Nst; fearless february

mothernerd

I forgot to comment on Shyspender's soup spreadsheet. I am not going to criticise as I found myself lying awake in bed a couple of night's ago wondering whether the time had come to have a proper stock control system for food, complete with minimum, maximum and optimum stock levels and all incoming and outgoing stock logged. eg often buy 10 or 12 tins of tomatoes at a time as I use them in most things I cook and if I am buying tins it usually means getting a taxi home so need enough bargains to justify cost of taxi and don't want to be buying tinned toms every week.

Used to be cat litter (5 sacks would cover a couple of months and each one would be a separate trip if carrying home in the rucksack so time spent on not doing those trips could be used for meal preparation to save more money). Adding bulky items (toilet rolls) and heavy (tins stock up) would usually be enough to use a voucher which more than covered the cost of the taxi. We are obsessed aren't we?

Any way since my major shops were on November 8th and December 20th, I have been wondering if it is possible to get to the stage where I do a 6 week or even a 3 monthly 'basics' shop. Then have to calculate whether to have it delivered or go in person - going leads to temptation but also gathering enough YS meat, veg etc to cover taxi fare.

Think I need another lie down. I've answered another perennial MSE question this morning.When do you turn the central heating on? When you are sat by the computer, with a blanket wrapped around your legs for extra warmth and you can see your breath coming out in plumes. Nice weather for the last couple of days means the last lot of washing isn't dry as heating hasn't been on,so catching up a little.

See you later turtles.

Bobarella

Hi All
A quick check in as on my phone. This week has been so busy with one thing and another. Today was the dentist and a trip to Aldi plus all the usual.
I have stalled on my SFD count after a brilliant start. It's been things like each yesterday my son's bike got a puncture which cost £30 all in to fix. Today the dentist and shopping.
So I haven't managed to claim any since the first 4. But it isn't as bad as all that because I'm on budget in all my areas so I'm not too concerned. Hopefully there will be a few more.

Loveadove -that must be hard for your OH to get used to. The shock of having enough to having to monitor every penny is hard.

Mothernerd & Cupcake - I can't imagine how angry you must feel when you know people are gambling away your life. But in your case Cupcake it sounds like OH has moved on in a good way now.

Stewby -what a pain about your boiler cost. I think you have the right attitude though. It does feel a little snakes and ladders at times doesn't it this debt free game.

Lilt -sounds like you made a good choice on the holiday. Could you possibly apply for one passport per month for you and Jelly to spread the cost before you do go away? I think we paid £44 to renew mini bobs at Xmas.

Bob

[Deleted User]

Hi turtles! Well done Applemuncher on your badge Feeling a bit bleugh today..but shouldn't be! Just been away on a leadership course, lovely hotel, free food for a couple of days.

Learned a lot, but I suspect I'm mainly feeling bleugh as I've had a bit of insight into how much similarly skilled people in different sectors are earning. I'm not sure any of the other 'leaders' on the course have to hold down a second job in order to eat! I am not sure if work expected a outcome to be that I need quite desperately to get another job!

Have decided to splurge on a bar of chocolate (first in a long time) and a early night with a iplayer programme. Hope to be feeling brighter tomorrow! Yesterday was a SFD and an exercise day. Today will only be a spend day of the choc bar. Am also going to treat myself by putting the heating on for a hour or so before bed.

Tomorrow have a grand ambition to cycle to work. Watch this space!

Things I am grateful for:
Inspirational people on the course; that work thought enough of me to send me in the first place; that it is payday in 48hrs and I can clear my credit card; that I have a house and can turn the heating on (briefly); that I sold a ebay item; that I havent totally blown my food budget, so chocolate can be bought.

thriftylass

bobarella how did you manage to spend £30 to fix a bike puncture?

Hubby's flu is getting better too now and he even offered to cook tea tonight. I decided not to buy bread and a HM loaf is rising at the minute. OH asked me to fix one of his favourite jumpers (well he's only got about 3, lol). So I got some leather elbow patches and will put them on tonight. Might also finish crocheting a big basket for my colleagues for her soon due baby.

Hugs to everybody with unexpected spends, boiler issues etc. I totally agree with the snakes and ladders analogy. So true

Till later

WelshKitty85

Good evening everyone!

Thanks for all the kind wishes. Back is a bit better today, still not right, but getting better. I know I am lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the country. Mothernerd I'm ashamed to say I haven't done that train journey yet, but it is on my to do list.

I'm sort of half joking about reclaiming the tuition fees but part of me also thinks they aren't giving me what I paid for. I think from now on I will stay in uni though if lectures are cancelled and just get research done in the library.

I've been working today and took lunch with me. Stuck to meal plans and fruit and veg intake.

