Finally have a mortgage now to try and get rid of it asap

London18

Hi egoode, Amused by the £10, that happened to me the other day - also in a pair of jeans. Goodness knows how long it had been there.

Re freezer meals, I am not very adventurous but just go for things that are easy to throw into a pot all together and leave in the oven.

I do lots of casseroles/stews/baked/poached type things and divide them into one meal size freezer bags or containers. Usually a cheaper cut of whatever meat I have, padded out with veg & lentils or sweet potato and flavoured with herbs or lemon. I also do fishcakes, moussaka, lasagna, shepherd's or cottage pie, filled canneloni with sauce, meatballs (or veggie version of) them) again with sauce already on top. Some I have recipes for, some I kind of make up depending on what I have in the cupbaords. I'm much better at it in winter when I like to be able to have a hot filling dinner ready quickly.

Lastly, I do tons of soups. I usually try to use whatever is in season on the vegetable front. If you freeze it in ice cube trays then pop them out into freezer bags, the smaller cubes defrost really quickly rather than a big lump.

There are some good websites and cookbooks around on freezable meals for inspiration too.

Enjoy the cooking ahead!

egoode

Thanks for the suggestions London I think with winter on it's way the casseroles and stews will be a great idea and I love your trick with the ice cube trays for the soups that's such a great idea!

I used to make lasagnes a lot but have never made a shepherd's pie even though I love them so might have to attempt to make them. I'm more of a baker so good at cakes, biscuits and slices which is terrible for my waistline need to definitely learn to cook proper meals now!

London18

Yes I am good at cakes & biscuits too....dangerous. I had a craving for date scones a while ago and ate four warm straight from the oven soaked in butter with jam.......Had to take the rest to work the next day to resist eating the whole lot. Also have a big weakness for whipping up a batch of pancakes on weekends so have to use a lot of willpower on that front.

Due to IBS I try to keep my wheat/gluten low so often make things with spelt and gluten free flour. It's still not calorie free though!

Shepherd's pie is pretty easy, my mum used to use leftover cooked lamb from the Sunday roast but I usually just use lamb mince or buy shoulder and whizz it in the food processer till lumpy (better taste). I like loads of carrots in it and only a thin layer of mashed potato. No cheese on top, it's just wrong. It's such comfort food!

Having freezer food that only needs defrosting/heating keeps me away buying from expensive ready meals as I tend to get home late most work days and not have time for cooking from scratch. Ready meals also tend to set of my IBS as they often seem to have lots of onion in them and I cannot eat that in any form these days.

My other quick meal is white fish with chopped courgette. a few cherry tomatoes and a carrot done in thin strips with the potato peeler. I then throw in a splash of stock or white wine and slice of lemon or some fresh dill. Add small new potatoes cut in half if you want more carbs.
Wrap in foil package and 15-20 mins in the oven.

This is from the person who also regularly eats a bowl of cereal or hummus and oatcakes for dinner. Do as I say not as I do :rotfl:

egoode

Well my friend has now moved in and it's the first time I've lived with a flatmate in about 8 years so hopefully it goes well.

I had a really busy Friday with beds and furniture being delivered, the boiler was serviced and also got a timer installed on it as last winter I kept leaving the house or going to bed without turning the heating off so hopefully the timer will save me some money and it was only £35.

This week I seem to have lots of catch ups happening so not going to be home much. Will just have to keep an eye on how much I spend while I'm out particularly if cocktails are involved!

egoode

Called HSBC today and managed to get £42 refunded from the monthly fee I was paying on my business account for international payments that I didn't need Glad I got that sorted as had been meaning to talk to them about it for about 5 months!

London18

Good luck with the flatmate. Apart from the ocasional temporary lodger I've not lived with anyone for 5+ years and have wondered if I should/could rent out the spare bedroom. Not sure, might be too fussy about how the dishwasher is loaded and what goes in which cupboard (closet OCD?)

Enjoy the cocktails - my secret weakness is Pina Colada's.

egoode

Well the flatmate is going well we have only managed to cross paths twice for a couple of mins each time. I thought that might be what would happen as we both have quite busy lives.

The start of my busy social week started well I went to a movie showing in a local gallery which included a glass of wine and some nibbles with the ticket. Given the ticket was only £9 that seemed a pretty good deal to me

egoode

Finally managed to organise myself and get all my various savings accounts moved to the offset account at the moment I have £31,547.24 in it. When I finally work out how to set up my signature I'll start tracking it in there.

At the moment the bulk of the money is for emergencies like not having a job and also for tax payments as I contract so usually have some sort of tax bill I need to pay every year. However about £10k is the start of my money for the loft to be redone and extended and also the open plan kitchen I want to do. I think I need another £30k to cover the costs of all the work I want to do although I'm tossing up whether to do it all at once and have the mess and disruption once or do the kitchen first and the loft later on.

egoode

Well I'm almost at the end of my big social week. I was pretty good and didn't spend too much on alcohol. However I was so exhausted after quite a few busy weeks that I took Thursday morning off work so lost a half days pay.

Tomorrow I'm going to a music festival for a friends birthday and that's the last of my social plans until I head to Dubai on the 20th!!!!! Can't wait for my holiday to start

egoode

Well I did well at the music festival and only spent £20 and it was really fun. Although also went out to Ikea again this weekend, my flatmate wanted to get a few things and I had damaged something putting the chair together I bought a few weeks ago but luckily I had an Ikea family card so was able to get a replacement part for free even better it costs nothing to join.

This week should be a little quieter which is good as I need to prepare for my holiday