Thank you all for your thoughts about the gift money - I'll definitely give it some more consideration! Due to the restrictions I can't celebrate Solstice with my family so I will do my own thing on the day and we will get together over the 'permitted' period - it's disappointing as we were in the lowest tier before lockdown which would have allowed a normal celebration but have been moved up 😔 It's possible that we could go down again but it's just easier to make the decision now and plan accordingly. At least we can get together at some point so I'm grateful for that 😊 Anyway, I'm deciding on the menu plan - I always do a three course meal and I want to get as much done in advance as possible-I want to spend my time with my kids, not in the kitchen! I'm getting my recipe books out later - I rarely use them so it will be good to see if there's anything in there which interests me 😉 Financially all is well, house is good and the garden is okay - I was going to spend time doing more in the garden yesterday but decided on staying in with an open fire, opera and sparkling vimto!! I'm looking forward to having a glass of wine again!!! 😉😂Â
It's been a hectic couple of weeks with work - can't wait to have the festive break!! 😂 I've been doing okay with the finances, house is good and the garden is still producing (plus the garlic I put in has started so very happy with that!! 🙌)Â
It looks like it will be the end of January before the kids house completes now so I'm thinking about how much things will change once they're gone financially- although they pay a nominal 'rent' here I've never counted it as part of my income (I've saved 6 months of it this year to give back to them when they move) it's just been money that I've put towards a variety of general stuff. When they go, my bills will decrease pretty dramatically I think - only the electricity, oil and grocery bills - so I'm hoping to save quite a bit from those parts of the budget to put towards my debt repayment targets for next year 😉 I've been thinking ahead to next year in general - having no kids for the first time in over 30 years is going to be a major change for me and I will finally be able to live the way I want to 😊 I am looking forward to really getting back to basics - I'll have much more storage space so can fill up my freezers and utilize cupboards and wardrobes for surplus food/wines (I've got plans to move all my demijohns into the kids room 😉) and I want to grow much more veg next year - starting late this year meant that I had to chuck everything in at once and I didn't get the most from the space in the veg beds - I got plenty but it wasn't as good as it could have been.Â
I'm still collecting all the kids jars to do preserving and I've managed to convince dh that we need a full bed of beetroot next year!! I also want to do much more foraging next year - we have loads of sloes and some damsons and greengages locally - although I got some this year I could have done much better! I'm planning on writing a 'preserving and winemaking' calender for myself for next year - I'm making a list of stuff I'm planning on doing and I'm going to make sure that I get it done! It will also help me to plan my bulk buys (balsamic vinegar, sugar etc) so I can put money in the budget at the right time 😉Â
I've started to get sorted for solstice- as we're not able to do a proper one I've decided that for our get together during the chrimbo period I'm doing a buffet rather than a 3 course meal - everyone will be a bit fed up with food by then so grazing will be a better option! I'm doing a hot and cold buffet - the cold stuff can be an all day thing and I'll add the hot stuff for the evening. I've got a few things in mind but need to finalise the plans and get the remaining ingredients together - most of it will be able to be done with stuff I already have in though 🙌 Right, essay over - hope everyone is doing well! 😊
I love the idea of growing your own veg it's one of things I'm gonna research over Christmas period so can start planning next year what I want to grow, where it will go and what I might need for it. Its surprising how much it makes a difference having the kids at home on your general bills and it's good you haven't got used to the money as that way transition should be easier for you. I'm same with my housemate I put her rent all towards the debt and pay extra on top and just absorb the extra on the bills so that when she leaves I won't be out of pocket.Â
