Getting my Old Style mojo back

Caterina

Ilona, I love your blog! I follow it and get it in my emails regularly. Always amused by your little dog in the buggy, really sweet!

I did stop posting in my old thread because I felt it had become a bit of a chore (not the only reason, I had also had a brush with trolls on another MSE thread and on FB and was fed up of social media). I love popping in and out, no longer a regular but not a stranger either.

There is always so much to learn here and I feel it is nice to contribute if possible too.

amandaatnumber7

Hi Caterina :hello:
Sorry to hear that you've had a bad time of it, glad that its turning around.
Maybe we can keep posting on this thread, a new start, no expectations, just a friendly face so to speak.

maman, absolutely, I think I'll start by doing a stock take and then a meal plan

meamarie I'm sure we can do it together

Tink_04 like Ilona said let us know were you need help and we can throw some suggestions your way

maman

amandaatnumber7 wrote: »

maman, absolutely, I think I'll start by doing a stock take and then a meal plan

Yes, a stock take is a great place to start. I keep an inventory of my freezers (nothing fancy just a list divided into fish/meat/HM ready meals/vegetables/other) and cross things off as I use them and add any new buys. When it gets messy I just write it out again.


Then each week I 'shop' from my freezer and cupboards when I do my meal plan so that I only buy essential ingredients, mostly fruit, veg and basics. I do make exceptions for YS items or good offers on things that freeze/non-perishables. I find that saves me money in the long run as I rarely buy meat full price.


Then we all get days when we CBA to cook or haven't the time. That's where a bit of batch cooking of HM ready meals comes in. It's good to have at least one ready meal on the meal plan as if plans change you can reorder meals and it can stay in the freezer for another day.


Do keep posting, you'll soon get back in the swing.:)

Ilona

Hi. I fully approve of stocktaking your own cupboards and freezer, I do it regularly. I recently ran out of 15p Value rice pudding so I got a dozen cans while I was in there on Sunday. It's a lot easier for me to keep track, as a single person I only have me to think about. Feeding a family with different likes and dislikes needs more discipline to keep on top of the job. About two or three times a year I eat everything I have in my fridge/freezer, give it a good clean out and start again.

Thank you for that comment Caterina, nice name, I hope my blog is helpful to people.

I tend to drift away from long threads that go way off topic. When the posts bear no resemblance to the title, that's when I start losing interest. I have been picked on by trolls, one particularly nasty one on my blog, their identity was known to me. It's hard to deal with at times, but you have to rise above it, ignore and carry on.

So lets stick with getting the OS mojo back, I will try my hardest not to fall off the wagon. My goal is to save money on my day to day living expenses, so I have enough for days out, holidays, a nice car, and my pets. Today I need to trim the hedges in my garden, all done with hand shears so no electricity used, just muscle power. It's a painstakingly long job, but it doesn't cost anything.
Enjoy your day.
Ilona

Caterina

Hello all,

Great idea, just post as and when, no obligations. I can live with that!

Today is a down day for me after many very busy weeks recently. Yesterday I had a small op, removal of a lump from my lip, and they had to give me quite a lot of local anaesthetic because there were some minor complications which required more time. I am convinced that even if it is local, the anaesthetic goes into the rest of the system because not only I slept like a log, unusual for me, but I am still feeling a bit floppy.

It is raining, great excuse for staying in!

With regard to frugality, at the moment it is difficult for me to implement any reduction programme as my mum is here with me and she likes "the best of the best". As she is 83 and I want her to have a good time (and avoid conflict) I am indulging her, so if she wants to eat lots of cherries and peaches I will just buy her the best I can.

Mum leaves at the end of August and then I will have all the opportunities in the world to reduce my expenses. Also, mum wants to contribute and, much as I cannot bring myself to "charge" her for food, we have a loose agreement that at the end of her stay she will give me some Euros that she hasn't needed to change.

As this Sepetmber is our Silver Wedding anniversary, DH and I are treating ourselves to a nice fortnight in a bungalow near Barcelona, the Euros will come really handy!

I found good prices for travel and excellent price for the accommodation, and because the bungalow has a kitchenette I will have all the opportunities for a relatively frugal holiday.

Big treat for us, because since we have the twins we have never had a whole 2 weeks to ourselves. It has always been either with the kids, or visiting my family in Italy, or a short break. We have been promising ourselves 2 weeks at the seaside, doing very little other than chill out, for ages! Our proper wedding anniversary was spent in Corfu with 15 month old breastfed twins LOL not a recipe for romance.

