Reduced fat sort of day.

First of all, I thought I would start something that I want to carry on and welcome those who've 'joined' my blog since yesterday, so welcome to Kylie, Laila and Marti. Welcome to my tight-fisted, waist/waste shrinking world of trying to save money and the planet.

It's been a great day at work today. Year 10 had their controlled assessment grades back and are extremely competitive and there were cheers, 'high fives' and quick calls at break times to let family know how they did. There is nothing like the jubilance of excited teenagers to create a palpable atmosphere. Some of my students do really well and some really struggle and they all bring their rewards in one way or another. Some sweep the board with grade A's and some find reading and writing a combative effort. Any teacher reading this, will know the look on a child's face, when they open their exercise book to find a merit certificate stapled inside because they've managed to write an entire paragraph.

The day ended really well, with willing students, who missed the exam, who stayed after school without any trepidation to complete the work they have missed in their own time. I'll get to their marking as soon as I've finished this blog. I have found a wonderful accompaniment to my marking. http://www.spotify.com/uk/new-user/ is a licenced music website, which you don't have to pay to join. You can just listen to the music for free; you only have to pay if you down load. Tonight, I will be marking to Lionel Richie, may be some Dean Martin and I might even get round to some Fleetwood Mac.

At the end of my teaching, and extended teaching day. I slipped into a tracksuit and let myself into the school gym. I cycled for 5K, rowed for 1K and used the treadmill for a 2K power walk. Even the proverbial Betty didn't sweat as much as I did yet. I haven't got round to using the 'staff bathroom' yet and showering before I go home. I'll get clarification as to whether this is allowed first. If it is, then I can shower before I go home and not arrive to Dearly Beloved smelling like  a locker room!

Dinner tonight was the usual cheap and cheerful. A pork steak each, cut into fine slices with a green pepper and half an onion, garlic, chilli and plenty of 'Foster Mummy's' homemade sweet chilli sauce. I cooked a head of broccoli and stirred that in with it too.  I cooked a tea cup of rice for the pair of us and we're getting used to eating less. Today is weigh day. Guess what! I haven't lost any weight again!! BTW - Does anyone have the Rosemary Conley amazing Inch loss plan book/literature they could spare? If so, I'd really appreciate a copy. I'll leave you now whilst I sing along to Fleetwood's 'Second Hand news'.

Day light robbery.

 I've just returned from Tesco, from being fleeced, from being robbed and can honestly say that the Light Brigade made less ridiculous charges! Some food items are now 25% higher than before Christmas. The cheap items are just the junk food that they pile high. The basics are much more expensive. We shop fortnightly and we are really feeling the squeeze. We are having to add more pulses, more rice, more potatoes and more soya to our diet every time. We have bought meat, but we will only eat that every other day. Tinned meat is looking cheaper but only in comparison with fresh and a tin of corned beef is now £1.50, whilst last summer, it was about 79p a tin. Now, even a corned beef hash is expensive.

Frugality is no longer a life style choice, it's a matter of survival. It's literally, your money or your life. Today, I kick myself that I didn't have foresight, that I didn't look into the future and I didn't see this coming. Now, every day is about preparing for tomorrow. If something is being sold as a lost leader, and you use it, and you can afford to stock up, then do so. Today it was laundry liquid. My Tesco, no longer stocks the Value soap powder or Value Laundry liquid, which washed our clothes just fine. So, if your local supermarket has it, then stock up. They always sold these products at a near loss, and they can't do that any more. If you see flour for under 70p a bag, then buy a year's supply if you can keep it. Keep your eyes open in the discount stores and compare with supermarket prices, it's going to get a lot worse and we all need to think, not only about tomorrow, but the months ahead, when recent global weather impact world food prices. I'm having a gloomy weekend, where I am actually being faced with the reality, that I might not be able to live and pay off my debts as quickly as I'm doing. It's going to be tough.

Stinking bills!

