PennyGrabber's Path to Pecuniary Positiveness!!

PennyGrabber

Thanks, SL, will be following your advice there, and hope it works! I appreciate you taking the time to tell me that.

Weekly shop today... All I need is milk, frozen peas and fruit. However, the lidl weekend deal is 300g of pork loin medallions for £1.29, and aldi may still have the cherries. What to do... Think I'll go to aldi, as then I won't be tempted by the pork. I don't need it, and the freezer needs to be run down.

I'll report back soon!!

PG x

ps - it's the school fete today, so I will no doubt be spending a fortune on that (I've set myself a £10 limit, but I have got to the point in life, where I think that £10 is a fortune!)

Suffolk_lass

I hope the weather is fine for the fete - it's blustery but sunny here with the sense that rain is coming later. I have just picked a whole punnet of strawberries (first time I've had a crop rather than 1 or 2!). Off to tell GC!

Have a good day
SL

PennyGrabber

The fete ended up being indoors, and loads of the lads I used to teach turned up and hung around the bouncy castle where I was! It was lovely seeing them all again. Think we'll have raised loads of money.

Woop woop - weekly shop came to £6.01, and all I bought was fruit, milk and frozen peas, which was the whole of the list and nothing more! Go me, go me, go me!!

Enjoy your strawbs - mine have been woodloused, but my razzers are ripening off now, so I'm really excited about that!

Suffolk_lass

I know it's a wise after the event thing but my friend who was here for tea last week suggested keeping small jars and putting the straberries in them so they ripen better and the birds can't get them. Not sure about how this would work with woodlouses or ants (the other things that nibble ours) but you'd need loads of jars... :rotfl:

It's lovely that the boys congregated around you. DH gets "Hello Sir" whenever we go to the towns where he has taught (young men in their early 20s, completely unembarrassed).

Off to make a salad with lots of radishes and radish leaves (I thought they needed thinning but lots were just grown!)

SL

cleggie

Hi PG, sorry i havent been about recently.
Well done on the cheap weeks shopping!

PennyGrabber

I've had a lovely, albeit hectic and expensive day today! 9:30, knock on door from friend who was going to follow us to church as not been before. I was only half dressed, so had to throw the rest on while dd opened door. Church. Drive to milletts farm after getting petrol, 40 min drive. There for 45 mins, then back to meet another friend to go to the circus. She had bought my two and another friend's child tickets (and also me, it turns out!), and didn't want the money back, she had wanted to treat them. Bless! I bought the souvenir pic, some raffle tickets and a pointless toy each, so about £10 spent. Then back home, and I have made chilli, garlic and herb potato bake, pie and mash and fish pies! The children had pie and mash, I had one chilli portion. In the fridge now, I have two more chilli portions, half a pie, two ramekin fish pies for the children tomorrow, and a 4-person potato bake for me to have over the next few lunches and dinners! Tired now! BUT, used up loads of stuff, prepped for tom, tidied the kitchen (although it needs doing again now!) and feeling better. Been on a bit of a downer, finding it hard to find +ves, so today has been a good day.

Positives:
- nsd gc wise, taking my daily allowance up to £3.52.
- had a pleasant, well polite, phone call from ex, saying he has a late meeting on Weds, so did I want them to have the ch another night or have them back. I said have them back!!! So another dinner to provide, think I may have something in the fridge! That's the day I'm looking after a friend's child, so I shall text her later and say I can feed him now, as I'm feeding the children.
-Read in church, felt good about going today.
- Really enjoyed my first ever trip to a circus. Amazing acts, great entertainment, and got some fab piccies.
- Used up and cooked loads ready for the next few days.

Need to check olb, and transfer bills money across. Not quite enough yet, as ex won't have put his maintenance in yet, prob tomorrow. Then need to wait for tax credits so I can pay childcare, dentist, food, petrol, etc etc.

Forgot to talk to office person on Friday about my overtime. Well, didn't forget, left my diary with he dates in at home, so I will be allowed to do it Monday morning, as long as it's straight away, otherwise it won't be paid on 23rd July, and I need it!

Off to chill for half an hour before bed.

PennyGrabber

Feeling good seeing people thanking me! It makes me feel like people appreciate my efforts in some way. Thank you for the support.

NSD today. OLB checked and ok. Bills account money all transfered, so that's bills paid for the next month already. Had to borrow £200 from the savings a/c to cover that, but will be repaid from tax credits when they come. Accidentally paid off £100 extra on the mortgage today, which accounts for some of the lack of money. Meant to change the standing order to £20, but never mind! If I have to struggle for the extra £80, I'll appreciate paying off the mortgage even more (maybe!!)!!

MUST MUST MUST put the money into the pots this month. As soon as tax credits come, that's what I shall do...

Up to £3.54/day now! I may be able to get it up to £3.61 by the time I do my next weekly shop!

