Missy’s family of 4, paying off debts, saving for a house and just trying to survive!

joedenise

You can use the SC for loads of things!  I make curries, stews, chilli, pulled pork.  Plenty of recipes online or get a book from your local library - our local one is closed but the one in the next town is open for Click & Collect.  Hopefully you'll have one open near you.

Sorry to hear the phone is going already with work problems but at least you've had a nice break.

Toni'sfriend

Absolutely, jodenise. I keep a supply of jars or herbs and spices, stock cubes, tinned kidney/white beans/chick peas, tinned tomatoes (all from Aldi or Lidl, nothing fancy) and you can, honestly, make a meal cheaply out of practically nothing. I haven't been quite so successful with roasting in it but I suspect that's more my fault than the equipment. Best bit of kitchen equipment ever. Wish I had started using one years ago.

joedenise

You can't do a proper roast in the SC @Toni'sfriend just a slow cooked roast - things like pulled pork, brisket; a whole chicken which just falls apart and you can get every scrap of meat off it but you just need to throw the skin away because it comes out completely inedible but the meat is the juiciest, most tender chicken you will every taste; which reminds me I haven't done a whole chicken for ages.  I can make a large chicken do about 5 meals for DH and I plus stock from the bones so really money saving too.  Could probably make more than that if you added beans to some of the meat to make a chicken & bean soup - probably get about 6 portions with a tin of beans, some bits of chicken, some veg & stock.

WinterWarrior

Oh, now I need to get my slow cooker out, you are all making me hungry! ⭐️

missymoo81

Loving the slow cooker talk, think I may try and make dhal in there tomorrow..... watch this space.

Had a crappy end of holiday. People have been cancelling memberships left right and centre for business, so many people wanting something for nothing, went to pick truck up and Satnav just went crazy and sent us an hour out of our way?! So actually took nearly 4 hours for a 2 hour journey didn’t pass the food place we were going to go to, so ended up surviving on 2 pieces of toast I ate at 0930 until
we finally managed to get food at 5pm!!!! Went to get the new truck and the guy thought we were getting it tomorrow!!!! Had to wait 2 hours for him to sort it! In this time insurance company called us back and said premium is going to go up £400 but have to pay monthly for which costs us 20%more on top!!!! OH is flipping his lid at this point. Then one of the £500 10 month old panniers lock has broken!!! Warranty is 6 months of course. OH had a major melt down. Got home and no key left by cat sitter so couldn’t get in..... more messages to say people have cancelled.... and have just remembered have the 0630 class in the morning!!!!!!

OH is not nice to be around right now, so unbelievabley negative. I’m sat in the spare room with the cats and he’s in the bedroom. But doors are open and I can still feel his negative mood passing through the door!!!!!!!!!! Arrrghhhh honestly! Feel more stressed than before we went away!

WinterWarrior

Oh no! So sorry it’s been such a bad day. I sit in another room when melt downs are a happening...the pets all gravitate to ‘the safe room’ here too! Can I suggest a good book and a nice glass of wine. 

missymoo81

Thanks Suzanne. I’m consoling myself by sorting money in my notebook as haven’t had time to tackle YNAB yet.

My emergency fund has dwindled massively...... it was sat at £900 earlier in the week but having had to buy so many things for work And going away this weekend etc, it is now sitting at £300.... Of which I think I’m going to have to pay £200 to the vets..... poor cat had to go in last week and had 4 teeth out. Bill has been sent through for £400..... was hoping OH could cover it but what with the insurance etc, I think I’m going to need to pay half. It is what the account is for afterall.

But as OHs business is open from the weekend I will be getting paid from that so will chuck most of that in there so should have another £400 by the end of August. And another £144 from it being a 5 Monday month! Might stick that £144 in another account for Christmas/holidays. My business should kick off next week too, so any extra made with that will also go into the account. There’s another 5 Monday month in November. So that £144 will be for Roo’s birthday. We’re hoping to maybe get Again for a week in August just camping in Wales so will need to save up for that.

Other money news.... have made £1 on prolific today. And managed a couple of surveys on Swagbucks, did cash out a £25 amazon voucher the other day so waiting for that. Which will either go towards Xmas or my much coverted Teapot, and a flask for taking hot drinks when I go to the park instead of buying Costa-lot coffee. Have looked for second hand ones but to no avail..... Hmmm, thinking about it....No the £25 Is for Xmas, if I want those things, I will either have to do more surveys or sell stuff on eBay!!!! 

Managed to bring pretty much all extra food and drink home from the weekend, which I’d usually just leave, so that’s great! So have plenty more tea bags, 4 cans of tonic, 2 beers, 2/3rds of a jar of bramble jam, jar of coffee, half a pack of biscuits and 2 Cadbury hot chocolate sachets which the children will go mad for. Got home and remembered we had no milk, bread or toilet roll, so nipped to COOP, also bought OH some sweets to try and cheer him up (didn’t work). But came to a whopping £4.99! Have also done my Tesco online shop to pick up tomorrow. Have used a couple of vouchers to get the price down to counteract the £4.99. So it now stands at £34.19 for 10 days. Unsure if it will last all that time. I will need to bake some bread and absolutely lay off the chocolate biscuits but we should be ok. I haven’t menu planned as such as brain isn’t working but have got enough for meals I think..... Might just check again......

WinterWarrior

You sound to have a good plan. I’m hopeless at meal planning, but swear by flapjacks as a cheap pudding / biscuit replacement. I do the Mary Berry recipe, but with stork instead of butter and take them out 5 mins early so they are still a bit squishy. I have a sweet tooth, so need something in at all times! 

Well done on bringing the food home, it’s often overlooked, but worth doing. 

missymoo81

Hey Suzanne. Yes I think I’ve pretty much got dinners sussed
chicken pie thing x2
Chilli x2
bolognese/ pasta x2
curry/dhal x1
stew x2
tuna casserole x2

Should be enough for kiddies too although they don’t eat stew 🙄
bulking everything out with lots of carrots and tins of beans. Have 6 tons of beans on the shopping list. Hoping that’s enough, as I love them! My favourite comfort food I got beans in a bowl with doorstep buttery bread dipped in. Mmmmm. 

Ok so I’ve done some washing, didnt double spin it and have hung it up straight away. Which is a good start! Have decided not to eat the chocolate bar as really they’re for OH and I haven’t ordered any more this week. I had some toast instead and made OH some For him to eat in his grumpy cave. 

Might go to bed and read in a bit really feel like doing just that.

missymoo81

Ps Suzanne, I love flapjacks but children aren’t as keen. They love jam thumb buns which are super cheap and easy to make!