YNAB...ing my way to freedom!

Sarahwithlove

I have the tefal easy fry it's more for if u want to do chips or wedges or fried chicken or something. Tbh i never use it and just do everything in oven instead. 

joedenise

I'm with @Sarahwithlove on this one.  I cook everything in the oven or on the hob.  Homemade oven chips are just as good as the frozen ones and a lot cheaper!

SuperFrank88

joedenise said:

I'm with @Sarahwithlove on this one.  I cook everything in the oven or on the hob.  Homemade oven chips are just as good as the frozen ones and a lot cheaper!

Yes I love homemade chips. Throw them in a bowl with some oil and toss in whatever spices/herbs I can reach

was thinking air fryer so that I could ditch the oil and still get them crispy. But I agree, I can see why it is a bit of a fad! I just need to be a bit more creative with my cooking instead of opting for the same meals all the time which gets really boring and sometimes ends up with us ordering out instead. Made a lasagne tonight and had with a side salad, it was so tasty. I enjoy cooking and I think I’m pretty decent so I just need to stop being lazy and get a proper meal plan going. Is there a YNAB for meal plans out there

joedenise

I use an oil spray rather than loads of oil, uses no more than about half a teaspoon that way.  Crisps are still crispy.

I also make hash browns in the oven in the same way - grate the potatoes, squeeze out in a tea towel and then mix with grated onions.  Put spoonfuls onto a baking sheet sprayed with oil, spray the hash browns and bake.  You might want to turn them over half way to crisp and brown them a bit.

Sarahwithlove

I agree I use spray oil as well now 

SuperFrank88

joedenise said:

I use an oil spray rather than loads of oil, uses no more than about half a teaspoon that way.  Crisps are still crispy.

I also make hash browns in the oven in the same way - grate the potatoes, squeeze out in a tea towel and then mix with grated onions.  Put spoonfuls onto a baking sheet sprayed with oil, spray the hash browns and bake.  You might want to turn them over half way to crisp and brown them a bit.

I bet the hash browns are very tasty and a nice change to chips. Will give them a go later with the rest of the lasagne Thank you.

SuperFrank88

Afternoon all,
A lazy day for me today as OH is working on track & trace all day. Popped out this morning to deliver a rice cooker that I sold on marketplace to someone local and also dropped off some books to a friend that I was not using anymore and did not want to throw out.

Gone through YNAB and given it a spring clean to start the year. All looking healthy. Also just received my quote to settle my car finance early. I will save £17 in interest, nothing major but I think I am going to go ahead with settling early because that way I will be £268 up going forward that can go straight into my EF or ISA.

Before we shutdown for Xmas my boss sat us all down and told us we were waiting for orders in the new year for new projects. That is still the case, so he has just text to say that he is going to use the furlough scheme for January until the new orders come in. Thankfully, there is some outstanding design work that needs doing to an existing machine which means that I will not be on furlough. We broke up on the 17th Dec so I have had a good break and am itching to get back into routine now. It also means that I will not lose £450 by dropping to 80% furlough which is great. It would have been fine if that was the case but thankfully I am now in a position that I could have coped with the drop in income.

Plans for the rest of the day are to go for a short walk when OH goes on break. Then catch up on some uni work.

joedenise

As you are saving £17 in interest why don't you add it to your Emergency Fund?  You would have had to pay the money out if you decided to carry on paying monthly.

Also, you're welcome to the recipes!  Another easy & cheap tip - tinned potatoes make great roasties and often work out cheaper than fresh potatoes!

SuperFrank88

joedenise said:

As you are saving £17 in interest why don't you add it to your Emergency Fund?  You would have had to pay the money out if you decided to carry on paying monthly.

Also, you're welcome to the recipes!  Another easy & cheap tip - tinned potatoes make great roasties and often work out cheaper than fresh potatoes!

Will definitely be sending the £17 to the EF. Love roasties!! Will try them this week. So much easier than peeling & par boiling too. Thanks

SuperFrank88

Have been playing about with YNAB today and have realised once my car is paid off tomorrow, if I give myself £100 per month 'fun money', which I think is ample, especially at the moment when everything is shut... I will be able to save/invest 50.55% of my income. That is with everything covered. Part of me is sooo excited about that, but the other half is asking am I being too frugal? It is a fine balance between living for today and planning for my future self. Would be interested to hear your thoughts on the whole save/live balance....