This autumn and winter will also be the first time that it's going to be the two of us alone, as both children are now independent adults, so we are going to implement a frugality plan.

DH will be able to retire in early 2016 if he chooses, but I know that he wants to see the project he is working on to completion, in 2018, so he might stay on. However we have decided that after our return from holidays, from October, we will live with the same income as if he was retired, and save any surplus, to make the real retirement that bit more comfortable.

Also, I am going to do what I haven't been able to do so far because of continuous expenses, household, family etc. I am going to start a proper holiday savings fund so that next year I don't have to touch our life savings to have a break, but will have a dedicated fund. Watch this space!

Ilona

Some great long and short term plans there, Caterina, it's good to have a mix, keeps the mind focused. Saving for holidays is a good idea. I don't have separate savings accounts, my money just accumulates in my one bank account if I don't spend it.

I don't blame you for treating your mum well, at that age I believe people should have an easier life when they have lived that long. I encourage my elderly uncle to spend his money now, have whatever he wants.

Catch you later.
Ilona

moments_of_sanity

Hi All, I too used to read and post more than I have done lately.

I am just so tired of always having to watch what I spend, cost out meals etc that I have let things slip a bit lately. My food budget is difficult to stick to as well as I have 2 DD's who 'forget' to add things to the shopping list so I find myself popping out for the odd item and spending more than I should! :mad:

Today we are having HM lasagne which I shall pad out with onions, grated carrots and a red pepper. DD2 (18yr old) is vegetarian so she caters for herself, today she has cooked rice, lentils, sweet potato in paprika and made a home made chilli base for it all, I am sure if I cost it out it probably cost more than the meal I will make for 3 of us later but at least she is eating healthily and doing her own cooking.......shame the same can't be said for the washing up! :rotfl:

Ilona, I too read your page every day and love hearing all about the things you do and places you visit.

meanmarie

OH is in for some interesting meals while I empty the freezer....I will eat anything rather than spend money at present, so today we are having stew for dinner, leftovers will go in freezer for me another day.

Caterina....give my regards to your mother, we are unlikely to get to Sardinia this year....enjoy your "honeymoon" in Spain.

Marie

amandaatnumber7

Morning everyone,
Well I havent done my stock take or meal plan yet I've been too unwell, feeling a little better this morning so I might get it done while DS2 is at kindy and DS3 is napping.
Food is our biggest expense, I have several food intolerances I need to buy for plus I'm feeding a teenage boy lol
But I do need to go back to baking more instead of buying muesli bars and biscuits for treats and get a stockpile of dinners in the freezer for when I can't be bothered as this is when we buy takeaways

I'm pretty good with other aspects, I always take drinks and snacks when we go out and I can't remember the last time I bought clothes/shoes at full price.

We had a great supply of cherry tomatoes from our garden which the children love, but like hubby said last night the veg garden is looking rather neglected atm, its a combination of it being winter here and him still adjusting to being on his own with the boys on the weekend and working around nap times to get things done, something I think us mums just do.

I was thinking last night about my motivation to stay frugal, at the start of the year it wasn't a choice we just had to make do.
Like Caterina I also want to have a holiday account, we've booked booked a week away a new years down south in Busselton. Its a chalet so I'll be able to cook/prepare meals and save money there but we will still need extra (aside from petrol and the cost of the chalet) for entry into things like the lighthouse in Dunsborough and the animal parks hardly anything is free these days.

Anyway I better get off and start my day, have a lovely day everyone

Caterina

Hi all,

Meanmarie thank you, I will pass your greetings to mum. She is likely to be travelling a lot as my brother has moved to the Dominican Republic with his family and my sister to Mexico.

MOS good to see you back, the old crowd gathering back together!

Amandaatnumber7 I hope you feel better soon!

Still spending like Billio for food here, but I have come to terms with it, actually probably in "normal" terms (e.g. Non MSE/OS) my spend is not massive, but because of my mum's love for good quality fruit and other foodstuff, I am buying in marksandsparks and w8rose, so not really cheap! Also I am so used to using up every sticky and yellowing bit of veg, but my mum cannot chew hard stuff, so I have to only cook the stuff she can have.

Really, we can afford it, especially for short term, and I really want her to have the best, except she is so used to the best in Italy because fresh, ripe fantastic fruit and veg are so readily available in the markets in Italy, for very little money, that she takes it for granted here. I want her to be happy and will have to bite the bullet for the next few weeks about a bit more spend in the grocery department.

DH too, like Meanmarie's, will have some surprises in September, as I am planning to shop from cupboards and freezer, with a little help from the allotment! All will balance in the end.