Today I received my water bill for 37 cubic meters of water - it cost me £177.33. I've been really careful and have reduced my consumption this quarter by 8 cubic meters and yet, the bill is really high. I really don't know what I can do to reduce my bill any further. My blog today, is at the frustration I feel, about a bill, I can't do anything about.

Open letter to South West Water.

I would like you to know the lengths I go to save water. We only flush the toilet once a day, the rest of the time it remains unflushed. I wash my dishes in a washing up bowl and then tip the water down the toilet after wards. We keep small washing up bowls in the bathroom and down stairs toilet sinks, so when we wash out hands, we tip the water down the toilet afterwards, so we effectively use second hand water to flush out toilets.

We have a shower timer, a flow restrictor and we have five minute showers. I use the bowl in the sink and wash four times a week in two litres each time and after wards, I use the water to flush the toilet. I have two showers a week, taking eight minutes each, when I wash my hair. I have one bath a fortnight and when I have used it, we 'bucket' the water outside and give the car it's fortnightly wash and rinse.

I have an eco washing machine and I use it three times a week. Even with the most minimal usage of water, my metered bill is almost £700 a year. I am grateful for my meter, because without it, my bill would be £1400 a year. Nonetheless, the main reason my bill is so high is that fact that you are all blood sucking thieves.

Your profits increased again last year. In the middle of one of the worst recessions in living history, your profits increased by 14.9% to £190 million in a year, the company, of which you are a subsidiary, also saw their profit share increase by 8.7% to £133 million. In times, where people can genuinely ill afford to pay bills of any kind, your operating profit increased to the point of topping the £billion and share holders have received record payouts. And that was just 2009 - 2010 and then you throat squeezing misers................increased our bills even further. All over the 'South West Water' region, there are people, who are in crippling water poverty and they have no choice of water providers and they have no choice but to go without water, wash less and live a less hygienic life.

Sincerely, Frugal Queen!!

Gym'll fix it?

 This is not my school gym, our gym does not have posh ceiling, but it has all the kit and tonight it was mine all mine. The head of PE (no minor deitiess would do!) gave me the don't kill yourself, here's how to use the machinery safely talk. It's free, which has got to be the best part and I've committed myself to using the gym  for three nights a week. I  had the place to myself. Radio One on full tilt, NO MIRRORS!! woo hoo! and me and the kit. I cycled for 6 KM and then rowed for 2KM and burnt off 180 calories!!!! So, not to waste the calories, I had a glass of red wine when I got home! All in all today, in one way or another, I have travelled 10KM, as I have walked to the station, then walked to school and then at the end of the day, after 30 minutes cardio, did it all again.

 If I did that for the next thirty years, then I might end up being as fit as this old bird! And if I carry on with the 20 points a day, I might end up as thin as her! I also imagined that Madonna will look like that in a few years if she gets any more scrawny! No worries about that. Below is me at 'fighting weight', when I last dieted down to 10 and a half stone and made it to the elusive size 12! I'm disgusted in myself that I can actually admit that I cried with joy in Next, when I got into a pair of size 12 jeans! I now squeeze myself into a pair of size 16s! The frugal exercise is in hand and the diet, unfortunately, with rising food prices and the need to eat healthily, isn't as frugal as it once was. I've set myself another challenge, not only get rid of the debt, but get rid of the weight and then keep it off. I love a challenge.

Me, 2006 - 40 years old

A day on a frugal diet.

 As some of you seemed worried yesterday, I thought I would blog every mouthful of food I eat today. For breakfast I had, two slices of low calorie toasted bread with 15g soya spread, dried fried mushrooms with dry fried baby tomatoes, one egg, scrambled  - Points for breakfast =5. I'm sure you'll agree, no one's going hungry on that lot!

 For lunch I had, half a tin of sweetcorn (in water) 100g of low fat coleslaw, 150g of microwaved salmon and eight baby tomatoes - Points total = 7. Again, full of protein, low in fat,  carbs in the sweetcorn.

