Are you loyal to one supermarket?

Hi everyone

Well to answer my question...I was...but not anymore! I have been loyal to one but got so fed up with dreadful online shopping experiences and last week was the final straw! The fresh produce was the worst I have ever had and I would never of picked that stuff up instore. The uncut loaves were burnt and inside was disgusting...we couldn't eat it.

This week I tried Sainsburys and was pleasantly surprised. I mostly bought meat, bread, fruit, veg, salad and dairy items. Nearly everything was fresh and what a difference! 

I'm happy so next week I will stick with sainsburys but I will also be willing to try others. I want to save money on the food shop but I also want quality fresh foods. 

Yesterday I had a day off cooking and lovely hubby treated us to a beautiful roast...

I think he overloaded my plate (I didn't eat that much!) Such a treat to be cooked for. 

This morning, the post-Christmas declutter continues and I'm sorting out my kitchen. No photos of that but look at this...

A double yolker! Only the second I have found in my lifetime! Simple things please me :)

Finally, the slow cooker is on...sausage casserole and lovely fresh farmhouse loaf to mop up the gravy. I'm going to use my slow cooker as much as possible. Please share any recipes you have in the comments...I don't have a lot for slow cooking and fancy something other than casserole! 

Thanks for reading,

Mandy x

Is it just me?...

Hi everyone,

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that we are really not getting much for our money in the weekly shop? 

I have been thinking of changing supermarkets lately because of so many errors from asda with my online shop. But when I do a price comparison, asda comes up the cheapest! I really don't know what to do. 

Asda is the cheapest, but the prices continue to climb. I am not happy with how much we spend and end up removing items from my basket (online) to get my spending under control. It's not always food that's the problem, as we get all our toiletries, household stuff and washing powder etc in with the groceries. It's still too much to spend though and I'm looking at ways of cutting back so I can get some treats for Christmas time. This seems to be a constant battle. After Christmas I will be focusing on this heavily and will be changing the way I shop and cook. Meanwhile, I will be making sure we have a good Christmas without overspending. 

My Christmas preparations will begin over the next couple of weeks and I will be blogging my ideas. We (Daisy and I) will be baking, crafting for decorations and gifts. 

The declutter/sort out is still underway...some items are ready to be gifted, some bags have already gone to the charity shop and some have been thrown out or recycled. I have lots of recycling/upcycling projects planned and will share these if you're interested?? I also have some bits I will sell eventually.

I have been cooking from scratch and baking but don't always remember to photograph it! Please comment below if you are still interested in seeing my meal plans. I sometimes wonder if those types of blog post can get boring for you? Also, if I'm cooking meals like spag bol (today) and toad in the hole for example, do you want these recipes? I don't want to insult anybody by providing the basics, but we all cook a well known recipe slightly differently. 

January onwards will be frugal and I will be compiling a bank of cheap and tasty recipes to cook in the new year. A new year always inspires me to try harder. 

Back soon,

Mandy x

Recent Carboot bargains...

Hi everyone

I love Saturday morning carbooting (buying not selling!)

Just lately we haven't been going as much, because I have not been comfortable sitting in the car (with my poorly back), plus the rain had made it pointless going! The last couple of Saturdays we have been really lucky in finding bargains though...

This wooden shop has provided us with hours of good quality play. It cost me £7.50, but came with lots of extras and has been worth every penny...these are not cheap bought brand new.

A bunch of books, puzzle and a DVD...Daisy loves anything jungle or farm animals.

I've even started to collect a few bits for Christmas! The highland cow was free from the lady I bought the shop from.

I love picking up books for 10 or 20p. I will spend 50p per book usually. I always look out for books set in the 1940s and '50s. I was definitely born in the wrong era! 

I've been looking out for Witney blankets for ages now and finally found one! It cost me £1 and is in excellent condition. If fits a double bed, so will be very welcome on our bed during the colder months. 

On another trip I picked up...

Peppa pig magnets for 20p, carefully placed on the fridge freezer by Daisy.

