My Busy Life

sidneysmum

Had a very busy day at work today which as far as i am concerned can only be good news. I hate it when things are quiet - my day drags ! On my way home I stopped off at the petrol station and filled up with petrol £34.71 and then spent £1.26 in Aldi on bread and a bag of carrots. I am planning on doing some cooking at weekend as my sons are visiting - I am planning on making home made meat pie with mash and carrots. I am also going to put a fish pie in the oven at the same time as the meat pies. Might also make some frittata and some buns. The only thing I can think i will need to buy food wise this week is milk and potatoes. I am going to check out a huge sack of them at my local Asian supermarket. If I get some I will split them with my sons (might also get a huge bag of onions and do the same).
After work I took the hound in the park. I have also had my car insurance renewal through and I made a couple of phone calls for quotes. Going to make a couple more calls tomorrow then make a decision. Its no go going on the run of the mill insurance comparison sites as my car is (shall we say) a classic and i want classic insurance for it. I haven't decided on a deal yet but think I will sort it out tomorrow.
Now i have lost some weight I have been doing a long overdue task - sorting out my wardrobe. I am trying to be quite ruthless about things as I need a good chuck out. So as not to feel overwhelmed by the task I have been following the 5 a day principle ! Basically I have been trying about 5 items of clothing on at bedtime and making a decision as to what to do with the item. So far I have kept about half my things and chucked half. When I get to my ideal weight I am going to treat myself and buy a few new things for the summer. I only want to lose about another 7lb.
Planning on having a nice cup of tea now and getting my feet up with my book.
I hope everyone is having a great moneysaving day x

Jazee

Evening Sidneysmum, so glad your laptop is working again. I love your thorough updates.

sidneysmum

Hi Jazee - Thanks for reading my ramblings. Hope you are ok x

Well thankfully my second work day this week is over and i can get back to the important business of enjoying myself. Today started really well. First thing was weigh in and i have lost another lb. Really pleased with myself. My weight loss journey is almost over and i am feeling very slim. Had quite a busy day at work and took the hound in the park for a run round afterwards. In the post today was my water bill. It all been paid and filed away now ! I have also managed to negotiate myself a cheaper car insurance deal. In fact its about £100 cheaper than last year. I am really pleased. The money wont come out of my bank account until at least the first week in April, but the good thing is that I have got enough money in my bank account to cover all my bills due to the last few months careful lifestyle and planning.
I have had a try on of a few more clothes as part of my 5 a day exercise ! I actually tried on about 10 items before i went in the shower and put 3 in the rag bag. Two items were dresses which just drowned me now i have lost some weight. I have got another pile of clothing waiting to be tried on tomorrow. Hopefully by doing this chore in sizeable amounts, I wont feel overwhelmed and just shut the wardrobe door again. Had another use up today - shower gel, which i will add to my signature. I know i have used up a lot if toiletries but i still have a massive stash in my landing cupboard. The good news is that I haven't bought anything for months and I wont need to !
Just made some pasta tuna mayo which is going cold. I made is just to use some items which have been lurking for a bit too long. Hopefully it will do me for a couple of snacks whilst I am off work. I am really having to start to think about what food I have left in my freezer and cupboard. I am going to have to be inventive to get rid of the last of it.
I hope everyone is having a great moneysaving day x

sidneysmum

It was lovely not to have to get up very early for work this morning even though I did end up out of bed before 7am ! Took Sid to the park early then went to my dance aerobics class in town - walked it there and back. This afternoon I went to the cinema to see "Oz - The great and powerful". It was a lovely film for the whole family. On my way home I did my food shopping - Bag of potatoes and a huge sack of onions. I spent £3.28p. Both items from my local Asian supermarket. When I got home one of my sons came round and I split the bag of onions with him. We have both ended up with about 15kg each. Never again will I buy onions from a mainstream supermarket and line the pockets of the fat cats !
Have done a bit more sorting out of clothes. Tried on about 8 items - slung 3 and also found a handbag to throw out. I have dug another pile of clothes out and its on the bedroom floor waiting to be tried on tomorrow. Food wise I have done some more eating up. had some of my home made pasta,tuna and mayo for lunch, had veg curry for tea. Also had a couple of scrambled eggs today. Now i have bought the onions and potatoes, the only think i think i might need this week is milk. I am doing a bit of cooking on Sunday and I have now got everything I need. Off to get my feet up now and start reading a new book - :The vanished landscape" by Paul Johnson. Its about a 1930s childhood in the Potteries.
I hope everyone is having a great moneysaving day x

sidneysmum

Where has all this rain come from ? Its been awful here today in the north west. My day has been quite leisurely for a change. I hopped on the scales this morning and had lost a further 2lb. God knows how as i have upped my calorie intake. I am going to monitor my weight quite closely as i don't want to lose too much more. The scrawny look is not good for women in their forties. Very ageing !!!
Took the dog out first thing and met my friend who was out with her dogs so spent a nice hour walking round together. When I was getting ready to go to the cinema I tried on about 10 items of clothing - some which are to be got rid off. I put a M&S skirt to one side as i might try and make it a bit smaller as its a beautiful skirt and hardly been worn. The only thing is it drowns me now. I tried on a dress which now fits and looks great with skinny jeans, so that got worn today. Went to watch "Parker" at the cinema today. It was good but a little violent. However worth a viewing as Jason Statham was in it.
Had one more use up on the toiletries front - some hair volumiser. It is my usual brand so I had a replacement in the cupboard waiting.
Hope the weather bucks up tomorrow. Tonight will see me with my feet up having a read of my latest book.
I hope everyone is having a great moneysaving day x