Supper = one sweet potato (baked in the microwave and then mashed) dry fried mushrooms, grilled quorn sausages and grilled baby tomatoes. Total = 8 points. There you are, 20 points a day. I also had about 100ml of soya milk in decaff tea and about five glasses of tap water. The only expensive part of my day, was the Salmon, which was on offer at Asda. It costs me about £4 a day to feed each of us and I'm eating healthily. I may not eat green veg and fruit every day, but my diet balances out as average over a week. Tomorrow, I'm going for my induction in the school gym (smells like teen spirit!!!!) but it's free and I won't have to go far to get there, just across the play ground! I'm digging out my charity shop trainers, charity shop Diadora tee-shirt and car boot sale Long Tall Sally track suit bottoms! Cheap chic! I'll be swigging on tap water and woo hoo! I'll have every excuse to use the bathroom at work and have a long hot shower afterwards. (That'll save me water!) I'll be back tomorrow to blog about the aches and pains!

Trying harder!

As I am not losing weight, I have cut back on my points from 22 to 20 a day. To do this, I am going to eliminate carbs for a week to see if that works! In fact, the last time I weighed myself, I had put on weight! I went for a very brisk two mile walk tonight, which was no fun at all in the cold and dark. I investigated all of the local gyms and all of them were about £40 a month and I would never get my money's worth, the only answer is going to be power walking and tomorrow, I'm going to try and fit in a walk around the block at lunch time. Watch this space............it's trying and frustrating at the moment, but it worked before, and I'm sure it will work again. Tonight's supper? Grilled salmon, no points salad and fat free dressing.

lovely low fat munchies!

I felt a bit cheated tonight. One of the joys of the winter is a steaming plate of beef stew and dumplings. Beef stew with 100g of steamed rice and yet more veg, doesn't quite have the same ring to it. Hey ho! It's healthy and will have the right effect in the long run.

I prepared supper this morning and popped a pack of stewing beef (really cheap!) an onion, three chopped stalks of celery and four chopped carrots into the slow cooker, along with a sachet mix (just add water and currently 3 for £1 at Asda) of Beef Bourguinon sauce. It's so comforting to get home, through the dark and rain to a bubbling stew. Normally, I would get the mixing bowl out and make a few dumpling, with plenty of parsley but not tonight. 60g of rice, which when cooked is a very healthy sized serving. Already, I'm getting used to feeling very full on a lot less fat and calories. In weight watchers points (in 'old money') my supper was eight points. I also have a small tub of rice and stew for my lunch at work tomorrow. Even cheaper as I stretched the supper to three meals. Price increases mean my supper was over the £1 and came to £1.25, again the higher price of healthy eating.

Must try harder!

Oh swizz! I haven't lost any weight this week! Mind you, I haven't exercised much, nor have I drunk much water and I have occasionally allowed a complimentary chocolate fall into my mouth, not to mention some ice cream! I will be good. If I can stick to not spending money, then I must be able to stick to a diet. I must remember to eat really well at meal times and then not at all at any other times. I'm sticking to 23 points a day from here onwards and I hope to lose weight! My supper was 7.5 points and is becoming increasingly expensive. The chicken portion was 60p, half a pack of beans was 35p, the rice was 5p, the veggies 12p and the sauce mix was 25p so in all £1.37. In such a short time, I'm getting used to only eating low fat and healthier options. It's all just a bit expensive. It was another late day at school and after leaving home at 6.30 this morning, I arrived home just before 7 pm this evening. I'm exhausted again and I'm off to bed to read. Oh, I promise, I will try harder at this weight loss malarky!My weight remains at 13' 5lbs! Swizz indeed!

Did you miss me?

