I Will Be Free

crazy_cat_lady

Surely a bean chilli is in order with those ingredients?
Have you checked a Girl Called Jack? I love her recipes

itcouldbeworse

Ok a few ideas.


Red lentil and tinned tomato soup (I add garlic and chilli to mine to give it some kick).
Pumpkin risotto.
Pesto pasta with wild mushrooms.
Vegatable stir fry (use stir fry sauces) and rice.


Try this site for using up all your different lentils - http://www.simplebites.net/eat-well-spend-less-five-ways-with-lentils-curried-lentil-soup/


Hope this is helpful.x.

itcouldbeworse

Oh and the stem ginger in syrup is lovely chopped up and syrup drizzled on greek yoghurt.

IWillBeFree

crazy_cat_lady wrote: »

Surely a bean chilli is in order with those ingredients?
Have you checked a Girl Called Jack? I love her recipes

itcouldbeworse wrote: »

Ok a few ideas.


Red lentil and tinned tomato soup (I add garlic and chilli to mine to give it some kick).
Pumpkin risotto.
Pesto pasta with wild mushrooms.
Vegatable stir fry (use stir fry sauces) and rice.


Try this site for using up all your different lentils - http://www.simplebites.net/eat-well-spend-less-five-ways-with-lentils-curried-lentil-soup/


Hope this is helpful.x.

Thank you both! I used to be a really accomplished cook when the I was with the ex but since then, I lost my confidence and interest really - cooking for one isn't so much fun! Great ideas and I will certainly give them a go. May even post pictures of the results :rotfl:

IWillBeFree

Decided to have a play around with my 'spreadsheet of hope' - which is what my spreadsheet of debt is called

As things stand, my minimum repayments on the three remaining cards, the income from the garage rent and the lodger's rent total £958. As I have withdrawn from the pension scheme at work, I also have another £200 extra per month (this is taking into account the increase in NI and TAX :mad:). So, in total, £1158 will be going to the debt from September onwards. If I take the interest added into account, this means that roughly, £1,008 will de deducted from my total each month. Therefore, if all goes to plan, by Christmas I should be owing £25,058.

This was a helpful forecasting exercise as I had laid out my priorities to pay my friend (£2,000) and the Barclaycard (£7,855), abover other debts, and to reach below £25K by Christmas. I now realise this is not really a stretching target as if I just pay the minimum and the extra income, I will pretty much hit the £25K.

I need to be more radical, i.e sell more stuff and tighten my belt even more. I will think on what would be an appropriate target for Christmas and post again when I'm happy with it. Any ideas/suggestions/comments always welcome.

In other news, the dreaded PMT has hit me today and I am like a wounded animal - I want to kill anyone that comes near me and at the same time, I want to be cuddled and re-assured! Thank you mother nature..... I have warned the fella, who I am seeing later. I think he's suitably scared now :rotfl:

IWillBeFree

Another full on Monday bites the dust....


Obviously I really scared the fella off with my PMT growl as he cancelled our date tonight Don't blame him, I would cancel being with me this week, if I could.....


A high spend day, by comparison:

• £30 fuel
• £17.54 on groceries - used £4 voucher and got Nectar points £29.88 now - saving for Christmas
• £67.28 on toiletries and some much needed make up and used Boots points vouchers, points now £48.90 - saving for Christmas
• £2 on bananas and nectarines from the green grocers

All the above was within budget, with the exception of the toiletries and make up. I had budgeted £50 but saw some good value items like toothpaste, deodorant and pore strips so I got them too. YNAB adjusted from other categories to compensate.


Made some money today too I took the ex's iPad, iPod and some of his PS3 games to a shop that buys them (actually I took them to three and got the highest price ) and they gave me £93.50 for them. I rounded it to £95 and paid it off the Barclaycard


I am thinking of what else to take there.....let's see what else he's left here......ha ha ha


*in case anyone is reading this, he moved out in 2012 and has had ample opportunity to collect everything. I am just clearing out stuff now...

IWillBeFree

Quick update while I am munching on my lunch - a 40p chicken breast and lots of salad which I got last night

Sold more games today so another £15 thrown at the Barclaycard

Found an old laptop that doesn't seem to work. I will get it looked at and either repair it and sell it or sell it for parts.

Keeping an eye on Ebay for a couple of items I have to sell and depending on the price, I will list them.

Operation Declutter continues......

IWillBeFree

I cannot believe it is only Wednesday....it feels like this week has been dragging! The dreaded hormones are slowly sucking any positivity and sparkle out of me and I just want to go home and hide under the duvet. Obviously the hounds would have a thing to say about that so I had better stop daydreaming and get on with things....

The fella took me out last night for a very cheap and chearful dinner which he paid for, followed by a romantic walk by the sea. It was a great evening but he was very inquisitive about my recent change in spending behaviour. I think he was asking out of concern, rather than anything else, so I mentioned that I had gotten used to using my very large overdraft in the last couple of years and I am trying to un-learn this habit. He genuinely seemed surprised to hear that as he knows I earn a good salary and he said he hadn't noticed any extravagant purchases or holidays. I didn't really know what to say other than it kind of crept up on me and little things added up.

I had thought of sharing the extent of my debt issues with him before but now I know I cannot. He seemed so apalled (coming from a background of savers and being a saver/investor himself) and he even said he doesn't know how I sleep at night being in debt.....well I don't most nights, but that's a different story

It is hard not being able to talk to him about this stuff but, I really can't see how it would help to do so. Imagining how he would react if he knew the full extent....:eek::eek::eek:

Dave Ramsey talks about having a person that you share with, someone that you are accountable to, and I have chosen a friend to speak to as although this diary and the support on here is very helpful, I need a 'real' person that I can open up to and know they won't judge me. I hope so anyway.

So yesterday was a NSD for me. Today, I have paid £35 for the laptop I mentioned yesterday to be fixed. It is all working now and the guy that fixed it, said it could sell for approximately £400. Not sure whether I should sell it as my own laptop is slowly dying. I will think on that as it would be false economy to get rid of it and then having to get another. I will get mine looked at soon and then decide.

Paid £146 off the Barclaycard today, which is the final payment I will make to it this month. I have saved some money for re-mortgage fees, which is due next month. If I don't use that, it will go to the debt too.

Off to update the signature.....and give myself a good talking to

peaceandfreedom

Hopefully those pesky hormones will get back to normal - just keep telling yourself that this is a temporary low.

It's interesting about your fella. It's hard to share debt problems with people - I certainly don't tell anyone about mine (other than people here on MSE who I don't actually know, obvs ). I find it embarrassing I suppose - I know I've been very foolish, I am sorting it out, I don't feel the need to publicise it.

People know we're not exactly flush and I am quite open about saying 'we can't afford to do x,y,z' but I don't mention the debts except an occasional vague 'still have a credit card I'm paying off'.

I would say that a lot of people are doing likewise, including plenty who haven't yet had their LBM and are still living from paycheque to paycheque with large debts to service. I am now, finally, living within my means and so are you :T.

I think you are wise to keep quiet about it for now, though I don't imagine it would scare him off. Keep on testing the water a little bit and see how it goes. It's good you have a friend to confide in too.

That must be some laptop to be worth 400 quid second hand - is it made of 9-carat gold ?

dawnybabes

Wow, you're doing fab :-). Subscribes x