Getting shot of the mortgage sooner than 2049!

Baileys_Babe

I don't find cereal filling, nobody in this house has cereal for breakfast, sometimes for snacks, pudding or as an ingredient.

The only way I will eat an egg is scrambled and whilst I enjoy it I would not want it every day, but it is filling, I would happily eat all your breakfast ideas. 

I have decided not to increase our energy DD for the moment despite being encouraged to as our suppliers have made a whole host of errors with our billing, since us being transferred to them in the autumn when our previous supplier collapsed, and if my maths is correct once these are resolved we will have a good cushion of credit.

joedenise

@Bluegreen143 - with regard to chickenpox - if your child only gets it very mildly there is definitely a possibility that they could get it again.  My eldest had it really badly but has never had it again but the youngest had it very mildly with just a couple of spots and then got it again.  Both girls caught it fairly early into their school lives so suspect that's where they caught it!  Probably the same for Monkey.

If you've got the time baked oats are more filling than just a bowl of porridge.   I usually make mine in a silicon muffin pan and depending on how much yoghurt I use can get 2-3 out of 40g of porridge!  I quite often have 2 for breakfast with some fruit & extra yoghurt and then one mid morning with a cup of tea.

If you don't think you'll have the time (they take about 30-35 minutes to bake) then overnight oats could be another alternative although of course cold rather than hot!  Again it means you're getting some fibre, vitamins, protein (if you use greek or greek style yoghurt).

I quite like garlic mushrooms on toast but would generally have that at lunchtime rather than breakfast, although no reason why you couldn't as long as you're not going into the office!

Bluegreen143

Just spent £93.12 in Tesco:

- £29 on a smart blazer type jacket for me (needed as I only have a shabby second hand winter coat which is now torn and a gilet, and I’m travelling for work next week - it’ll get plenty use for the office and going out!). I did check the charity shop next to Tesco first but nothing in my size.

- £1.50 on two bars of chocolate as a treat for DH and I 😆

- the rest on clothes for the kids (I specifically went for Bambi’s spring/summer clothes, only bought what was on the list and happily and coincidentally they had 25% of kids’ clothes today). 

For £62.62 I got her:

- 2x sun hats
- 2x pairs of trainers
- 2x sun dresses
- 2x jeggings
- 3x shorts 
- 7x trainer socks 
- 3x tights 
- croc style sandals

and a pair of croc sandals for Monkey too.

Before I went I sorted through the hand me down bag in the cupboard and she had more than enough short sleeved tops in her size which was handy 🙂 plus I found a Lidl lightweight waterproof coat for both kids too.

Both kids still need a lightweight hoodie or two but Tesco had none so I’ll order soon!

After that, neither should need any more clothes til it gets cold in late autumn (when Bambi should handily be going up a size judging by how quickly she usually outgrows stuff), except for any new school uniform Monkey needs in August. So it’s been an expensive month or so for kids’ clothes but it evens out over the year! 

Bluegreen143

So I’ve been away with work and have lots of expenses to claim, bank account is a mess! Will sort out YNAB today and get my expenses in ASAP when I’m back at work on Tuesday (now on leave, yay). 

At the work event I was at they had a big lifestyle checker machine which gives you a printout with your weight/BMI/body fat/pulse/blood pressure etc. 

Well let’s just say I almost died when I saw how much I now weigh and my body fat 🥺😳 I was never overweight until not losing Bambi’s baby weight but had less than a stone to lose, then from lockdown beginning two years ago I’ve put on so much more. It’s really ridiculous and I feel the difference in terms of feeling stiff, achy and out of breath all the time!

So it needs to stop. I’ve ordered a Joe Wicks book (£6) as his recipes look nice, and ordered a set of scales (£15) so I can monitor my weight better at home (it’s crept up without me realising as we don’t have scales). Both coming today. So it’s onto healthy eating and putting a real focus into it because it’s not like I’m just staying a static weight, I’m actively getting bigger continuously and it can’t continue 🤦‍♀️ 

Not sure what it’ll do to the grocery budget but buying fewer treats will help mitigate any extra expense. 

I’ve been really into baking lately but will need to get my baking kicks from just doing muffins and flapjacks for Monkey’s school snacks and not baking naughty treats for us grown ups like cookies and brownies and cake!