 After my last blog about being happy, I have spent the last few days busily being happy but unable to get to my computer. On Thursday night, we had a parents' evening, one of the five we have a year and, by the time I got home, and ate, it was time for bed. Friday was another extremely late night at work and after coming home and eating, again, I just went to bed. Saturday was a lovely day. We had friends over for supper so we shopped for some lovely food (at shockingly lovely prices too!) and I made fish pie, with salmon, smoked haddock and prawns in a cheese sauce covered with mashed potatoes. I made Tarte Tatin for dessert with Cornish ice cream, I don't have an ice cream machine so I just bought it. We bought wine, beer and non-alcoholic drinks and treated our friends, hopefully, to what they thought was a good night. Most of Saturday was taken up with cleaning the house, and oh joy of joy, getting the laundry dry in the crisp breeze. It was a late night; we just chatted and enjoyed each others' company. I have no idea of the cost of a night like that, if we had gone out to eat.

It's a beautiful day here today and we did one of the things I just really love to do. We loaded the dogs into the car and went off to the Forestry Commission land to walk through the 'forest'. Well, it was a forest. It has been cleared of a lot of trees and the light poured into the lanes.

 The enormous log piles were every where and smelt wonderful. It's only a couple of miles, but all up hill on the way back, so our lungs, and the dogs' legs had a good work out. Both dogs were covered in mud and Dearly Beloved is bathing them as I type.

 Where the forest has been cleared, the views over the Glyn Valley are wonderful. I loves the rolling contours of the countryside around us. It's such a joy to be able to get out, without being frozen or soaked.

 I thought I would share our dining room with you all. Everything on my table is either from a car boot sale, flea market, charity shop or, in the case of the dining room suite, from eBay. None of it cost much and yet, it is around this dining table that we have so many good times with family and friends.

My apologies for my absence, sometimes life just catches up with us and we have to do what we have to do, just to keep up with the flow.

What is happiness?

  I was reminded of the government commission by the National Audit Office, whilst I lay in the bath tonight, something, which by the way, always makes me happy and listened to a Radio 4 Moral Maze debate on happiness. Happiness is going to be measured. As yet, I'm not sure why.........I must have drifted off whilst they talked about the why.

I consider myself to be mostly happy with the daily struggle and tussle with life and know that working really hard for something is dreadful at the time, but incredibly satisfying at the end. I know that the more I struggle and the more I fight for something, then it's so appreciated at the end. I don't strive to be happy and I don't go looking for it and although, it may make me sound rather dour, I really enjoy the challenges of daily life. Of course, it's all relative. I don't have to walk miles for water, five of my children didn't die of starvation, nor will I die a painful death from malaria, but we all have our struggles in one way or another. I sometimes think that happiness can be over rated and people start worrying if they are not happy. Some one on the radio said, words to the effect, if you are well, have friends, do something meaningful, then why would you not consider yourself happy?

Today, I arrived at work and watched the sun rise over St. Austell bay, and I drove home watching the moon rise over Bodmin moor. Now I could dwell on the fact that I spent dawn till dusk at work but I could also celebrate the most beautifully crisp winter day, filled with bright cloudless sunshine and a clear star filled night. I'm going to celebrate the latter along with the fact that I had a job to go to and a home to come home to.

I'm content in the knowledge, that in my struggle, that I'm doing the right thing. I'm content in knowing that the moments of happiness come and go, sometimes like a visitor that can't stay long and like a dear friend, we miss it when it's gone.

Ten things about me....what about you?

 My greatest sadness is that my teenage daughter left home at sixteen and I still sob uncontrollably at my inadequate parenting.  I wish I could turn back the clock and get it right.
 I don't let my hair down very often, metaphorically or physically. It's very difficult getting any work done as I have very fluffy dogs.

Three years later, I still cry when I think of my girly dog Pippin, who died of a heart attack in January 2007. She's the one on the right and she was very precious. The boy dog on the left, is Bobby Dazzler as a puppy.
I'm slightly obsessed about dogs. I use them to compensate for my 'empty nest' I talk to the dogs and tell them things that I don't even tell you. The word 'fun' makes me want to run to the hills. My son build the posh kitchen in my old house (still paying for it!) That makes ten.

