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[BigSkies2022]

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Hi everyone!

Those of you who regularly have Dahl on their meal plans, what recipe do you use? I’ve never had it before but giving it a go next week! Have found a recipe on line, but thought I’d ask on here.

Today I have sorted the travel insurance for next years holiday - £115.32 for the four of us. I was expecting about £100 due to dd1 having a couple of diagnosis’ and I have a couple diagnosis’ too. I’ve paid for it using the money I’ve already put aside for holiday.

A few weeks ago I did a carers assessment, a few people had suggested it so I did it. I’ve received a payment of £300 from the local authority, when they suggested i be referred for it they asked what I could use it for & I said I would use it for a spa day & the rest towards some other treatments for myself. Very much looking forward to a spa day, I will go with a friend.

NSD apart from the travel insurance, which doesn’t really count!

@sockhop its amazing how the mindset around spending changes. I know so much of what i used to buy was because it was a good deal. i also fell inot the trap of stocking up on items in order to avail of free delivery. Trying hard to not do this so muh anymore. I do like a small stockpile but i'm working through 8 year old hand cream and theres no end in sight!

@Frugal25 thats crap about the plumber. Even though you have the money i'd still be cursing.

enjoy your spa day @PeenaM i don't think there is anything like that here in Ireland

Yesterday i spent €2.50 on breakfast and today i spent €10 on fresh groceries.

Still using up what we have in the fridge but its looking very bare now.

Holidays start on Friday and i will not be counting the pennies there until i get back! we have breakfast included and i've brought a bag of pasta and some pesto so we can have an easy meal at least one night. Otherwise i expect us to buy stuff to make lunches and snacks and then eat our for dinner. Its our first time having on site entertainment day and night for the small child so its likely we will spend a bit more on drinks out as usually we would just have a few in the apartment.

NSD for me today thankfully.
Good to see you @Happierwithouthim 😁

Thanks @Frugal25. I ended up freezing some plain portions and then splitting the rest to make a creamy garlic chicken and veg thing and Mexican chicken. I’ll plan on advance next time! How annoying about your plumbing bill - but I guess it’s pleasing that you’re able to pay for it too. You should definitely be proud of that.

Sorry that the cruise was a disappointment @chimichangaz.

it really is interesting about the mindset @pistachiosanscream . Im beginning to spot what it is that keeps me in a positive mindset and what it is that starts to push me over. I guess that some things become habit over time which is great.

Dd has a friend staying over tonight and I’d promised her pizza. I had a gift voucher for Deliveroo so I paid with that. It would have been cheaper to buy directly from the takeaway itself but obviously I couldn’t have used the vouchers. 1 pizza wouldn’t have been enough but 2 is too much so I’ll have the left over for my lunch tomorrow.
No other spends today.

A NSD for me today. My plans to go to the gym fell by the wayside as I woke before 6 with anxiety about a pension transfer that is taking far longer than it should. Spent about an hour and a half composing and sending a complaint off. Then, as it was sunny and I needed to take my mind off it I decided to repot about 10 houseplants! Took ages! Cleaned up then had a shower, batch cooked some beef enchiladas and spent the afternoon updating my finances so I’m feeling pretty in control at the moment (not of my pension transfer though ☹️).

£12 on a disappointing chicken. Need to do some more food shopping today but low on planning and cooking energy!

Dad in care home and I am fucking shattered after a days of running around between hospital, parents, care home and lifting DDad in and out of chairs and dressing him. My poor mum.

I need to be careful here because I am on the verge of a small meltdown about PILs coming to stay. For 10 days! Who does that? I wouldn’t dream of landing on people for more than 3 nights max, and these days I really wouldn’t want to do even that. I’d rather be in a hotel/self -catering place. I’m going to have to tackle DH…

PT session this morning. Have let him know I am not interested in cardio, I want to lift weights and build muscle! Also relieve some of this stress. Any lifters among you that can recommend some routines that don’t leave me crying with boredom?

Lsd yesterday, just a few groceries.

I have to be honest, my worst habit is letting meat go out of date. If for some reason (and it happens most weeke) our plans change during the week, I end up with one extra portion of meat that goes off and goes in the bin. I used to freeze it, but honestly I never unfreeze it and use it, so that was still a waste. I think I need to start preparing meals and freezing them instead.

Yes same here my meals I brought last week we missed dinner one night as not hungry and forgot to freeze it so that's basically a fiver lost. I wouldn't just put a five pound note in the bin but that happens far too often with food. Definitely used to be a lot worse though.

Food shop after work tonight and getting some nice meals for the weekend ahead ideally under £30!

Happy Thursday all!
@BigSkies2022 oh Hun, you must be shattered. And no surprise either. That's an awful lot to physically do and mentally too. Well done for getting your lovely dad sorted. Now to get you sorted. Make sure you have time to yourself.

I'm getting better at not wasting food. A lot used to go in the bin. Recently Ive run the cupboards and freezer down so much that what I have now I eat in that week. And I have space in my freezer to freeze extra portions. But I'm sure it's just a phase!

