A new chapter is ....... FINALLY HERE

pennywisepoundstupid

Morning all, feels an age since I last posted, thanks for the wellwishes for DD, she is doing well and back to work tomorrow.

April has been a spendy month and need to rein it back in in May, i've spent money on the garden, money on DS as it was his 21st, money on myself as it was my birthday , we have had meals out due to birthdays and one of the dogs has hurt her paw so the vets have had a chunk of money as well. On a positive work has been crazy busy so May income will be good, I have still managed to put over £400 into savings this month, kept up with a few surveys and redeemed a £12 amaz0n voucher, sold a couple of bits on v1nted and will have £25 when cleared, the chooks are back to laying at full speed and the garden is starting to produce food. Grocery spends have been under control and thankfully i received a £20 off and a £15 off voucer from 0cado, this proved to be a lifeline as between DD, work and dog I was struggling to find time to actually get to the supermarket.

Onwards and upwards for moneysaving May

PWPSxx

jwil

Hope you had a nice birthday!

pennywisepoundstupid

Afternoon all, loving this beautiful weather.

Money in and sent to various pots, £300 has gone straight into holiday pot as we have booked another break away, 4 days in a lovely little cottage in scotland, not going until September when schools are back so a little bit cheaper and hopefully a bit quieter.
 I'm hoping for a fairly frugal May as April was expensive. I do need a couple of bits for the garden that are low cost items so i'm hoping to fund these from surveys.
Hoping to keep grocery spends low this month as i'm starting to get salad leaves, rocket and radishes from the garden, only a few pounds saved at the moment but it adds up, lunch today was HM quiche using eggs from my girls with a mixed salad so very low cost, DH is also on a bit of a health kick and is trying to reduce processed sugar in his diet so i'm not buying sweet snacks and is just having a sweet dessert on a sunday. Seems to be doing ok on greek yogurt and fresh fruit as a sweet treat.DH is also away for a week later in the month, so will eat from the freezer but will need to get a few bits for DD packed lunch.

Enjoy the sunshine xx

pennywisepoundstupid

Morning, another week has flown by.

Gardening continues and we are eating salad leaves, radishes and rocket out of the garden already. I have sowed more salad leaves, little gem lettuces and mustard. I'm hoping I won't need to by salad leaves until autumn. Need to plant  more radish seeds as well as spinach this week and my pepper plants are ready to go into bigger pots, 

Grocery shop done this morning and managed to spend £56 in MrAl on what seemed like not alot and £15 in Mr S but knocked £7.50 using nectar points, i've kept £10 back as i think we will need more fruit and milk early next week and the underspend has gone to holiday pot.
Gammon tonight for tea with salad and sweet potato fries, I've taken a piece of lamb out of the freezer for tomorrow, going to do something morroccan with it and have with a cous cous salad. I think this is the last piece of lamb from the one we bought last year, we tend to buy a whole lamb from a local farmer who farms a couple of miles down the road, it arrives all portioned up and labelled with minimal food miles.
Used up some odds and ends of nuts,seeds maple syrup and made granola, tastes delicious and half has gone in the freezer to keep it fresh. Some past it limes and oranges have been sliced and frozen, these will be perfect for summertime drinks.

Finances are ticking along although i've just about maxed out my personnel spends already, £17 in the charity shop on Tuesday when i dropped a bag of stuff off and thought i would just have a look, got a brand new longline black cardigan perfect for chilli evenings, a pair of per una striped chino shorts and a summer shirt dress that has a lemon and orange print and is lovely and bright. £75 spent on suncream (some will get put away for October holiday) face moisturiser, body lotion, multi vitamins, razors for both myself and DH and other toiletries,crazy amount of money but all needed.
Couple of small survey redemptions, £5 straight into paypa1 which has gone to hols pot and a £5 amaz0n voucher which will be used against dog food spends. Also a small ebay sale £8 which i'm waiting to clear and that will also get sent to hols pot.

Hope everyone is enjoying the lovely weather xx

jwil

Great charity shop finds!

pennywisepoundstupid

Morning all, woken with a cracking headache. Think it's a combination of not drinking enough and a poor nights sleep.