Baileys_Babe

Before lockdown 1 I was about a stone heavier than I wanted to be, since then my weight has ballooned.

I am having a major rethink about the food I eat & the quantity of food I want my new diet to be nutritionally balanced as I plan to follow it permanent. I know I need to be more active and strengthen my core at the same time as managing my fatigue which has been worse (unsurprisingly) since covid. 

Bluegreen143

Glad I’m not alone @Baileys_Babe!

My Joe Wicks book arrived and I’ve made a plan for the next few days (Fri-Sun as I get shopping on Friday and Monday mornings). But I’ll be as healthy as I can today too! 

Today’s food plan:

B - leftover coriander & lime chicken, black beans and rice from last night’s dinner*

L - veg & lentil soup (about to raid the freezer, if there’s none I’ll pop some veg in the instant pot and make some)

D - chicken fajitas with lots of salad

Snacks (two a day) will be:
- fruit
- veg
- hummus or other healthy dips
- a small handful of nuts or small amount of cheese

Kids are having the same lunch & dinner as me and had peanut butter toast & bananas for breakfast.

*I have a bad habit of wasting leftovers if they aren’t enough for a full family meal. Mine tend to get put in the fridge with no plan of when to use them then they get pushed to the back… I read a genius idea the other day to have them for your breakfast the next day where possible so you never have more than one tub of leftovers (or if not then definitely that day’s lunch - obvious but I kept forgetting about them!).

Bluegreen143

Other updates:

1. Bambi has come out in a few spots this morning - so far seems a milder case than Monkey but she may get more

2. We were missold the car as having been just MOT’d when it wasn’t and was in fact due in two weeks!!!! But thankfully the garage who sold it to us have taken responsibility and taken it away to MOT it - as it needs a couple of repairs to pass, we won’t get it back til Tuesday which is a pain but at least it’s getting done. 

3. Need to catch up on finances so will update you all tonight…

Bluegreen143

ARGH typed a huge update and lost it!!

So the highlights are as below:

Money

• will do a money audit later today to post up here
• car has passed its MOT and been returned, yay. It needs new brake pads (was an advisory but they really do need replaced) so Red has ordered the parts for £150 and one of his brothers, who is an ex-mechanic, is fitting them tomorrow for a bottle of vodka 😅
• had a night out to the ballet on Friday but drove instead of drinking so saved money and much better for my health - £9 spent on parking and tea 😅 (I paid for the ticket a while ago) 

Workouts & diet 

• diet going well but low carb is expensive, so I’m being very vigilant on food waste and planning eg having leftover soup for breakfast so it doesn’t get wasted
• on the flip side spent £25 on protein shake powder which I don’t love, but will persevere with (got both strawberry and chocolate but they just taste so artificial!)
• Went to the gym on Friday and even walked both ways (it’s an hour’s round trip). And did short HIIT workouts from home Thurs/yesterday. On workout days you get to have a carb meal after, which is exciting 😜
• the best meal I’ve had so far from my recipe book is salmon, mozzarella and caprese salad for lunch yesterday 😍 expensive but delicious. I prepped two so am having it again today. 

MissRikkiC

Well done on finding the motivation for working out. Prior to being quite so pregnant I exercised ALOT. I loved it and miss it now so do some for me too  

I’m also a nutrition coach alongside my main work so a few tips for cheap (and imho tasty) protein ideas/lower carb options 

cottage cheese (low fat is fine, it’s cheap and you get good bang for your buck from a satiety POV). I like it used as a sub for Mayo with tuna. Not the entire amount Of Mayo (I’m not crazy) but certainly a good dollop of cottage cheese. 

I have it otherwise with fruit. 

Protein powders are good, mix them into cooked porridge oats and you won’t need the entire amount of oats (especially bulked out with fruit or veg …. Thinking grated carrots here with cinnamon) 

1 scoop in a mug with a titchy bit of baking powder and a tablespoon of water makes a quick and easy cake (although this is a diet cake so don’t expect miracles 🤭😂) 

greek yogurt works as with cottage cheese, Alone, mixed into stuff, added with cucumber and mint to your plate etc. 

Add 100g to a scoop of protein powder and it’ll make a mousse like texture similar to blamanche 

Hope that’s helpful!

Baileys_Babe

Thanks for the tips @MissRikkiC I'm sure they will come in handy for many of us.