2015 - the penultimate year!

DebtFree2012

The new menu plan is going really well and I'm' able to adapt as I go along. For example we had lots of left overs from Tuesday's tea that did for wednesday's tea too, so Wednesday's tea can go on the end of the menu plan, effectively being the start of the next plan.


I made a quiche the other night and used Mary Berry's pastry recipe (first one I came to) and it had egg in the pastry recipe. It didn't see to stick well together and I couldn't roll it, so a bit disappointed until I cooked it. It was gorgeous to taste (still just on about the pastry here!) so I think I will trial it again with maybe a bit of liquid to bind, in case the egg was too small.


I'll be making a different quiche each week and also going to try some mini ones with left overs.


I have a tagine recipe to try when I get time (looks like I need to concentrate on that one) and some others that I fancy adding in to the menu plan for next time.


We're heading to the end of week 1 and still have plenty of food in inc fruit that's lasting a lot better than I expected. All good so far.


Planning on planting more seeds tonight ready to keep us in food through summer. I'm looking forward to seeing if we can have a year round supply.


Life at the new place is just fabulous. The only thing I'm struggling with, through my own doing, is staying on top of the house cleaning and tidying. I need to plan for this as I don't do that spontaneous clean that I seem to think I will. Let's face it, with my clan, things are never going to stay clean!

DebtFree2012

Happy Friday


Update on frozen veg - I wish I'd done it sooner! It is brilliant for our midweek meals and we will be having it on Sunday lunch this week as the weekend we don't shop means the fresh stuff has ran out. Next weekend will be fresh veg but I really don't think there's a difference.


Money wise. I put £250 a month away for savings. Sounds fab doesn't it. Well it would be, but spend this month on extras have taken up £200 already! The good news is this isn't a problem as that's what it is there for, but I would like a couple of months of not spending it . Maybe I will do better next month!


March should see a bonus for me but I have no idea how much. The company hasn't done too well this year so I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch. April should see a pay rise too and given that I got an excellent performance rating, this should see me to a higher pay rise than the blanket one they hand out. Again I am not going to pre-empt what it is....too much.


This weekend we have lots to do that takes us away from the farm When we have to drive somewhere for something, we do a few things at once to save us having to go out again. However loads of jobs planned in weather dependant. I want to get into the veg patch and clear it ready to plant the beans and peas.

sugarcube84

Glad the frozen veg is working for you, another things dh recommends is the frozen cauli cheese from @ldi, I don't eat cheese so I wouldn't know but he said its great.


Fingers crossed for your pay rise/bonus dh is in the same position at the minute, he knows he is getting it he just doesn't know how much.

DebtFree2012

Happy new week!


I am feeling really good, have plans for the work and home week and enjoying life! Let's see how many days of the week pass before it breaks me!


Although having said that, I do still have a sore throat which is annoying. I might try some honey and lemon tonight in hot water to see if it helps.


We had a lovely weekend, lots done down on t'farm. Seeds planted, manure shifted, veg plots weeded and so on.


At work all day but nothing on tonight work wise so hopefully can get an hour weeding or something that needs doing outside. I need to make flapjacks, quiche and cake to see us through the week.


Delivery with Tesco due on Friday - that's it for the month then. I didn't have to go shopping at the weekend and I didn't miss going one ounce

ScattySkewbald

Morning DF2012, just catching up. Sounds like you've been making fantastic progress and your new life sounds amazing X

DebtFree2012

Last night I managed to get a wholemeal loaf and a cake loaf done. Tonight I hope to get some flapjacks made and I'd like to make a loaf for my parents.


I have prepared the menu plan for the next two weeks (from Friday) and found some recipes I fancy trying. Nothing too fancy and using mostly items we have in or would buy in anyway. The delivery is coming on Friday and is £30 under budget (including a £6 off voucher) and I might even do click and collect as there is a big T£sc0 near the kids' school so I could collect them and go on the way home.


Does anyone have a tried and tested pastry recipe for quiche?


Money wise, there's a few DD still to come out then the remainder of the groceries on Friday. That's it from the housekeeping account (non debt related) and only diesel and my car insurance from my personal account, then that should stay the same until pay day, which is hopefully bonus day and I can then pay the family back what we borrowed.


I've just bought some himalayan salt licks for the ponies as I was reading about a lack of salt/sodium in their diets. They don't seem remotely interested in them so I will top dress their feeds with it once they are underway with their new feed (still in the introductory stage of swapping over to new feed type).

DebtFree2012

When I transferred my CC to another one at 0% they couldn't fit it all on. Typical. I have circa £950 on my old CC that is getting in the way. I am giving some thought as to how I can get rid of this within the next 12 months.
If I put any spare cash, ie that isn't sent to savings and isn't allocated to budget every month, I still don't get very far! This adds up to around £280 meaning that after payments I will have £397 left to find in January 2017. Therefore between ebay, surveys and coming in under budget, searching down the back of the sofa, I hope to chip away at this to have it clear by then.
Whilst I am chipping away at this I will still be making debt payments to the loans and the new CC to the value of £776 every month. That's why I am wanting shot of it. do you know how many seeds and bags of horse feed I could buy with £776 every month???


DFD is March 2018. Kind of an anniversary this month, in advance .


Starting study days from today. Revision of min 2 hours a day from now on.

crunch_time

2018 will be here before we know it!! Just keep plodding along and chipping away as best you can. You are doing amazingly xx

DebtFree2012

Thanks hun.
What a miserable old day weather wise. Just as well I am indoor studying and not spending

DebtFree2012

Almost a week since I posted - where's that time gone? Funnily enough (or not) it's a miserable day again here and it's not even forecast.


Money wise we are £6.88 under food budget so that will go over to the savings pot the night before pay day (a week on Thursday, seems ages away). We have everything we need until then.


So this grocery thing. I'm getting a delivery every 2 weeks and to be honest, I don't think we even need every 2 weeks when you take in to account what we have left and what we needed after 2 weeks. So I am mulling over the idea of ordering for a month. Maybe that will be more realistic when we have some crops grown that we can harvest, like lettuce and tomatos.


The weather is looking pretty dry for the rest of the week YEY, so hopefully the fields will dry out more. I do need to go divet stomping though before it dried out too much.


Money wise I have spent what I was supposed to save this month. Not frittered it away and it's all needed but still wish I had saved some. Next month I need to see where I stand again as have a large repayment to make and also a vet bill to pay (annuals).


Fingers crossed we dono't have many more frosts, if any, then I can get the seeds moved to the greenhouse and the ponies out on a morning. Frost and laminitis aren't a good mix.