PennyGrabber's Path to Pecuniary Positiveness!!

PennyGrabber

Hi Cleggie and everyone else,

Having a bummer day today, it's a really bad date for me. However, I have been filling the time with good stuff, in an attempt to make me feel better. It's generally working.

My mum stayed over last night, and I did sweet and sour chicken with rice, and JJ's syrup pudding with custard. She was very impressed and ate every bite, which is really unlike my mum! I reckon the total for the whole meal for the four of us was around £3. Only used one chicken breast, which I cut up into tiny pieces, so it looked like more!!

I did bacon sandwiches for breakfast this morning as a treat, and then sandwiches for lunch. Dinner for the children was macaroni cheese (less than £1), and I had chicken curry lasagne. Sounds weird, but a friend recommended it. I used a tin of value ready made curry, and 3 smartprice lasagne sheets, with the leftover cheese sauce from the children's dinner. It was quite nice, and there's enough left over for my lunch tomorrow. Less than 60p for dinner and lunch.

I'm going through a costing-it-all-out phase at the moment. About two years ago, I had a list of the most frequently cooked dinners we had, with a rough price attached to it. Then, when I was having a skint month, I chose from the cheaper side of the menu! I'm trying to redo this list in light of our changing diet, and the price rises. It's an arduous task if I try and do it all at once, but if I do it as I go, it's no hassle at all really. It makes me feel a little more in control too.

A friend gave me their old dining table and chairs today. Beech table, not a mark, with an extending piece, and four matching cream chairs. Wow! It's awesome! For the last 12 years, I've been using my moving in table, that my mum gave me and ex oh when we bought our first house! It was cheap back then, and has lasted well, but this table is so much better. It's what I call 'real furniture'. She tried to sell it a while ago apparently, but no-one wanted it, then she asked me on Friday if I wanted it for nothing as she just wanted it out of her garage! I shall give her something for it though, but not sure what yet. Maybe some money on an asda card, or a homemade basket of goodies, not sure. They're kind of well off, so don't want to insult them! Anyhoo, I'm really pleased with it.

nsd today, so that's 4/6 for nsds so far this month, not bad going! Haven't added the stuff onto my signature yet though, so must pop off and do that. Have transfered the money for our holiday to my friend's account as she's sorting that out (don't want any post coming to my house, as that'll give the game away!). Money has gone into the car account, just need to withdraw the rest of the fuel money, and the money for the hol tin, the xmas tin, the misc and the ents purses. Then, the rest will be transfered back into my savings. Needed to pull some across earlier in the month as tax credits didn't come until this week, so that can go back into savings now, otherwise I'll spend it.

How did people cope with staying out of debt before online banking?!?!

Made a £50 order with AP, then quickly closed down the internet before I could actually order the stuff. Really good bargains, and stuff that I would use, just have no money this month, or anywhere to put it!

Ex oh rang this morning. His wife is 4cm dilated, so they may not be having the children for the day tomorrow now! She is actually due tomorrow, so wouldn't that be a kick in the teeth for me, as both mine were two weeks late. He'll use that against me somehow, even if it's only a friendly banter thing. Hmm...

That's enough for now.

PG x

ps Happy birthday Kieran. Would have loved to know you, my first baby.

cleggie

Evening PG.
Sorry it's a tough day for you, thinking of you and sending you lots of love and strength.x.

Brilliant news about the table and chairs

PennyGrabber

Thanks Cleggie, it's a long horrible story that I can't really share with many people in the real world.

Playing my cards the best way I can.

xx

PennyGrabber

Am realising lots of things by doing this diary...

- i spend lots around my totm
- i spend lots when i feel down
- i don't spend lots any more when friends come round
-i can feed my family a main meal very cheaply
- i still have the need to stock up - must really really work on this one
- i eat when i'm bored/lonely/if it's in the house

All of these things are fixable (except maybe the totm one, which will need iron will!)

Step one - acknowledge there is a problem
Step two - define the problem
Step three - make a plan
Step four - follow the plan
Step five - review the plan
Step six - tweak the plan
Step seven - re-review the plan

Simples! In seven easy (!!) steps, I will have sorted myself out...

Already now done steps one and two, off for a while to consider step three.

Laters!

PG x

TheThriftyScrumpers

Sending my love to you PG xxx

PennyGrabber

Thanks Thrifty.

I'm going to college tonight, and when i get back I hope to have enough energy to organise my life...

Ideas are coming in random forms at the moment, and I want to write everything down so that I have aplan. I like a good plan I do!!!

NSD so far, need to sort out food to take to college so I don't feel hungry at the end and pop into tesco. Nowhere to put anything anyway!!

LO tith for my dinner, but will take snack too, either choc or cereal bar, that type of thing. Oh, and a drink, so I'm not tempted to get one there. Been ten times now, and only bought a drink on my first day! Well proud of that!

