Future Proofing my life: Deposit saving then MFW journey in under 13 years

themadvix

As a Queuer, I’m loving the Twitter comments - re the film, it does need a cameo appearance from David Beckham and then it’ll be perfect! 😂 

LadyWithAPlan

themadvix said:

As a Queuer, I’m loving the Twitter comments - re the film, it does need a cameo appearance from David Beckham and then it’ll be perfect! 😂 

You know it will happen !  Probably a side romance with a Queen's guard and a kids mother who gets lost as well

These dark nights are very quickly drawing in - its not fun!

TT 75p

NSD  Saturday yesterday so 8/16
- I went to a friend's memorial Friday and did buy a pack of crisps whilst there and a glass of prosecco.  I was also bought a glass of wine and a glass of prosecco. First time I have drank in 2 weeks.
Heard some further hard truths about his death - organ failure-  -I knew he drank too much but maybe I did not want to face up to how much it was consistently and  it seems over COVID the drinking had got much worse. 
I am very lucky that I don't drink excessively and find it easy to have weeks or months off. I have lost other friends through addiction but it never gets easier. 
So yesterday I hid at home and today spoke with another friend who also knew him well - we did reminisce on some very funny times we all had which was comforting.

I went to a comedy gig this evening - friends had a spare free ticket -  I  just bought a round of drinks and a pack of sweets - crisps and sweets are part of my treat budget along with the alcohol. Again it was in lieu of a main meal  I missed. Headline act was very funny and particularly vicious about Prince Andrew. The compere kept making funny comparisons with the bar queue and the actual Queue.

No new grocery spend though - plenty in the fridge and freezer.

I did pull out  of the freezer a cooked mince and onion, sweet potato base  (the label had fallen off so I wasnt sure what it was!). Then I pressure cooked the rest of the YS organic potatoes and then made a cottage pie and baked in the halogen oven served with peas.
It was truly delicious - I also have those freeze and cook pyrex dishes - so they have plastic lids... They really work so I am going to freeze more stuff in those.

I have a singular cooked large sausage I am trying to hold on to to make a GF toad in the hole. However I keep eating the sausages as I fried them all Friday - so I may just give in, heat it and eat it. I will then batch cook a bigger pile and make a large toad in hole to freeze

I hope all of those who watch the funeral tomorrow do not get too upset especially thinking of past loved ones. Sending you good wishes and hugs.

Suffolk_lass

Two observations from me.

1. I also have a small number of those pyrex dishes. I line them with a zip-lock bag and then freeze the ready made dish, so I can remove the bag and recover the dish to use for other things until I want to defrost and cook it
2. I make squashed toad with discs of sausagemeat. No, I don't know why sausagemeat is so much cheaper than sausages. If I have any, I add a bit of sage and onion stuffing mix to the batter, which makes it a bit interesting

badmemory

I make a version of toad in the hole with rhubarb or apple or plum or dried fruit or even bacon.  Courtesy of Good Housekeeping version from the early 60s.  To me much nicer than crumble too.

LadyWithAPlan

Suffolk_lass said:

Two observations from me.

1. I also have a small number of those pyrex dishes. I line them with a zip-lock bag and then freeze the ready made dish, so I can remove the bag and recover the dish to use for other things until I want to defrost and cook it
2. I make squashed toad with discs of sausagemeat. No, I don't know why sausagemeat is so much cheaper than sausages. If I have any, I add a bit of sage and onion stuffing mix to the batter, which makes it a bit interesting

Fabulous ideas thanks and squashed toad guess it’s like those square sausages you get in Scotland 

Do you pre fry the sausage meat before adding to the batter ? As I thought you had to precook the sausages @Suffolk_lass

i will get some ziplock bags as was thinking of getting more of those lidded Pyrex dishes but your solution is great 

LadyWithAPlan

badmemory said:

I make a version of toad in the hole with rhubarb or apple or plum or dried fruit or even bacon.  Courtesy of Good Housekeeping version from the early 60s.  To me much nicer than crumble too.

That sounds lovely - do you mean you make this toad with sausage and apple? or just apple ?
As I just googled apple toad in the hole and got lots of sausage and apple toad in the whole recipes.

I may try both as I still have apples in from my family pickings  and I guess if it  is just a fruit/apple toad then I can always just add sugar rather than the batter being too savoury..
EDIT
I have found this apple and blueberry toad recipe - with maple syrup in no sugar - very like a clafoutis which I used to make a lot 
https://kitchentitbits.co.uk/apple-and-blueberry-toad-in-the-hole/

Winter is coming so expect my diary to have a lot of baked goods, stews and soup I never used to make them just for me (i live alone) apart from my GF DF oat blueberry cake - but I can see from this diary I buy sweets which are not good for me when I miss meals and I obviously need carbs

Having decent GF flour is transforming my cooking

I forgot to say yesterday I did buy a very lovely dish for my sister on ebay as it was an offer as I had been watching it £15.98 inc postage and it was already a spend day. I had bought her one before - with her favourite animal on but bitey dog had knocked it off the side  when I was playing Ms Doolittle. So I will pop it in her Xmas stocking - she uses it a lot but the shop stopped making them years ago.

