I am on a bit of a frugal overdrive this coming month as September turned out to be a rather expensive one, thanks to my trip up to Lancashire - the price of petrol sort of blew all my budget. Never mind, I will rise to the challenge of eating well and saving money, I am now just £250 off my savings goal of £10,000 to go towards the new house buy, so I feel immensely proud of myself for having saved that, even if it has left me short every month, the challenge has been a fun one in many ways, and I am sure a lot of you out there can appreciate what I mean when I talk about fun in connection with saving money. A lot of people simply wouldn't get that but I know you fellow bloggers do get it. Every month has been a challenge of making the money go a little further so that I can put it into savings, when I move house I will know that it will have been worth it.
Which brings me nicely to the subject of today's blog. I wanted to spend no more money on food until next Tuesday, partly because I am cross with supermarket shopping at the moment, and partly because I am just slightly overdrawn until Tuesday and want to go no more into the red.
So with this in mind I made a list of the stuff I had in my larder, the stuff I had in the freezer and the fridge and decided to come up with a list of food I could make out of it. Now, the freezer is surprisingly empty at the moment because I was purposefully letting it get low so that I could defrost it (it is a bit of a disgrace) but even so I managed to quite easily come up with 10 different meals I could make just out of what I had without setting foot in the supermarket. This includes such delights as spicy pumpkin soup, paella, cauliflower and potato curry, meat and potato pie, Chinese noodles, and more. Yesterday I made a lovely butternut squash and orange bake, this morning I have made the pumpkin soup and a new potato, tomato and egg salad,. The results of which are sitting in my fridge now in all looking welcoming in their Autumn colours, wholesome and bright. It made me reflect on the nutritional excess of being frugal, I have more ready to eat delicious food in my fridge than plenty of people who go to the supermarket and spend hundreds of pounds every week with little to show for it. I feel richer than these people by far because I have found a way of living in a contented fashion on less and without going hungry - far from it.
Other news from me is that my flat viewing went very well, the lady loved it and is coming for a second viewing this evening and bringing her sister to see it too. The cottage I went to see in Lancashire was perfect too and I am trying not to get too excited about it, because a lot can happen in the next couple of months, still, there is hope that it could all work out.
nick some flowers for a vase in the kitchen ( women love flowers in a kitchen)
ReplyDeletescrub the bog again and put some coffee on before they arrive
good luck!
x
well done on the £10k, i am the other way round, I had £10k on cards last year and now have £201 to go. its a shame really because i think if I hadnt had the card i could have saved £10k like you have. hope the viewing goes well.
ReplyDeleteSo pleased to hear that you`re managing without too much spending. And the flat front seems to look quite good, too. Keeping fingers and toes crossed for a successful outcome for you! And, as you have discovered, frugal living does not mean you go without. Its a choice of quality over quantity. Well done with your meal creations. They sound fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you using what you have on hand to make meals. I go to the supermarket once a month and stock up - menu planning helps. The rest of the time I get my milk etc from the corner shop, and veg from car boots or markets
ReplyDeleteWell done with your savings plan. You SHOULD feel proud. Good luck with your viewing tonight. Fingers crossed it goes well
Debbie x
Thanks everyone, I did give the bog another good scrub john, along with just about everything else! The beautiful sunny weather helped.
ReplyDeleteMiss Piggy Bank, Just think, now you have cleared your debt anything you save will be towards your next 10 grand!
Sarina, it is so fun trying to make do with things in the house and gives a great sense of achievement when it tastes good in the end too.
Debbie, I love to hear that you manage just to go to a supermarket once a month, that is something to aim for, I don't manage it yet but will try to plan even more!
The viewing went well, she is still very keen and asked more probing questions this time. Hopefully hear something from her soon. I think there is no doubt that she loves it, but I guess it is a case of whether or not she can actually afford it or not now.
My fingers are still crossed. Let's hope she comes back for another view. It's when they bring the measuring tape that it starts to get serious.
ReplyDeleteLove from Mum