Time to finish.....(all these things).....Ive started

I'm a hypocrite

I am usually the one nagging Owen because he takes things apart and never rebuilds them, or makes all these plans and never follows them, or starts things but never finishes them......

until yesterday when I realised I am no better.

I was tidying round, 'potching' as we call it - putting little things away that had clearly been left waiting for me to do such a chore.....and kept coming across little things that I kept thinking to myself ' I must do that.......I must watch that.......I must finish reading that'.

So in the end I made a list of the things I haven't finished and shamefully it looks something like this

Things to finish reading
Valentinos Rossi's book
Janni Kowalskis book
The Kite Runner - won it but havent actually started reading it
Long Way Down - again I have it but havent started reading it

Cross Stitches
Shamefully I have had a tiger cub one since I was 12 and its still not finished and even worse is it needs literally about 30 stitches in the same colour and outlining to be complete.
A daffodil tablecloth I brought to give to my nan for her birthday (that was yesterday) and its got maybe one flower sewn on it.

Films To See
I have had Michael Jacksons film I borrowed off a friend before Xmas and never watched
SeaBiscuit - I've never managed to see the whole film
Willow - brought the DVD and haven't watched it (was a favourite as a child though)

Decorating
need to make a plan of attack
need to decide colours
list of things to get for each room (wardrobes etc)

Gardening
Plan for the garden
Clean/Clear the garden of junk
Start seeds
seperate spider plant seedlings for friends

Plans to start on
Kennels for dogs in May/July. We are going to see my dad for the night in May and away to my grandparents for two nights in July so need to book them in kennels because no family members can watch them.

and would you believe the bottom of that list said 'find a hobby'........think I have plenty to keep me occupied for a while though!

Besides that nothing much else is going on in the 'Seilam' (that's welsh for madhouse). Mabel seems to be coming out of season and made me and Owen jump yesterday because we brought Bruno in and he was sat on the sofa with me, and suddenly she shot off the sofa with Owen over to where we were. Owen did say as well that Bruno was later sat with him and she came over to get on the sofa with them of her own accord so I think she is getting there slowly. We have also discovered that neither dog likes the spray bottle technique and just having it in the room is enough to deter any naughty behaviour or growling on Miss Mabel's part so we are using that method at the minute rather than telling them off or scolding them etc

Oh yeah and Owen has sprained his ankle messing about in work jumping off palets.

Also Bruno has taken to howling at 5.30am.....not sure if its because he wants out, because he's a bit jealous or if there is something wrong but once we have been down and seen him he is OK hence him being back in the living room when we are all here. Just have to be careful with the kids in the living room and the two dogs so I tend to wait until Holly goes for a nap at 11 and then he comes in because Ben will listen and sit nicely with one dog but Holly runs between the two and winds them both up.

Also confirmed Mabel is very much a mummy's girl.

Right, best be off, breakfast to make and then I think I'm going to make a start on seed sowing. Also think I will take a book to work with me to read on my dinner break, now just need to decide which one.

Have a good sunday all

Sammy
x

A busy few days.......

Sorry all

The last few days have been busy

Wednesday I went shopping, I had £100 of New Look vouchers from Christmas to spend so I decided to make use of them whilst Owen had his last day off work and I would be child free to bargain hunt and browse for a change.

I got a lift in with a neighbour and treated myself to lunch - a jacket potato with butter and a hot chocolate - which cost me £2 in the little local cafe.

As for my shopping trip - I came home with the following

So I did have a productive shop. I still have £50 to spend on it if anything ever comes up - or as gifts etc or if I need an outfit for an occasion  I needed shoes desperately though as my work ones are worn to the point my toes are going to come out of them soon and so they needed replacing and tops I have I tend to buy things I can swap between.
I think I literally own maybe one pair of jeans, two pairs of legging and 2 pairs of work trousers, and maybe about 6 tops. Oh and a dress and I will possibly buy a new top if I have to go out somewhere but even then they tend to be sale items and I rarely if ever go out. I have 3 hoodies, two were gifts and one I brought with a load of vouchers from my last birthday. I'm useless at shopping though but I liked the things I had this time round

Other things I have gotten done the last few days
- I baked a chocolate cake using my new food processor again - minus the almost amputating a finger, it didn't last the day though but have finally found my perfect cake recipe.
- made myself a bill book (my mum had one of these and she recorded every penny meticulously) so I decided to do the same and have already looked into just what I could have left if I am strict with myself with money and spending.
- planned a food shop that will stick to my new food budget and take into account some store cupboard stocking up items
- I have been to work and did come home with a good few items that were 'labelled waste' that I rescued because I didn't want to see them in the bin

• 3 packs of 6 mini fajita wraps
• 2 swedes
• 2 blocks of mature cheddar cheese
• 3 Peters Steak and Kidney Pies

I've since frozen the cheddar, the pies and the wraps. I will spend tomorrow blanching the swede and getting that frozen as well.

I will post pictures tomorrow of my new bill book and will put up a draft list of my shopping plans as well. I'm hoping I will be able to use a few vouchers as well to save a few pennies here and there.
I've also enlisted my mother in law as well, and we have decided that we will be taking a trip to Aldi or Lidls to have a look there too together. I'm thinking too that pound land and the 99p store in town might be worth having a look in for cleaning stuff and a few cheaper food bits.

Right until then, I will bid you all goodnight

x Sammy x

Thank crumbs thats over..........

Well Ive had an eventful few days

First the baby (she's 2 years old) had the Norovirus

Second, Benjie came down with some horrid flu bug which meant 3am wake up calls with him absolutely boiling and hallucinating. Not sure what was scarier though the fact he was so hot or the hallucinations he was coming out with!

