Guess who got the Fathers Day Card.....

I have a naff one up and up boss - senior level not direct boss who is fab. Really silly chap and very sneaky. likes to use big silly words -sometimes out of context and just for effect. He is infuriating and the source of much stress to all. Sigh on the up side its great working at the land based industries campus - agricultural college type out in the kind of sticks!!!  Appears more remote than it is!! Lots of lambs abound in the fields lining the drive which is very pleasant.


Other than that - tried the sun dried tomato ladder bread yesterday - oh delicious and went well with the pizza we had.  Left overs for today's lunch! Popped to a friends after work with weeny girl so that we could have a brief catch up then home for quick tea and bed.  Biggles called round - 8pm ish. Weeny still up.


At nursery they were making fathers day cards. She decided at nursery that her card was for Biggles....  for Fathers day. SHE decided. I have no influence on this.  Funny - Her choice says a great deal.  The nursery workers explained that it was her choice and as they know I am single mum with a long term relationship also found it a bit amusing.  Biggles was most touched by weeny's gesture... something he didn't think he would ever receive/experience.
Bless them both.  Yes we are trying to extend the pack but being 1.5 years off 40 ...its not so easy.

Ho hum Camping prep tomorrow night before the big trip!!!  Dead excited. We have trialed the tent!!! All equipment present and correct just need clothes to pack and some gas


See soon!!

Waiting for pay day!!!

When is pay day!!!  Ahhhh Ok need to get serious now! Have paid two big bills - the overpayment from DWP when I was made redundant and a shortfall in child tax credits has mean't I have had to fork out £200 for child care! Seeminly they have overpaid me this year and the last payment was £200 short of the child care bill.

I am awaiting the nasty mechanics bill for the mot, service and work to get the car through its MOT. I am hoping about £350 tops. Then I have tax to pay - £120. SO the best part of a further £500 quid from the savings. I will be frugalling the shopping till the money starts comming in again. The extra spends - trips to Carlisle and such  have all added up. My mobile bill was also over budget by £20. I have beenusing the phone  to make necessary phone calls and have gone over my limit by £17!!!!!!! I never use all my minutes. I have a contract so am a bit tied. My goal is £25.

I have managed to stay within my budget for BT- intrenet has pushed payments up a few times going over my down load limit.   Working full time I should save money on heating and phone calls and such but will be paying more on fuel and using the car more.

Meagre shopping and being creative with the freezer stock should help.


Positive note  its free weekend tomorrow and we wil be taking a picnic and not indulging in souveneir shops.

Ho hum a frugaling I come!!!

Ahhhh the silence and some free cycle!!

Well after the boring changing of the bank accounts I picked up a freecycled small three drawer chest of drawers and hit Lidl! Only spent £25 but need to pick up yoghurt's and cat food, children's toothpaste and some fruit not a great deal of fruit apples maybe and whatever is cheap! - should get away with only spending £30 this week  Ahhhh bread flour - sold out at Lidl - Over a pound a bag at other stores so plumbed for the 99p stuff - only 1kg rather than the 1.5 bags but no choice. Will keep monitoring!!!! Roo is at the beach - I sent her off on her own for some fun am sure she Will be fine -very sensible three year old  - not really away with friends - mine not hers so I have enjoyed a lovely cup of coffee and some uninterrupted blog reading.  Have  admin for work work to do later so will be busy and bored senseless. I do hope I get some sort of other job/direction soon  this current post is sucking my soul away!!!!!!

The freecycle item was much like the ret of my furniture - nothing interesting all rather bland- all second hand hand and given to me/ free cycled. Its every where!! I have alot of that cheap mock pine effect stuff. None of it has cost me a bean however so I am not complaining. It has no character, personality - it is all bland and very plain but gives me somewhere to put the books, photos. I don't really have Nick knacks anymore they were deemed non essential during one of the my house moves and as such boot sold, gave to charity. I would love a dresser however to collect and display my own particular brand of crap!!!

One day maybe when I am resettled again.... shame I will say tarrah to the kitchen - excellent space and lots of room for a dresser.......... ho hum soon I hope

Todays fun..........

Was unable to make the phone calls due to that other thing called work getting in the way. OK  day however- have cleared the family loan with the relevant people so good good!!! Putting the super frugal plan into action asap after Easter. Easter will be an expense. I am going to the old country  (Scotland) to  collect my dear ole Mum from the airport avec big sister and take her to her new home - care home- she has advancing dementia/Alzheimer's. I will then spend a few days making sure she is settled. I have chosen Ayr as I really do not know how long I am going to be here and I would not want to move her again. She is from Ayr and other relatives will be able to visit her. I am just not sure how often I will be able to visit. Train may be cheaper mid week - leave on Monday night after work or Tuesday morning and come back Wednesday - will have to investigate . Weeny girl Roo will be joining me. These things always cost extra money - coffee, food stops  etc etc but cannot be avoided.  Not part of the financial plan and def not one the folks from CAP had budgetted for. Am looking forward to seeing mum interact with Roo - last time she responded very well to her and was smiley and happy. It will break my heart having to leave her so far away with strangers and not her familiar carers and in a new routine but its got to be done.

The  rest of today....... no charity window shopping just a quick trip to Morrison's for essentials!!

