Oops I Did It Again

Sun_Addict

I used to just put up a week’s meal plan on the side of the fridge for Mr SA based around what I’d got in stock. I only stopped doing it because he drove me nuts constantly looking at it. Great idea to give a list of what you’ve got to the HT then he can pick off what he wants. 

CRANKY40

Just the two of us for lunch and dinner today. The HT had a roast dinner and I had SW chips with chicken and salad. Nothing bought today and as an added bonus my best friend called round to collect some home made biscuits and stopped for coffee and a chat. 

I made some mini SW quiches and some Twink's hob nobs. All food eaten and made today was from the cupboards, fridge and freezer. I need a few bits for my looked after person tomorrow so rather than do a full shop and use a card I think I'll just take £5 out of the pot on the shelf. That way I won't buy anything that I don't need or hadn't planned. 

CRANKY40

Morning all. Yesterday I cashed out PA, added a few pounds to it and paid £10 off my loan. Every little helps right?

I also sat down with my pension forecast and worked out the best date for me to retire (civil service deferred pension so any time from when I'm 55). 

This probably goes against money saving ethos but I've been reading about a school started by a volunteer in Malawi. There are a lot of very poor families and children there and although I'm not rich, my food buying habits are still a bit dodgy. To give me an incentive to stop buying food that we don't need (the freezer is still full) I have come up with a plan. I will cut back my grocery budget as much as possible to reasonable spends only and at the end of the month, half goes to my debt and the other half goes to the village.

I have offered to supplement the income of a family with 4 children rather than sponsoring one child as the amount to be sent will obviously be variable. Of the money that I will send, half will go to the family and the other half to the chief volunteer to use as he sees fit. There are a lot of places for the money to be used so he could buy food for the main store or food and clothes for one desperate child. The HT and I will be hitting the charity shops and Primark next week to see if we can find a few cheap bits of clothing to send to the family. In spite of his dad dying when he was so young and only being brought up by me, I never want the HT to lose sight of how privileged he is to have all of the things that he does. 

For anyone thinking that there are starving families in this country, I've bought food twice this month for someone local too. I'm never going to be rich am I? 🙄

WinterWarrior

That’s an excellent idea. Less anonymous than just to a charity as you see the changes you are making. Apart from a monthly SSPCA donation I tend to be more of a Christmas giver…operation Christmas child shoeboxes, the food bank big drive at the supermarket, etc. Yet poverty is happening all year round…

Sun_Addict

What a wonderful thing to do ☺️👏

CRANKY40

Sun_Addict said:

What a wonderful thing to do ☺️👏

No, I need to lose weight and this will be a fabulous daily reminder that I shouldn't be overeating. Hopefully we'll all benefit. 

CRANKY40

I've just made blackberry and apple crumbles with blackberries from the freezer (looked after person and I went blackberry picking last weekend) and apples that came from the tree in "over the back's" garden. They just leave the apples to fall off and rot so I was up a ladder at 8am this morning helping myself to some. Free food is good - I've made 4 crumbles which are 2 portions each.  

WinterWarrior

Love it, I hope you have a bag marked ‘swag’ to put the apples in 😁

beanielou

What a good thing to do.

amber03

Been looking for apples trees around by me but the ones I know about have been cut down. Will have to walk further afield. Used to get a bag off a lady I used to work with but we have both finished work now and no longer see each other.x