Earthgirl's Final Battle

earthgirl

So busy at the moment. As well as getting back to work and the kids back to school, I am also completing a productivity challenge month which has been brilliant and I'm getting very clean, tidy and organised.

I've cleaned the house to a basic level, next week I'll start the deep clean of different areas.

I've scanned a lot of old paperwork and stored in evernote. I'm trying to make most of my old paper folders fit into apps so that I can get things done.

I've noticed a few things that I can improve - mindless eating is one of them! When ever I go back to work there are always so many cakes etc around so I need to keep an eye on that. I'm still on with my challenge to lose a stone, and I've got 7lbs to lose so half way there!

To do:

Look at all bank accounts (check interest and close/open as appropriate)
Ditto kids bank accounts
Garden - TIDY veg patch and flower beds
Clean and hoover car.

earthgirl

A great few days.

Getting really organised and feeling like I might finally be getting ahead of myself slightly.

I have made up a 3 week meal plan, and a master shopping list by area of the shop (dairy, frozen etc) which lists the things I need each wekk, and then a week by week breakdown of what I need to buy for each week under that. The idea is I pick 'week 3' and shop from home first of all, going through the cupbaords and crossing off what I have, or crossing out meals I don't need if we are out etc.

On the other side of this I have the 3 week meal plan, and a few marinade/rub recipes for the chick and fish. This helps as I can see what I'm actually planning to have and a breakdown of the ingredients. Its an A4 list on both sides but is proving to be really helpful already.

Its a move away from the slow cooker, maybe one or two sc meals per week, towards having 2x fish dishes with a marinade/healthy sauce veg and potatos, one chicken the same, and a pasta/ chilli type meal which I can have courgetti (make my own) or quinoa if I'm trying to make it lighter than the orinignal pasta. Plus an egg meal and a roast / stew on Sunday. It takes the same amount of time to prep, and I can even prep a lot on Sunday and freeze (this is my meal prep day anyway for lunches, snacks etc as the kids are always busy playing and I get a couple of hours to myself).

During the day everyone is having healthy lunches, boiled egg, wrap, fruit and some fruit and nuts for afternoon snack. I'm just going with when my body wants to eat and having slightly more substantial snacks and a smaller main meal - almost a snack portion at night, as I'm always hungry during the day.

Its working really well except that I felt my shopping bill was higher this week - Up to £60. I have to buy packed lunch things for ds1 now - this has come to about £5 extra on the shopping list. Hoping to reduce this slightly by refilling the little fruit sh00t type bottles that I have to send in. Also have 2 weeks worth of fish - so about £4.50 is next weeks fish.

Looking through the list, I can see that I can save money on the following:
tomatos now getting a little bit expensive again - more substitution with other salad items
grow winter lettuce
grapes remain expensive - substitute with seasonal fruit?
Price check greek/icelandic yogurt in aldi etc
Price check olive oil (2.99 in lidl)
Chicken breast are £5 which does 1 family meal plus my lunches. Straight sawp for a small whole chicken and butcher (£2.09) not as easy. Price checkwith butchers etc.

Even though it might be slightly more expensive, I'm really happy with the healthy low prep meals.

In income news I've finished my last early morning teaching session today. I earnt £1,000 doing this, but I need my mornings back at weekends and the time change in October would mean I have to get up at 5.30 rather than 6.30.

I have also started with a new tutee - £25 in on Friday although she doesn't need many lessons it still a good reminder that is so much easier to earn extra cash this way, over teaching online.

My regular tutee is returning in October, so It'd be great to have this new tutee until then.

beanielou

Grapes are extortinate.
Good news on new tutee.

greent

Aldi's Greek yogurt is yummy - can't remember the price but way cheaper than Fag3.

earthgirl

Any ideas on the price of aldee greekyogurt ? I'll have to call in.

Awful day, news of a devastating death very close to me (althoughnot my family or friends) and it just shakes you up. Can't sleep very bad dreams.

It should make me focus on what is important in life, but it seems To be me worry about the little things more! Maybe it's my brain distracting me?

Oh spent £240 on new kitchen table and chairs as our badly needed replaced. I checked out the second hand outlets and couldn't get anything like the size we needed, and this was a great buy, perfect for our kitchen. I'm hoping it doesn't get scratched it seems to do it quite easily, so I r put mats down.

I also bought a side table second hand. (£15) and some nice storage boxes (£12 total) to tidy up our hats gloves etc in porch. It looks much better now after living with cardboard boxes on the floor for 5years!

Also bought a box of tissues (always seem to need to blow noses going out of and into house) and a reed diffuser (£1) which smells so nice. These things feel like a total treat after years of not spending, but it's amazing how much a £30 makeover to a room can make! Oh is going to paint the porch and kitchen at some point this winter.

A little bit worried about ds1s football team, he was offered a place at another and turned it down because he has friends at the one he is going to. The Coaches are very relaxed and whilst he enjoys it he's not making much progress with knowledge and skills , But he is enjoying it and I suppose that's more important aged 8!
Solution: don't worry about it, consider mentioning it to the coaches in the future and see if he should go on the extra coaching sessions they advertised.

CathT

Hi earthie, saw the time of your lost then read your sad news. Even if it's not a loved one it still hits us hard. Be kind to yourself, you do so much and have a lot going on at the moment.

@ldi f@je type yoghurt is £1.25 for a 500g pot. We go through loads as it's high in protein for me.
Re: football, my daughter plays for a grassroots team, progressed to playing for the northeast of our country and has now qualified for the whole of the north who play against really good teams (junior premier league sides). Guess what, she now doesn't want to do it. I was surprised she wanted to turn down this opportunity but she said she's happiest just playing for the local team, again who happen to be all her friends.

apple_muncher

Oh earthie, sending you hugs. Hope you managed some decent sleep.

(We buy aldee greek stye for 65 or 68p for 500g.)

beanielou

Sorry to read your news.
Take care.

themadvix

Thinking of you! I know what you mean about then worrying about the little things more though, perhaps it is distraction.

Glad your small spend has improved your living space!

earthgirl

Thanks I think it's been in the local press etc now but a colleagues partner committed suicide, followed a few days later by another suicide in the school I work in. Just devastating for all involved.

I've been throwing myself into being as productive as possible as them I have more time at home with my children and they have s more relaxed mummy as things are under control (well that's the theory!)

I've upped my game with the cleaning rota, now doing more in a week as I think I can with laser focus.

Plan is:

Monday bathrooms
Tuesday surfaces
Wednesday hoover
Thursday mop (weekly shop when ds1at football training)
Friday glass or declutter an area
Saturday change beds and put stuff back in its place (normally not a big job)
Sunday washing away, batch cook.

I feel it'll work better with the physical things at the start of the week and the more organisational tasks at the end of the week.

Also loving my new meal plans and having 3 weeks in advance with a weekly shopping list that I can cross off as I "shop from home" before I go to supermarket is a revelation for me! Why didn't I think of this before!

I've been working out and doing yoga every day and setting my alarm, so I'm getting exercise and cleaning done before the kids get up which just suits me better. The nights are going to get too dark for me to walk when the kids are in bed soon so I'll have to rethink that...lunchtimes maybe?

Still to do:
Finalise the nightmare that is my banking system!
Finish weeding strawberry patch and kids garden (they did a bit of this last week)