2017 - moving life forwards

coastalchick

been very MSE today and not left house!!! Have tidied, hoovered and dusted upstairs and will do downstairs shortly. Completed a tax return. Instead of going to WR and getting a £4 salad, got some bread out of freezer and had beans and bbq sauce on toast! So so far, spent nothing.

We are now not going out tonight but getting a take out. That will be around £22/2. So much for frugal month. But it's friday. That said, B now wants to go out tomorrow night instead! So 2 expensive nights really.

Need to do a shopping list and we need things like loo roll, kitchen roll, dishwasher tabs, ketchup. All of which add to the bill.

coastalchick

Gah. So last night got petrol £20. Though we did need it and one less job to do today.

Spent £11.50 in WR. B wanted a pudding so got the huge thing of profiteroles which was £3.59 instead of the 2 small pots at £1.81! Got coke and diet coke cans (16 for £6 so not too bad I suppose), cleaning sponges and floor cleaner. Both of which we would have needed on big shop today anyway.

Then around £21 on take out (B went in so not sure exactly how much) and got 2 pizzas and a salad for that (they are amazing pizzas though). We only ate 1 between us so the other is in fridge and will have for lunch - better than usual as B normally eats all of his and I eat half of mine.

And bought a mop and bucket as I want to clean the floors today. Not sure how much that was as B paid whilst I was on toilet but will come out of house account anyway.

All above is divided by 2 as I only pay half. So £26.25 spent so far.

Today might be an expensive shop. Weather is poo so think we will batch cook quite a few things though need to do a list. Plus we need loo roll and dishwasher tablets, which all obviously add to the bill.

Been awake since bloody 520 - couldn't sleep!!!

coastalchick

So we spent a massive £124 on food. £62 each. It was massive as B has got a new Rick Stein book, the Mexico one, and wants to make about 3 dishes from that tonight which called for loads of ingredients! I am also going to batch cook a big pot of Ragu tomorrow and then freeze it so we can use it in a few meals. So got meat from butchers and that costs. Making body coach chicken pie next week also and that called for 4 chicken breasts but from memory, we will probs only need 2 and so can freeze 2.

We are now not going out tonight and had we gone out, including taxi, it would probably have been somewhere between £60-80 so sort of saving! But food is our major expense. When we were applying for the mortgage for this house bank asked how much we spend per month on food. I think we said about £400 but reckon it could be more. Also naughtily got amazing chocolate flapjacks and maltesers!!!!

We are having a lazy afternoon - log burner is lit and heating is on. Watching Mindhunter on Netflix. Need some things from b**ts but just cannot be bothered to go into town. Could do with some new work jeans/black trousers/boots too but again, just cannot be bothered.

coastalchick

B cooked his mexican feast and used every pan in the house (literally), 3 dishwasher loads later and we have about 3 portions of mac n' cheese left in freezer. Sunday we had to get out of house but B has man flu. Went out for lunch £33/2 and wasn't really that good. Then we went for coffee and cake overlooking the sea - £14/2. Had pizza from stores for tea that night.

Yesterday I did the chicken pie but only used 2 chicken breasts so 2 in freezer for another day. Kept a portion left over which B had for his lunch today as he is off sick. Also cooked the ragu last night. Froze a massive amount we can use for maybe a cottage pie and will have rest for tea tonight so only got to heat that and some pasta up and grate cheese.

Yesterday spent £1.65 on a sandwich as B was ill and off sick so forgot to make me one. Plus 4 curly wurlys for £1 from pound shop for work. Today I took in a ham, cheese and pickle sandwich from home. Spent on posting tax return, card for friend and stamp for card.

Spent £5.70/2 on way home on milk x2, a carrot cake (for bake off tonight) and some crisps to cheer B up (5 packs for 93p of his faves so he can have some to munch on tomorrow if he's still ill).

Had to pay 21 for friend's 30th birthday present - we've got her a tiffany necklace between a few of us. Though no-one bothered for my birthday this year! Still, it is a 30th.

