Escape to the country & living off savings

savingwannabe

You are doing soooo well. Regardingt he  Sky bill, if it is not in your name I would ignore it. You could write to them if they write a posted letter and say you are a different person but if it is on the internet it is a scam as i am sure debt companies send letters. I had a weird message a while ago and it looked so convincing. I wish these horrid scammers would go away. 

Enjoy your weekend. It is boiling down here. We are finally having a tiny drop of rain. Everyone's grass looks like straw.  lol

MovingForwards

The budget is good. Consider swapping TV-L to annual payment.

All the fruits, aside from banana, can go into water or fizzy water for natural flavours; squash or cut the grapes first. 

Have a lovely weekend 🤗

doingitanyway

Thanks for sharing your budget. I expect mine will be similar. I spend more on food but don't have a car. You have some savings behind you so I would need to build an emergency fund prompto.
You are sounding happy. What with @MovingForwards, the savings threads are the place to go to for the feel-good factor! 

Skint_yet_Again

Thanks SW, MF and @doingitanyway

I have started painting the dining area of the kitchen/diner. DF is helping. Ceiling and coving done. One coat on the walls. Paint was all bought on offer after moving in. It will need a second coat on the walls. 

I’m continuing with the healthier eating. Shopping this week was £42.37 including loo rolls. The weather has been cooler and I have started walking daily. Just 30 minutes after dinner at the moment but I feel better for it. 

Today I am looking forward to going out for lunch with my old school friend. 

I’ve been hearing about the large increases in car insurance. Mine is not due until December. Last year was £205.91 with a £35.70 refund when I moved to my new home. So I may need to check the annual bills pot to make sure I save enough. I have also realised I did not tell them that my car is now kept off the road / on the drive so I will ring them this morning. 

Skint_yet_Again

Had a lovely lunch out with my friend. She insisted on paying. I will pay next time we go out. I had roast beef carvery 😋 Passed on the yorkshire pud & stuffing and had more veg instead & 3 small roast potatoes. Was still stuffed but not bloated or sleepy like usual. 

This afternoon I have been batch cooking. Curried parsnip soup in the slow cooker. Two trays of roasted veg and tandoori chicken in the oven. Chicken & chickpea & butternut squash curry on the hob. I will have some soup for tea and the rest will be portioned up and frozen. 

MovingForwards

Well done for getting 30 min walks under your belt. How'd you turn down yorkie pud and stuffing 😮 

Batch cooking sounds yummy and filling meals.

Budget an extra £100 as we have similar cars / insurance costs and you should be ok.

Skint_yet_Again

Thanks MF 

Had a lovely weekend visiting my sister. Back home now. Planning to go food shopping tomorrow. Struggling on the low sugar, less carb diet. Hungry all the time 😐 Eating more fruit and veg, lean meat & cheese, pulses and chickpeas. 

Went to see my old school friend for cuppa and chat this afternoon. Managed to resist a chocolate biscuit and walked home the long way, up the hill to the church and back down round the edge of the village. 

Not sure I like this new layout on the forum. Harder to navigate and still can’t see who has left the thanks on my mobile. 

Skint_yet_Again

Have booked onto aqua fit class for next Friday. This week is fully booked. Dug out my swimsuit and it still fits. I feel really nervous about going but I know I need more exercise. Cost is £7.90 a week 😳 but I have spare in my monthly budget to cover. 

Went shopping and spent £29.33 in aldee on food & washing up liquid. Bought a birthday card 99p and 4 x first class stamps £4.40 which I will pay for out of the birthday/xmas fund. 

Food shopping was fruit & veg, wheat shreds cereal, 4pt skimmed milk, steak mince, pork medallion steaks, eggs, ham, tin tuna, 2x tin pilchards, seeded loaf, decaf tea and a huge butternut squash. 

I am going to make stuffed marrow (marrow from DF allotment) and some meatballs, plus in the slow cooker I will make pork casserole & butternut squash soup.

SuzeQStan

Hiya SYA - hope you don’t mind me commenting 😊

am sure you will have a blast at the aqua aerobics! One tip - I always wore socks to
help against slipping in the pool - & some pools have a rough floor surface that can be hard on your feet which the socks help.

meals sound tasty - butternut squash soup yum!  Do you put a bit of pepper in that? What is your recipe pls 😊

Skint_yet_Again

Hi @SuzeQStan thanks for popping by 😊 Comments are welcome. 

I make butternut squash soup by adding chicken stock from a cube, half an onion and half a yellow pepper on low in my slow cooker. Then I blitz it with my hand blender and add salt and pepper to taste. 

Had a lovely walk round the edge of the village today. 45 minutes and it stayed dry with a nice breeze. 

Hopefully no rain tomorrow as planning to go to a nearby country park with DF for a walk.