Growing my own is something which is really important to me @Sarahwithlove 😊 starting late this year (plus having a lot of other stuff going on) did mean that I didn’t benefit as much as I could have but I'm still pretty pleased with the results 😉 I did pretty well on tomatoes, herbs, courgettes and salads - not so much on the rest of the stuff but it gave me lots of knowledge on where I went wrong on certain crops so I have that information to use next year. My solstice meal will be hm seitan, red brussel sprouts, romanesco broccoli, purple sprouting broccoli, leeks and potatoes with hm chocolate mint and raspberry balsamic sauce. All the veg is homegrown other than the potatoes and if my red cabbage is big enough to warrant cutting it I'll have some of that too 😉 I'm not necessarily convinced that growing my own is cost effective but it feels so much nicer eating what's available in the garden 😊 Dh and I have had a long convo regarding how we live next year - we both want to cut down on our alcohol consumption and eat better - so we have a plan now that we're both committed to - having just us to consider will make life so much easier and we're pretty excited about it 😊 I've started to do menu plans for the new year but it's just a list of meals which will be interchangeable depending on availability- for the first time in a long time I'm feeling pretty organised!! 😂Â
Warning - this post is going to be massively controversial and offend a number of people, but frankly, I don't care! I've been stunned by how many people have been bleating about the 'christmas' rules being changed! 🙈 Seriously, anyone with half a brain cell should have seen this coming and planned accordingly - despite Boris trying desperately to hang on till the last minute (which, incidentally, I don't blame him for - the vitriol which is being spewed now he has put the brakes on shows why he waited until he was backed in a corner). The fact that every other religion has had to live with their celebrations being cancelled or severely curtailed seems to have escaped the notice of the majority of the public - yes, I appreciate that a large part of the population celebrate christmas as a holiday only and not as a religious festival (including myself) - but the reality is that there are thousands of people who aren't here anymore to have any family get-together again. Why do we think that we are 'entitled' to have a 'christmas'? The world is not the same as it was 12 months ago and we have to accept that - I'm fairly sure that people who lived through the 2nd world war and are living in the current wars in innumerable countries went through/are going through a damn sight worse restrictions and isolation and didn’t/don't bleat as much! To me, it seems that the 'snowflake generation' is rife regardless of age - it's more of a 'snowflake population' - seriously, if you are going to have a meltdown because your freedoms have been curtailed for less than 12 months, you need a reality check and a clearer view of the rest of the world - it's embarrassing! 🙈 Wanted to get that off my chest - I'm sooo done with the 'woe is me' crap which is everywhere at the moment- I'm leaving the boards at the end of the year and dispensing with social media ðŸ˜
I agree @smushesma it was obvious the purposed Christmas bubbles were just a pipe dream, we never believed for one second they were going to happen, nor felt they should. We and our extended family all decided to stay with the plans we made in September, we all getting together over Christmas through Zoom at various times in differing combinations. I feel it would have been better to have made the announcement earlier to give people longer to come to terms with it and adjust their grocery shopping plans.
Fashion on a ration 2023 66/66 coupons remaining Rolled over coupons 62.5/62.5 remaining (using for secondhand purchases)
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Due to the restrictions I can't celebrate Solstice with my family so I will do my own thing on the day and we will get together over the 'permitted' period - it's disappointing as we were in the lowest tier before lockdown which would have allowed a normal celebration but have been moved up 😔 It's possible that we could go down again but it's just easier to make the decision now and plan accordingly. At least we can get together at some point so I'm grateful for that 😊
Anyway, I'm deciding on the menu plan - I always do a three course meal and I want to get as much done in advance as possible-I want to spend my time with my kids, not in the kitchen! I'm getting my recipe books out later - I rarely use them so it will be good to see if there's anything in there which interests me 😉Â
Financially all is well, house is good and the garden is okay - I was going to spend time doing more in the garden yesterday but decided on staying in with an open fire, opera and sparkling vimto!! I'm looking forward to having a glass of wine again!!! 😉😂Â
I've been doing okay with the finances, house is good and the garden is still producing (plus the garlic I put in has started so very happy with that!! 🙌)Â
It looks like it will be the end of January before the kids house completes now so I'm thinking about how much things will change once they're gone financially- although they pay a nominal 'rent' here I've never counted it as part of my income (I've saved 6 months of it this year to give back to them when they move) it's just been money that I've put towards a variety of general stuff. When they go, my bills will decrease pretty dramatically I think - only the electricity, oil and grocery bills - so I'm hoping to save quite a bit from those parts of the budget to put towards my debt repayment targets for next year 😉