Still on the peppa pig theme...a little carry box/tray for Daisy's gardening tools and a little cup. A second pair of wellies for the mucky weather. We walk the dogs a lot and it can get quite messy! These have drawstring tops to keep the wet and mud, or snow out. A gift from auntie Charlotte xx

Daisy loves anything Peter rabbit and my books were 20p each!

Another 20p book and some cuddlies for Daisy... Tv characters for a fraction of the price bought new. 

Two Christmas dresses and a jumper for Daisy. Children's Christmas clothes are not worn for long and they've grown out of them the following year, so I was pleased to find these. 

Clothes to grow into except the raincoat that fits Daisy now...a bargain at 50p!

Finally, a top and cardy for me. I rarely find my size when carbooting.

I spend very little money to get things that I wouldn't buy brand new. 

Does anyone else go carbooting on a regular basis? 

What bargains have you picked up? Charlotte found an armchair (very modern and in excellent condition) for £5!! It only just fit in her car but well worth the struggle.

Thanks for reading,

Mandy x

Approved Food and making plans...

Hi everyone,

I just received an order from Approved Food and I thought you might like to see what bargains I picked up.

I have been shopping with them for many years now and think it's a great way of saving money on store cupboard staples and treats. It's not everyone's cup of tea because some items are past their best before date. As the food isn't fresh anyway, it's down to personal choice. The only problem I've ever had is crisps that have been stale (on one occasion) and have been fine eating other stuff. I am a person who never eats food that's past it's use by date. I do get a bit paranoid about being sick! However, food is either used up by other members of my family or I make sure it's used before it's out of date. I have been working hard to eliminate food wastage in our house.

I haven't ordered from AF for a while because we have been eating so much fresh foods over the summer and my meal planning has meant that I only buy what I need each week. This has now become a habit, but the seasons are changing and I need to prepare for the colder months...

Already we have been suffering with a cold in my house (I'm still ill) and it got me thinking. When I'm ill I really don't feel like cooking and I'm really not prepared for that! Luckily my lovely hubby is perfectly capable and a very good cook, but he has been working hard all day (normally on a roof) and I would like to provide him with a hot meal to come home to. I can cut corners with AF with jar sauces for example. I like to cook from scratch but sometimes life just gets in the way of how we want to live.

The colder weather means that sometimes we want a warm lunch as well as tea and not just a sandwich. Soup or beans are ideal for this and I can find bargains on AF. I picked up some cup-a-soup to have for my lunch. 

Stocking the cupboards ready for bad weather during winter is something I do every year and I'm looking for the cheapest way to do this...supermarket offers will be stocked up on too. 

Finally, life would be boring without a few treats and buying close to a best before date is fine by me...chocolate doesn't hang around long enough here to go bad! 

I really don't like processed foods, but I am saving money now to enable Christmas planning (it's never too early...we know it's coming) and I will be really concentrating on sorting things out over the next few weeks to save and prepare for winter and Christmas. 

So, this is what I got...

 Sorry the photo is dark, but the flash made it worse! It's a dull day here.

There are snacks and goodies to cheer us up after so much illness and a few toiletries and cleaning bits. There's medication (how expensive is baby nurofen and lemsip etc!!) I've been getting through a lot of ibuprofen for my back, so stocked up on the cheaper version. I also got some porridge oats for Daisy and I to eat for breakfast in the chilly mornings. Even the value ones seem to be really expensive now. 

As I spent a certain amount, I was offered a lucky box from AF for 1p. If had no idea what I was getting...

It looked ok for 1p.

There were a few things in date and a few out of date...

The soup will get used for lunches, the noodles I will use as a pad out to a meal and my daughter will use the chewing gum. All in date.

The date here is July 2014. Hubby loves pork scratchings and my daughter will eat the breakfast bars at work.

These are June 2014. They are snacks that I wouldn't buy, but they will be enjoyed I'm sure. 

These are the only packet that will probably be wasted. It's liquorice which I hate and the date is 2013. Unless anyone in the family wants them, they will head for the bin. Not bad for 1p though!

