Missy’s Surviving the storm so we can dance in the rain.

mumtoomany

Hi Missy, Thrifty lesley has a facebook group, also  Pat Parker, (food surviving on 50p a day) They both also have blogs, thriftylesley.com and patsfood.org. HTH, mumtoomany.xx

missymoo81

So home from work and pasta bake is in the oven. Have never done one and it looks very watery and very much like the pasta isn’t cooking but I’ve followed the instructions, so who knows! Will leave it in for longer as have our 2 sausages in the bottoms and have made some yoghurt pot muffins With last years easter chocolate!

I’ve started rationing food. Not in the sense I’m not allowing people things, more before I use something I’m making sure I have enough for the rest of the week. For instance I needed 2 yoghurts for the muffins so I counted and made sure the children have enough for their lunch boxes for tomorrow and Friday before I used any. I’ve been doing the same with bread and ham etc. and last night OH made omelettes. Now he usually puts bacon in them, but I asked him to use ham instead. And we used the bacon in sandwiches for brunch. I’ve got just enough ham for lunch boxes.

Usually we go to the beach cafe and work for 3 hours on a Wednesday morning. But I made coffee and bacon sandwiches here, saving us around £25. I think my estimation of what we us spend on food out is off, I think its my £100-£120x I’m going to see if I can get spends for food out down to around £40. That being possibly a Sunday roast and a cafe visit. So we had the cafe takeaway visit yesterday so that would mean no meal deals etc and just going for a roast this Sunday. We’re working all day on Sunday and then have about 3 hours work from home or in a pub, which is preferable. 

How is everyone today? 

missymoo81

Ok! The pasta and sauce was a success! I souped it up with some sweet potato and spinach and half a tin of beans that I found in the fridge. The children loved it and I baked 2 sausages at the same time to go in OHs. I also cooked the yoghurt pot muffins. 

The only thing is It didn’t quite do enough for all of us. I’ll have to have something else for my dinner. In future I think I’ll add a whole tin of beans half a tin of chopped tomatoes and a bit more pasta, sweet potato and spinach and it will do all of us. 

Think I’ll have beans and spinach on toast. I managed to get a free loaf of bread from lidl today as I’d spent £50. I fought the urge to buy myself a cake
instead. I got some jam out of next weeks budget To go with the bread for breakfast tomorrow too. 

missymoo81

mumtoomany said:

Hi Missy, Thrifty lesley has a facebook group, also  Pat Parker, (food surviving on 50p a day) They both also have blogs, thriftylesley.com and patsfood.org. HTH, mumtoomany.xx

Ah thank you so, so much! I will have a look at these now!

missymoo81

Took the car to the garage today as it has an intermittent fault. But they said it could be one of 2 things, one is a major job and one is something that can be sorted if we go for a long drive. So we’ll see what happens. 

missymoo81

Just working out the price of the pasta bake I made last night. If I were to make it slightly bigger so it would feed all four of us:

250g pasta 15p
tin of baked beans 22p
sweet potato 20p (taken from 1kg bag)
Jar sauce 75p
1/8 bag of spinach 15p
2 x sausages 20p

£1.67 not the cheapest but not bad. This would feed 4 adults or 2 greedy adults and 2 children.

Have just looked at the ingredients on the sauce and I think I could def make similar for cheaper or if not cheaper with some cream cheese left over for another meal. 

Hmmm will look into it. But was really tasty!

mumtoomany

Glad they were useful, I've PMed you, mumtoomany.xx

missymoo81

Ah I’m feeling rather stressed. Obv not going out so much I just feel like I am constantly cooking and loading and unloading the dishwasher and buying food. 

Also I know why I fall if the wagon. I’ve been good the last week ish, but I’ve barely been to the gym or not really paid attention to what I’ve been eating much apart from the cost. Now I need to get back to the gym as it’s part of my life and of course what we own and where we work. But it obv takes up time in my day of which I’ve been spending doing the above. And I need to make sure when I’m back at the gym I get my protein in, which is more expensive. I know there’s protein in lentils and broccoli etc but to build the muscle I need, I need a lot in a day without eating lots of calories. Yesterday I had bread and jam for my dinner as there wasn’t enough pasta bake and OH was the only one to have sausages. I usually just forget the budget and go and buy sports gear and protein shakes and more chicken etc. Then after a while get back on the wagon. It’s a vicious circle. 

I need to find a way for a happy medium. It’s making me grumpy just thinking about going to the gym as OH wants to go and I need to go (for fitness and mental health). But I don’t know how to make money saving and my job / hobby work. I’m not sure if that makes sense. I’m pleased I’ve found what is constantly making me fall of the wagon and my trigger point as such but yeah! It’s tricky. Any thoughts greatly appreciated. 

And thank you @mu@mumtoomany I will reply shortly. Thank you x

Elisheba

I think you could do with putting up a few boundaries between personal and work life and that might help a bit.  I know its hard when you have your own businesses, but you both need to have clear time off, together, when you are not working.  Then maybe it would't feel like you did nothing but cook and clean. Hopefully once you have set some good frugal habits in stone, they won't take so much time as well to implement, so you'll have more time for the gym and other things you enjoy.

In terms of making your healthy diet work, I'm honestly not sure about the protein but hasn't Arnold Schwarzenegger or someone like that done a documentary about getting all his protein from plants and not needing as much as you think? I imagine that and some other similar things will be on YouTube - my brother was going on about it recently.  And obviously its not normal for you to have bread and jam for dinner - it was just a blip due to a cooking oopsie.  It sounds like you are tired and stressed and having one of those **** it moments.  Don't throw it all up in the air just yet.  Give it some time, give yourself a bit of a break, and see how it goes.  

WelshKitty85

Don’t rule out buying ‘cheats’ from the supermarket. For example, pre-cut veg works out more expensive, but if it saves you time and stops you from resorting to a takeaway etc then it could be worth it in the long run.