£66 in Lidl this morning. I got quite a few free items today and the 10% off. A few yellow stickers too so I'm very happy with that.
£7 on playgroup for DD.
Now I've got an outside tap, thanks to plumber, I have filled up the paddling pool and that's free entertainment for the rest of the day sorted! Feeling a bit better about the plumber bill (£375) yesterday so thank you everyone. I am proud that I have the money sitting there to use. First time in my life I'm able to just say "I got that".
I was due to go out tomorrow night with a friend but that's now cancelled so saving money there. Other than travel to work, it should be a NSD.

@BigSkies2022 ❤️. You have my absolute sympathy. It's so hard isn't it, and relentless. And draining, tiring and wearing. I get it, I really do. I'm young and fit etc, so can cope with DH, lord knows how folk who are less robust manage. Even then, I'll be glad to stop work in a couple of months and at least not have to juggle the mental load of running a business. I would not be a fan of a ten day stay, even by my closest and most loved friends. Caroline Girvan on YouTube is a good starting point re the weight training. She has a down to earth, sensible, 'don't follow the latest trends' approach.

So frustrating @chimichangaz re the transfer but I hope the repotting calmed the frazzled nerves.

Wouldn't it be a good idea to actually put physical money into a pot when we throw food away?! It would soon focus the mind.

We've had 2 NSD's in a row. The start of the payday month felt pretty spendy but it's now settled down.

@PeenaM I tend to cook the dhal recipe I posted below the most, as all the family like it.

£53 in Sainsbury's today. We've finished the month about £30 into overdraft, which is a very good clawback from where we started - I am pleased! Will be sending meter readings tomorrow as well, so hoping that we're really eating away at the winter debit balance.

PT session went better today - I explained I wanted to lift heavier and really understand what working to failure felt like. And I wanted different home routines, about 5 exercises, lifting heavier, and not repeated circuits. I'm stronger and more experienced an exerciser than they think, so they don't need to mollycoddle me! need - I do a 20 minute routine by CG quite regularly. I can't lift as much as she does, (yet!) but I like her approach. I need to sort this right leg out - after walking on Monday, I"m in pain from toe to hip and maxing out on ibuprofen. You're right, even a few days of helping my dad leaves me shattered - my mum is closing in on 90, arthritis in every joint. I'm amazed she's not keeled over. It's rage keeping her going!

I have a nice day lined up tomorrow: going to the Munch exhibition with DS and his GF, then we're meeting DH for dinner in Marylebone. I will be back on the elder train on Saturday! (Although actually, my mother will probably be panicking that DF doesn't have enough socks and I might find myself doing a dash tomorrow morning to unite man and underwear).

Costco today £110 sticking up on the usual monthly list of things . I probably saved about £40 getting the stuff in bulk . We do have to take the petrol in to account but we treat the visit to Costco as a day out almost because we really enjoy it .
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend 😀

@BigSkies2022 huge unmumsnetty hug for you sweetheart bless you 💐

Nsd again yesterday, that's 2 this week!

The next couple of months will be spendy in our house so I've set out a big budget so we all know what's coming when.

Well done on the NSDs @Imperfectpolly

Yesterday I went out for dinner with my cousin. We just went to Wagamama and neither of us drank alcohol so it only came to £45 which I paid for.
I also spent £50 on makeup so £95 in total.

It’s payday today and I’ve split my money into pots. I need to try and claw back some money in my bills account this month which should be possible. Bills are coming from my old NatWest current account which works well on the whole (I get paid into there still too). All other spending I’m trying to do from my new Starling account. It got a bit messy towards the end of the month when I was transferring between multiple places (including dds go Henry and current accounts too) so I need to try and streamline it a bit better. Dd owes £50 from her GoHenry account which I need to call up about (you can’t just transfer online annoyingly) but I think there’s also at least another £50 MIA and I can’t work out which transaction its from. A few end of month subscriptions mean I’m currently £150 down in total.

Anybody else sometimes need a receipt as your convinced it's got to be an error somewhere?
I've just popped to Lidl and I am sure my groceries should have been less than a £10 I was shocked at £15!
This healthy eating lark is bloody expensive, I know all eating is expensive but honestly I can understand why people get unhealthy with food - £4 for strawberries (admittedly a big pack) but in the freezer aisle I could eat for a couple of days cheap burgers etc for that.

@ChipshopPickledEgg it happens to me all the time now that shopping is way more than expected and I'm checking the receipt. Unfortunately everything is just more expensive that I expect it to be.

I'm with you on the healthy food being more expensive than junk too. I went back to slimming world on weds so will be making healthier choices and expect my weekly food shop to increase.