So now I am getting five to sit and go over my income for January in preperation for my new year and new start.
I really must find a spreadsheet making app or something so I can display them better rather than list form

(quick snoop round the Internet and computer and I have managed it)

Now the above picture is just my basic outgoings for the household bills and does not include any of my debt repayment, no birthdays/Christmas/clothing/school trips/pets etc. The only things I am in receipt of are tax credits and child benefit. We don't receive any housing or council tax benefit, no free school dinners etc.......

I work part time - 12 hrs is currently all I can do because my partner works full time, and the hours I have means that I work around his shifts so I am home to have our two children, which then saves us on childcare. 

Our other outgoings in the house look like this

So I have about £100.00 that is left over each month - which is basically our top up shop money, money that my partner may need to borrow to get himself to his next pay day, if the kids need new clothes/shoes etc and any birthday/anniversary spending etc also comes from this money.........

So I have decided to be very strict with myself this coming month.

As you can see I already have set myself a basic food budget of £100 - I'm not entirely sure if I will shop monthly or weekly with the food shop but I'm determined to stick to this budget as I really cant afford to be going over it so a fair bit of our shop will be downgraded to value items and I will start shopping about a bit more. 

We do have access to a Tesco and Iceland in our town, there is a Lidls and an Aldi outside of town which would mean an extra few pennies on my bus ticket but I'm wondering if it would be worth it for the cheaper products. Failing that we buy a fair bit as store own brands as it is, with a few value things added in but I'm thinking its time to downgrade again.

The baby is currently potty training so only really has nappies now if we are going out and for bedtime which is saving us money and she is a good eater.

We don't have a bath, only an electric shower so that saves on heating water etc. We aren't on a water meter either, we pay a basic rate to the council and that is it. 

So for today I am off to sit and have a look over my shopping list, see where I can cut corners and look into what the correct portions sizes are and work out what a servings costs.

Then I might make an inventory of whats in the cupboards and a meal plan between rehoming some of the kids toys from christmas to their bedrooms! 

Wish me luck, its about to be a busy day!

Sammy x x x

This is not too far removed from what my cupboard looks like which is kind of scary!

Right, I have taken an itinerary of my fridge / freezer and cupboards. Their contents are as followed.

Fridge

• Mushrooms
• 3 x petite filous yogurts
• I Cant Believe Its Not Butter
• 3 Eggs
• 1 and a half bags of grated mature cheddar
• New Potatoes
• 1kg bag of carrots (reduced to 50p)
• 1/2 bottle of Milk (approx 2 pints)

Freezer

• 2 sausages
• small white tin loaf

Cupboard

• Fusili Pasta 3/4 of a 3kg bag
• 2 small spaghetti portions
• 1.5kg value white rice
• 1 packet of SMASH (instant potato)
• 1 home-pride pasta bake sauce
• 1 home-pride curry sauce
• Bisto Gravy Granules
• 23 Chicken Oxo cubes
• 3 packs of golden rice
• 1 pack of chicken flavored rice
• approx 20 T Bags (and one unopened BOGOF box containing 160)
• 500g sugar
• 1 tin of 8 hotdogs in brine
• 4 tins of Lentil Soup
• 1 tin of value spaghetti in sauce
• 1ltr bottle of strawberry ribena (was reduced down to 81p in work as discontinued line)
• dried apricots
• ice cream sprinkles
• peppermint flavoring
• vanilla flavoring
• icing sugar
• 2 trifle mixes (minus the sponge fingers - dont ask!)
• 1 dream topping mix
• 1 Jelly sachet
• Tub of Cadburys hot chocolate
• 1kg Tesco value oats
• 1.5kg plain flour
• 2kg self raising flour
• golden syrup

Other

• 1 and a half boxes of Ready Brek
• 10 weetabix
• 1/2 box of cornflakes
• 4 mini boxes of coco pops
• 1 mini box of cornflakes
• 2 hot cross buns
• 2 slices of bread
• 5 bananas
• 1/2 bottle of tesco blackcurrant and apple juice
• 4 bags of walkers crisps
• 4 satsumas

and that is what is currently edible in my humble abode!

I have £5 to last me until the 10th and today is currently the 2nd.

My little boy starts school tomorrow so I will have to take out and defrost the small loaf in the freezer to put with cheese for his sandwiches, along with a bag of crisps, some dried apricots, a banana and a yogurt!

Plus I think I will have a day cooking tomorrow and peel some of the new potatoes and some carrots and cook them up and blend them once cooled to make a basis for baby food for Holly. That way then I can either just warm it up and give it to her or add an oxo cube or a little bit of gravy to it for a change and freeze a few portions. Plus I will get making twinks* hobnobs too as an energy bar for my partner when hes training and as a snack for my sons lunch box.

Well looks like I'll be having a productive day tomorrow around the errands, cleaning, washing, looking after Holly and the school run!

x

******************************

*Twinks - in case your wondering are hobnob style biscuits. The recipe was added to the MSE forum by a dear member who's username is 'Twink' therefore they have taken the name 'Twinks Hobnobs'. The recipe for those wanting to try them is

Hobnob Recipe

Ingredients

8oz sr flour

8oz sugar

8oz porridge oats

8oz margarine

1tbsp golden syrup

1tbsp hot water

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Instructions

Mix the flour, oats and sugar, melt marg, syrup and water in a pan. Stir in bic soda and add to dry mix.

Then mix well and make into smallish balls which you then put on a greased tray and flatten slightly with a fork. Put in the oven at 180 degrees C for 15 mins... and cool on the tray. The aim is to get them golden in the oven not brown.