sidneysmum

Today has been very productive for me although I haven't tried any of the clothes on that are sat on the bedroom floor waiting for decision time ! I was up early and took the hound to the park at about 7.30. Got changed then walked to my town centre zumba class. I love my Saturday class - its brilliant fun. At lunch time i went off the the cinema to watch "welcome to the punch" which was a crime thriller/ action film. Thoroughly enjoyed it ! As I was home mid afternoon I decided to do a bit of food preparation ready for my sons coming for their tea tomorrow. We are having home made meat pies with mash, carrots and gravy. This afternoon I peeled the potatoes and carrots. They are in water. As I am going to have the oven on tomorrow I decided to make a few other dishes for me to freeze. I have made a lasagne and a fish pie. I am really pleased as I have now used up loads of odds and ends out of the freezer. I have used up minced steak, lasagne sheets, tin mushrooms, cheese and marvel (all used in the lasagne). Also used up white fish, fish sauce mix and a tin of peas in the fish pie. The lasagne and fish pie just need cooking in the oven then i can portion them up for a later date. I am starting to come to the end of my food stash but still have loads of home made ready meals in the freezer. Its only when all this has gone that i will buy any more food. As well as the lasagne and fish pie I am going to cook a couple of meat pies tomorrow. Also a couple of frittata (already chopped the veg this afternoon) and hopefully a raft of fruit buns. i think i will have the oven on most of the afternoon. I am also going to put a couple of large potatoes in the oven to bake as I have my last tin of baked beans to use up. Better not forget I made a jelly. Boys never grow up ! My youngest is almost 23 and we have to have jelly.
Off to get my feet up now with a new book - " Another forgotten child" by Cathy Glass. Had another use up today - a tub of body butter. Getting to crisis point now - only got about another 25 left ! What was I thinking ? Had a bit of a spend on the way home from the cinema - £1 for milk.
I hope everyone has had a great moneysaving day x

vasseur

Busy as ever sidneysmum! It has been horrible and wet down here too, the rain has been relentless for the last 2 days. Hopefully it will cheer up tomorrow.

Hope you enjoy your weekend with your sons.

sidneysmum

Hi Polesalot - Great to hear from you. The weather has been fine today thankfully - Dry but cold. Hope you and your daughter are having a nice weekend x
Just sat down after a rather busy day !! Was up nice and early with her ladyship in the park this morning. Back before 8am. Submitted my weekly meter readings to British gas and paid what I owed. I just love being in control. i know a lot of people like doing things their way, well I like paying for my utilities as I use them so I have no nasty surprises. Went to my usual belly dancing class this morning which was quite enjoyable. Walked it both ways to the sports centre so its no wonder i feel tired. I had a major spend at the supermarket today - 55p for some baking margarine.
When I got back I did a bit of clothes trying on and sorted some out which will be great in the summer and some which are for the rag bag. Got another pile out for trying on sometime tomorrow. After my marathon clothes trying on session I got on with this afternoons cooking. I made 2 plate meat pies -1 which was eaten for tea and the other which has now been portioned up and wrapped in cling film ready for the freezer. I make a couple of frittata which is now sliced up and in a box in the fridge. I made a couple of dozen fruit sponge buns - now in airtight boxes. Yesterdays lasagne and fish pie have been cooked in the oven and are portioned up ready for the freezer. Cooked a couple of baked potatoes too. All in all my oven was on for about 3 hours but I have got loads of home made ready meals on hand.
My sons came round for tea and made light work of the meat pie, mash and carrots I made. One of my sons turned up with a couple of large bags of leftover salad vegetables from where he works. Not sure what I will do with them yet but some will be being fed to my tortoise and some to the chickens. Not sure about the rest.
Going to get my feet up now and watch a bit of tv hopefully and have a bit of a read.
Hope everyone is having a great moneysaving day x

tootallulah

Hello, I have just read your diary from beginning to end and I thoroughly enjoyed it. You are giving me food for thought I "could" take early retirement in September, your life style is one that I would enjoy, you are really helping me to think through what I could do - thank-you.

sidneysmum

Hi tootallulah- Thanks so much for dropping by and going to to the trouble of reading all my ramblings. If you are in a position where you can take early retirement....then I would. Basically my situation was that I worked full time whilst bringing up 4 children. I was involved in an accident almost 5 years ago and after a long spell off work recovering from my injuries, I decided to go back to work part time. Well I have never looked back!! I am still waiting to see if I will get some compensation for my injuries (That’s another story!!) I manage just great with my pay as I live a careful life. Thankfully all my children have left home so I can get on with enjoying myself now!! You will see that my main pastimes are exercise classes and the cinema. However I know that if I got fed up with these things, I can always find replacement activities. I have done some of my family tree but could do more of that. Also I am a member of the WI but only go to a few of their events. If I had more time on my hands, I would do more of their activities. Anyway please keep reading x

Today has been a bit different for me. My Monday morning zumba class was in doubt as the sports centre didn't think they had a teacher, so I took the hound out for a longer than usual walk. I also took her out this afternoon. In between dog walks I have done some reading and caught up on a few chores. I filled the car up with LPG (£14.56) and had a browse in the library. Basically I just had a very leisurely day.
I hope everyone has had a great moneysaving day x