Tomorrow have lunch with an old colleague but should be a cheapie. Fingers crossed.

coastalchick

Lunch with friend was really nice. We split down the middle even though she had more (my insistence) and so it was £14. Was lovely to catch up and we've put a date in diary for an xmas lunch. She was my old roommate at work until she left in Jan. Really miss her as we just clicked (only met mid may 2016) but we have had a lot of similar life experiences!

Dinner from stores tonight. Making use of the leftover new potatoes we had and B is roasting those in a bit of salt and olive oil, beer battered cod and a pack of veg.

Last day of work for me for the week tomorrow. Can't wait. But can't have a restful weekend. Have lunch out with my maid of honour on friday. Not seen each other since before the MC. She had offered to come round but I didn't want to see anyone much. Then we went away and she bought a house, then she went away so not seen each other in ages! Looking forward to that. She is one of those women I get on really well with (I do have trouble forming female friendships) as she is more like a bloke (like I am).

Then we might go for dinner me and B friday night if he's better (he's off work sick). Sat pm we have his nephew (4.5 years) so taking him to crazy golf then for a milkshake/cake/ice cream etc. Then Sun B has the flying lesson I got a voucher for for his birthday. So I will go up with him. Think it's about £25 for me to go up too. He loves planes so should be a great day!

System

Aw what a lovely gift, we got my Dad a flying lesson once and he absolutely loved it... Hopefully B takes to it and you guys have a nice smooth flight!

Lovely to hear you get to catch up with your Maid of Honor. My MOH (when the time comes) sounds quite similar, we can both be quite blokey and neither of us have time for melodrama or nightmares, we are what we are and we call it like we see it - she's the best!

Dinner with B sounds nice, hope he's feeling better soon... If it helps there is a really nasty virus going round that knocked 4 people off work in my office this week!

coastalchick

Thanks Sauce. He's done a few lessons. Think he would like to re-train as a pilot if ever we had the money. We're now pushing it to next sun as he's still not well! So no dinner out for us tonight! I will cook him something nice but not sure what yet.

Yesterday took lunch from stores then had salmon, oven chips and veg for tea. Spent £4.61/2 on way home on more crisps for B, oven chips and a strawberry and white chocolate cake(!), part of which we had for dessert.

Will go and see my MOH at lunch but we are not boozing as she has to pick up a van later on as they are massively renovating. But lunch by the sea is always good. I'll then try to get cat food for cat and something to cook for tea. Decorator should be coming round today to quote for re-painting kitchen. Not changing the colours, just needs freshening up as marks on walls and looks quite grubby!!!! He did the outside of our old house and is really good.

coastalchick

One thing I have noticed: the popularity of home baking is increasing due to shows like GBBO. Home baking used to be a poor person's hobby as it was relatively cheap to bake a cake. Now, it's cheaper to bloody buy one! Which is very frustrating!!!!

System

Yep! My Mum made catering quantities of cake when I was growing up as our family business is a tea rooms... It reached a point where she was actually spending more making them at home (to wholesale proportions in a huge catering style oven in our kitchen) than she was purchasing them pre-made. She's made a switchover now to home-making them again though as they sell for more now as it's a novelty for cakes to be homemade in an establishment!

coastalchick

Yeah, I do think you can charge a premium for home made if you are doing it for a business as it's become very fashionable!!

Lunch with MOH was fab. Hadn't seen her since MC but just so easy to chat to her. We had a good old catch up. Lunch was £17. Seeing her again Monday night as my group of friends have a meeting we have to go to for our profession so have decided to grab food and drinks afterwards.

Went to shop making roast duck with citrus and carrots, new pots and veg for tonight. Came out £46/2 lighter but mainly as got a nice bottle of gin and 2 packs of cans of tonic. Plus chocolate and some prawn crackers! And a quiche for lunch tomorrow!! Also got a pack of halloween choc lollies for B's niece and nephew tomorrow. We are taking the nephew out for afternoon but not the niece as she is lovely but can't cope with the 2 of them as she is a total diva!!! So we have chocolate to distract her from when she says "me come"!!!!