I've been thinking ahead to next year in general - having no kids for the first time in over 30 years is going to be a major change for me and I will finally be able to live the way I want to 😊 I am looking forward to really getting back to basics - I'll have much more storage space so can fill up my freezers and utilize cupboards and wardrobes for surplus food/wines (I've got plans to move all my demijohns into the kids room 😉) and I want to grow much more veg next year - starting late this year meant that I had to chuck everything in at once and I didn't get the most from the space in the veg beds - I got plenty but it wasn't as good as it could have been.Â
I'm still collecting all the kids jars to do preserving and I've managed to convince dh that we need a full bed of beetroot next year!! I also want to do much more foraging next year - we have loads of sloes and some damsons and greengages locally - although I got some this year I could have done much better!Â
I'm planning on writing a 'preserving and winemaking' calender for myself for next year - I'm making a list of stuff I'm planning on doing and I'm going to make sure that I get it done! It will also help me to plan my bulk buys (balsamic vinegar, sugar etc) so I can put money in the budget at the right time 😉Â
I've started to get sorted for solstice- as we're not able to do a proper one I've decided that for our get together during the chrimbo period I'm doing a buffet rather than a 3 course meal - everyone will be a bit fed up with food by then so grazing will be a better option! I'm doing a hot and cold buffet - the cold stuff can be an all day thing and I'll add the hot stuff for the evening. I've got a few things in mind but need to finalise the plans and get the remaining ingredients together - most of it will be able to be done with stuff I already have in though 🙌Â
Right, essay over - hope everyone is doing well! 😊
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My solstice meal will be hm seitan, red brussel sprouts, romanesco broccoli, purple sprouting broccoli, leeks and potatoes with hm chocolate mint and raspberry balsamic sauce. All the veg is homegrown other than the potatoes and if my red cabbage is big enough to warrant cutting it I'll have some of that too 😉 I'm not necessarily convinced that growing my own is cost effective but it feels so much nicer eating what's available in the garden 😊Â
Dh and I have had a long convo regarding how we live next year - we both want to cut down on our alcohol consumption and eat better - so we have a plan now that we're both committed to - having just us to consider will make life so much easier and we're pretty excited about it 😊 I've started to do menu plans for the new year but it's just a list of meals which will be interchangeable depending on availability- for the first time in a long time I'm feeling pretty organised!! 😂Â
I've been stunned by how many people have been bleating about the 'christmas' rules being changed! 🙈 Seriously, anyone with half a brain cell should have seen this coming and planned accordingly - despite Boris trying desperately to hang on till the last minute (which, incidentally, I don't blame him for - the vitriol which is being spewed now he has put the brakes on shows why he waited until he was backed in a corner).
The fact that every other religion has had to live with their celebrations being cancelled or severely curtailed seems to have escaped the notice of the majority of the public - yes, I appreciate that a large part of the population celebrate christmas as a holiday only and not as a religious festival (including myself) - but the reality is that there are thousands of people who aren't here anymore to have any family get-together again. Why do we think that we are 'entitled' to have a 'christmas'?Â
The world is not the same as it was 12 months ago and we have to accept that - I'm fairly sure that people who lived through the 2nd world war and are living in the current wars in innumerable countries went through/are going through a damn sight worse restrictions and isolation and didn’t/don't bleat as much!Â
To me, it seems that the 'snowflake generation' is rife regardless of age - it's more of a 'snowflake population' - seriously, if you are going to have a meltdown because your freedoms have been curtailed for less than 12 months, you need a reality check and a clearer view of the rest of the world - it's embarrassing! 🙈Â
Wanted to get that off my chest - I'm sooo done with the 'woe is me' crap which is everywhere at the moment- I'm leaving the boards at the end of the year and dispensing with social media ðŸ˜
We and our extended family all decided to stay with the plans we made in September, we all getting together over Christmas through Zoom at various times in differing combinations.
I feel it would have been better to have made the announcement earlier to give people longer to come to terms with it and adjust their grocery shopping plans.
Rolled over coupons 62.5/62.5 remaining (using for secondhand purchases)
One income, home educating familyÂ