I am not being sponsored by AF. I'm just giving my opinions. My little old blog is not popular enough to be asked! Does anyone else use them to stock up or for treats?

I forgot that I also got some swimming nappies for Daisy because they were heavily reduced. These are not in the photo.

I'm still hoping to get back to normal blogging soon, but illness and being behind with my chores is slowing me down. 

There will be lots of winter money saving ideas to share with you soon. 

It's Daisy's birthday on Monday, so I will be posting up pictures of her cake etc next week.

Thanks for waiting!

Mandy x

Shopping Saturday...

Sorry it's late! I had a lazy day yesterday, no shopping, no carbooting. We were up really early (4am) with the thunderstorms. 

I have shopped today in Asda and last Sunday we received our first online shop for quite a while. We have switched to weekly shopping...one week online and one week instore. This is hopefully a change for the better. Our fruit, veg and salad bits are fresher and we don't run out of sandwich fillings. My meal planning which is saving us money and helping us to eat healthier, means I have a list and I'm sticking to it! Last fortnight our shopping trip was fast and cheaper. Today was slow... The Asda at Leamington Spa is being refitted and EVERYTHING has been moved around. It was so disorientating. 

Last Sunday I photographed my shop. It's so good to see just how much fresh food we are buying now. Here is what we got...

These photos didn't improve with or without the flash on, but you get the picture.

Dairy and other fresh foods.

Bread and meat. I only buy what I need now...not stockpiling anymore.

Store cupboard and other bits and bobs.

I'm not going to photograph my grocery shopping every week, but it does show how my shopping habits are changing for the better. Having a meal plan...then a list really stops impulse buying and saves money.

Thanks for reading,

Mandy x

Shopping Saturday...

Hi everyone,

I've been carbooting today! I love getting things for 50p that I will sell again when Daisy has grown out of them...for 50p!

This is what I picked up for Daisy...

Jake from the tweenies...50p

A peppa pig character...50p

Tunnel...50p

(Excuse the weeds, I am getting there!)

Popoids! Daisy doesn't really have any construction toys and she actually spotted these first...£1

Apparent this is fifi and the flower tots? Daisy is really into small world play and although there are some bits missing, she loves it already!

I've been looking for this book for ages as Daisy loves anything to do with the moon and stars (Alice I know you used to have this book when you were little but we haven't got it now)...50p

Converse shoes...£2.50...bargain

Little next winter skirt for her to grow into.

Minnie Mouse romper suit

Floral romper suit

H&M dress

Minnie Mouse top

Red spotty top

Stripe top

Floral top

Little shorts

Sun hat (not in photo)

All this for £3

Navy romper suit

Lemon print leggings

Floral leggings

Pastel stripe dress

White top

Gingham top

Pink gap top

Strawberry print top

Heart top

Purple gap top 

Pink cards

3 x vests

2 x swimsuits

All this for £5.50 the man was tidying away so he did me a deal!

Finally, a few little treats for me...

DVDs...I'm trying to replace my video collection with DVDs and I love Foyles War...£1.50

Three tops for £1.20

Has anyone else been carbooting? Any good bargains this week? 

Thanks for reading,

Mandy x

Shopping Saturday...

Hi everyone

Saturday's are when I usually shop at a Carboot sale or the charity shops. Well we don't go every week and haven't actually been today or last weekend because of the weather.

I have done a bit of online shopping this week though...

A new stroller for Daisy...this one for everyday use. It was a thrifty purchase because although it was expensive (you sometimes have to pay for quality), I waited until mothercare had a sale on. It was reduced by £40.

Some necessary purchases here and some bits and bobs I have started to collect for Daisy's birthday present.

Asda shopping tomorrow...

Has anyone picked up any bargains or reduced items this week?

Thanks for reading,

Mandy x

My weekend...

Hi everyone,

I thought I'd tell you about my weekend... it has gone so quickly and not that much achieved! I always have a plan in my head of what I want to get done each day, but normally only achieve half.

