Two Pennies Left

Fortune_Smiles

Mr F is off again This time he's off on a boy's trip. Fortunately, I have a couple of social things lined up myself so shouldn't be too lonely. We are hoping his travels are winding down now for a bit.


This week has been largely committed to painting and housework. The cat portrait is coming on but is taking forever. I'm anxious to make a good job of it as it's my first cat painting. Wish I could show you but it's a surprise present and I can't risk it being seen by the recipient.


I'm hoping to get away without a veg box or grocery shop this week as Mr F is away again. I've menu planned to use up anything sulking in the fridge. Last night's supper was a vegetable casserole:


1 onion
2 leeks
225g potatoes
225g swede
4 carrots
300ml of vegetable stock (I use Marigold)
2 tsp of marmite
A sprig of fresh chopped parsley (or a tsp of dried)
100g of cheese (whatever type you have)


Chop the vegetables and put into a casserole dish with the stock and marmite. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Season to taste. Add
the parsley and sprinkle over the cheese. Put under the grill to melt the cheese. Serve with brown rice or crusty bread.


I love this recipe as it's so easy and you can use up whatever root veg you have. You can even use it as a pie filling.


Hump day today!


Hope all goes well with you guys.


Fortune x

Karmacat

Its good that you've got your own stuff going on, as well as with MrF - hope you enjoy it all, the painting too, of course

Fortune_Smiles

It seems to be disappearing again. I read a new (to me) diary today where the author listed their weekly/monthly goals and I wondered whether this would help me to keep my productivity up.


Worth I try I thought, so for next week my goals are to:

• catch up with a group of friends I haven't seen for a few months
• get the house in order for visitors. A family member is feeling quite low at the moment so is coming to stay for a few days
• progress the cat portrait
• re-negotiate my breakdown cover as my current provider wants to increase my premium by 140% :eek:
• make sure Mr F sorts his car insurance out
• pin down some dates to see friends and family.

Let's see if that helps.


Mr F has been paid so I've done the monthly money shuffle. All is well although there's not much spare as January and February are expensive months for us.


It doesn't help that the Fr££$at box has died. Well, it's either the box or the satellite dish and there doesn't seem to be a way of checking without plugging a new box in. We need to get someone out to do aerial type stuff this year anyway so I've ordered a new box and, if it turns out to be the dish that's the problem, we'll use the old box in the guest room. So that's where the house improvement budget has gone this month.


The wine rack is devoid of red wine too so an order has been placed. I can't present my guests with an empty wine rack can I


Menu planning has been completed and shopping ordered. I'm a little over budget this week due to skipping a shop last week and catering for a guest.


The mortgage statement arrived - we paid off £14,204 in 2014. £184.44 of this was Tillytidies!


Take care people.


Fortune x

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Hi Fortune, I'm sure it's the time of year as a few of us seem to be the same.

Get that wine rack restocked

best wishes, Tilly x x

beanielou

Blimey that is some OP~go you

judi24

Got to ask - what's a tillitidy?

Fortune_Smiles

judi24 wrote: »

Got to ask - what's a tillitidy?

Hi Judi. Tillytidies are where you round the balance in your bank account/s down to the nearest pound (or 5 pounds) and pay this off your debt/mortgage. So called because a lovely lady called Tilly (https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3594273) is very, very good at doing this.


I round down to the nearest £5 (so anything from 1p to £4.99 each time) every time there is a spend on the account. Amazed it's added up to so much over the course of the year.


Fortune x

Karmacat

Fortune, when I'm doing stuff (as opposed to doing the very minimum like I am now) I find it really helpful to have a list - I often use a daily one, updated, but I'll have monthly reminders in my diary as well. Because I have lots of irons in the fire, its sort of essential, something *else* would take my interest I'm a bit of a hoverfly like that

Have a good weekend with your guests. And your red wine (essential!).

Fortune_Smiles

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS wrote: »

Hi Fortune, I'm sure it's the time of year as a few of us seem to be the same.

Get that wine rack restocked

best wishes, Tilly x x

It's either that or my age Tilly :rotfl: The wine was delivered yesterday so I'm all sorted.

beanielou wrote: »

Blimey that is some OP~go you

Thanks Beanie. It's lovely to see the balance go down.

Karmacat wrote: »

Fortune, when I'm doing stuff (as opposed to doing the very minimum like I am now) I find it really helpful to have a list - I often use a daily one, updated, but I'll have monthly reminders in my diary as well. Because I have lots of irons in the fire, its sort of essential, something *else* would take my interest I'm a bit of a hoverfly like that

Have a good weekend with your guests. And your red wine (essential!).

I like a good list too Karma and I've dropped out of the habit of writing them. Time to restart I think.


Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

I've crossed the first item off this week's list - catch up with a group of friends. We met up in Covent Garden for a lovely lunch and a good old chat. They are all development professionals so I always come away feeling more positive and energised.

• a paper and some mints for the train - £1-ish
• parking - £3.60
• train fare - £15
• a 3 course lunch with wine and coffee - free :T One of the group paid as a thank you for some support we'd given them
• leaving a tip - £4
• I picked up a few food bits I'd run out of on the way home - £7.29.

Not too shabby for a day out in London. I'm going to meet the cost from this week's entertainment budget as Mr F is off gallivanting.

So today's challenge is to start getting the house ready for visitors and progress the cat painting.

Happy Sunday all.

Fortune x