Souper and Very Frugal!

It's official! I love soup! My favourite soup is plain old veg. Tonight, I just had vegetable soup. Carrots, veggie stock, a parsnip for thickening, spinach, tin of tomatoes, onions, celery and a tablespoon of red lentils. It's such a delight to just leave it simmering whilst I get on with something else. I'll eat it for supper tonight and lunch tomorrow. Dearly Beloved will have his with some homemade croutons, whilst I'll just have that on its own.

When the kids were young, I would often make soup as an every other day meal. You could have as much as you liked and it really stretched every penny as far as it could go. It's certainly cheap but it stretches every calorie as far as they will go. A huge steaming bowl of soup, hardly any calories and in Weight Watchers terminology, with the exception of a half a parsnip and a teaspoon of lentil per serving, it is 'pointless'.
I also blend my soup and it's a lovely orange colour from all the carrots and tomatoes and I'll keep tucking into it all night, just if I can find 'room' for any more!

What a whopper!!!

We've been out today and met with my daughter as she was moving home and we helped in a minor way. It was good to see her. We took her out to lunch in cheap and cheerful Mc Donald's and we had their chicken and bacon salad without any dressing, if you're interested, that's only 3 points.

I have lots of Quorn in my freezer, mainly because it's very cheap (£1 a pack in Lidl)  and nutritious and it is also low in fat and calories. Tonight's supper was dry fried quorn, sliced onions and mushrooms and I sprinkled a tiny amount of tikka mix over it. The most yummy thing I made tonight was remoulade. Take one celeriac, peel and grate, mix with a tablespoon of low fat mayonnaise, a teaspoon of Dijon and a tablespoon of lemon juice and mix it all together. I also baked and mashed a sweet potato between us, I always add a dash of lemon juice to sweet potato mash......well, because it's very sweet! It was a whopper of a supper. Our entire supper was only 6 points each. I weighed myself today and I now weigh 13 stone 5 lbs.

We shouldn't make our lives too easy!

 I have three debts coming to an end this year.

So far, in the last year, we have paid back £18,179.40 and £1463.12 of that went in interest. Even though we have a mass to pay back, I can see the end in sight. Barclaycard, HSBC and Virgin will no longer get a monthly payment off us by October of this year.(That's be another £6633.27 off the debt!) By February, next year, in 2012, the Co-op bank will no longer get a monthly payment off us (That's be another £5650.45 off the debt!) and by August next year, 2012, Lloyd's bank will also get the last payment from us. Nineteen months is nothing. The end is in sight. As far as I'm concerned, this is the final countdown.

Today, I walked around Lidl, with a calculator in my hand and didn't go over my budget. Our treat was a walk round Saltash, a browse in the charity shops and we spent £2 on two demi-johns to make some homemade wine in the future. In truth, it wasn't much of a day! Coming home, and focusing on the end, which is in sight, reminded me that my venture on 'wild seas', though rough at times, is worth it.

Facing up to reality!

 I hit another milestone today. One of my 'snowballed' payments, passed the half way mark today and I only have 3K left of another credit card to pay off. It was Dearly Beloved's MBNA credit card at almost 18%, which we moved to Virgin and are paying it off at 0%. It has five months left to pay off. I then pay off the biggest and oldest loan we have. We borrowed 25K against our old home, to renovate it, to improve it and make it the wonderful place it is. It didn't stop there, we would pay off, and then borrow again, so when we sold, we still owed 25K! The irony is, that the house I used to live in, is now a rental and it has been allowed to deteriorate............no one even cares about the sensitive renovations, new roof, Victorian features or the fact that the door knocker is an antique! I will never, ever bother again!

