NSK: MAY the Odds Be Ever In Your Favour!!!

MrsGSR

Morning
My 3 nights of work begun last night and I'm going to be doing two extra hours this week, all adds up I guess.
Yesterday I managed to get DH to sort through some of his stuff in the garage and he is going to do a car boot on Sunday, he's also measured up stuff he wants to keep so he can get proper storage for them. I did some impromptu gardening too as in got the shears out and hacked some nettles down and did some weeding out the front.
It's due to rain today so not much planned other than starting my Callanetics sessions.

cottage_retreatist

dropping in for yesterday's catch-up!
it was a NSD yay!! :j

but didn't do my exercise as OH let me have a nap and I didn't wake up til midnight! :eek:

So I am a bit ashamed! Need to do exercise tonight! OH hogs the TV though so I never get a chance to put it on, grrr.

He's really getting on my wick this month - layabout - :mad: !!

and with that winge its a big cup of coffee for me & work, work, work!!

I am grateful for:

• a kitty who loves me even though every time I take a step it makes him nervous!
• having food in my cupboards
• being able to do my extreme workout (even though I STILL ache from just the first one!!!)
• having a moderately 'safe' job that I can't be removed from with 1 minute's notice

Hope everyone has a lovely Thursday!

xx

NinjaSavingKat

Well GOOD MORNING!!! :j:j:j

First the confessions...

• Spent £12 on me and my friend eating at a Wetherspoons yesterday. She has her day 1 interview to become a police special today and since I have been away she was in need of a pep talk. Good old cheapo W/Spoons - we always have the same thing and sit in the same place. She a fish&chip, me a veggie sausage and mash and two pints of gut rot (Pepsi). She always seems to buy it so it was more than my turn this time. No regrets to see her walk off with a smile.

• £9 at my Tesco's near work which included a new £3 polka-dotty lunch bag - remember those comments months ago ladies and gents how I would smack through the crowds in the morning with my little lunch bag embarrassing myself as everyone else went to Pret a Manger? Yeah well - now I have a new snazzy Emma Bridgewater hessian lunch bag. So bite me! :rotfl: Also herbs, kale and beans in a can for lunch yesterday as I had nowt in the cupboards ready to go for work. Annnnnywayyyyyy

• £18.26 in Tescimos. Nuff said although I am making this tonight - http://thesimpleveganista.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/the-ultimate-vegetable-lentil-loaf.html Sorry folks I need a full vegan one and just needed the veg.

• £5.99 was spent on a tin of biscuits for the landlord.:o He looked after puddy-tat while I was away which is cheaper than cat lodgings and if a neighbour checked in on her I am sure she would not have got the same attention - and he sent me pictures of her getting cuddles from his girlfriend so I was happy. HOWEVER.. ............when he put the wardrobe up for "me" despite telling me it was ordered before I took the room, he basically turned around and literally told me to make him dinner. I was flabbergasted and taken aback but did so anyway because he got it done in the time I asked. I however DO NOT like making vegan food, with all my expensive ingredients for someone who doesn't appreciate it (right Siouxsie??). I also hate being told what to do more than anything - he got pasta with tinned tom sauce and 4 very hot chillies. He learned the hard way not to ask again - but biscuits also put that idea away as well.:D:D:D

(Important note; I got a "save £4 when you spend £30" receipt from Mr T AND a price promise of £2.61. So I intend to do one shop in about 10-12 days of £30 worth of goodies but only pay £23.39 - plus any other receipts I can womble before then!...I am on a MISSION!

I made myself some of Jack Monroe's kidney bean and cumin/carrot burgers last night (You are proud of me right - considering I only got started at 8pm???). With an added NSK twist of chipotle paste added in with lots of pepper and fresh coriander. http://agirlcalledjack.com/2013/04/06/carrot-cumin-kidney-bean-burger-9p/ ........ Mine worked out at the same price though which is always good.

They were baked instead of fried while I made the most amazing tabbouleh with 3/4 large head of flat leaf parsley, quartered plum toms and half a white onion with two tablespoons of hemp - this is Tabbouleh Lebanese style for lunch today!. The juice of two lemons will be added later - yes that's right - what a tangy tang that will be!!!

I am determined to really hit this FOOD money saving properly. And yes it excites me. There I said it.

Eating on a budget, making my own food, keeping ingredients simple or yellow sticker but still eating really well EXCITES ME!
I actually now have a slightly unhealthy aversion to anything that isn't every day value.

Ok shelled hemp is not cheap but I make sacrifices for the few good ingredients I want. Siouxsie I will check out the Acai powder on my next H&B trip. I need a break from the green smoothies - which incidentally only cost me 99p a day. And my points card has £8 on it which needs used!..:T:T:T

MagicCat - Presents for Grannies - that idea of a group picture is lovely. That would be my number one. Wonder if she has ever got to see you all in one place at one time and was able to boast about her grand-kiddies to her friends..? A picture would be lovely.