PennyGrabber

So, positives for the day:
- the house is tidier than when I woke up. Always makes me feel better
- did some more cooking/baking! Did two mini smoked salmon quiches a la Flo, and some of Bethany's Biscuits. Don't know about the bikkies yet, we'll see what they're like when they've cooled down; hopefully they'll stick together!! And I didn't blind bake the quiches enough, but never mind! (It was my first attempt for years at my own pastry, always bought packs before, where you just add the water. OMG so easy, and tastes better! I kinda knew it was, but still never bothered. Now I don't know why!!)
- bills all paid for this month
- bought some books today with the bk people. £21 got me a set of five disney books and cds (boy), an up to date kids' atlas, a set of wimpy kid books and a girlie baking book. That's two things for each child, and they'll love it. The rrp is way more than my £21, so I'm happy with that.
- been ok dietwise today. Using up but not overindulging, which I'm very prone to when I'm feeling lonely.
- think I've found the bike I'm gogin to get. It's on sale at £100, but by the time I've added lights, speedo, basket, etc etc, it'll be closer to £200. Still, it's better than the one I though I'd get, to the tune of nearly £100. I can afford this due to the overtime I did last month. I like allocating overtime to things, instead of the money just being swallowed up in the chasm of my account! It makes it feel more worth it, somehow.
- nothing to do with money, but I got a letter today saying I'd 'passed' my smear test. I was on 6-monthly for a while, then yearly, but now I've been promoted to three-yearly. Go me!!
- Feeling much more chipper today. Not exactly sure why, but not knocking it! Started out the day with a headache too, so doing well I think.
- Paid £100 off my mortgage. I think It may be time to ring them up again. I ring them 2 or 3 times a year, just to check the outstanding balance, as it gives me great thrills to think I'm beating them at their own game by overpaying! Sad, but true. As long as it motivates me, I suppose.

Night!

ps - another positive, I made up a new word today, I hope it catches on in the gc thread! It's FRUGALFAIRY, the title given to that day's most frugal person!

PennyGrabber

Hmm, not such a good day...

- bought myself the bike, which promises to save me in fuel spending.
- it cost more than I wanted to pay - they didn't have the one I wanted in stock.
- a friend at work lent me a book today. She said she read it and thought of me. It's about a music teacher who really inspires their pupils, it's lovely. Brought a tear to my eye that someone would think I'm that special.
- didn't have a nsd... Spend a lot of money, but don't know how much yet, as I got some non-gc bits at the same time.
- bought my nieces their birthday presents at a famous toy shop, both half price :j
- bought the shopping on the credit card - must pay that off as soon as tax credits come through...
- had a real breakthrough with my weight. Think I've committed to losing it now. I have to have the proper mindset, etc, and I think I'm finally there. Stocked up (no, really! Me, stock up?!!) on some nice snacks for dieting, so I'm not tempted by rubbish.
- got a 5p off a litre voucher from Mr T, so will use that next month to get my month's worth of fuel. It's not a huge amount, but it's still a saving.


That'll do for now...

PennyGrabber

Well, today has been a nsd. Not entirely sure what I did with the receipt from yest, but I'll find it later I'm sure. Seen a couple of friends today, and generally been a good day. Sorted out the childcare for next year - we have an onsite before and after school club, but it's really popular, and although I get bumped up the list because I'm staff, I still wanted it sorted so I can relax. I only had the form yesterday, and handed it in today - first time I've ever done that! Maybe sorting out my money has had an effect on sorting out my organisation/being a'd to do things.

Had a catalogue from lakeland in the post today, and they have a competition to win an ipad. They was something I wanted to order from them a while ago, so I thought I'd get it now, and be in with a chance of winning the ipad! I know the chances are slim, but someone's got to win it! Course, I have to remember what it is that I wanted now...!!!

Made my first cereal bars tonight in my daughter's let's cook cereal bar maker. Cereal bashed up, chopped up dried banana, choc drops, and a bit of jelly/syrup to bind, bung in fridge overnight. We'll see if they're any good in the morning!

Was very good at dinnertime. I cooked all 12 sausages from the pack as planned, as the child coming to visit has a HUGE appetite, but he only ate two, as did my two children, and I only had 1! I chopped it in half lengthways, and served it curved side up so it looked like two... So, I now have 5 sausages left over to bung into things over the next few days. And they were lush, no fat came out as they were cooking!

Had a really good day dietwise too. Really thinking I may have turned a corner, although I don't want to speak too soon! Normally I'm a got-the-taste-must-have-more kind of eater, but today I had what was planned, and nothing more. Awesome.

Positives:
- nsd
-food intake
- seeing friends
- new recipe
- los that weren't anticipated, so they're free technically! I'm thinking I may chop one up and mix it with a few bits to make sausage pasties, now I can make my own pastry!
- olb checked and ok for this time of the month. Not envisaging needing to spend any non-gc money for a while now, so it should just sit there ready for other bits of income to go in, and then be able to divvy up the purses.
- feeling good

Yeah, definitely been a good day today, despite work being absolute CARP!! It's all about the money though, and that's good today.