levi: la vida loca

maddiemay

good morning Levi, I have read your diaries since the beginning, but not felt that I had anything extra to contribute to all the great support that you receive, but just wanted to add to those great soup ideas.

If you make that lovely soup suggested by Edwink, borrow a handful or two of lentils from Lilty to add to it, if you then serve it with some chunky bread or some toast fingers I think that this would provide a meal with "complete proteins", which would give you both a really nutritional meal. (Vegetable proteins need a grain to make them complete I think). As adults it is fairly easy to feed ourselves frugally, but having to get all the necessary nutrients for little ones can be more challenging. I think that I have got this right, but if not I am sure one of your lovely friends will be along to advise.

Have a great day and good luck with sorting that charge and the new bank account:)

Levi-

Hey maddiemay, thanks for your message

And hey MeandO! missed ya

News update: Haven't made it to Mr L yet BUT quite an interesting development with Natwest. I felt all Lilty-brave and made the call - within minutes they had refunded the £12 charge and assured me it won't go on my credit file :j

Annnnnnnnnd then. The (very nice) woman I was speaking to asked me about the situation and then said she had a few suggestions, and transferred me to the "Here To Help" or whatever department and a very nice guy who ran through the current outstanding situations I have with Natwest (overdraft, loan, credit card) and the ways they could help me consolidate these or at the very least, bring things down to a more manageable interest rate. I had to get off the phone because I needed to gather paperwork and such so have left it that he will call me back at about 5pm to go through affordability checks with a view to lumping everything I owe to Natwest into one payment - which would be AMAZING... and would save me heaps on interest and also make it more manageable for on a "keeping it simple" level. Also he assured me that affordability checks will all be soft-searched so no problem for credit file and that he is almost sure there is something better they can do for me if not the full consolidation. I'm so excited and so glad I called :j So I'll let you know later the outcome, hope it's going to be great.

(I said I had written in about it before but they said they couldn't do anything - seems that phoning was much more productive)

Right now I really muuuust go shopping because before I know it I will have to go and get the monkey from school and I still have a load of things I have to do around the flat including unpacking and loads of washing... not much of a day off but at least I feel like I'm doing worthwhile things x

MeandO

Awesome news Levi!:j

Let us know how you get on later, things are starting to look up eh?

:D:D


xx

edwink

maddiemay wrote: »

just wanted to add to those great soup ideas. If you make that lovely soup suggested by Edwink, borrow a handful or two of lentils from Lilty to add to it, if you then serve it with some chunky bread or some toast fingers I think that this would provide a meal with "complete proteins", which would give you both a really nutritional meal. (Vegetable proteins need a grain to make them complete I think). As adults it is fairly easy to feed ourselves frugally, but having to get all the necessary nutrients for little ones can be more challenging. I think that I have got this right, but if not I am sure one of your lovely friends will be along to advise.

Hi Maddiemay


That's a great idea regarding the lentils to be added to the soup but not essential. The recipe I gave Levi is a very cheap soup with lots of healthy vegetables, not that lentils are not healthy and cheap. As LL has a breakfast at school and packed lunch which will contain everything he needs I felt it would not be a problem diet wise to have just the vegetables in the soup especially as it is for his supper not long before going to bed. Also Levi has mentioned that he has put on some weight lately so the soup is a good low fat low calorie supper in that respect.


Some bread as you suggest is a good idea too. I did not suggest it as the soup has potatoes in it and I was thinking of Levis expanding waistline. :rotfl: Maybe LL could have bread without Levi noticing!!


I am sure Maddiemay that between us we can get Levi to loose those extra pounds he has gained lately!!


Edwink x

busiscoming2

Brilliant about the Natwest Levi. Worth that phone call eh?

Levi-

:rotfl: thanks Edwink for being considerate of my fat-b*stardness! Have to say, my compulsive eating phase seems to have fizzled out and my weight is going down again.. I think I'm about 4lbs down from when I first had my horrific wake up call that day but I'm definitely not eating as much so its going to be happening naturally. I've stopped snacking and laying off the booze at home (not that I'm an alchie but the wine really isn't necessary for my pocket or my waist) and I'm only eating a normal sized dinner, rarely with dessert and water to drink. Days like today I was busy and didn't even think of lunch. LL has breakfast club so only needs breakfast here at weekends so I keep a bit of cereal in. He sometimes likes it as a snack too.

