September savers/frugaleers continue into October

[574ejones]

All welcome!

I've had a new idea for using leftovers. We like to have tapas-y style meals from time to time with several dishes to mix up but it's a lot of effort to cook them all in one go.
It occurred to me that if I cook 2 meals with some leftover then on the 3rd day I can cook one more thing and we can have it with the left over bits and pieces, assuming I cook things that will go together - being veggie makes that easier though I think.
Just trying to order DD some new shoes via Quidco but it won't let me checkout, some sort of problem with the website. I'm a bit cross that girls' shoes do not seem to be designed to keep their feet dry. Do the manufacturers think that girls never leave the house or something?!

£5 church. £15 Chinese textbooks for dd. £35 at boots for vitamins, electric toothbrush heads and 3 presents for people (one grown up and 2 kids) - birthdays.

Making pear crumble now with pears from our tree. Never made it before - done apple and pear crumble, not just pear. Will start making sweet sour chicken now. Clothes outside!

Would you mind my asking what kind of church you go to NK5? (just interested). I'm Church of Scotland/CofE/URC.

Reign or rein? I've confused myself

Rein, like a horse. (had to ask dh, oh the shame.)

Had a guilty splurge on some brushed cotton double bedding for DS2 today £30, but it is so cosy. I just wish I had picked up more when it was in the Aldi special buys - it will be interesting to see how there compare when they are washed.

£4 on a hot chocolate today I don't regret it though, I was climbing the walls with cabin fever/frustration of not being able to do much or drive now I'm heavily pg and so dh dropped me off at the Starbucks down the road while he took dd on some errands. Felt a bit more human afterwards, I think a treat now and then does us good. Its freezing here today too, so the right weather for it!

Meals this week:
Mon- lasagne (bolognese in freezer already)
Tues- tomato pasta bake
Wens- vegetable curry (in freezer)
Thurs- jacket potatoes
Friday- spaghetti bolognese (freezer, o made loads last week)
Saturday- chicken fajitas
Sunday- chicken curry
Monday- quesadillas with leftover fajita

Food shop tomorrow should hopefully be a little cheaper seeing as most stuff is from the freezer. We seem to alternate between spendy weeks where we run out of everything and need nappies and formula and cheaper weeks where we have lots of food in. Batch cooking definitely helps with this, I'd rather cook once or twice a week and make lots for the freezer.

annatha I definitely alternate on spendy weeks. Last week was very expensive as there were a lot of 2-for-1 offers. This week has been quite cheap.

That must have been a great hot chocolate. Good idea to spoil yourself a bit. I'm sure the baby is enjoying those tasty calories and putting them to good use.

Eaten my body weight in seafood, lamb, chocolate tart and red wine. Happy happy happy.

Hi ipsos no worries! We are Catholic.

Ooo! Thanks NK5, that's interesting to know. We have nearly all denominations covered between us then.

possibly outing myself but there's an Anglican Catholic Church where we live and I'm not entirely sure what they are... It sounds like high Anglican/CofE but even more...?!

Made sweet sour chicken, spicy aubergine, omelette and rice for dinner. Haven't done this for a long time. Have had literally no time. Felt good. Pear crumble for pudding which was quite yum!

ipsos it was scrummy. A few years ago I'd be buying expensive coffees and hot chocolates 3 or 4 times a week without even thinking about it, and it really adds up!

Phew survived party weekend. £100 at most and all budgeted for.
Shouldn't need much food this week as epic shop last week. Will need birthday party stuff for Saturday though.
Am on the verge of charity shopping a load of stuff as the clutter is driving me potty but it annoys me about the cash lost.

annatha Yes I know what you mean. I used to treat myself to a latte and a bun in Costa as a major pleasure when I was single, and it was only after quite some years that I realised it wasn't doing my body any favours at all, quite apart from the cost. I still miss the taste though. Right now I'd give quite a lot to be 7 years old and drinking nesquick again.

NK5 I've never heard of them before either, but online it says they're an offshoot of the Episcopal Church (which is an offshoot of the CofE I think). It says they branched because they weren't happy with some modernisations (including women ministers and adjustments to the Book of Common Prayer). Interesting! I love reading about different religions. They all have so much good stuff in common and so much interesting weirdness to enjoy too.

£2 on contact lens cleaner in homebargains and the same on instant coffee because I cant afford tassimo pods right now.

Just went out for a meal with friends - £34 for DH and me, could have done without spending that really but we don't see these friends very often. The cat seems to be gearing up for a night of bothering us and I have a grotty cold so I'm going to be in a horrible mood tomorrow!

hmmph. Trying to book our Travelodge for next year, as had a voucher code for 10% off, then realised it's only valid on stays until the end of 2015. Doh. wondering when they'll release codes for that far ahead as I don't want to leave it too late to book.

I did resist the temptation to book an impromptu night away for my birthday in December just to make the most of the code though... small victories...

65p on sugar free polos, as DD1 took her own money to the pool, but didn't realise there was a "10" button and was doing 1 then 0 for her choice!

DS borrowed a £1, not had it back yet......

We have solar energy people coming round tomorrow, I suspect a big waste of time, but we'll see. This is a scheme where Tesco finance the panels, at 3.9%, the feed in tariff repays the finance. Anyone else done it this way?

Hello, can I join in?

I am on my 3rd Mat leave in 4 yrs and have had a year each time. We have a reasonable joint income but am saving like mad to have another full year off. I am now 38 + 4 and waiting for baby!

DH worked all weekend, girls (4 and 2) and I entered the village scarecrow competition (£3) Saturday and today went swimming (£3.60 total- bargain!) And had a coffee (£3) which I deserved :)

Audit we have a biomass boiler under the governments green deal scheme which sounds a bit like the solar pannels. Basically it was put in by a company for free and they 'own' it and service it/undertake any repairs for 7 yrs. We but the fuel. For every unit of energy it produces the government pause an incentive which goes straight to the company. For us the fuel is cheaper than traditional heating, although we have to buy 4 tonnes at once which costs us £800 ish so needs some budgeting. We last bought fuel in Feb though and I reckon will but again around Xmas. It's a big and old house so we think we save 50% roughly on bills. Works for us.

Breathless do you mean that you are 38 +4 weeks pregnant? Welcome to the group!

I want pointless's sweet potatoes now!
NSD yesterday. Generally a fairly quiet weekend!

Hi audit
We got our solar panels through some company and we pay for the panels interest free to the makers of the panels (hitachi or someone). We connected the feed in tariff thing to our suppliers and so they know how much electricity we generate. And of course we pay for gas. We have free electricity on most says (we are in the se).

So in terms of outgoings, it's still roughly the same ie we pay £110 per month to the panel people, but in terms of bills for gas and electricity it's gone down by 60-70%. The amt we pay the panel people should go down in a year or so, and then eventually we don't pay them anymore. But it's interest free. Something like 3 years I think?

Thanks need

Welcome Breathless

Morning all I am enjoying a Monday morning not being at work!!

Got to take the car to the Garage in a min as need at least two new tyres plus the car keeps alarming and saying there is something working with the battery. Hoping the savings I have in the car account will cover it.