On Saturday we went to Toys 'r' Us and Mothercare in Northampton. What an eye-opener! I cannot believe the amount of money being spent at these retail parks, yes it's Christmas,and some people will have saved up for this time of year, but I saw people just pick up toys and throw them into their trolley without even really looking at them. There were loads of families getting cross with their children because they wanted to pick up toys and look at them. It's a shame that the children had to go too. They were bored and started to mess about! There's enough stress at Christmas without creating more for yourself. Shopping online would have been a better idea???

Why do so many people feel the need to be glued to their phones while shopping???

They could be looking at a shopping list, or calculating how much they have spent, or comparing prices with another shop, but I suspect they were on social media. I saw lots of men (mostly older than me) playing on their phones. They didn't appear to be actively shopping (no trolley or goods), just busy not looking where they were going! I wonder how much time each day is spent on a phone? I use mine to phone people, text and for the calculator. I don't have a smartphone. I am a blogger, I write a blog and I read blogs. Sometimes it's for entertainment purposes, but mostly to learn new things, but I don't sit on facebook all day. I tend to watch videos on youtube rather than watch the tele, but it is while doing something else like my ironing. I would love a smartphone to nosey around on instagram for ideas and interest, but I cope fine without. 

We purchased what we needed for Daisy, having written a list and thought about each gift and how much fun and enjoyment she would get from them (as well as their educational value). We couldn't get everything we wanted in there, there was a load of rubbish looking toys for older children, but thankfully the pre-school section is good, so we headed over to Mothercare...

They has 20% of all toys!!!

Daisy loved the freedom of being able to walk around with Grampy safely while Grandma shopped. She did choose herself a rather large pair of Spiderman boots though! The 20% savings really did make a difference and we travelled home again.

The day was finished off with my favourite tele programme...Strictly Come Dancing! I love it and have my two favourites...Susanna and Sophie. I have been voting for Susanna and Kevin for the past two weeks (I only vote near the end) and was convinced they would go. I was planning to switch to Sophie if they did.

Yesterday we did our usual fortnightly shop, only getting the turkey towards my Christmas stash. What a nightmare! I hate shopping when it's busy so we go early, but everyone else now has the same idea. It amazes me how rude and ignorant some people can be! I waited for some to pass without so much as a smile in return, I even had a staff member give me a cross face when she was in my way. I stood back to let her pass with her trolley of rubbish and she didn't thank me and a smile was definitely not going to happen. MANNERS COST NOTHING!!!

Another moan... the prices are good in Asda compared to some other supermarkets, but some of Daisy's toiletries that we purchase every time have jumped up by 25p!!! They were not previously rolled back or part of any offer, they have just gone up. Her skin is sensitive, so I won't switch brands, but I am annoyed. Our shopping bill is creeping up every time we shop. Things will be changing in January for us and I will be blogging about this after Christmas.

We got our turkey, a small one, because that's all we need. It isn't actually that small and it cost £12. I wanted a crown, but they were £16, so we went for the whole turkey and I will use the darker meat for different meals...any ideas??? I only like the breast meat and actually prefer to eat it cold. 

The remaining Christmas shopping will be done this week by my OH (armed with a list of course) and we won't be going over the top! Our next planned shop falls between Christmas and New Year, but we will only top-up locally with a couple of fresh things and not do a massive shop. I have a huge store at the moment (although I am working through the freezer at the moment) and this will see us into January. We always crave 'gravy dinners' after Christmas, casseroles etc.

Would you like me to post my menus as I work through my stores, saving money on the food shop throughout January? 

Back to my shopping experience...

The till ladies in Asda are always lovely. Daisy has her own fan club! The lady who served us yesterday said that she thought it was quiet in there and next weekend would be horrendous. She said that people seem to be getting a few things in their weekly shop towards Christmas this year and the remainder will do a huge shop at the weekend as they normally would for Christmas. We are doing a separate Christmas shop, but we will be using our savings tin which we have been adding to throughout the year.  So maybe shopping habits are changing to spread the cost, but there is so much choice and Christmas convenience out there to tempt people into spending too much.

