Me

Me

Friday 16 August 2013

Changing the way I food shop...

Hi everyone!

On Sunday we will head off to the supermarket to do a fortnightly shop. We haven't been for a month because of lovely hubby's back and had the last shop delivered. My last shop was considerably cheaper because I worked to a list (and yes, a cream cake treat was on there!) On Sunday I will take a proper list, not just the reminders that I normally take and stick to it.

I will need to get nappies and baby stuff for Daisy and her birthday card etc because our next shop falls on her actual birthday. We will do online that week for a different day. The 1st September will be all about our precious little grandaughter.

Tomorrow I will sit down and meal plan for the next two weeks, taking into account what I already have in the house. With all the braising steak left in the freezer, beef casserole and dumplings will definitely be on there. The slowcooker will be out again! It's raining here today and making me think ahead to the Autumn months and what needs to be done in preparation. More lists ahead!

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Sylvia - nice to hear from you!

Lean thinker - great to have you back! I have made a bbq sauce and poured it over the belly pork slices before going in the oven. You need to line the roasting tin with greaseproof first, or deal with a sticky mess to clean off. We had it with veggie rissotto...really yummy!

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Have a great weekend,

Mandy x

10 comments:

  1. Your recipes and tips are great. Glad to have found you through Frugal Queen. I think we might be fellow Oxonions? I live in the West of the county :)

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    1. Hi Janice and welcome to my blog! Thank you for your kind words. Sadly we're just out of Oxfordshire on the border with Northants and Warwickshire, between Banbury (north Oxfordshire) and Daventry which is Northants. Is the west Witney and Abingdon?

      I grew up in Oxfordshire...Thame, Chinnor (in the south)... went to school in Watlington and then moved to a village near Banbury (in the north), then Banbury, then the village I'm in now. So not that far from you really!


      Hope you keep reading!

      Mandy xxx

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  2. Just found your blog and thought I would pop by and say Hello :-)

    Do you know Woodford Halse? it can't be too far away from where you live.I live in Yorkshire but we take the caravan to a little farm site there, its such beautiful countryside, we have been to the Cropredy Folk Festival a few times too.

    We live a fairly simple life here and I always find that if you menu plan and make a list for shopping you only buy what you need and it makes life so much easier. It sounds like you have your hands full with your little grandaughter, they are worth it though as they bring such joy into our lives.

    Good luck with the fortnightly shop.
    Karen x

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    1. Hi Karen and welcome to my blog!

      Yes, I do know Woodford Halse, but I didn't know there was a campsite there. I know of the one in Byfield which is the next village. I used to live in Wardington and you could hear the festival from there. I've never been but my husband and daughter have.

      We would love to live in Yorkshire (the dales particularly)because of the beautiful countryside there! I always wonder why people want to holiday around here, but I suppose it's different when you live somewhere. I used to live on the Isle of Wight, but it didn't feel like a holiday, I had to go to school!

      Daisy actually didn't have a feed in the night!!! She did wriggle about and stir, but she went back to sleep by herself...YAY!!!

      I'm menu planning and writing my list today.

      Mandy x

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  3. Great to be back, sure you were supposed to be in favorites already tho!
    Anyhow am getting loads of great tips, especially about menu planning for when I move as I plan to be very frugal then, at the minute money seems to be going through my hands like water....sigh

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    1. Hi!

      Ok, I will do a post on how I menu plan and shop. Would it be helpful if I continued to write up my weekly menus on here again? Let me know x

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  4. Hi Mandy
    I am still reading your lovely blog but dont always comment. I am glad Daisy slept through the night you won't know yourself. I love your weekly menu plans and its great to get new ideas.
    Lors x

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    1. Hi Lors, thanks for reading! Daisy sleeping was a one off - she has not done it since! She didn't eat much yesterday and woke up really hungry at 3am. Then she thought it was time to get up :-(

      We've had a few troubles over the weekend from Daisy's mummy, so I'm a bit busy to do a post today (Monday) but I will get back on track asap xxx

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  5. HI Mandy,
    Hope everythings OK with you and that you managed to get everything sorted. Does your daughter not realise that any problems she brings to your door is consequently upsetting for little Daisy, or is she too selfish to care?
    Hope youre back to blogging soon, as always take care jane xxxxx

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    1. Hi Jane, thanks for thinking of us.

      She generally only thinks of herself, although she claims that she wants Daisy to live with her. She thinks she deserves a council house because she chooses not to live with us and would say she is homeless (thinking she'll be given one). We have pointed out that we have a four bedroomed house and Daisy has her own room as she could too, therefore she is not homeless! I explained that she would be put in a hostel and asked if that's what she wants for Daisy.

      She threatens to take Daisy most weeks and constantly reminds me that she is her daughter. I suggested that she came to visit her more then!

      She came over on Saturday to get some things and we had our fears confirmed - she is in debt and is using our address to obtain credit.

      My lovely husband has taken her to Citizens Advice but she just tells lies.

      We have asked her to move back in to sort herself out and for us to teach her money management but she arranges to come back then changes her mind.

      There is a lot of stress here and Daisy isn't sleeping well (no change there) which makes things harder to deal with because we are both so tired.

      Things are calming down a bit because she has taken some of the advice given and paid back one debt (borrowed money off her friend) and made arrangements on another. She doesn't want to live here so she will have to just cope.

      She can be really unpleasant but she does listen to my husband so hopefully things will improve soon.

      I'm about to do a blog post about how things don't always go according to plan.

      Mandy xxx

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