Monday 28 November 2011

Busy couple of days

Well I have had a very busy 2 days we have embarked on the pre-xmas blitz yesterday afternoon we ventured into the boys room and completly emptied it apart from furnature and sorted every toy box and nook and cranny some went to the recycling centre some to charity and some is sitting in a bag ready to be ebayed , today its been washing drying ironing accomponied by cleaning dusting vaccing and mopping and the house is looking pretty clean tidy and organised ( for how long is anybodys guess ) .

I was trying to put a few recipes on here but my pictures won't upload so will try again tomorrow .

My parents have decided against xmas gifts this year and instead grand kids are getting cash and couples are getting a £50 asda card ( I have budgeted another £50 )so my next big challenge is to get all of our xmas food for £100 that is for EVERYTHING !!! so every penny will count , I have a £5 off a £40 shop voucher so will be using that towards the "Big xmas shop" in the past I have spent as much as £200 and its pretty much all been rubbish snacky things that have gone in days so this year I want it to last at least 2 weeks , but I think I can rise to the challenge , so I will search out some bargains and share whatever I find .

My sewing basket is beckoning so I will sign off

J

Saturday 26 November 2011

Gone in sixty seconds !

Well the chinese food went down a treat ! even the youngest who can be a fussy eater had a go at everything and really enjoyed it much better than a takeaway and a lot cheaper .


The curry is missing from this pic but I was pretty pleased for the amount we spent

I have learned to cook so many different dishes and bake over the past couple of years and once you have the basics ( baking tins , mixing bowls etc ) it really is a lot cheaper , tastes better and you know exactly what is in it so my mission this week is to bake lots and put recipes and pictures on here my lemon cake is a firm favourite along with Highlander Shortbread so I will start with those tomorrow .

I have already started to mentally make a few New Years Resolutions I make them every year but rarely stick to them last years main one was not to buy any NEWclothing for a year and I would say I have been about 80% successful I have become an avid charity shop fan and had a few good bargains from eBay and altogether have spent just over £100 on clothing since january but I want to do even better next year so I will buy a stock pile of pants and bras before january and try not to buy any clothing at all for 3 months then review my wardrobe for another 3 months and so-on .

Another huge change was buying my bike in 2009 I used to happily hop on a bus or ask hubby to run me here and there but not anymore come rain hail or shine im on my bike , its 5 miles each way to work and I do this 3 times a week and it really is a brilliant cellulite buster and it helped me lose nearly 2 stone and still helps to keep it off .


J

A bit about me .........................................

Like the title says this is just a bit about me , my name is Julie and I have been reading blogs and post regularly on netmums on one particular thread and its all about saving cash where ever we can .

I used to work full time but for the past 21 months I have worked part-time and it has been a bit of a shock to the system to say the least im very happily married to Gavin who I have been with for 18 years ,we have 2 sons Kaine 13 and Jude 6 I have muddled my way through the past year and a half but next year is going to be the year I take the bull by the horns and try and get to grips with Frugality once and for all kind of a new years resolution .

So far I have managed to cut our food bill down by more than half , I really think very carefully about every purchase and pay cash wherever possible and we ebay anything that is unwanted or no longer fits etc .

I know there are lots of blogs about saving money but I want this one to be about living frugally but still being fulfilled and happy .

This evening we are having a chinese banquet ( I use this term loosley but the kids think its a banquet so hey-ho so be it ) and it really didn't cost a lot we paid a visit to the Chinese Supermarket for most of it and wow it is so cheap granted its mainly bulk items but when you break it down it saves lots of £££ .

Tonights Menu

Rice ( store cupboard )
Noodles ( 95p for huge bag around 10 portions wil use 2 for tea )
Prawn crackers ( 2KG bag £3.95 these will last forever !!!)
Chinese platter (Asda whoopsie £1.20 spring rolls, wontons, prawn toast
Sweet & Sour  ( HM with veggies and sauce approx 40p )
Chicken Curry  ( 2 chicken breasts with sauce made from powder approx £2.20 )
Fortune cookies 15p each

So when you break it down for just over a fiver we have a lovely Chinese banquet which will be eaten by all with chopsticks .

I have also re-discovered the joys of  Crafts its so satisfying making something from scratch or up-cycling something thats a little worse for wear so will be adding lots of pics of all my crafty projects .

I hope you come back and read more

J


                                                   Here is a pic of me and hubby