I nearly bought an energy monitor with the readings on it as opposed to having an app - this is so it is easier when I lend it to my parents. The one I had wanted was out of stock... so will wait.

Supposed to be seeing friends this afternoon as a get together but still in jogging bottoms - a slow start

badmemory

No toad just the rhubarb etc.  I've never tried searching for it but my recipe calls it rhubarb batter pudding (etc).  The rhubarb involves ground ginger & caster sugar, that is my favorite.  For the first time ever I have found frozen rhubarb but I have yet to try it.  When I have frozen rhubarb myself it has always seemed a bit too wet.

As an aside, if you ever suffer from constipation rhubarb is a much less painful way of dealing with it than any tablet!

Suffolk_lass

badmemory said:

I make a version of toad in the hole with rhubarb or apple or plum or dried fruit or even bacon.  Courtesy of Good Housekeeping version from the early 60s.  To me much nicer than crumble too.

My Mum made this, just the batter mix with fruit sprinkled in or on then a bit of caster sugar on top when cooked. I think you cook the batter 5 degrees cooler to stop the fruit catching. She says just one egg as you don't want quite the same explosive rise.

I do start the sausagemeat disks off with the fat to get hot for 10-15 minutes but I like them to sit as little islands on the surface of the batter, not too submerged, so I don't go for complete road-kill unless we are short of time  lol.

By the way, those rectangular take away boxes are great for stacking (with, or without the box, if the bag is in use) in the freezer and when I pressure cook chick peas or brown rice, one full box is same as a tin, or 2 portions for us, only 4 for the price of one 

LadyWithAPlan

Thanks @Suffolk_lass and @badmemory inspired by you both I made an apple toad in the hole with a few frozen blueberries in - GF - I took a GF savoury version and sprinkled a bit of sugar and added cinnamon and ginger plus I did pan fry the apple slices (plucked off a family tree by me in oil and DF butter first. It tasted fantastic however I made a portion that could have lasted for 2 days at least and it lasted maybe 3 hours )

Cheap as only pantry ingredients - GF flour, FR eggs etc  - and I cooked in halogen oven not my main one. I did at 175 for 20 odd mins as had to guess it. Plus no preservatives so it covered me needing to eat sweet but no preservatives or excess sugar etc.  Better than spending £1+ on harib0 which are really not healthy and no protein in at all.

I will buy some sausage meat  and see how it works. I normally only buy YS sausages anyway but will see if MR AL or Lid do sausage meat.
Just got some YS veggie sausages out freezer to try a veggie version - I have a friend popping over tomorrow who needs some accts help so I will need to buy some stuff but also want to empty freezer out a bit. I also have some YS chicken kebabs I will cook for lunch as well as he does eat chicken.

Lunch today was  out the freezer HM turkey  mince, mung beans and potato chilli/stew  plus some DF yogurt with protein powder and frozen blueberries as a snack.
I love my freezer that keeps giving and I can see loads of stock in there so once I buy some beetroot or move veg I will make a soup.

I am still slowly getting through the 30 days organised home book - it is a pleasure to see cupboards and drawers all clean and today.. The cutlery drawer has not been cleaned in years I dont think and I also took the washing machine drawer out to clean it of its soap gunge... So when I want to stop I just think how clean the cutlery drawer looks  
Long way to go (clothes, cupboards, study, bookshelves , junk cupboard!- argh) and will definitely take longer than 30 days  - probably 60 at my speed but it is making a difference.
Todays task is the plastic tupperware stuff which of course I have in 2 areas...

My (won) online classes start this week so lets see if it pushes me to complete my programme ..

Plus DIY drilling is tomorrow I am going to take video of where I want blinds and ask advice.

NSD yesterday so thats 9/16 as of Monday

CC is creeping up as I am making myself wait til after the statement  to pay (and now have still not been paid) and I paid for a bit of travel and also my course and the electric ...Really wish I could just stop using it but I need for my credit score. I have  not paid interest on it but it creeps up like those killer plants - the Triffids and you turn around and go ARGHH! I have started a CC pot to transfer money over but not being paid is a pain - I have not filled my pots for sept but at least I have spare in my current acct -  all DDs for the month already covered - and I have another small £1k EF in a pot to cover Oct if need be but I really want money in

However not having any new cash in means I have definitely been more frugal as I am unwilling to touch my hse savings or my EF.

TT
£1.09 to round up my TT pot to a £10 -(oops wrong way) but then decided as markets are down to actually add another £16 so £26 in total  which I am now moving to baby isa..to buy a unit of Van VHYL tomorrow as I have £23 in there waiting..
I only update my S&S and sipps only once at the end of each month but  I can see my van  s&s isa and fid  s&s isa is down so this below figure is slightly off  but I will match it all up at month end so 
At least I can feel I am moving slowly in the right direction of saving

House savings £102,057/123k

I did get my tech issue sorted so I can start doing my course properly - still waiting on this brand collab think it will take a month at least more. if not 3!

Looked at a few jobs online so this week I want to write a para to update my CV...

I did apply for a one off one day job thats a decent paid on Friday and may bring some more work in and I think I will get it

savingholmes

Cooking, frugal living and course all sounds good and getting organised. I hope you get some of your invoices paid soon