From debt to freedom...

Honeysucklelou2

Another busy week at work has flown by. This week saw DD2 attend her prom. She did look beautiful and am glad everything went OK. We got the dress and shoes sorted. At the last minute the ex offered to pay half of her half of the transport cost so that was a relief. He doesn't pay maintenance so anything he does contribute towards is a bonus.

Today is pay day. All direct debits are due out on Monday. July has the annual buildings insurance premium to pay, which I had remembered and budgeted for. Got to sort out 2 of the children's birthdays this month so will start thinking of frugal celebrations.

Cherryfudge

Glad you got the Prom sorted - and that your ex helped towards it! DD kept her Prom dress and managed to get another wear out of it and I think she also leant it to a friend so on a wear-by-wear basis it's been quite cost-efficient.

Honeysucklelou2

I think her older sister has her eye on the dress for a Young Farmers social, so hoping it will be cost effective!:D The benefits of having girls of the same size:rotfl:

Honeysucklelou2

It's been much better weather here than the last few days so I've managed to get about 4 loads of washing done and out on the line and completely dried. Such a relief!
I have menu planned and done a shop at Te3cos. We have eaten such odd combinations of things for the last 2 or 3 weeks to keep costs as low as possible but I've started to feel a bit uneasy about it or rather I feel I need to strike a balance between eating as cheaply as possible but still making sure our overall diet is balanced and healthy, if that makes sense. I found an old cook book from years ago and looked through and found a couple of interesting recipes for fish, so have decided to try those. The recipes I've used previously from this book have all been well received and make up some of our favourite dishes but those are more winter casserole type dishes whereas the recipes I checked today are better for summer.

Checked on the allotment this morning and found that the beans are climbing the bamboo canes nicely. The calendulas are all in flower �� as are the cornflowers. The courgettes are sulking somewhat. I've sown some lettuce seeds, beetroot ( after the munching molluscs ate the last sowing) extra cornflowers and sweet corn today. I'm a bit late with the sweetcorn but am hoping I can get some crops if we have a warm autumn. The blackcurrant bushes look loaded with fruit which will hopefully crop by the end of next month.

Honeysucklelou2

The beginning of the month yesterday prompted me to set myself another goal. My fitness level is terrible and I need to do something about it. My friends who visited last month go running and I've been interested to read how many diary writers go running. I feel as if I need to build up, so have decided to try and plan in walks every day. I have an older dog who tends to come to the allotment with me and runs free there while I'm watering and I run him in the fields nearby but I feel that I need to factor in walk times too. Last week I asked the ex for my bike. He has had it locked for months, in a shed for which I didn't have a key. Thankfully I've got it back. It has a child seat on so am hoping that on my next day off I can take the toddler for a bike ride. My DS2 loves cycling and has often asked if we can go for a ride, so hopefully I can do this with him.

Last night was a 20 minute circular walk around the edges of the village.

Made a summer fruit custard tart last night and all set to make lasagne tonight with salad and garlic bread. I have the ingredients in for lemon drizzle cakes and chocolate muffins so start these in a jiffy!

Chandelier.

You sound so prepared and organised Honeysuckle!

I'm glad your daughter had a good time at her prom and even luckier that your eldest can possibly borrow it due to being same sizes.

I totally get where your coming from re improving fitness levels. I have a gym membership but haven't been in a while due to being busy and no motivation. I think July is the month to get my fitness levels back up and I think like you say I may start taking daily walks to improve this.

Have a nice Sunday. Lasagne sounds lovely.

Cherryfudge

I've just completed the Couch to 5K app, which really surprised me as I've been last in every race all my life and jogging always made my breathing painful. I can recommend C25K though. It build fitness and makes sure you get rest days which has helped me massively and I now run for pleasure. There is a thread for it on the Sports & fitness board here.

Cycling is awesome for getting fit and money saving at the same time - I hope you enjoy your family rides!

Honeysucklelou2

My friends came down at the end of May and mentioned an app which must be the same one. I know it had the word "couch" in it! I'll have to go and look up the Sports thread. Last night was the 20 minute circular walk. The dog looked a bit surprised as it was dusk when we set out and we did do more of a route March than usual to get back before dark! I've been a bit more organised tonight and done a figure of 8 shaped walk to a nearby hamlet and back. I carried the toddler so it was a bit harder but he loved seeing the animals in the fields.

The direct debits went out today...only 1 more payment left on the loan.

Cherryfudge

That's a splendid start - especially with a toddler on board!

Only one more loan payment! Brilliant . I bet you're really looking forward to drawing a line under that.

Edit: the thread I found is here and includes a link to the app: I appear near the end of the thread having not been around for most of it, but it's been good to compare notes and cheer each other on!

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you for the links Cherryfudge and thanks for dropping by Chandelier :wave:

I managed a NSD on Monday. But have had a couple of spendy days since. Yesterday I had to take DD1 to her college to pick up her work.Its about an hour's journey. Close by there is a range shop. I find it quite overwhelming with the huge amount of stuff and choice! Yesterday was quite productive as I found 2 activity things for work, a storage box for DD1 and some furniture paint. We have in the garden, wooden freestanding shelving. I think the ex left it there after a garage clearance he did months ago. I thought tnT if we sanded it down and gave it a coat of paint, it would make a bookcase for DD1's room, as she has stacks of books needing a place to be kept. So £12 went on paint to smarten up the shelving,

My DS1 starts work experience next week for a fortnight. I said to have a true understanding of working life, it would be a good idea if he cooked a meal one night to be able to appreciate combining work with taking care of oneself.I set him a budget to spend on ingredients to feed us all. The girls were then interested so it's become the teenagers food challenge for next week! I've told them that hat they need to communicate with each other so that we don't end up with egg on toast for 4 nights! I'll be interested to see where it leads!!!