**Insert witty diary title here**

Seasidegal58

If it fits in with your morning or if you can record it, Jack Monroe is co-hosting Daily Kitchen Live on BBC1 each morning last week and this week. Some really good cheap meat free recipes on here! The episodes are on iPlayer too. 

moving_forward

Thats great @Seasidegal58 thanks

Naomim

moving_forward said:

Oh dear @Naomim,
Ive come back on expecting to have a lovely long post about gardening and skills (lack of I doubt).
My "skills" are mainly self-taught.  I remember parents being gardening mad when I was younger but it didn,t interest me. I got into more and more as soon as I had a garden and the bug bit!  Unfortuately the skills bit takes time and in my case alot of wasted money in previous gardens!!  Still I now have a lovely little patch to share with Mr M_F and we are enjoying making it our own.

It was long the lines of how jealous I was of people who can garden.  Up until now I have never had the time. Working full time, running a house, looking after the kids etc.  I have ideas then nothing happens! lol.  Last year we bought four large pots for our back garden but then had no money to actually put any plants in! I bought a hydrangea that died after a couple of weeks. I'm sure the neighbours were amused.   I'm going to give it a bit more of a go... more to follow in my diary

Naomim x

moving_forward

Wow diary you are way way neglected!  
Week off from work has resulted in huge spends (Combination Microwave and Carpet Cleaner) but the house and garden are looking fab U lous and the Moving_Forward household are very much relaxed.  We have had a great week if rather spendy.
We werent planning on a holiday this year anyway but being confined to the house has really done us the world of good.  We think we are going to have "lock in" holidays in future.  We usually spend our week off's running around and trying to fit in too much but this week has shown us the benefits of just doing things at a slower pace.

Sun_Addict

Glad you had a productive week off work. I've also been off work this week and spent loads on house stuff. We should've been in Lanzarote this week so some of the money we would've spent was used to purchase things we'd been putting off buying. Just as well you weren't planning on a holiday this year, at least you won't be disappointed. I've got Ibiza booked for August but it will be a miracle if it goes ahead. There's plenty needs doing in the house/garden though if it doesn't.

moving_forward

Yes we are lucky to have not being hoping to go away somewhere.  To be honest its taught us a valuable lesson that our weeks off are precious and need to be just for us.  We only take two full weeks a year usually, one in Spring and one in Autumn but usually spend them trying to fit in everything and please everybody!.
If we were away we couldn't do it all so in future our weeks off work will be spent as if we are away.
Hope your August holiday goes according to plan.
We saw our purchases as that it was money we would have spent going away or on meals out.  In fact we are probably quids in on what we would usually spend - ignoring the fact we would have probably put it all on a credit card anyway.

Naomim

moving_forward said:

Yes we are lucky to have not being hoping to go away somewhere.  To be honest its taught us a valuable lesson that our weeks off are precious and need to be just for us.  We only take two full weeks a year usually, one in Spring and one in Autumn but usually spend them trying to fit in everything and please everybody!.
If we were away we couldn't do it all so in future our weeks off work will be spent as if we are away.
Hope your August holiday goes according to plan.
We saw our purchases as that it was money we would have spent going away or on meals out.  In fact we are probably quids in on what we would usually spend - ignoring the fact we would have probably put it all on a credit card anyway.

I agree, mentioned to MrM last night I was glad we hadn't had anything booked - not that we're in any position financially to book one anyway! Sounds like you had a lovely break just being home and enjoying each others company.  I'm sure there's many people that have or are learning to slow down and enjoy life at a more leisurely pace because of lockdown.  If you'd have asked me to stay home all weekend 8 weeks ago, I'd have laughed and felt like I was being cooped up. Now I'm enjoying the pace  even if it does mean my kids are on gadgets all hours 🙄

moving_forward

Get them kids Gardening Naomin!

moving_forward

**pokes head round door, tiptoes in gently before the folks see me coming in late**
Hello diary land - I've been a bad bad diary owner and an even worse mse'r.  Money has been flying out the M_F household faster than the user name sounds!.
In good news I have resisted buying sewing machine cabinet (think mega bucks here for a horn). But, have spent on further not exactly essential items; but in my brain they very much justified themselves.
Tonight we have bitten the bullet and gone back to Mr Aldee for booze and some other items. We haven't kept a separate log on alcohol spends and other treats but the "we work hard, we deserve expensive stuff" blar blar blar *insert excuse of your choice here** has got to STOP that's S T O P yes capitals yes I'm shouting (it's the only way I will hear myself).
I accept that with the current situation housekeeping spends will be higher but that doesn't mean its a free for all on spending XXX over budget.  
I think its starting to kick in that this horrid virus is gonna be around longer than we initially thought and life as we know it ain't going back anytime soon (even if steps are in place to start the ball rolling -Love you BO JO xxx).
For years Martin of MSE fame and Dave of Ramsey Land have been telling us to put by for when it rains but nooooo that didn't mean the M_F household. We didn't have to listen too hard as something would always come up but its raining, its raining hard for some peeps - flooding for some others and even though we can still poke our heads out as its just showers we need to get this debt gone before we are in the position to be trading the car in for a dingy.
We have gone back to the old mentality of put it on the credit card - we can pay it off at the end of the month but that's just left us in the same old position of allowing it to build up too much to be able to pay it off in one month let alone pay it off and leave enough in the budget to get through the next month.
Cards are now gonna be left at home cut up (if I can get the guts to do it) and again action on paying it off before the zero percent runs out needs happening. Luckily the damage isn't too bad and won't take too long to correct but that will take money away from the original debt free goal and means the clamping down needs to happen for longer.  I need to stop listening to M_F    and pay more attention to M_F   

Naomim

I think the spending is a twofold reaction.  As we are unable to go out and shop we still feel that we need to purchase something and Amazon is oh so easy a the touch of a button.  Also, and this is certainly true for me, I am working from home and have surplus money due to no commuting costs and lunches, coffee's, meals out so I feel like I have "spare" cash.   It's good that you have recognised that you're spending more than you want and can reign it in quickly.  

When I think back to my Mum's old singer sewing machine, it had a beautiful wooden case with a pattern inlaid.  With the benefit of hindsight I'd have kept so much more or been rich!

Naomim