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

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.