I have lost the os feeling..

Irishmummyof2

I have been doing really well up untill this week. On sunday everything was fine, i went shopping with my list, i made buns and biscuits and sausage rolls for snacks and lunches, menu planned but then got a cancellation for my driving test yesterday ( which i passed..lol), and everything went wrong from Monday.
We have ate out 4 times this week, omg, that is about £50+, for 2 adults and 2 kids but at the time i don't see it as that.

We aren't going on holiday anymore either but means i don't really have to save and we only have one more debt to pay £500 and we are cleared but i want to save but i love spending money.
God i sound like such an a**e

overlykeensaver

Hello - I don't think you sound like an a**e! Please don't be so down on yourself.

You passed your driving test - hooray! That is a real achievement! Four days of eating out isn't a big deal in the scheme of things and I expect the surprise driving test and passing it through you out of sync a bit.

What are you having for dinner tonight? Why not plan your meals for the next two or three nights - something home cooked but very easy - to get yourself feeling more in the mood.

Everyone has blips sometimes! And congrats on getting your debt down too.

lil_me

To be honest £50 for 4 meals out for 4 people doesn't sound too bad to me, last time we went out for dinner it was almost £30 for the 4 of us.

Getting back on track - I would probably leave the extra in the bank so didn't have it to spend on take aways. I only get them from what I have in grocery budget so spending on this reduces what I have left for shopping.

Sounds like you've been doing great and it's just a little blip, sure you'll have it sorted in no time See it as a celebration week for passing your test (well done by the way great feeling isn't it) and restart again.

Irishmummyof2

Tonight we are having Low fat steak sauages from the butchers( freezer) with potato and leek gratin.
Saturday night is mushroom strognaoff
Sunday- chicken and chips

I have all i need to make these, so no more eating out for me.

overlykeensaver

sounds lovely - how do you do your potato and leek gratin please?

angelavdavis

Well done for passing your driving test!!! Thats really great news - its life changing!!! :j :j

As far as OS goes, pick yourself up, dust yourself down AND START ALL OVER AGAIN tomorrow!!!!!

Its great your debts are almost cleared. Maybe you need another target to fulfill (holidays usually do the trick for me?). Plan a big holiday for next year - a week in Centerparcs or away somewhere warm - whatever your family enjoys.

newlywed

To quote Anne of Greengables Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it!!!

I'd be feeling fed up if holiday was cancelled and not want to bother saving money.

Why not set a small "treat" budget each month - that way you spend but it's limited?

belfastgirl23

Believe me we all have our off days or sometimes months

Try to think about things in the long term, sometimes it's easy to get bogged down in today, esp with OS MS, but look at the bigger picture, how much have you saved/not spent in your time here. I bet the last few days are just a little blip

And good luck with clambering back aboard the bandwagon. I have one foot firmly planted by now and am hauling myself up. Just as long as it doesn't drive past M&S I'll be okay

lil_me

belfastgirl23 wrote: »

Believe me we all have our off days or sometimes months

Couldn't agree more gets a bit embarrassing when the local food delivery place says 'Just the usual? See you in 30 minutes' without you saying more than 'Hello can I place an order please' :rotfl:

I'm also restarting a spending diary, did try a short time without one thinking I'd cracked it, then realised how much I had spent and had no idea where

cannylass_2

Well done on passing your driving test!!!
As others have said, you have had a bit of a blip-perfectly understandable as far as i can see. Just as long as you get back to OS as soon as possible, and you have, don't be so hard on yourself, everyone slips up!

Irishmummyof2

Thank you all so much, I suppose when i look over long term we have improved vastly. Just need to restart again and put it behind me.
Heres the recipe i use for the gratin

50g butter
300g leeks, sliced
3 cloves of gralic, crushed or grated
2 tsp thyme
1kg of potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/2 cm thick
350ml cream
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 180 Oc

fry the butter , leeks, garlic and thyme on a low heat untill soft.
PLace potatoes into a pot of boiling water and cook for 3 minutes and then drain.
Lightly butter a large dish and add a layer of overlapping potatoes, season, cover with the leeks and the all the juices, then add the final layer of potatoes and season again.
Pour over the cream and bake in the oven for 45-55 min, untill bubbly and golden.