Back soon,

PG x

PennyGrabber

Oh rubbish.

I went to asda on my way home from work today, to get a friend a birthday present. She's coming into work with her new baby at the end of the week, and I wanted to get her a prezzy. Needless to say, I got some food too. They had good reductions on some veg (didn't need it) and also got some scones, clotted cream and nice jam, as I've been craving a proper cream tea for a while. Didn't need that either. :mad::mad:

On the plus side, I saved myself £35 yesterday. I have joined the council's leisure pass thingy, so I pay £27 a month for access to all the swimming pools, fitness classes and gyms, plus a load of other stuff. But, because I joined this month, I saved the £35 deposit. Yeah! This is part of my get-myself-in-order thing. I need a focus, and something to drive me. I will become fit. Plus, it means I should buy less carp, eat less carp and have stuff to do with my time that isn't sitting and eating! Part one of the fixit plan!

I managed to not go to tesco, sainsburys, aldi or lidl on the way home from college, all of which I drive past. Pleased with that, as I was tempted for a while. Maye I should take a photo of my pantry and freezer, and stick it up in my car somewhere prominent, so I remember why I don't need to shop!

tith was lovely, just not enough, so after munching on a few (ap) sweets during college, I'm now having some of the ys stuff from earlier. There'll be enough of that lo for lunch tomorrow too.

dd has asked for hm pizza for dinner on thursday, but that would mean putting two chicken breasts in the freezer. Will have to think about that. Maybe I'll do the chicken thursday, and save the hm pizza for when they're with me while daddy and stepmum have their new baby. Due yest...

I had an argument with my mum the other day - she couldn't understand why I let the children choose dinner sometimes. She said I should just cook what I want and they'll have to eat it. I tried explaining that they only choose now and then, and that it's good for them to have choices, and that sometimes it's a choice between two things I tell them, but she didn't understand. Am I doing this wrong?

cleggie

No, PG you are not doing anything wrong.
I let the kids choose whats for dinner sometimes too, normally a Friday night, as i think its good to allow them to have choices.

Will catch up later, just off to revise!

Suffolk_lass

Dear PG,

Don't worry about a spat with your Mum, sometimes it's just their way as you are still her little girl and she thinks she should tell you how to do things. I'm sure she can't help it. Don't forget most people reside on their own planet called "me" and everything else is how it relates to their planet. I think you are right BTW but that's irrelevant because you know you are!! She doesn't do it to undermine your confidence in you and I'm sure she isn't aware that that is what can have the effect of doing, if you are feeling a bit low.

I was thinking about your last four or five posts, where you are very reflective about the things you do and your psycological influences. You are very self aware and maybe part of that is the anniversary and the sharpness of perception that comes with that. In the time I have followed your diary I know you are generous (time and emotion, as well as things) and creative. Well I think you should funnel some of that into those spendy times. You could start making your Christmas things now - for instance the cards to give to others as a pack of 6 could be this month (I'm thinking you could put together a bundle over 3-4 months for your table and chairs friend as it is a far more personal gift than something materialistic and you said they were relatively well-off) - I'm sure you have referred to having crafty things available) and it's almost June which was when my great gran used to make Christmas puddings, then it's jam making season through the summer and then mincemeat, Christmas cakes and gift-wrap decorations in the autumn.

By the way, I know you were encouraging people to bring in jars for you, I am overloaded with the Le Parfait style with the rubber seal between the glass base and top and a wire clamp (they are the size of a galia melon) - if you want some I would be happy to post half a dozen to you if you wanted to PM an address to send them to. I used to make jam in them but they are too big for that. Perfect for mincemeat though and attractive enough with a ribbon round the neck to use as a gift.

It must be so hard, reflecting on what might have been with your first child while your ex and his partner are imminently having their first together. It's bad timing but not deliberate and your focus must be on your kids when that happens; the present you have together and your futures together. They are great kids and supportive of you, as you are of them.

PS while I am nagging you, please start posting your positives again, they are uplifting for all your followers :T

Very best wishes
SL

PennyGrabber

Thanks and Suffolk lass. It's great to have people 'on my side'!

I will start up my positives today, and maybe that will pull me out of this funk! Not planning on spending any money, especially as I'm having the children back early - their dad and stepmum have gone into the hospital today to have their baby... Roll on the changes.

Don't know waht we'll have, but there's a huge selection at home. Maybe ommelette, or pasta bake, or hm nuggets, or pie, or jacket pots. The list could go on! That is half the trouble for me, I think, that there is too much in the house for me to choose from. I need to address this. I may list how much I have in my pantry, not as an inventory, but as a way of trying to reduce it. I did once make myself a list of what stock I thought was appropriate, eg 8 tins beans, 4 tins tuna, etc. I may dig that out and compare!!!!

Laters,

PG x