weekly along with whatever we are having for packed lunches.

Phew, that was a long post but I wanted to get it down as its been consuming my thoughts this weekend

E x

E2006

Pay day :j Debts paid, money moved around the accounts into the correct pots - feel organised and in control again (for how long??:rotfl:)

I have a spending diary sorted to keep track. I have enough food not to need to go shopping until the weekend and enough petrol in the car to get me to the end of the week. DH has had to fill his car up today, but its a short month so we should manage on the budget Ive set if we are careful.

My challenge this month is to stick to, if not come in under budget. Any left over will go each week into a spare savings account and will be used to make extra payments to the cc's. Im going to have a batch cooking session this week and fill the freezer with food so that each weeks shopping is minimal - fruit, bread and milk etc. We are going to challenge ourselves to lots of free/inexpensive family days out each weekend - theres loads to do, just need the motivation to plan it! Im going to do a big list and we can pick and choose each time, take a flask and a picnic etc.

Ive started running again, and using my cross trainer at home, so thats excercise for nothing.

Im feeling motivated again and the best of it is, my DH is completely on board :D

E2006

Well I popped to the SM's (Mr A and Al**) last night and bought most of the monthly staples I need. I couldnt get stewing steak as they had none left - so need to get that maybe today or tomorrow and I didnt get the chicken because I want to get that Saturday and roast it Sunday.

I got 2 500g packs of staeak mince - it used to be 3 for £10, but has gone up to £4.15 per pack so more than I budgeted for, but I prefer the leaner mince so got it anyway. All of the portions are for 2 adults and 1 DS. From the 2 packs of mince I got: 3 shepherds pies, 3 lasagnas, 1 large bolognese, 4 chilli's and 2 large extra portions of mince for either meatballs or HM burgers.

I got some woopsied lamb and made 2 large portions of lamb rogan josh too.

So thats 15 meals in total (for 3 of us) in the freezer so far, along with the chilli and meatballs that are already in there and the portion of chicken from the weekends roast to go in the korma sauce I have in the cupboard.

The stewing steak will make 4 portions of casserole. I bought a huge turnip/swede in Al** for 39p so will steam that with carrots and mash them together and freeze in portions. I also have a pack of potatoes so will make 3/4 portions of mash too (the shepherds pies are already topped with mash and will just need throwing in the oven once defrosted). And the chicken should make around 8 portions I think, at least.

I was shattered last night and seemed to stand in the kitchen for ages, but the hard bit is done now and the rest will just be left to its own devices in the SC then portioned up

E x

debtfreewannabe321

wow your very organised! good for you, think i may need to take a leaf out of your book for March need to spend as little as possible to claw back spends from feb! x

E2006

Aw thanks, its a trial run - if it works I will keep at it, if not then back to the drawing board ha-ha. just want to stretch things as far as possible this month and keep an eye on the money.

Meal plan this week from today:
Fri: Chicken Enchiladas, salad and coleslaw
Sat: Lamb rogan josh (freezer), rice and naans and Indian snacks (freezer)
Sun: Roast chicken dinner (rest portioned up for the freezer)
Mon: Shepherds pie & veg (l/o from previous days roast)
Tue: Chicken stirfry (me)/DH Jacket cheese & beans
Wed: Chilli & rice
Thur: Chicken (either curry or chowmein)

Food shopping tonight to get it over with, although I will need to pop to the shops later in the week for stirfry packs (I prefer fresh to frozen) but will get everything else today.

Off to work now.....

E x

E2006

Well Im waaaay over on my grocery spends this month! Need to work it out and update my signature though. I think it was ambitious £150 for 3 of us for the month. That figure includes all cleaning products, toiletries, alcohol, dinners and packed lunches for DH and I. My initial bulk spend this month was around £50 (for the meat, shampoo and conditioner, washing powder and conditioner, bleech, etc etc) leaving only £25 per week. I do however have loads of food in the freezer and cupboards so Im going to do the 'eat out of the freezer/cupboard' challenge and only buy fruit, veg and milk between now and payday. I have bread in the freezer so wont need that.

I do however have some money left from the overall 'spends' budget (which is then broken down to petrol, grocery's, entertainment etc) so that will see us to payday in 2 weeks and means although my grocery budget was more than I planned for, we come in in terms of the overall spends budget which is a massive improvement on previous months.

E2006

We're living out of the freezer and cupboards until payday (other than fruit, veg and milk). Tonight it was chilli, rice and nachos. I made the remaining left over rice into egg fried rice (2 portions with additional veg added) which will go into the freezer for my lunches next week.

Last night it was shepherds pie. Tomorrow lasagna - mince overload but needs must

DH is off to the football tomorrow so its just DS and I. Swimming in the morning. Boiled eggs and soldiers for lunch and then probably play park in the afternoon so NSD.

E2006

DS and I went out with my mum and nan today, and nan treated us all to lunch so that was lovely - and a free meal to bag As I had taken some money out to buy us lunch, and still have it, I'm sorely tempted to have takeaway for tea. DH is out at the footie and wont be back until late as he and his friends have decided to make a day/night of it. I would leave half of the takeaway for his supper so it saves him buying something on the way home as he is bound to do otherwise. Hmmmm, think ive convinced myself

DH and I always take DS abroad on holiday every year. I know for many people on their db'ing journeys its one of the first luxuries to go, but to be honest, its something we really dont want to give up. We havent planned anything for this year, and we will only go if we can save up enough to pay for it in cash (inc all spending money and bits of clothes for DS (and it wont be an extravegant holiday - I couldnt justify that!)). This money will be over and above the usual debt repayments. We do put a little aside each month in savings, but wont use all of this for a holiday - half of the usual savings amount will go into the emergency savings acc. The other half, plus any extra will go into the everyday savings acc (used for holiday's, birthdsys, Christmas etc). So it will take a lot of saving and creativity if we are to manage to save enough. I want to try the grocery challenge again next month, as I think thats where the extra savings can be made.

Oh well, off to watch a DVD with the little man...

E x

E2006

Monday morning blues Why do the weekends go so quickly??

Aiming for a NSD today. I have some of the egg fried rice that I made on Friday from the freezer for lunch. DH has cheese sandwhiches (bread from the freezer) and DS is on school lunches. Dinner tonight is chicken dinner pie (like shepherds pie but chicken and veg) from the freezer.

Pay day in 9 days :j

E x