A Ditherer's Diary (again)

moving_forward

Update - got to end of page 2, 2017 was not a good year for you was it! Hope things have being better going forward.

Naomim

moving_forward said:

Glad I don't work for an american company! Id spend it all lol
Regarding your Grocery Shopping thats amazing £425 for a family of 4.  Its our first join in on the Grocery challenge so I've set what I want to spend.  I have a hoover husband, I work his portions out by literally doubling what a normal person would eat. Yes as you would expect hes the perfect weight and I'm the fatty lol. 
How do you do the link for the diary in your sig please? I tried but it wouldn't allow me to rename the hyperlink like I can in excel and it didn't work after all!

For me it's all about the meal planning.  I meticulously plan what we're having every week and order more or less what we need, alongside the regular bits of milk, bread etc. To be fair, we've eaten better when I've planned a meal and there's been more variety.  I suspect most of 14 year old's pocket money goes on food 

Unfortunately I don't know how to add the link in the signature. This was on my profile on the old website and came across! 

Naomim

moving_forward

Managed to get up to end of page 8 in my lunch hour - being a quick reader helps   Will continue to catch up later or tomorrow.
I meal plan but am a bug ger at deciding I don't want whats planned/left over and suggesting a takeaway or something nicer to Mr M_F who obviously jumps at the chance.  This is why I've joined the grocery challenge and put the plan up there.  I'm hoping it will shame me to sticking to the plan!

Naomim

I'll head over and have a look, ready to join in the challenge    My week runs from Weds - Tues as I work from home that day and can have it delivered at a reasonable hour.   My lot would also jump at the chance to have a takeaway but unless it's really cheap and cheerful, it's not happening.   Another good thing I find about the meal plan, is that I can swap  the days around if I don't fancy what it is or am too tired to make it. 

Naomim

Thank you.  I see you have the grocery challenge in your signature. I do it but just never "actively" join in on the thread.  I allocate £425 a month to shopping. 4 of us including a teenage human hoover with hollow legs.  My Tesco delivery is being made today, last of this month and left me with £8.81 which I'm about to sweep onto a credit card as an over-payment.  

Well, I tried to sweep the money to my Barclaycard but it kept failing , work internet is a bit of a mare.  Got home and 14yo asked if he could go to the shop and get maple syrup to go with the pancakes he was making so gave him my card. He got home, I  asked him how much he spent, said he didn't know. Logged onto my Monzo and he'd spent £7.25  so that's my £8.81 almost wiped out.  Not happy with him.

In good news, had the bonus news and a 3% pay increase. I've tried to do a salary calculator but I'm not sure if I've got it right as I tried to do MrM's last time he got a pay-rise and was then disappointed when he actually got paid as I was expecting more.  I've not updated my bank account forecast sheet for now until I actually see what's going on.

Naomim x

GeorgianaCavendish

Congratulations on the bonus and pay rise! 

moving_forward

Currently got up to page 26 last night    You certainly have been through the mill. Give yourself some credit for not letting it all go to pot. Your doing well (well up to page 26 at least lol lol)
Your meal plan on the Grocery challenge looks lovely. I'm sure I've read in your diary some sort of fancy sauce for pork?  I may have to skim through to find the name then I can nudge you for the recipe!

Naomim

moving_forward said:

Currently got up to page 26 last night    You certainly have been through the mill. Give yourself some credit for not letting it all go to pot. Your doing well (well up to page 26 at least lol lol)
Your meal plan on the Grocery challenge looks lovely. I'm sure I've read in your diary some sort of fancy sauce for pork?  I may have to skim through to find the name then I can nudge you for the recipe!

I just had to have a quick skim of my own diary to see where you were! lol.  It's been hard slog and obviously we are in a far worse place than when I originally joined MSE 10 years ago which I'm sure isn't the way it's meant to happen 

I think the sauce you are talking about is a Milanese sauce. I coat the pork in breadcrumbs and cook then pour the sauce over.  The recipe I use is https://www.netmums.com/recipes/pork-escalope-milanese  MrM doesn't really like pork either but it's nice for an occasional change.  I often use a website for recipes and ideas, allrecipesuk  and of course the MSE Grocery challenge has lots of recipes too.

In MSE news, I have paid an extra £38.25 to the Barclaycard debt.  I budgeted £550 for this months payments and the minimums came in at £511.75 so I've paid that and I have £12.72 this month from Prolific to cash out. It's a little lower this month as I've been very busy at work and kept forgetting to have it open on my desktop.

Naomim

moving_forward

Naomim said:

I think the sauce you are talking about is a Milanese sauce. I coat the pork in breadcrumbs and cook then pour the sauce over.  The recipe I use is https://www.netmums.com/recipes/pork-escalope-milanese  MrM doesn't really like pork either but it's nice for an occasional change.  I often use a website for recipes and ideas, allrecipesuk  and of course the MSE Grocery challenge has lots of recipes too.

Great thanks, thats the one! Mr M_F used to love the pork escalopes from aldi so great idea to add to the meal plans.

moving_forward

All caught up.. phew! That was an epic read of what you have had thrown at you over the past few years.  Sounds like kids are growing up nicely and you are definitely getting a handle on things. (14 year old should have his spends deducted from his pocket money less the agreed maple syrup in my book but won't preach!) 
We are also in a worse position than we should be but are also better than we could be if you see what I mean.  Maybe we can egg each other on to actually get on top of the debt mountain for once and for all.
We don't have Monzo just YNAB but I have virtual pots on that and have used my bonus to start filling them up (well the ones due in the next month or two at least).  Unplanned spends are our downfall and Grocery hence starting small and joining the March thread.  Even little things like sticking to the meal plan 4 days in a row are motivating me so on-wards and up-wards!