As I was leaving the store with my heavy trolley, I was faced with very rude people who barged past me and I was struggling to control my trolley in the wind and sloping path. They could have let me pass as I had the full trolley, but no, they barged past, eager to shop. Not one person let me through! It was my right to walk on that path as much as there's, it's just that I have good manners and they don't. I suspect that all they could think about was getting out of the wind and getting on with their shopping. We get up early on a Sunday to travel to Asda to get on with our shopping. Incidentally, not one person said thank you for me waiting! I accidentally knocked a lady as she barged past me (well I suppose she knocked into me as I was stationary) and I said sorry...she ignored me, didn't even look at me.

MOAN OVER!!!

After putting the shopping away and a spot of lunch, we took Daisy and the dogs for a walk. Daisy loves it in her back carrier, all wrapped up snuggly in her snowsuit, watching from up high. It was raining and really windy, but she was happy and dry. I'll share some photos soon (I haven't loaded them onto my laptop yet).   

The evening was Strictly again!

I was so pleased to see both Susanna and Sophie through and look forward to the final next weekend. Does anyone else enjoy strictly?

Thanks for reading, I would love to hear from you.

Mandy x

Clothing a baby on the cheap...

Hi everyone!

Thank you for the supportive comments on my last post xxx

Each time I write a post, things will have got a bit worse at home, which is why there are gaps in my writing. Daisy is fine though, happy, chatty and walking really well now. She brings joy to us each and every day and is very much worth the struggles we face.

Just lately, my son's girlfriend has introduced me to buying from a facebook group which is local. Now I don't like facebook and I don't have facebook because in my experience it can be used as a vessel for people to bully and be very cruel behind a computer screen or phone. This 'for sale' group was accessed via my son's girlfriend as she has purchased some items for Christmas. She works in the town and picks stuff up to or from work so she doesn't need to go out of her way. She purchased two bundles of baby clothes on my behalf. They cost £20 in total and I had not seen what I was getting for my £20. This was risky, but I trusted her judgement because she knows Daisy's style that I dress her in. I have been moving towards more leggings and jogging bottoms and less dresses because of the crawling, but now Daisy is upright for most of the day. I have been going for darker colours because so many of her clothes have become stained where she is a messy eater (but feeding herself) even with a bib.

I have bought Daisy new clothes, but I do back up my supplies with as much second-hand stuff as possible. At a carboot sale, I would pay 20p for a vest, 50p for a babygro, top or bottom and £1 for a dress or jacket. Snowsuits are worth £2 to me and I normally stick to these prices when buying. I also sell for what I would be prepared to pay and this seems to generally be the going rate for baby clothes. So with this as a guide, I actually did really well with my bundles! I received 71 items and I broke down my purchases to se if it was good value to me:

10 x vests = £2

4 x babygro = £2

29 x tops = £14.50

20 x bottoms = £10

4 x dresses = £4

1 x cardy = 50p

1 x jacket = £1

1 x snowsuit = £2

1 x knickers = 20p

This little lot would have cost me £36.20 at a carboot sale, but I got it for £20! There was a massive saving here and there was only a couple of tops that I didn't like (leopard print is too old for a 1 year old in my opinion) which I will carboot myself and probably easily sell.

Daisy has had new sleepwear recently and other bits and pieces and we will buy her some nice outfits for Christmas and obviously her new shoes in Clarks very soon, but when she messes up her clothes so easily, I am so glad for clothes just for playing in. When I was a little girl (and for my own children), you had clothes for best (visiting family etc) and school uniform and clothes for playing in. You had wad we called 'scruffs' for playing outside in too. It didn't matter if these were ruined because they were 'scruffs' and that was what they were meant for!

I think I'm getting the balance right for clothing Daisy without breaking the bank.

Thanks for reading,

Mandy x

My Tesco F&F Haul...

Hi everyone!