So...I went to Lidl but it was packed to decided to go to Aldi instead which was a slightly less traumatic (usually the other way around). I go all light headed in shops and start to make bad decisions hence below. I blame the lighting.

Didn't manage my mission of £35.. came to £46 and didn't include any toiletries (don't need them at the mo) or dog food... AND I still managed to forget things But won't be going back to any shops until next week so it will *have* to do. I tried to meal plan first as best as I could and some of the batches I make will be frozen into more than one meal and leftovers used regularly for lunches for us both.
Checked everything just now on MySupermarket and everything I bought was around £10 or just over cheaper than everywhere else.



43 items: £45.92
Fruit & Vegetables

1x The Salad Box Cocktail Vine Tomatoes (250g) 99p
1x Farm Fresh British White Potatoes (2.5Kg) £1.59
1x Wood Farm British Carrots (1Kg) 49p was 55p
1x Wood Farm Whole Green Beans (220g) 75p was 79p
1x Wood Farm Sugarsnap Peas (150g) 75p was 79p
1x Wood Farm British Baking Potatoes (2.5Kg) £1.89
1x The Salad Box British Iceberg Lettuce 39p was 45p
1x Nature's Fruit Funsize Pears (8) 95p was 99p
1x Nature's Fruit Royal Gala Apples (Approx 7) 99p was £1.29
1x Wood Farm Onions (1Kg) 59p was 65p
1x A Hint of... Mixed Chillies (80g) 39p was 49p
Ready Meals
1x Bilash Plain Naan Breads (2) 49p
1x Tasty Indian Chicken Korma and Rice (450g) £1.49 was £1.69
Dairy & Eggs
1x Moo Milk Chocolate Flavoured Milk (1L) 89p
1x Brooklea Natural Greek Style Yogurt (500g) 65p was 75p
1x Cowbelle British Semi Skimmed Milk - 4 Pints (2.27L) 89p was 95p
1x Merevale Medium Free Range British Eggs (15) £2.19 was £2.29
1x Cowbelle British Whole Milk (1.14L) 75p was 79p
1x Cowbelle Cheese Triangles - Light (8 per pack - 200g) 59p was 69p
1x Brooklea Kids Tube It Fromage Frais Assortment - Strawberry Apricot & Raspberry (9x40g) 89p was £1.19
Bakery
2x Mission Wheat & White Deli Wraps (8) 2 FOR £2.00
1x Everyday Essentials Medium Sliced Wholemeal Bread (800g) 40p
Packets & Cereals
1x Cucina Spaghetti (500g) 45p was 49p
1x Make in Minutes Pasta & Sauce - Macaroni & Cheese (115g) 39p was 45p
1x Harvest Morn Honey Hoops (375g) 85p was 99p
1x Delicious Desserts Sugar Free Jelly Crystals Orange Flavour (11.5g) 23p was 29p
1x Bilash Easy Cook Long Grain Rice (1Kg) 89p was 99p
1x Cucina Fusilli (500g) 45p was 49p
Frozen
1x Everyday Essentials Chicken Breast Fillets (1Kg) £3.95
1x Carlos American Style Deep Pan Three Cheese Pizza (400g) 79p was 89p
1x Carlos Stonebaked Pizza - Grilled Vegetable (405g) 79p was 89p
1x Everyday Essentials Oven Chips - 3 Way Cook (1.5Kg) 75p
Tins, Jars & Cooking
2x Sweet Harvest Chopped Tomatoes in Tomato Juice (400g) 62p was 34p
1x Sweet Valley Mandarin Segments in Light Syrup (312g) 44p was 46p
2x Soupreme Cream of Tomato Soup (400g) 78p was 42p
2x Ocean Rise Tuna Chunks in Sunflower Oil (185g) £1.38 was 89p
2x Soupreme Cream of Chicken Soup (400g) 78p was 42p
1x Quixo Vegetable Stock Cubes (12x10g) 39p
Snacks & Sweets
1x Dairyfine Giant Milk Chocolate Buttons (175g) 99p
Drinks
1x Rio D'Oro 100% Orange Juice with Juicy Bits - Not from Concentrate (1L) 99p
1x Alcafe French Blend Roast & Ground Coffee (227g) £1.89
1x Sun Quench Fruity Shots Orange - No Added Sugar (6x250ml) £1.25 was £1.29
Meat, Fish & Poultry
1x Everyday Essentials Minced Beef - 23% Fat (750g) £2.59
1x Ashfield Farm British Chicken Breast Fillets (300g) £2.49 was £2.69