There is a positive! I am five months away from moving my 'snowball' to my Lloyds home loan, by the time I do that, the loan will remain at £9750. My snowball payment will be £900 a month by then as I will be paying off only one loan. That will be paid off in ten payments and I will meet the London Olympics without any debts.

Every single penny counts! Every thing I don't need; I don't have! Dearly Beloved used to love to buy a newspaper every day and a coffee at the station. That amounts to £3 a day, to £15 a week, to £720 a year! By halving our grocery bill to £45 a week, we save £2430 a year. By not having a holiday, we save £2500 a year. If we did not go without the things we 'like' we could no longer afford to pay for the things we 'need'. By taking the train to work and not the car, I save £15 a week, so another £720 a year. There are so many of us, who have to face up to reality. We can't afford debt, we can't afford to spend money we don't have and we just have to grit our teeth and deal with it.

Someone said to me yesterday "I couldn't do the job I do without a holiday to look forward to." Oh, I think we'll manage without! We never had holidays, or day trips, or theme parks, or museums, or theatres or any such treats like that when we were young and no one we knew did either. We survived just fine and we will again.

'Chinese' and a drink on a Friday?

Once upon a time, long a ago, in a land, far, far, away! I used to have a take away on a Friday night and we used to go for a 'couple' in the pub over the road, whilst we waited for our order. I haven't had a take away since 2007! I sometimes miss them, but then I get the wok out and get dinner ready in less time than it would take to walk there and back! We're still drinking the Christmas box of wine we were given as a gift and as we only drink one glass each a week, it'll be there a while yet. If you had just one bottle of wine a week and shared one Chinese take away between you a week (One bottle of Merlot £5 + Chicken in black bean sauce £4.80 and special fried rice £4.40) then you would actually spend £743.60 a year............on take aways and wine! Some times, just adding up what it costs, is enough to do it yourself and have it with a glass of orange barley water. P.S....My supper blow out was 10 points!

I treated myself!

 Teachers get exam results the day before students, so I am in the know!! I can't give anything away, but I am in a celebratory mood! I called into Aldi on my way home and bought two butternut squashes for 85p each. Both were almost the size of a rugby ball! I also bought some tomatoes and beetroot! Now, you may ask why this is a treat; it's because I discipline myself to only go into one shop to do my weekly shop, once a week. If you discipline yourself not to carry money and never to go into a shop, then you can't part with any money! I broke that rule today! I also had a mid-week roast supper. I had some left over roast pork that I had in the freezer, and yes I know, some people are sniffy about re-heating meat, but if you get it hot enough and keep it at that temperature for long enough; there is very little risk. And! what do you think they give you in the Chinese takeaway? We had a whole butternut squash between us, a roasted red pepper to share and a whole packet of beetroot, which I also roasted.

Mid week roast pork, with a mountain of green beans, butternut squash, red pepper and beetroot! Not frugal at all and came to £1.60 each! Tomorrow will be full of fizzy happy teenagers, who might even thank us! Tonight, is my quiet celebration and a pat on my own back!

Loads of taste and very few calories

 I cooked sweet potato, butternut squash and chickpea curry for tonight's supper and tomorrow's and the day after that's lunches. Dearly Beloved is on a diet too, but he doesn't know it..........he eats what I eat but with a larger portion. I used: three large carrots (no points) a butternut squash (no points), two portions of frozen spinach (no points) a large onion (no points) one sweet potato (3points) one tin of chickpeas (5points) two tablespoons of Thai green curry paste (2 points) and half a tin of coconut milk (14 points) two tablespoons of peas (2 points) and 150g of rice per portion (3 points per serving) and I made two lunches and two suppers with 9 points per meal for me and 12 points for DB. Old style Weight watchers. I'm never exactly accurate but I figure that as I am not eating homemade pasties and gingernuts with my cuppa, that this has to be the lower calorie healthier option!

The end result was delicious. We don't often eat anything spicy but mountains of veg become very boring, very quickly unless you do something to make them more interesting. My 9 point supper was really nice! The chick peas were fantastic in this and were really chewy and tasty. Costings? Still under £1 per portion so the budget is sound too.

