PennyGrabber's Path to Pecuniary Positiveness!!

PennyGrabber

Thanks Suffolk Lass! I think we may have a version of the same book then, as I was reading about fruit cheeses last night! I think the first recipe I'm going to try is the chilli jelly, as it looks lovely. I'm also going to have to ask friends and family to save jars so I can give them back as presents! It was really interesting reading your post, and I look forward to a home-made Christmas this year! I'm hoping people will like the effort I'll be putting in (with windfall, foraging and ys products, of course!!!)
I figure once they're packaged and presented nicely, they will make lovely presents. I may even start looking in charity shops for baskets to make up hampers...

Positives for the day:
- had a free dinner, pizza hut home delivery at my friend's baby shower
- made the millionaire's shortbread - I used dark choc like the recipe said, but I'll use milk next time. Took it to baby shower, and it seemed to go down ok. That was my present! Well, until the baby is actually born
- no sms
- neighbour was really pleased with the present I gave him (3 bottles of cider for £5.50), was going to give him rum at about £10, so glad he liked this too! And saved myself about £4.50


I couldn't take out my gc money yest when I did the shopping, as the cashpoint was down, so that means I'm going to have to work it out across the budgets and purses to make it right. :mad: I was hoping I'd be able to start as I mean to go on, but obviously I needed an extra challenge this month!!

Got a friend coming over to visit tomorrow, but don't need to get anything in for that - he'll only be having a drink, or maybe something on toast with me. Well, that's all he'll be offered anyway! I'll need to get up a bit earlier than normal for a Sunday, to make sure the house is tidy enough, as I was out at the shower today, therefore didn't get enough done.

And, it's dd's birthday on Thursday, and I haven't made her card, wrapped her presents, got her a little present to go with her other present... Or thought about the cake, made the food list... I may ask my friend of she can take the children to their swimming lessons on Friday, so I can get the food in and start cooking it. I would get it earlier and freeze it, but guess what - no space in the freezer! Def need to empty it a bit for such an occasion, will make that my mission. Well, I mean, make it my continued mission.

Time may be slipping away from me a bit this week, but never mind, I'll get there.

PG x

PennyGrabber

I'm so proud of myself!

I went to farmfoods today, for the very first time, as ours opened this week. I was there with my neighbour; he had a basket for a few things, but I had told myself that I was just goign to look ready for when I go shopping next time, so i didn't get a basket. Ask me if a spent any money - go on!! I spent the grand total of £0.00! There were lots of things there that I will buy, but as I had already done my weekly shop, I didn't need anything, so I didn't buy anything!

Long_tall_sally

Well done PennyGrabber - you are doing really well on the willpower front!

Suffolk_lass

Well done you!

QueenB.

Im really enjoying your thread, such will power and positivity is great to see. Re the book, i recently brought one similiar as im really hoping to make some jams etc as pressies this year, never done it before. The book i brought also had old juice recipes such as lemonade and elderflower. Just need to build up my collection of jars.

PennyGrabber

Thanks for that guys!

Yeah, I took a long time training myself to be positive. There was a time when getting out of bed was hard, and I only did that because I had two young children to look after. I'm so glad i'm out of that now, it was a hard few years! (The happy pills helped to get me on an even keel tostart, then the rest was me!!)

I'm sat here thinking I usually have a nibble on something about now, but I'm going to be really good (plus I've had two bits of cake today already!), as I really want a loss at ww this week, having stayed the same for the last three weeks.

Didn't get out to charity shops this weekend, so that's be something for two weeks' time. If I can build up a collection on baskets now, it'll make Christmas so much easier on the purse! I'm saving monthly for Christmas now, however, if I buy things in the sm, like Fri I got cooking apples for chilli jelly, I count that as gc, so I may be able to salvage some of the Christmas savings later in the year.