Look at my food booty!!! For only £10!! approx  Essential lasagna sheets  x4 - 23p each,  fruit and veg essentials - onions, carrots, broccoli, apples, pears, apple juice, 56p,  milk , yoghurts 44p, butter for baking, 55p, lower fat spread on special offer 62p!! Yorkshires - as I am pants at making them, I think they were a pound and last for three meals for 2.3 of us!! Bargain of the day -five jars of curry sauce 9p yes that's a whole 9p each!!!  45p Enough for five curry meals for two and a bit if needed or one and some for the freezer. We tried some this evening with some chunky homemade in their skins  oven chips and naan -Its  much like 70's school curry but spicier with a few raisins - fry up some chook and onions and its not half bad. (Curry powder would only last for 5/6 meals and cost more. Think it was about 80p  last time - Makway mild curry powder - bright yellow stuff) This way I also get jars for jam making!!! Large ones!!!

I will have to call in at Lidl next week for bread flour ( its only 69p)  light mayonaise and Salad stuffs but that's about it really. Apart from fresh produce should be an easy one on the budget for a while.  I always figure that if I want a proper Balti I will go out to a restaurant or takeaway - last one was new years eve with Biggles ( My birthday) and it was great, oh and a takeaway with Mother Biggles!!!! Who was  a big Goa fan  for many years but has now moved on to Kenya!

I don't have my camera software yet I uploaded photos to fb from my mobile then downloaded them to the lap top and uploaded to blogger from there!!!!!!!!!!!!

I didn't really do anything for comic relief - Weeny girl had to do something funny for nursery. We went for the Mr Tumble look - Those with kids and a TV will know Mr Tumble!!! Here she is in her glory: We had lots of random sticky out plaits which she is sleeping in so she gets frizzy hair tomorrow!She was very impressed with her look and couln't wait to show off!!

I also had some pics on my phone of childrens clothes finds which I will add too!!!

 99p Marks and Spencers floaty blue dress!!!
Has bed head hair in this pic - but she wanted to put it on!!! Good sign she likes it!!

 For age 4-5 - nothing over £2 mostly below as I recall - love the flowers and the colour of the cardighan!
A sweatshirt is missing from the haul!

I just like this one - looking out to sea!!! Can't wait for summer!

This year I have a promise that Biggles will spend it with me regardless of the military type things in Libya. Last year he was away  in the land of red dust  and long haired dogs doing war things. I made him promise over his curry that no more this year and no volunteering till ...well October when he is due to be posted anyway!!! He would volunteer for it  eagerly despite doing his over seas bit last year so no expectation on him to do so. Promised me no volunteering!!!!  Like he says its what he signed up for and its his job and he does it well......just give me summer then go answer your call xx

Wardrobe shuffle!

Nothing like a good wardrobe re organisation to cheer me up!! I moved alot of stuff to the recycling pile. I also have a box of things  that I love but am not wearing at the moment IYKWIM - Eg really soft black leather pencil skirt, some dresses, lace top thing - one day just not right now!  I change my wardrobe according to the seasons - jumpers away or jumpers out.  summer tops in  or summer tops out. Very satisfying!  Also played stylist wiith a few items - took stock! Am now after a waistcoat - black fitted one - will know it when I see it!!! Shoes, skirts, jeans etc Also called in to the RSPCA shop. It has been maryised -  re decorated and repriced - no more sale rail of cut price items and lots of items now over priced if you ask me but such is the way of things..........

Would love to find some jumble sales - proper jumble sales with lots of jumble to rumble through but never see them advertised locally. Carboot maybe at the weekend.
Collected vouchers for the residents festival  - Cragside is a must not sure  for other days - some attractions are doing two for one which is still in the case of Alnwick Garden adn Castle £16 plus child price! tut tut
Uni Interview has been put back which is excellent - so have more time to prepare at a more sensible pace.
Debt - opened bank account today, need to transfer direct debits tomorrow, and also carry on with the care home search for the returning mother. We are on lots of lists and are waiting.........


Checked out Iceland today - needed milk and fruit, not bad for some items.


More debt sorting tomorrow and I may even dig out my camera software if there is time!!! I have lots of treasures to show!!! lol

Prep for Monday... Tomorrow is a shopping day!

Am off to a place I hardly ever go to tomorrow due to being a witness at the magistrates court. I intend on fleecing the area for bargains! It is also a shopping day or if I am held up it will be Tuesday.

New rules for shopping are to list in specially purchased notebook all items purchased over the month - I have a £160 budget per month for food and household items for the gorgeous one and I. Thus us for breakfast, lunch, dinner and tea plus weekend food for Biggles the owl lover, and cat food for the moggs (2).  I have a small list of essentials to purchase: self raising flour, chicken breasts, bread flour, yeast, oil, cat food, sausages ( if on special offer) cheese ( if on special offer) pizza ( if on special offer) coconut milk ( if on special offer - an indulgence I love Thai style food) tortilla wraps, apple juice, moisturiser ( cheap for me) veg, potatoes, fruit etc  Otherbargains also much appreciated and very welcome. I shall however keep my receipt and tot it all up in a little book!  Balancing spending on food over the month so that I do not go over my budget of £160.

Living in the country in the far northern provinces of Englandshire the closest supermarkets are not great - Sainsburys, - too expensive mostly but occaisionally worth a trawl for kids clothes, Morrisons - a fall back I suppose -some bargains to be hadif all else fails,  Lidl and Iceland - to be watched closely for staples such as chook, pork, mince- Lidl special offers are supreme eg COFFEE Gold Blend - £4 huge jar and they sell the cheapest bread flour I can find. Icing sugar - for fun things!! Mustn't forget! Will tell you how I get on!