Put away your purse & become debt-averse

Onebrokelady

Surely Rhubarb gin counts as one of your five a day :rotfl:

foxgloves

Lol, OBL. Yes, I'd say it definitely does!
F

foxgloves

Whoa........I am reigning in today's whirlwind of activity now, as I'm ready for a cup of tea & a sit-down. Oh, I haven't even said 'Hello'. Hello Diary Readers. Hope everyone is off to a good start on this grey Monday. Back in the Spendy Years, I'd still got my January credit card bill to look forward to.....at the same time as realising I'd stupidly fallen into the December pay-trap YET AGAIN!! Thank goodness those are both now in the past.
Well, I got up early this morning & it was one of those days where everywhere I looked, I could see a job which needed doing. I didn't bother with a list. I've just devoted my day to getting back to normal. Mr F went back to work first thing, so it has felt like business as usual. And I'm pleased with what I've achieved today. I've done 2 loads of laundry, rubber ham hock duties (enough for two further day's meals plus soup), made golden lentil & ham soup in the slow cooker, froze leftover ham stock, re-filled our little snack boxes with dried fruit, made tomorrow's packed lunch, mixed up a sourdough loaf, dismantled our door wreath for the compost bin (have saved a sprig of lovely variegated holly so as to be able to sow the berries), packed away a few other festive items - mainly table linens, had a bath & hair wash, diluted the last bit of shampoo (which doesn't seem to have affected its efficacy at all), fed the garden birds, defrosted food for tonight's 'use-it-up' jacket potato night, read our energy meters & uploaded readings & emailed company about incorrect info showing on their records, updated budgets & shifted various sums around to keep different pots straight, tidied up, started a magazine bag to declutter a few things off to my friend, did my German practice, packed away all salvaged Christmas wrappings, bows & ribbons, turned Christmas cards into gift tags & shopping list pad, cut out pretty little advent calendar pictures & prepped other materials (from my craft stash - no spending) for making more gift tags as soon as I can scrounge some decent glue from Mr F, swept kitchen floor and dealt with everything in my stair basket, including all the filing.
I also resumed my healthy eating today, which meant trying on my chosen goal garment first thing.
Oh, My. Days!! What a big fat nacker! There is very definitely much more of me than there was back in the summer, as I could just about wear that tunic top then. It's a denim one, very straight & very unforgiving, as there is no stretch to it whatsoever. It is, however, extremely good at identifying extra rolls of winter podge both front & back. And the Foxgloves boobs are up to their old tricks again. I could only just about lever them into it! Feel very positive about being back on the healthy eating plan & getting a bit fitter, anyway.
Anyway, I shall away & light the fire & a few candles.
Take care all,
F x

1LuckyLady

You're sounding so much brighter today Foxgloves
I, on the other hand have been awake since just after 2am and am shattered but... like you've I've had a really productive day at home which has definitely helped my mood

On a side note.. I don't think I've ever had ham hock... off to google it now!

crazy_cat_lady

So pleased that you're feeling better now - you make me exhausted just reading everything that you've been up to today. Good luck with the healthy eating. I know you can do it.

Blackcats

I echo CCL - I'm worn out just reading your achievements.

foxgloves

1LL - Ham hocks are a very cheap joint.... the hock of the pig & I suspect people generally don't bother about them because you can't neatly slice the meat off, like you can if you buy gammon. For this reason, I expect, they are very cheap. Our local butcher charges £2 each for them & sometimes has them on a 3 for £5 deal, which I think is a fantastic price. They need to go in a slow cooker for best results. I boil it up on the hob just briefly then rinse well to get a bit of the salt out, as you do with hams, then I just bung it in the slow cooker with half an onion, a couple of peppercorns & a bayleaf. Eight hours later, it's ready. I take it out, remove the rind & fat (there is a lot but it is easily removable) & pull the ham into chunks. We like it with home made parsley sauce, roast potatoes & veg. The leftovers are great for pasta bakes, sandwiches, pizza toppings, omlettes, etc. It is very tasty meat. I also like it shredded on top of a jacket potato with sweetcorn. I've also made a recipe where the hock is slow cooked with beans, black treacle, etc, but I prefer just to cook it as a piece of meat in its own right as I can take all the fat off it before using.
Hope this is helpful anyway.
F x

foxgloves

Thanks all, I definitely do have more energy than last week. My throat still isn't back to normal & I'm still coughing, but I know coughs can often linger. Hopefully it will have gone by this time next week.
Yes, I have had a productive day, but I haven't had to go out to work like many of us, so have had more time to tackle all the stuff on the home front.
F x

Lemon_Tree

Hi, spotted you mentioning working on your house elsewhere so thought I'd nosey over, we're shortly starting an extension. Sorry you've been suffering from the lurgy, I had it for a good 3-4 weeks pre Christmas and it was a nightmare. Hope yours is gone soon. I love shopping from home though with all the mad decluttering done 2 years ago when we moved the home shop is a lot emptier. At least now I have the time to list things to declutter and get a bit of money.

Onebrokelady

I was listening to the radio today and they had a competition where you could win £2000 the DJ was saying how that would come in handy for paying off the post Christmas credit card bill and I felt really smug knowing I won't be getting one ever again

Glad your feeling a bit more energetic today too 😊x