MFW Diary.....before moving in!!!

misscousinitt

That pork dish sounds lovely!

Glad all went well with the viewing.

Not long to go now - been said before - but excited for you!!

MCI

LauraWxx

thank you both....i am so excited...just not quite sure how I am going to concentrate on anything else for the next week!!!

The roast was a big size....did my own roasties (much nicer than shop bought ones!) and did carrots and parsnips....i reckoned it to be about a £ each for Pots, carrots and Parsnips and then about £3 for the pork!
I had the honey and mustard in the cupboard!

To be honest it would prob have served more than 4 but we were hungry and had biiiiggg portions!! although maybe I am a little off, but i thought £6 was great for 4 people!! normally I would buy a piece of beef and it would cost an arm and a leg!!

Spotted the brasing steak in Morries as well so if anyone knows any nice beef / slow cooker recipes please feel free to send them my way!!!

seafood risotto tonight using up whoopsied squid (was nearly £6 and i had it for 39p...very proud of that one!!:D) and the aim is to not need any food top up shops this week!!! we will see how that one goes!!!

Doggysitting this week as well so staying at bf's sisters house....nearer to work, have packed everything for the week which also should see a reduction in petrol used!!!

And the house sale that is going to be generating me a lump sum (towards our family home) is moving along very rapidly. We are having a get together on friday to go through what we can all expect out of it so fingers crossed. I have been giving it some thought though, whilst it should be around £60-£80k, I still want to save towards the first buy element of the mortgage rather than overpay for the time being.

Savings rate is 3.2 and mortgage is 3.99 so not too much in it although obviously in favour of the mortgage. I think saving will give me greater flexibility in the next few years when we come to look to move on from the flat. If I could save the first buy money on my own and not have to touch the lump sum, it would mean I have 25% equity in the flat which should be enough to rent it out and then be able to throw most of the lump sum at our family home where I would like us to settle for a good few years. That would in turn mean a manageable mortgage which we could OP and almost let the flat pay for itself.....obviously I know all this is dependant upon lots and lots of variables, but that is my train of thought at the moment!!

If I do go ahead as above, I will sort of try to forget about the lump sum and lock it away for the time being, have the first buy target in my mind and only count the savings that I have actually made on my own towards it.

However as with all good plans.....subject to change!!!!

quintwins

£6 is good for 4 people for most people but i aim for our evening meals to be under £3 we manage it most days and some days it's even less so evens out, tomorrows dinner will have cost me 22p for my soup and we'll use about half a loaf of bread so 30p not bad to feed 5, tonights tea will be 18p for the pork chops, 50p for mash and roasties (we buy big bags) and about 20p for the mixed veg, which means when we have a gammon at £4 for just the meat or steaks at £2.50 each it evens out

i love stewed beef in my slowcooker, beef in red wines suppose to eb nice aswell.

LauraWxx

qwintwins...i have just been catching up on your diary....your Mr T Whooopsies are putting me to shame!!!!!

I need to get my butt back into gear!!! i think i might need a nearly closing time visit to Morries tonight!!!!!

I keep thinking about trying waitrose on a sunday afternoon, but quite a way from me so never get around to it...will have to make the effort one week as I heard they do some really good whoopsies.


For the stewed beef...how do you make the gravy? is it bisto or such like and the beef??!! I never liked stew type meals when I was younger so paid no attention to how to make them at all....need to read up now!! have asked for cookbooks as moving in presssies!!

quintwins

Even without whoospies we rarely go over £3 per evening meal mainly due to bulk buying and offers. Lunch for all 4 of us today is 24p (having sausage rolls that were bought in bulk when bogof).I find costing your meals is fab as it becomes a little challenge to yoruself to see how low you can get it, my cheapest is 25p for all of us (reduced store fry 10p and reduced noodles10p with a splash of soy sauce) can't complain at 5p a head for a main meal full of veg.

I use tesco gravy granuals they come in a big red tub, i'm not fussed on real gravy lol, with stewed steak i throw it in my slowcooker with onions and mushrooms and i add gray just before i serve it.

LauraWxx

Thank you for the tips....stewed steak will most likely be coming to a meal plan near me soon!!

I like your idea of working out cost per meal....I tend to always just think about the main ingredients...like tonight, the rice and the seafood, but i should really be including the white wine, cream, herbs, onions etc that will also go into it.....def something for me to think about and work on!!!

I like the sound of your 25p dinner....although I thinkn it would spel the end of my relationship if i served my bf a meal with no meat :rotfl:....may i will try it when he is getting on my nerves!!!

LauraWxx

1st payment just been made into savings account to ensure I get the advertised rate. Signature about to be updated!!!!

quintwins

lol my hubby loves his meat we have meat with about 98% of our meals but every once in awhile i cans queeze a none meat one in, he acually isn't keen on stir fry but it was that or nothing lol.My problem is the half a loaf of bread he eats at every meal a bad habit he learned from his dad, my kids now ask to make dinner sandwichs aswell.

LauraWxx

haha i think we may have the same man!!

Just requested my TCB money as something else had become payable - so that is £7.22 winging its way to me.

That should hit my current account whenever there payment run happens, however I have already transferred the same amount into my savings acc! When it hits my current account, if i can spare it then i will send it over again!!

Trying to claim my £4.20 from quidco as well but that website seems to be playing up!

LauraWxx

Well my plan to have a NSD.....Succeded :j:j!!!

Quite often something gets in the way of these for me!

Seafood risotto dinner that was planned, went off plan! We took the doggy for a walk which turned into a two hour walk so was half 9 ish by the time we got home.

Decided to quickly throw some pizza's I had got for tonight's tea in the oven and do the swap on the meal plan....so seafood risotto is tonight's plan....god help me if it gets switched again!!!

Have been internet hunting for the best buys and have found a bin pretty much the same as what I am after and had thought was going to cost around £50, for about £20 instead :j:j

And the sad news is the window sizes that I measured on Friday (didnt get chance to measure them all but did some) are too big for the standard (and cheap!) ikea blinds :mad::mad:

I have roughly priced some made to measure ones up on line, I had budgeted £200 as there in total are only 6 windows and a set of patio doors, hopefully will be able to get them all within budget (why isn't there fingers crossed smilies??!!)

Hopefully will be doing some ebaying tonight, didnt get chance at the weekend, dont know why I keep putting it off...I guess essentially i am just lazy :eek:.

So exactly 1 week today it is mine :j:j:j:j:j:j:j the countdown is ON!!!!:D

Hope all are well xx