Been shopping to Aldi's £70 .
I always check my receipt. Just as well they overcharged me for chicken breast . I bought 2 they charged me for 3 pkts so l got a refund .
Feeling tired out now might have forty winks 😁

Not updated for a while even though I have been reading everyone's updates to keep up.
It was a LSD today £17.18 in Lidl with free Brown sauce and Grapes - so can't complain too much. Also £19.99 in Home Bargains which included a new keyboard and mouse for DH and shampoo/conditioner/toothpaste for upcoming holiday.
It was Payday for some of the pensions so have been busy moving money around, so it's all where it should be for bill paying and other commitments. Another Credit card has bitten the dust but only because I moved the balance on an expiring 0% deal. But it feels better just being one card less, after having upwards of a dozen cards we now have more reasonable number and they are all on a 0% all being overpaid and coming down slowly. Not that I'm even tempted but the cards all keep offering me and DH 0% deals - but no intention of using them.
Hard though it is we are still managing to save. We have another holiday coming up in October to pay by August. We also had to replace our ancient boiler a few months ago and had to put up half of the balance from savings - in two months have paid back a third of it to savings.
It's quite surprising what you can do when you really focus on things - some of the dreaded decluttering has been profitable via Vinted and World of Books - everything has been paid towards getting debts down even rounding up the card payments on the bank has been paid over every time it reaches a tenner. Plus literally trying not spend anything!!
It won't be all plain sailing this month as we need spends for the holiday but again have been stashing cash - every time I shop for my neighbour she pays me back in cash. Have saved all of that and will need to change into Euros before we go. Have been looking around for the best rates in our local town and also seen several ads pop up on FB for Sainsburys, Tesco and Asda but their rates are all the same (even though meant to be a special offer!!)
Need to audit the freezers as we are hoping to avoid any big shops before our holidays in two weeks - we brought back things like burgers and sausages after our CParcs break a week ago - as no BBQs allowed. So they are definitely on the meal plan!! 😋

I hear you on the healthy eating being more expensive. I'm trying to cut out as many UPF as a I can and my food bill has gone up.
I'm listening to the wellness scoop podcast at the mo and they said that the average household spends 45% of their wages on food if they eat well. That goes up to 70% in low income households. Just not doable.
NSD today. Redid budget and I will be £75 in my overdraft by pay day so I've shoved a lot of stuff on vinted that was due for charity shop. Hopefully that will ease it somewhat. The plumber and then the window cleaner turning up when I wasn't expecting him shoved me into the red.
Although I did check pension and I've just hit 6 figures. I'm extremely proud of myself so will enjoy my Friday night a little more. Happy Friday everyone xx

Morning.

Echo the sentiments re eating well being expensive. It's incredibly difficult to keep the costs down if you want to eat a largely home cooked, whole grain, high protein diet with few UPF's. I prioritise diet, because we extremely rarely eat out, I love cooking, and I'm paranoid about health and longevity and I'd rather compromise in other areas. Not every has that luxury and there's only so much you can do by batch cooking lentil dishes and eating beans and pulses as often suggested...!

Thankfully, we seemed to have settled down re spending after a bit of a flurry at the start of the 'payday' month.

£130 Ocado (but £25 for a bottle of Jack D for a present and two bottles of wine - I like to have a red and a white bottle in for guests and had neither - weird I know)
£15 Amazon - pistachios and pumpkin seeds (see my first comment!).

I've made another £20 on Vinted and will list a few things this weekend.

We only have to pay for a drink at the local sports club today, and I've offered to batch cook for my niece, who has had her second child and is struggling a bit - she's yet to confirm if she has freezer space though.

Yet to menu plan.

As predicted, this week has not been low spend. Took DD shopping one day, I only bought her one thing, she paid for others with vouchers and money she had. I did pay for lunch.
Popped into TKmaxz yesterday as I like the beauty/cosmetics section, spent £10. I nearly bought some pyjamas which were a bargain but decided I didn't really need them.
Seeing a friend later today for food and drinks.
Working all this week so should be low spend.

I ordered a few bits online last night - new duvet cover, curtains & lampshade ready for when we do our bedroom in august. The lampshade & curtains were both on sale. Came to about £75, I used £50 from money I had put aside, so only £25 spent.
Had a friend and her girls round yday, we always get bits from the shop for lunch. My share was £8.

Other than paying £15 today for dd1’s riding lesson, which dh may pay for, there will be no other spends.

I’ve had a couple of low spend days - £9 in Morrisons on Thursday for a recipe I was batch cooking. Also a TikTok shop purchase of £11. Yesterday I spent £2.50
in the local shop and also signed up for a £10/month online weight watchers membership (£5 discount first month, 10
month commitment).

taking my sister out to lunch for her birthday today and sending a card and money to a friends son for his birthday.

This week I’ve been told I’m being refunded for the lost day of my cruise, plus expenses and I’ve also had £25 from Chip as I opened an ISA in their promotion.

I’m glad you’ll get a refund @chimichangaz

Healthy eating can be so expensive. Dd is a super fussy vegetarian. She only eats incredibly plain foods. I’m happy to eat mainly veggie meals - but I do want more variety and flavour than she will eat, so I tend to cook separate meals for us. My meals are probably cheaper too.
I need to do a big shop very soon. I’ve got lots of carbs in stock but am low on vegetables and protein. I think I’ll do an online shop to avoid too much deviating from plan.

I spent £13 yesterday at Sainsbury’s Local. Other than the food shop I don’t have any purchases planned this weekend - although I might treat Dd to a bubble tea tomorrow.