Twelve Weeks to Pay 1K!!

frazzmunch

had beef, chilli and tomato stir fry last night from the beef sunday...oil in a pan, saute some onion, garlic, chilli & ginger, add the beef strips (the cooked strips had been marinated in oil and cajun spice) and some chopped skinned tomatoes that had lurked in the kitchen for a while! Served on a bed of rice....nice!! tonight I am having corned beef & potato pie made from the leftover mash from sunday..fry some diced onion, add to cooled cooked mashed potato and mix. take 1 can corned beef (or to taste), mash and add to onion & potato mix and stir to combine. Put into pastry case, add lid and cook on 180C for around 30mins. Serve with gravy, marrowfat peas and tomato ketchup!! Okay, the ketchup is my thing, but you really should try it...;)

Last day of the first real week of the challenge...I've done better than I expected...tomorrow i will be able to pay at least another £25 off the cc...:j ...lets hope i can keep it up!! :A

frazzmunch

morning all ....very proud of myself...just looked at what is left in the 'food' jar for the week (end of week yesterday..new one starts today) and I have managed to not spend £25..:T so that will be another £25 off the credit card today....I was going to save it all and pay it at the end of the month but just realised that interest is charged daily so I shall pay it off today!!!

Tonights meal....pasta with olives, capers & artichoke hearts....heat some olive oil on a very low heat in a pan, add a sliced clove of garlic and a sprig of rosemary, warm through (don't let the garlic brown) then add a drained tin of artichoke hearts (i cut them lengthways into two), a couple of tbs of capers and some olives either chopped, sliced, and a few whole ones (black or green are fine...try not to use the tinned olives as they taste nasty!!) Heat through gently. When pasta is cooked, add to artichoke/olive mixture and stir through...serve with bread, salad and parmesan cheese if liked!

Right, off to do some online banking....the credit card will be pleased!! :A

Hope you all have a great day.....:D

webitha

well done you

look how much you got paid off already
you will be debt free in no time

Overthetop

You are doing well Frazzmunch and making it all count to make a difference in the long run-Nice one

frazzmunch

thank you for all your kind replies ....

have done something today that is excellent from money saving point of view but i feel really guilty about.....i have cancelled my order from the milkman!! Okay, not the most drastic of things, but i live in a village in the middle of nowhere and really believe in supporting local businesses....i feel bad about not doing it anymore, but i have to think of the debt.....as soon as i am out of it i will go back to a milkman...at least that thought will make me feel better!

i actually feel that i am getting somewhere with this....i keep thinking that if i can do this i will hopefully be able to keep my motivation and move my dfd to some time this millennium!!! :rotfl:

one of the best things about this challenge (apart of course from your good selves!!) is that now that we have something really specific to work on, DH seems to be taking an interest!! I have been the one in charge of the budget/money for a long time (looking at the debt mountain it looks like i have a lot of comptency issues to deal with :eek: .....honestly, it wasn't my total fault...events conspired against me ) and although he has always been aware of what is going on, he just hoped that he wouldn't have to become involved :rolleyes: ...... I know that sounds stupid, but it's just the way that we have always worked....one of the reasons we are in so much debt is because dh became ill and had to leave an exceptionally well paid job and we ended up losing over 60k income overnight so not asking him to deal with the debt etc was a way of protecting him (how sad does that sound!!??)... although i have discussed plans with him several times, it seems that he agrees and supports me but then we don't discuss it again until its either done or usurped by another plan....(I did say i was big on plans didn't I!?;) )....

However....now, he is thinking and talking about it a lot....he is coming up with ways to not spend cash, is enthusiastic about clearing the debt and talks about how we are doing with it almost daily...he has even started to make 'oink' noises when the mortgage pig is fed....:rotfl:

I think what i am trying to say is... i started this challenge to keep myself motivated and focused....as a result i am receiving a lot more.....woohoo!!:j

Okay...tonights dinner...roasted peppers with tomatoes and feta...

slice four red or yellow peppers in half lengthways and deseed, place cut side up in an ovenproof dish..skin four ripe tomatoes, cut into quarters and place 2 peices in each of the pepper halves...add a few slices of garlic, some feta cubes and basil, sprinkle with salt and black pepper and drizzle some olive oil over the top....cook at 200c for around 30 mins (check after 25) until peppers are soft...serve with new potatoes and salad....

I am also having a nice bottle of white zinfandel to go with it...yes, i could have used the money off my debts, but it is friday and i have to live a little!!!:A

td

Hi,

You're doing so well - keep up the fab work.

Wish you lived nr me Id pay you to plate up my tea!

take care

td

frazzmunch

its all gone a bit wrong recently...father in law in hospital so unexpected petrol bills and other associated costs...have had to really spend money that i wanted to pay off debt and also eat into other pre-allocated budgets...oh well, that is life :rolleyes: i will just have to put in a bit more work next month to make up any shortfall!! Really tired tonight as so much driving...am getting a frozen pizza and going to bed

will post again tomorrow and get myself back on track...:A

skintjenny

hi
just wanted to say it sounds like youre doing really well to achieve your goal and its great that youve got your oh on board!
sorry to hear about your fil, hope everything is ok?
i cant really offer that much advice re money saving and debt clearing but just wanted to let you know that its really inspirational to read about people facing their debts and finding ways to take back control of their finances,
well done! keep it up
jenny x

frazzmunch

thanks for asking...all is now okay with fil..it is constantly up and down but we just keep hoping it will be up for a little longer...

Right, just looked at my bank statement and realised that i have been paid £15 for changing my electricity supplier and another £14.63 from selling on amazon :j so just paid another £29.63 off credit card

Have decided that i have to use what remaining money i have on the final few bills for the month and for food and petrol...can't get out of those..although would be a hell of a lot closer to my dfd if i could :rotfl: so am going to abandon my current meal plans and try to eat almost exclusively from what i have in my fridge, cupboards and freezer until it is all gone...when i tell you what i have in my stores you will understand that this will take real commitment! I have a 25kg sack of dried butter beans, about 7kg of tvp mince, 8kg of rice and 8kg of porridge oats to get through amongst other things....i am actually going to do an inventory of what i have in the house and work out the best way to use it all up without dying of boredom :rotfl:

i am going to try to get this grand paid off even faster...i am so sick of being in debt, i am not on a downer or anything...its just that i need to remind myself occasionally that there will be a time when i can post that i am within touching distance of my goals....preferably before i get too old to enjoy it :rolleyes:

Anyway...going to spend the rest of the day sleeping and doing the inventory..aiming for a spend of only £40 on groceries over the next two weeks...that includes everything from household, to personal care and food. I am...if i can manage it...going to try to keep it to £20 per week for as long as possible and use up everything that i have in stock...sounds like this could be a laugh!!!:D

I will update tomorrow with what i have got in my house and what i have decided for the meal plans....:A

lucielle

Hi, well done on the lightbulb moment. I am enjoying your thread. Hope things pick up for you soon.
Regards
L