SarahB1989 - I can see the apprehension that anyone would have using Spareroom but I added my profile a few times when I found myself out on my ear. I was just very very honest about the type of person I was and what I was looking for - I did find someone but he turned out to let me down. Living with a stranger is not all bad - in some cases it's easier and like Lotti I like my "me" time and disappear to my room without feeling I can't leave my "friend" alone for to long etc..

Nellis10 - good luck with Halifax. I have my fingers crossed for you - is that waving bye bye to an ex perchance? And HELLO to Strangford Lough...

Stewby - I am proud of your jelly-baby avoidance. Three is good. Thirty-three is bad. And well done with work - nothing more satisfying that getting everything done!!

Clippy_Girl - it must be hard as a Landlord. I personally want to ask mine if he advertised for a lodger or a new best friend but I think things would be different if I was actually hanging around for longer than the next few months. I am sure it's hard opening up your home to a stranger as much as it is for us finding a good LL. Really hope you find someone nice and trust-worthy though - nothing quite as stressful as this!

Right enough wittering from me. I have plans today to make that nut loaf AND bread rolls. I have so much flour in my cupboards and "maybe" some lemon and poppy seed muffins but we will see how we get along with everything else first.

Onwards and Upwards Tributes!!

short_bird

And an NSD whooshed by yesterday... 2 spendies today and tomorrow.
If the weather doesn't improve, it may be a spend free weekend as well.

NinjaSavingKat

OOOOOH MY! The excitement.

Sorry me again.

I need rice milk and vegan margarine which I could not carry home last night...
I have coupons to the amount of 55p off the milk.
The milk is usually £1.39 EACH and are now on offer @ 3 for £3.
Which makes my purchase £2.45

I have a coupons off Vitalite to the tune of 30p
The Vitalie is usually £1.10.
Which makes my purchase 80p.

Together I will have to pay £3.25 BUT with my price promise voucher of £2.61 I only pay 64p.

:T:T:T:T

mooomin

It's been a while since I let out my spare room, but when I did I advertised and then when the person came to view it I offered them a cup of tea. If they didn't accept/want to stay for a chat then they were off the shortlist.

Each person I rented to stayed for tea and we got a good chat and a laugh to determine if we liked each other enough to live with each other.

It's worth taking that time if they will be living in your house.

NinjaSavingKat

Mooomin what a good ploy to get to know someone. Clever clogs!

mooomin

NinjaSavingKat wrote: »

Mooomin what a good ploy to get to know someone. Clever clogs!

The gentleman who ended up being my first lodger ended up staying for about two hours. We got on like a house on fire and he was a great flatmate.

Updated my morning post as it's now a spend day. I needed a bottle of water to drink at work - having a bottle means I can refill it and take it to the pictures with me tomorrow I got some chewing gum too so that's a whopping 90p spend today :rotfl:

Calling14

Well I use spare room to rent out usually one bedroom works well. Had one lodger 6mths now, quiet and hardly see her. However got another one this week, who has attitude especially when I ask for rent. Put it this way started work on Monday and off sick today - don't think she is going to hack it. Hope she does only here for 5 weeks and will pay for my car repairs.


Do try and interview people first, but not always possible, distance involved.

Yesterday was a SFD will post totals later, as have to try and sort my remortgage deal out this am. Going for a fixed deal 5yrs need to know what I am paying. Can overpay 10% pa once cleared my debts I will start.

Today meeting my youngest daughter for afternoon tea, think I deserve a treat this week has been full on, work busy, homelife hectic, garden building work going on, grandson duties. So a few hrs chattering and eating cakes will be awesome. Diet can wait and have done lot more walking in am before work.

Have a great day everyone.

MagicCat

Hello Tributes,

Bit of a grey, rainy day here today but an NSD again so not so bad!

Thanks so much everyone for all the present ideas, much better than anything I'd thought of. The picture is a great idea, not sure we'd be able to get everyone in (my brother lives in China and won't be home for a few months, and we're a bit scattered so no chance to take a pic with everyonebfore the birthday) but I'll have a chat to my cousins and see what they think, and maybe do a collage type thing - I could put in some pics of us as children and other ones of my brother and others if they can't do the main photo.

SiannieLaz - great news about funding/study days. I did access a few years back to apply to uni, I found it really supportive and a good preparation for the degree course.

Reasons to be grateful
1. Paracetemol. I can't imagine living before painkillers existed!
2. I have got an interview for a job I applied for - a bit terrified but exciting.
3. Tea in slow cooker - no rush to cook this evening.

NSD 4/15
Groceries £38.83/£200
Birthdays £11.95/£60 (May is a bumper birthday month including my sister and my nan's 90th)
Petrol £25.04/80
Personal/toiletries etc £8.05/£10
Entertainment £6.50/£80 (includes going to nan's 90th party)
House - £0/£50 (paint for bathroom)