Don't worry btw, I won't post my whole list every time I just need to get to grips with this budgeting lark and improve on it.. and I had time today to do an 'in person' shop and mess around with MySupermarket which is usually not an option. At least LL will have a packed lunch tomorrow - I had to send him in today with a note asking if he could have school dinner because we had been away and I hadn't time to make it... (aka, his daddy is a broke idiot!) We're having tuna pasta tonight.

Going outside with L to wash the car as its very sunny and it will keep him awake.. then do the dinner and take my Natwest call.
Sorry for epic-ness of this entry.
Also managed to make a Dr apt for Weds morning regarding this heart palpitation thing (by pure fluke someone had cancelled - otherwise the next apt was on 13th!)
bbfn.... Levi... x

edwink

Fantastic Levi!! What a great grocery shopping buy!!


I could not pick anything out that I thought was unnecessary. And ORANGE JELLY too for LL. Get that bit Levi FOR LL???? repeat after me - FOR LL, FOR LL, FOR LL!!


I am sure you will be able to make plenty of meals out of that lot!! So many good ingredients you have bought.


Hold on a minute!! I just had a sneak back at your list. WHERE ARE THE VEGETABLES FOR YOUR SOUP??????? I saw the stock cubes, carrots, onions and the potatoes. But, no leeks or swede!! How are you going to make my lovely soup now???? Tut!! Tut!! Tut!!


Hope you have a good week and that your phone call at 5pm goes well. Only half an hour to go for that!!


All the best Levi I wish you well!!


Edwink x (x one for LL)

Levi-

You won't believe me Edwink but I couldn't find them in the shop. I'm such a bloke doing the shopping and can't see the wood for the trees rather often. As an exception to me not buying anything else, I will be picking those up from the market on Thursday, honestly, as I need to get a few more potatoes, the ones I got are a hot mess. I will make a batch of soup in time for the weekend.

edwink

Levi- wrote: »

You won't believe me Edwink but I couldn't find them in the shop. I'm such a bloke doing the shopping and can't see the wood for the trees rather often. As an exception to me not buying anything else, I will be picking those up from the market on Thursday, honestly, as I need to get a few more potatoes, the ones I got are a hot mess. I will make a batch of soup in time for the weekend.

Hi Levi


I will checking on you at the end of the week. If you can't get them at the market maybe you could get a bag of those ready chopped ones. Al*I have them for 99p for the one with the leeks in, quite a big bag too!!. Also they have a casserole mix which has carrots and swede or something similar in ready sliced I think is 89p. Although a little more expensive to buy that way still makes a good healthy soup for YOUR WAISTLINE!! Without bread for you because of YOUR WAISTLINE!!!


Market veg is often seasonal type veg so you might be able to get some other winter type veg to go in the soup. Once you have made that one I can send you some others if you like. I have a lovely carrot and coriander soup recipe you might like to make. Or as mentioned earlier by Maddiemay lentils are good for a soups too!! How about spiced lentil soup I have a recipe for that too!! So many recipes to choose from Levi, you are being spoilt. I bought a soup bible years ago and it has some really fantastic recipes in it so that's where I get all my recipes from!!!


Edwink x

Willowpop

Hiya Levi,
That looks like pretty good list to me.
I can only spot one quick saving off the top of my head-- do you need special baking potatoes? I tend to bag a bag of normal spuds that I can see has a few biggies in there which I use as baking spuds. It's a teeny saving, but it all adds up.