Stopping the backsliding… a family of four no longer living beyond their means

Baileys_Babe

Also if you cycle to get the laundry tabs, you will be less likely to buy loads as you will have to carry it home on the bike.

Bluegreen143

Ha, good point @Baileys_Babe!

At lunchtime I made a double batch of HM hummus with the intention of freezing half (if anyone didn’t know, you can freeze hummus very successfully!), but had to pull the second tub out of the freezer because within the hour my family had scoffed the entire first tub 🤣

It at least made a very frugal and healthy lunch for my DC, being added to the last two leftover HM wraps along with grated carrot. Served with cucumber and fruit on the side. 

Red has done one tip run today and took the car to get a slow puncture fixed. I think this was for free, the tyre place usually will patch leaks for free once you’re a regular customer. He’s back out doing a second tip run shortly. Thank goodness as we’ve had all this rubbish piled up at the side of the house for ages!

Bluegreen143

Oooh and my preloved walking boots have arrived (under £20 off eBay, as opposed to £100ish new). Really pleased with them! 

They are smart looking leather ones as opposed to my previous walking boots which are very “activewear” in style ie mesh and with bright colours (they were cheap from Lidl).

The idea is these new boots will work both as walking boots and for everyday wear. This is MSE as saves me buying two pairs - in that my current “everyday” winter boots are also a bit worse for wear (though not in as bad nick as my previous walking boots so I’ll hang onto them for now). My mum has the same ones and has promised me they are comfy and very waterproof and long-lasting. She would know as she wears them everyday 😂

Baileys_Babe

I was surprised that you were planning to freeze the hummus, not because I wasn't aware you could freeze it, but because it gets eaten so quickly...then I read on 🤣

We have so much we need to take to the tip/recycling centre, well done on that happening.

I hope your new boots work as well for you as they do your Mum.

Bluegreen143

FOUR tip runs later it’s all gone! 🙈

Dinner was fabulous tonight - I rubbed the brisket in a spice mix (salt/cumin/smoked paprika/garlic granules/chilli powder/cayenne), seared then cooked in the instant pot in beef stock (2/3 of a can leftover from something else) for an hour. Added lots of barbecue sauce, garlic and brown sugar to the liquid, reduced then thickened with a little cornflour, and that make a sort of gravy/BBQ sauce combo. 

Not a frugal meal but VERY tasty. I served with mashed potato, savoy cabbage, peas and carrots (was going to do roast veg but changed my mind). Got a tub of leftovers to take to the office tomorrow for lunch 🤤 

Meals today:

B - Greek yoghurt with a little maple syrup, chopped roasted nuts, banana and a little chopped dark chocolate for me; one child had porridge and the other had cereal 

L - I had a leftover enchilada from last night; kids had HM wraps with HM hummus and grated carrot, plus cucumber, strawberries and grapes 

D - the aforementioned brisket, mash and veg 

Didn't get a chance to make bread today, and I’m in the office tomorrow, so I’ll likely swap the mealplan and make the salmon tomorrow, saving the soup for later this week when I’ve got time to bake. 

I did cycle to Lidl tonight - it always amazes me how much quicker cycling is than walking! Lidl is about 3/4 mile away so it is walking distance but it does always seem somewhat of an expedition getting ready to go on foot 😂 it was my favourite time to be outdoors too, in the golden evening sunshine. 

Spending

£3.29 - groceries (laundry tabs)
£12.87 - car maintenance (engine oil) 

Bluegreen143

Excited as I’ve just twigged that the planter full of flowers planted by MIL in our garden is edible nasturtiums! (Can you tell I’m still such an amateur at gardening?!). Definitely going to try one tomorrow, apparently the flowers are nice in salad. 

Honeysucklelou2

Glad to find your diary Bluegreen143.  Nasturtiums have quite a peppery taste. They seem to be the only things in my garden that haven’t been munched by the slugs this year!!

Its really interesting reading your grocery lists and menu plans. Food costs is where my budget goes awry.

Bluegreen143

Thanks HSL! We’ve had similar slug issues here, alas.

Was working in the office today, sod’s law that it was about the first nice day this summer!

Red took the kids and the crazy dogsitting dog to the derelict golf course near us and they apparently had a lovely time and a picnic lunch. The kids love digging in the old sandy bits 🤣

I knew I’d feel resentful about missing the sun if I didn’t get out, so I asked Red to have the kids ready and I picked them up after the office and took them straight to the river. We had lots of fun paddling and decided to challenge ourselves to walk upstream for as far as we could find a safe path in the water - the kids were in swimwear, I braved just wearing a knee length dress but the bottom did get a bit wet 😂 

Just about to make dinner now - going to do salmon with air fryer chips and salad. Think I might do some HM coleslaw too. 

No spends today, I took my breakfast and lunch to the office and both the golf course picnic and paddling in the river are free fun 😇 

Bluegreen143

Dinner successfully made!

I used our new air fryer. Our old, beloved, air fryer (bartered for a 4 pack of beer!) sadly broke. I held off replacing it because of the finances and the universe repaid my frugality by my MIL giving me hers for free as she doesn’t use it. I’ve now had three air fryers and none have been paid for in cash 🤣 (the very first was my mum’s old one, which I gave to my friend when I upgraded ours for the bigger bartered one).

The new one is a two compartment model whereas the old ones were both a circular one with a stirrer, so it’s taken a bit of getting used to but I think I got the hang of it tonight. I managed to do the chips in one compartment and the salmon (rubbed in a smoked paprika/brown sugar/salt/onion granule mix) in the other. 

Served with what I tried to sell to Bambi as “pink princess salad” (aka HM coleslaw with some beetroot grated in) and “fairy flower salad” (green salad with nasturtium petals). The marketing campaign failed to convince Bambi but she wanted seconds of salmon so begrudgingly ate the veg in order to get her her hands on it 😉 

I watched Red make a tub of salad stuff for his lunch tomorrow - leftover nasturtium salad, coleslaw, olives, hummus, feta, mayo etc - and realised he’s had something similar for lunch everyday this week. I asked him if he’d consider taking this in the van when back at work and he said definitely and this is what he’ll buy at deli counters when out if he’s not packed lunch!! 

This is an amazing health win for a man who has habitually eaten a ham or bacon sandwich + two packs of crisps for lunch most days of adulthood and to be massively encouraged. I will endeavour to make sure we keep olives, hummus and pre cut up salad in the fridge at all times. 

Meals today

B - my usual Greek yoghurt + maple syrup + nuts + dark choc + banana combo, in a tub to take to the office; no idea what the kids had 🙈

L - amazing leftovers tub of brisket, mash, bbq sauce gravy and veggies; again no idea what Red made for the picnic

S - gave the kids some Pringles after paddling in the river as that’s all Red packed in the bag for us (err, I may have had a handful myself…) 

D -  air fryer salmon & chips, pink coleslaw, pretty nasturtium green salad 

Bluegreen143

Morning all! 

Today Red is taking the kids to our friends’ house to do some DIY for them - the various kids are all friends so will get a playdate at the same time. 

I made a cheese & onion quiche for lunch last night which I’m pleased with as I’ve not made a quiche in ages. We had loads of spare milk and eggs so a good frugal one (I didn’t use cream). Going to make some bread today for when we have soup as I’m working from home today. 

I’m aiming, ambitiously, to get all of one of my “big work tasks” for this week finished today and most of the other at least started. I really don’t want lots of stress or to work late on Friday, which is my last day before a fortnight off! Will report back later. 

Budget continues to be a bit boring in that there’s been no money in or out but of course boring is good when it comes to budgeting!