Teetering on the brink

badmemory

I must admit I have never fancied the idea of dehydrating.  But I do chop up quite a few things & then just freeze them making sure to suck out as much air as possible & then just microwave them.  No blanching or similar.  The one thing I really don't like that has been frozen are strawberries.

EatingBeans

Oh dear, today has been another bad day. The TN has been in overdrive again and I actually asked to take the rest of the day off by 10am. 😞 Conscious of my ever growing sick time I asked for it to be classed as annual leave. Naughty but hey, I am trying to get promoted and I don’t need my sickness record holding me back. 

I used my time off to post the top I sold on Vinted and collect more medication. I’ve given in and gone back on the drug that I know works to kill the pain but also makes me depressed and no longer able to function as a human being. Needs must though atm. 

Sadly, despite taking everything I reasonably can take, I am still in a lot of pain and despite still having an option of free dinner thanks to Olio, I ordered a takeaway. I just want to eat and go hide in my bed. I am dreading tomorrow as I will have to either work through the pain or call in sick. Neither option is a good one. 😞

Cherryfudge

That sounds horrible, I'm so sorry it's persisting. Perhaps a takeaway and bed are the best option for now.

I assume you can't take tomorrow as leave? I hope you can rest tonight.

EatingBeans

I am very pleased to report that I am feeling a lot better today and I am managing to work rather than hide in bed. 😬 The TN is still alive and well but I just keep taking the tablets and they are starting to kick in, much to my relief. 

I am still weighing myself everyday and it shot up this morning from 202.9lbs yesterday to 205.2lbs today. A big reminder to back away from the takeaways! So for breakfast I had a banana 🤣 (down to just 5 left!), and for lunch I rustled up another stir fry thanks to Olio. 😁 

One thing I have discovered today is Olio has a quota limit! Apparently you are only allowed to pick up 100 items over a 4 week period and I am currently at 87!  😱 Given that dd2 and I have done three big collections over the past month, I don’t think I need to worry too much as I know I have requested some things that we could easily do without in future, I just thought since I am going anyway I might as well add them in. I think it is perfectly possible to just aim for 20-25 items a week and still make a big dent in my food bill. 😁 Thank you Olio!

In other news, I just heard that I am being invited to interview next week for the Business Analyst role. Thank you Copilot for my cobbled together application! 😁 

ellenvan

Lovely to hear you are feeling better today.
Good luck with the interview!
Olio seems to be well worth while for you.
Bit random meals add variety. Certainly the capacity to cut your food bill a lot. Much better than takeaway for the budget.

Cherryfudge

I wasn't aware of the limit of 100 items on Olio, but when you think about it, it's a lot! And if (ball park figure) you were saving £1 on each (though nowadays it will be more), that's £100 not spent and 100 items no longer going to waste. I am sure you could cut it back, should you need to, by not having as many salad bags over winter, or is it just me that struggles to finish salad? However, things like fresh herbs can be frozen for soups and stews, so long as you are more organised than I am, and remember to label the packets.

The weight gain after one takeaway is quite scary, isn't it? Perhaps the medications and feeling poorly, so presumably not as active, are also contributing? 

Very well done for getting an interview! We knew you could do it!

Cherryfudge

P.S. I meant to say of course - great that you have felt better today. Long may that continue!

EatingBeans

Ah the days of left over salad. It used to drive me nuts throwing all the salad stuff away because I couldn’t quite use it up. I am blessed as I no longer have that problem thanks to the guinea pigs (who need daily fruit/veg to stay healthy), and my labradors who will eat pretty much anything even if it is inedible! Food waste in this house is now virtually zero. I’d say things from the onion family are about the only thing that I can’t feed to something, but thankfully they can be chopped and frozen so I only tend to use what I need. 😁

Pay day today. Not that it particularly changes anything as I run my budgets from 1st of the month but it is always nice to see my bank balance get a bit more positive. It also means it’s time to start the dance of the balance transfers to try and get a bit more onto 0% deals. I’m still just looking at £200 or so but better than paying full rate interest on that £200. 

Yesterday I took dd2 shopping. Bless her, she has done so well sticking to budget this month - going with her and being the roaming calculator has certainly helped. Whilst we have still had the odd takeaway this month, the number has drastically dropped and she rarely even asks anymore. Breaking the habit is without doubt the most difficult bit. 🎉

EatingBeans

Whilst I was busy playing my morning testerup games this morning I sat through an add for an app called WeWard. Apparently you cash earn rewards (including cash), just for walking. Anyone got any experiences of using it? I signed up to check it out as it seems like another little passive way to earn a little more but it might turn out impossible to reach the payout threshold or something so we will see. If nothing else it will be a nudge to get out and walk whenever I am able.🚶‍♀️‍➡️ 

Cherryfudge

I'd forgotten the guineas! Walking salad-processors. When I had some, they used to get very excited if I so much as opened the fridge.

I've not tried WeWard, but I used a similar app for a while and it eventually became obviously that I couldn't hit the target before it timed out, unless I bought something through the app - and I walk a lot. It would be interesting to know what other people's experience is.