Positives for the day
- nsd, even though I took my first trip to farmfoods!
- the millionaire's shortbread I made yest tasted nicer today, glad as I was thinking about chucking it yest!
- saved some money on making dinner today, as the children ate a main meal with their dad at lunch time, so they just had a boiled egg.
- used up a dried fruit thing from the pantry for their pudding
- can actually see some space in the pantry, so it might nearly be time to empty the cupboard under the stairs of food, so I can store all the chutneys etc that I'll be making!
- saw an old friend I haven't seen for ages, and all it cost me was a glass of diet cola from a 2l bottle! We always used to go out to a pub or something, but we chatted at home instead, and it was much more cosy.
- heating still works, although I've not long put it on, will only have it on til the ch alseep, then off again!! Think I'll be able to really reduce the length of time the heating is on, judging by the weather today (typical, as the boiler's only just been fixed!!)

I'm off to make the packed lunches now - the children requested egg sandwiches again, so I boiled an extra two eggs while I did their dinner.

Night all, and thanks for all the support.

PG x

PennyGrabber

Good morning!

My plans for the day:
- to check OLB (do this nearly every day, to make sure everything adds up)
- no sms
- to use something up for dinner
- to make the food list for dd party on sat, and go through the freezer to see what I already have
- to put a note up at work asking for jam jars

All of these things will help me to be frugaltastic today! And, they don;t cost anything to do. Result!

Now off to sort out dinner before I go to work...

PennyGrabber

So, OLB checked - all ok so far. I have paid off £100 extra of my mortgage this month. Still looking good to hit all bills, but I need to spend some time organising the other budgets into the purses. Typically, as I went to go to te$co on Friday, their cash machine wasn't working!! So, I ended up having to put the shop ontp my card, and there were a couple of diff budgets for things to come from, which I would've done separate transactions for had I had the cash.

Forgot to put a note up at work about the jam jars - that'll have to be tomorrow now.

Dinner - the children asked for hedgehogs, so that was easy, and used up a tin of spaghetti and a tin of hot dog sausages from the massive stash. I'm having a mushroom mussaman curry tonight, tom and weds, so I'll make that later. Already chopped up the veg for that.

No sms - done!

DD party list - I started this during my lunch break, and she and I will finish it after they've had their dinner. I think I'll already have quite a bit of stuff in for the food already, so hoping not to spend too much, otherwise the ents budget will be all taken for this month! It def helps having that budget though, because in the past, I would've bought what I wanted for the party food, but now, I'm thinking much more carefully about what I already have, and what I actually need. In theory!

Right, off to party plan...

Not doing too badly today.

Suffolk_lass

PennyGrabber wrote: »

I have paid off £100 extra of my mortgage this month. Still looking good to hit all bills,
Not doing too badly today.

I should say so - £100 extra off your mortgage is fantastic - well done you!

I was watching Hugh Fearlessly eats-it-all in repeat last night and he did some bitesize snacks for kids that were veg (he used courgettes but they are not in season and carrots are) chopped into cubes and fried off in oil with a finely chopped clove of garlic until soft (I would say they were about half a centimetre on each side so quite a small dice) then allowed to cool a bit and mixed with a handful of grated mature chedder and a handful of the solid mozzarella and some breadcrumbs and an egg - salt and pepper then mixed together, formed into 50p sized balls and baked until they just start to go golden (15-20 mins). Not sure if it would be your dd's thing but sounded lovely to me!

Well done and keep it up!

PennyGrabber

Sounds good, Suffolk Lass! Thanks for that, I'll work it into next month's meals! I guess they're cheesy veggy nuggets?!

Positives for the day:
- dd did online shop for party. We got a £3 slot, and tbh, think we saved more than that by me not being there in person, and us running off to check things before adding to the list!
- no sms (feels like I write that a lot lately - go me!!)
- used stuff up for dinner
- made cakes for lunchboxes tom, from stuff I had in
- checked olb
- generally good day, no stress or anything

Have remember I owe a mate at work £6 for that book I got last week - she'll be back in on thurs, so need to go to the bank before then, as I have no money anywhere at the mo!

Also, money-unrelated, I was supposed to have handed something in ages ago to work, and haven't. Oops. I've done it, just not handed it in... Might just do that tomorrow!!

Off now to make more egg or egg and ham sandwiches, and fill up the boxes ready for tom. Then, off to have a read before my eyes close.

I will be going to a sm tom, as I need to get dd a birthday card, and ds a little present. I always get the other one a little something on the other's bday. Something my mum did, and I have kept it up.

Night night!! x