When things don't go according to plan...

Hi everyone!

Well things have definitely not gone to plan...

We had trouble over the weekend and this meant that I was stressed and pre-occupied, so I didn't meal plan for our fortnightly shop :-(

There was no list :-(

I had to think hard and remember what I had in the cupboards, fridge and freezer...

I didn't forget anything important but we spent more than we wanted to.

On the plus side... we are lucky...

my husband is self-employed and has work and is well enough to work

we have enough money to spend on groceries

we have food in the cupboards, fridge and freezer

we have afforded to buy Daisy-May some lovely presents, cards and wrapping paper for her 1st birthday

NO MORE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS...

WE MOVE ON AND TRY TO DO BETTER NEXT TIME

Daisy is lactose intolerant and her food is more expensive. We buy lactofree soft cheese which is £1.74 a pack and alpro yoghurts which are £1.50 for four. I have bought other dairy free products in the past but they are slowly disappearing off the shelves. I have to really think about what she eats so I am quite good at remembering her shopping list.

Blogger is now allowing me to reply to comments in the comments section! So from now on, if you leave me a comment, I will reply there rather than posting my replies within a blog post.

More positive news - I have changed Daisy's room around and got rid of the bed in there. She has room for her cot (but not yet because she is too restless in the night and we want her settled first before this big change) and I made her a lovely book corner with mats, blankets, cushions, teddies and her book basket. She loves it because she is able to select books and enjoy them independently. She can crawl around safely too. I just have one area to sort out for the loft.

I have started to sort out my utility room and have lots of papers to get through (a chore that I do a bit each day). I completely cleared my ironing, although I have a small pile now because obviously I have done more washing since.

The living room has been decluttered so that some of Daisy's things are in her room now and she can access her toy boxes independently and safely now too.

The carboot pile is growing! Everything there has been labelled and boxed ready to go when we decide to do one. As I tidy each room, I seriously consider whether I need things or not and the house is beginning to look better for it.

I have several scrapbooks, where I stick in cuttings of craft projects or ideas that I would like to recreate. I had a flick through yesterday and found loads of things that I am capable of making and have the right materials for. This is my motivation to get sorted so I can have my sewing room/spare bedroom. I have loads of ideas to make it pretty and would love to have my jobs done in the morning so Daisy and I can have free time in the afternoons to have fun! That's my aim!!! This also means less time spent on the computer, so I will need to be more organised in preparing blog posts that are useful. I want to share what I do to be thrifty and also my homemade achievements. For me, it is mainly new recipes that I have developed to be cheap, quick to prepare and easy. In time, hopefully I will have some sewing to share with you too!

I won't put too much pressure on myself though because like my title says, sometimes 'things don't go according to plan' and my priority will always be Daisy-May.

I will post up our weekly menus from next week (what we've eaten this week) and eventually get around to my menu planning post. I want to write it properly, instead of rambling on. I have found these posts so useful so would love to pass on how I save money now. Please feel free to share what helps you save money as we go. I would love to hear from you!

I'm off now but all being well, I will be back soon...

Mandy x

Planning ahead and making changes...

Hi everyone!

Sorry I've been away from blogging for a few days, but it's been pretty hectic here! My lovely husband has been suffering with his back (he had bruised the facet joints by lifting and twisting) and was having very painful muscle spasms that left him bedridden. My OH is and always has been a grafter, he hates sitting still and works very hard to provide for us, but his job is manual and his body isn't happy about it at the moment! He went back to work yesterday (against my judgement) because he already took a week off with no pay because he's self-employed.

This situation has got me thinking...

we seriously need to plan ahead for this happening again in the future. We have enough money because we are sensible, so we can afford for some time off, but a back-up plan would be more sensible...

He is thinking of a career change - looking into evening classes to train in something else. Our ultimate goal is to own a smallholding up north (hopefully in Yorkshire), but we need an income, even though somewhat smaller than what we are used to now. We want to live a very simple life, becoming more and more self-sufficient - we have already started this by growing loads of veg in the garden and keeping chickens. We have harvested strawberries and courgettes so far and they are lovely, full of flavour.

There is still a long way to go though...

yesterday I did an online shop that is coming this evening. I confess that I bought things that we don't need, they are things that we want. Today I feel ashamed because I don't need a chocolate eclair, but the last few days we have eaten boring food because everything has been used up in my challenge and I fancied a treat. I used a list, but still got tempted - this has to stop!

We are not in debt (apart from paying a mortgage on our house) to anyone and we are able to pay our bills on time. Food shouldn't be viewed as a luxury, but it is the only bill that we can reduce. I did meal plan, it's all the little extras that I can make myself but don't find the time to which have pushed the price of our shopping up.

I will change this now!!!

From now on...

 I will meal plan and write a shopping list and stick to it.

I will make the shopping I get stretch as far as possible and last longer.

I will continue to experiment, making up my own recipes to keep us interested in cheaper meals and not buy goodies.

I will make time to bake for the cake tin and use my approved food bap mix for lunches.

I will continue to use up leftovers and not waste a thing.

I will save money!

I need to go now and make more plans and write lists. I will be back with my progress and a mini challenge... I want to join in with austerity August and spend as little as possible...

I want to declutter, tidy, clean, sell things, make money for our home improvements to get on the market to sell, rearrange my house to be more logical with a home for everything and be more organised.

Our new life won't happen without hard work and effort, but we can do it and we will. Let the challenge begin...

Thanks for reading,

Mandy x