From debt to freedom...

MeandO

Glad DD1 is better now, hope you all recover speedily soon too.

Love the sound of the raspberry custard tart!

Honeysucklelou2

Slowly getting rid of the cough and cold bugs.

Payday was on Wednesday, so all usual direct debits went out yesterday. I've made a payment of £150 to my family so that is slowly coming down - £600 paid off since November.

Honeysucklelou2

Unfortunately I had somewhat of a spendy day yesterday:(. The youngest DD went to a birthday party which was about 15 miles away. I took the toddler and DDs 3 & 4 with me. The party were doing a sport activity and other parents were biding the time in the next door soft play place. I have to say I don't usually go to soft play so found it quite an assault on the senses and the budget! I ended up paying £10 for the toddler and DD4 to go and play while DD3 and I watched. By the time we'd had a coffee and the children had had food, I was cross with myself. Even DD3 sAid flaskand walk another time!

I've tried to keep the grocery budget as low as possible, so this week's menu is

Fri - spag Bol
Sat - fish portions and oven chips
Sun - roast chicken
Mon- chicken pie
Tues - macaroni cheese
Wed - children eat with ex
Thurs- tuna plait and jacket potatoes
Fri - DS's birthday

Honeysucklelou2

Next weekend looks to be a spendy one too as it is DS1's birthday. DD3 has been researching cake ideas on Pinterest to give us inspiration for a homemade cake!

I've spent a bit of time sorting through clothes and have put a bag aside for recycling and have a few items to photograph for eBay. That will probably be a half term job as this week is busy enough work wise.

Cherryfudge

Birthdays can be expensive! At least the soft play thing has been tried and found somewhat wanting so DD3 is unlikely to want a turn there. Must be tricky coping with kids for a couple of hours miles from home.

Honeysucklelou2

Busy week work wise. I'm looking forward to half term!

After the soft play visit, it was bliss to be able to get to the beach on Sunday afternoon. The beach was almost deserted and the tide out so the children and I thoroughly enjoyed our walk and stone/shell finding. Being outside for a walk is a delight and seems to sustain me for another week.

Direct debit went out on Tuesday, so another £25 off a debt which is good. The menu is holding well this week with the addition of stuffed peppers from DD3's cooking lesson at school. Unfortunately not made a NSD yet as each day something has cropped up e.g. Diesel, cookery ingredients, lunch money for DD2.

Drawingaline

Ingredients for school luckily didn't derail me this week, the girl made flapjacks and we had all the ingredients already and the boys was cancelled. But it is frustrating.

Honeysucklelou2

Menu went slightly awry tonight as DS1 decided he wanted pancakes for tea. I quite enjoy making pancakes, so we have demolished a stack of them between us. Thankfully all pancake ingredients were in the cupboards, so just toppings needed, the remainder of which will be used for pancake day next Tuesday.

Honeysucklelou2

I've enjoyed somewhat of a lazy day today. I have just pottered and simply enjoyed being with the children. We've managed a menu plan for the week and a trip to Tescos for the weekly shop. The menu us looking like:-

Sat - fish portions and oven chips
Sun - chicken cobbler
Mon- egg and bacon pie with potatoes and veg
Tues - pancakes
Wed - children eat with the ex
Thurs - spag Bol

I was reading Xpender's thread today, about using foods from the freezer and cupboards, and thought I'd go and look through the freezer to see what was there. I have a big upright freezer that was in the house when we moved in, I bought a small freezer to freeze excess fruit and veg from the allotment and the ex has a freezer that he bought a couple of years ago. As I was checking the big freezer,I noticed that the door on the ex's freezer was ajar and some foods had already started melting. Spent some time de icing the freezer so that the shelves fit well and had to getid of some frozen but now defrosted fish that was smelly quite unappetising. Not sure how it happened, whether one of the children had looked for something and not shut it correctly or whether the build up of ice had contributed to it being open?? All cleaned up now and as much salvaged as possible.

Cherryfudge

Freezers do seem to create a certain amount of work, don't they? I've had freezers die on me a cople of times over the years and it feels like such a waste of food.