Yes I've been spending money, mainly on Daisy because she is actually growing out of her 3-6 month clothing. I still have some bits and pieces that have either been presents or clothes passed on to us for her to grow into too. I am not a fan of Tesco and usually shop in Asda or Mothercare for Daisy's things. I had a rethink about Tesco for clothes because Asda's range for babies is not as good as it used to be and Mothercare, although beautiful and well-made, is a bit pricey for things that Daisy will get mucky and stain. She is feeding herself a lot now, but the mess!!!

So this is what I got her:

*   a pack of 3 white vests   *   £2.50, plain and simple, all that we need.

*   10 x small bibs   *   £6.00, we use these when we are feeding her or for the dribbles.

*   2 x hot pink leggings   *   £5.00, these go with a lot of her tops and she has grown out of the others.

*   navy floral leggings   *   £3.00, dark leggings don't show the stains like pastel ones!

*   bunny rabbit leggings   *   £3.00, because leggings are ideal for crawling.

*   cow babygro with hood   *   £7.00, perfect for lazy days.

*   rabbit hat   *   £3.00, this is cotton for now before it gets too cold.

*   2 x headbands   *   £2.00, way too big! She will grow into them.

*   pink fluffy coat   *   £8.00, Daisy gets messy and we get through coats too. We have enough for this winter now to see us through.

*   pink fluffy snowsuit   *   £10.00, in a larger size, ready for snow!!!

*   navy pre-walker shoes   *   £4.00, she slips in socks and tights and has grown out of her pram shoes.

 Total cost : £53.50

I also treated myself to some new underwear totalling £24.50. Sounds a lot, but one bra is £8 and my tights are £3 per pair. I neglect myself now because I put Daisy first just like I did when my children were little, but when you've got holes in your knickers... something has to be done... you never know...you might get hit by a bus!!!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Mandy x

The first carboot sale of the season...

Hi everyone,

This morning we were up and about early for our first carboot sale this season. Daisy woke up for a feed at 3.30 and again at 6.30 so we were awake and ready to go, despite me being full of cold :(

We go to Finmere which is just inside Buckinghamshire, not too far for us to travel really. So me, Charlotte, Daisy and Flo (Charlotte's bulldog) wrapped up warm and braved the cold. It was worth the journey because we picked up some bargains:

• Charlotte bought a tripod for her camera (she is a youtuber)  -  £5.
• Charlotte picked up 2 dvds from the Twilight series and the lady gave her another that she didn't ask for too- £2
• Charlotte also bought a watch - £2
• I treated Flo to 5 cuddly animals -  £1 (she was so good walking round)
• I bought Daisy a cot mirror toy -  £1
• I also got her a large playmat - £1
• 2 maracas - £1
• A daisy photoframe for in her nursery - 50p
• A ladybird book on wildflowers (we collect them) - £1
• A new washing-up bowl - £2
• Finally, 2 new prs fluffy socks for me - £2.60

Flo needed the toys because she sniffs around Daisy's toys when she shouldn't! She knows she is allowed to chew these new cuddlies and already has them all around her while she has a snooze. Daisy has a beautiful playmat from mothercare that cost grampy £45 and another for her to roll about on (£25), so she probably doesn't need anymore! I need a larger mat for when she can sit up unaided so she can choose which toys to play with and as we have two dogs, this is an area that I can keep clean for her to play. Daisy is not keen on her new cot. It's a large cotbed and she is so small in it. I would like to put some activity toys in there for her to get used to it during the day. At night they will be removed and her normal wind-down routine will take place so she knows it is bedtime. Daisy loves to shake her rattles and she loves music, so we can shake the maracas together. I collect anything 'daisies' for her nursery. The socks are needed because mine are looking grotty and we have been searching for a round bowl for ages. The ladybird book was a necessity, but we have some of these books from childhood and they are on display in our house. Grampy reads the rhyming ones to Daisy and she enjoys them. I felt I should justify my purchases as I am trying to declutter at the moment! The baby stuff will all be used and so will the bowl. I will throw out 2 prs socks. If new stuff comes into the house, I will get rid of the same amount.

Today has been a thrifty day because the baby stuff would have been a lot more if new.

Mandy x