I'm still feeling rather angry over a conversation I had with a 'customer' who came in to complain about a homeless person who was sleeping on the street. He wanted me to report it to the police to have them moved on, which I refused to do, but I had to let him use the phone to call them himself. He was soooo rude and complained that it ruined his shopping trip! How can some people be so heartless?

It has been a spend day as DH needed fuel. Tomorrow will be a spend day too as I will also need fuel. I will be going back to my voluntary job tomorrow.

Today I am grateful for:
Having a warm(ish) bed to sleep in at night
Food in my belly
Family

mothernerd

cupcake queen good luck with the house cleaning,wish you could come and do mine. I show people round with an accompaniment of apologies - I did 4 hours cleaning the day before my op and do what I can now but anything below knee height still causes problems and sweeping up with a dustpan and brush is particularly difficult, heading towards impossible (can do bird dips but staying down especially with nothing to hold onto is hard).

stewby joining finances sounds very exciting.

Calling 14 so envious of you living there. Last time I was dreaming (let myself sometimes) I saw a house on the Ffestiniog railway for a good price but you had to be an enthusiast - it was the terminus and they wanted someone who knew how to work the thing for turning the trains round (well I would have been prepared to learn).

crazylady2009 chocolate always helps (and it's good to know your worth even if it isn't fully recognised where you are).

Fairly laid back day for me. All the bread and cooked sausages and individual wraps are away in the freezer. Bin is back in the yard (so called I had to use my inhaler). Gradually whittling away at excess patterns etc - threw away 90 bits of paper on Saturday and another few bits gone since, filling a bag for the 'crafty' charity shop,some patterns, threads, going to weed out some pieces of fabric.

Hoping to do another purge on excess possessions soon, just eying things up for now.Thought through a couple of problems,identified solutions but there are things I can't do yet. Think the bath will have to wait again, have had a try today (on dry land) but my knees need to get more bendy so will work on that.

Today I am grateful for central heating for creativity and for thinking things through.

apple_muncher

Lilt - so the holiday costs about the same as a macbook thingy, eh? At least you didn't have to choose between them!!


Today I am grateful for buses that run from near home right to the hospital, for the consultant and nurse being lovely to dd, for breakdance push ups, for hot water, for just 1 more working day until half term.

shyspender

I'll have you all know that the results of my spreadsheet are that for just five slow cookers of soup I can feed myself for eight five day weeks! I'm not going to make five slow cookers all at once obviously, will just keep 'topping up the spares'. I am a little bit addicted to this soup and with the ground flax/pumpkin/sesame and goji berry stuff it is even yummier.

SFD again today, which takes me to 9. Not planning on spending until the Saturday. OH is coming up and we are going to look at sofas, the last bit of furniture I need to really feel like we have a new home. We are also going to the cinema on Saturday evening, it was cinema or dinner. Cinema won, we may get a takeaway though depends how tired we are. OH will pay for that though, she likes to spoil me.

Got a busyish weekend, shopping on the Saturday. Also looking for some day to day cutlery and place mats. All my new furniture is wood and I am a little paranoid about watermarks and heat for it. The cutlery, well, i managed to break a knife cutting my jacket potato the other night, I like them crispy, and my dad split the handle of one when he had a jacket potato. Then Sunday is catching up with the bestie and family, Monday is runs to the tip to get rid of all the furniture boxes. We have to try and fit lots in when the OH visits. My close circle of friends always want to see her, which is lovely, just means we always seem to have some kind of plans going on.

I'm also going to do a bit of work on March. I have a few ideas already, I just want to make sure I have it all sorted for the first, I know it is only just the beginning of Feb, but I feel there is a lot to live up to judging by the amazing months we have had since our Lovely Leader set off oh her travels.

Fmess

Evening all

Spendy day as expected - top up food shop to last for another week and a half (except bread and milk) and parking for eye appointment.

Treated myself to half a day snuggled in bed this morning �� It was lovely, wishing I could do the same again this holiday but need to be productive

Fruit and veg challenge is going particularly badly. Today I had veg with my dinner and that was it. Knew it would be difficult as I don't eat much if it normally but it really highlights just how little I do eat.

speakingofart

Morning everyone! Another SFD yesterday, so up to 4. Tomorrow won't be as it's payday so will be buying flights for a trip in may and sorting my budget out, paying bills etc, but hoping for more over the weekend. Very much looking forward to a day off tomorrow and the chance to write my essay over the weekend, as well as hopefully have a good clean round and sort some wardrobe shelves out. Happy thursday

Pre payday balance £3/ £13.22
Groceries 13th Feb - 15th March £0/£100
Fuel 13th feb - 15th March £0/£60
Lunch to work 7/20
Lunchtime exercise 8/20
SFDs 4/15