Yesterday was a pottering at home day, bedding washed and dried, lots done in the garden including sowing some more radishes and spinach. 
Had a NSD and postie brought me a b00ths £5 voucher, will use that for this weeks top up shop as we are going to need milk and some fruit.
Roast lamb was delicious, we had it on homemade flatbreads with salad from the garden and roasted chickpea, mint and lemon cous cous, lots of lamb and cous cous left so will be eating it again tonight. but will make a salad bowl from leftovers.
Used some left over cream to make butter, just enough to fill one of those glass ramekins you buy with an expensive GUooey pudding in, few pence saved and no waste.
DH had a crazy day at work yesterday and is working all weekend, DD is also working so it's me and the dogs, think we are going to chill in the garden and get some of my current book read, i'm enjoying it but it's not a light read and needs concentration which is difficult when DH is around as he is a fidgiter and likes to ask a million and one questions and is always on the go (he is a bit of a tigger).

PWPS xx

jwil

Enjoy your peaceful day!

pennywisepoundstupid

Morning, Yesterday was a lovely pottering kind of day. Nothing important to do and nowhere to be, I just went with the flow.

NSD for me, DH picked up some milk on his way home from work and used loose change he had in his van. Now i'm umming and arring about whether i really need to nip out and get fruit/salad stuff and save those pennies. We have a punnet of blueberrries and strawbs, half a punnet of grapes and a whole pineapple, plus there is frozen berries, gooseberry puree and stewed rhubarb in the freezer. I could use the frozen fruit in yoghurt and overnight oats. We also have plenty of salad leaves and radishes ready in the garden and also red onions,cherry toms, carrots and beetroot in the fridge for salads. I think I'm going to try and stay away from the shops until Friday and use what we have to hand.

Couple of short surveys done, comp entered and a couple of items listed on v1nted, decided as i had bought 3 items of clothing the other day that 3 items needed to go, so 2 items have been listed and an old cardigan I only wore in the house as it is ancient and quite tatty has gone into the textiles recycling bag.
Gardening jobs done, mainly weeding and tidying.

Finances are ticking along and i realised yesterday that this time next year we will be mortgage free not just mortgage neutral, all very exciting. 

Off to walk the dogs shortly whilst it is still cool enough for them as i think it's going to be a hot one today,then breakfast which is whoopsied croissants from the freezer with HM lime curd. This morning i'm going to do some inside jobs, clean bathroom, hoover and dust upstairs before spending the rest of the day in the garden.

Have a great day xx

jwil

That will be amazing to be mortgage free, how exciting!

pennywisepoundstupid

Morning all, beautiful weather continues although i think the fields nearby would appreciate some rain.

Everything is ticking along and Sunday, yesterday and hopefully today will be NSD, DH had a spendy day yesterday as he needs a hearing aid, tootled off to boots for a test and is going back Thursday to hopefully have it fitted and to go through everything with him, I may go with him to that appointment as he doesn't always take everything in and at least i can write things down. Anyway joint savings are down £300 but this is a need and what it is there for, he will pay a monthly cost of £80 but its interest free so decided to do it that way instead of taking the total amount out of savings.

Still eating from stores, fruit is looking slim though quarter of a tub of grapes, half tub blueberries and half pineapple left, still have lots of frozen fruit though, used some gooseberry puree this morning with yoghurt and oats for breakfast.
and we have loads of salad stuff and frozen veg including loads of roasted veg as i made use of the cheap veg offer at Easter. Rhubarb also taken out of the freezer and will make a crumble for a quick pud tonight.
Foody plans for today, make sausage rolls for lunch to have with a mixed salad, used up tub of cream cheese and some mushrooms and make a sauce to go with chicken, no idea what to have with it, maybe rice and green beens or potato bravas. Found my old recipe for February cake which is a great way to use up jars of christmas mincemeat, will make it later and freeze in slices.
DS called in on his way home from the gym yesterday and had picked up a TGTG bag from B00ths, lots of lovely sweet treats,bagels, crumpets and bread, he gave me 2 loaves of honey and sunflower bread which have gone in the freezer and will save me buying bread next week, he wouldn't part with sourbread loaf though and was going home to make scrambled eggs on sourbread toast nom nom.

Finances are ticking along and sold 2 items on v1nted , £11 to go to the hols pot when cleared. Tidy up of a couple of shelves in my built in wardrobe has decluttered a few item, 3 pairs of gardening/painting trousers have gone in the bin, 1 top and a pair of trousers in the charity shop bag and 2 items put on the to list pile. Some smart shoes that i wore to my previous job have been cleaned and packed away, they are loafer style and very comfortable but i don't wear them now but thought  i would keep them as they are smart and in good condition.

Better get moving, enjoy the sun xx