Getting to the point!

It looks a lot, but it's mainly cabbage!

 In 2006, I lost 2 and a half stone and for the first time in many, many years I was a size 12! I wore shorts, and looked really normal. I stayed that weight for about about two years and then slowly, pound by pound put it all back on along with another stone just to keep it all happy! I lost the weight by following the weight watchers points plan. I started on 21 points and as I lost the weight got down to 17 points and yes! I was ****ing starving all of the time!

 By the fact that I'm sat here and not dodging the flying sweaty HRT patches at a local church hall at the Rosemary Conley's fat fighters club; you can tell I decided not to shell out £5.80 a week and I will blog my weight loss instead. Why not? I blog everything else! Today I am 13 stone and 9 pounds. In a week after misery, self deprivation and all round penitence, I will weigh myself again. I should lose 1lb a week. The old style weight watchers programme is very very cheap! It's basically piles and piles of vegetables with no points and a tiny bit of meat or fat. There is a lot of weighing and measuring but after a while and when I start to lose weight, then it will all seem worth it.


Supper 120g of rice, half jar sweet sour sauce, 120g cooked chicken, 2 finely sliced carrots, half an onion, quarter of a cabbage. 9 points

 I know there are all kinds of new fat fighting clubs and the new fat fighters pro-points system. It's like the old system but more money and they've changed all the points so some people will pay for all new books, scales, points calculators and all those 'low fat, low calorie' biscuits and chocolates in the foyer! You know the ones, half the fat, so you can eat twice as much. I'm not decrying the places and good luck to anyone who uses them, but this time, if I lose 2 and a half stone and then put it all back on again, at least I will not have paid about £750 for someone to weigh me, half look at me and whilst scribblings weights in a leaflet chirp 'Good week?' I'm now off for a walk in the rain!

Good grief! I almost spent some money!

Reminding myself that I have to keep a grip! I used to have fat days and thin days, now I just have fat days and sexy days. It'll have to do. I almost lost my grip today and looked else where for an answer. I bought a local paper (first waste of money and I mustn't do it again!) Secondly I read the rubbish and thirdly I reacted to an advert and contacted a health and fitness club and almost thought of going! It would have cost me £5.80 a week and I would have used it as a crutch for my own lack of will power. I have to sort out will power myself. I have it and I know when I use it, things go right, for example, I'm paying back debts. Weight loss is the same. I have all the old 'diet club' advice, I followed it before and I lost three stone. Going to the class did not make me lose the weight, I did! I need to sort out the rest of my self control. I need to follow the programme I did before and just stick to it!

Well, I am doing just that and it's left me feeling that stupid guilt that I feel about money, by huge weight gain and not doing things for myself. Only I have the answer.

It's amazing what blogs can do to remind you that you have the answers yourself! Firstly, I read Ilona's blog at 'Life after money '. I've met Ilona, she stayed with us last summer and she says it, lives and reaps the rewards of her frugal life. She travels, raises money for an animal charity, rambles, walks miles in the peace of her own company and is an all round positive person. Her blog today, reminded me, that it isn't easy and that self discipline has its own rewards and they are sometimes delayed and they are never instant. Saving a few pennies here, there and anywhere will eventually pay off my debts.

I then read the fantastic blog Mennonite Girls can cook and their Sunday message of 'bread for the journey'. There was the message I needed today and it said -
Hebrews 12:11 NIV

" No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have trained by it." No recipe today, but certainly the nutrition I needed today.

My harvest and my peace will come, it's in the distance and there's a slow journey. I just need to make sure it's a low calorie portion controlled one, which is also low in cost and can be batch cooked to make sure when I get there, I'm not dragging myself there but springing energetically!

Bulk cooking day made simple.

 I've heard it all. I would love to do what you do but I can't store bulk cooking. I would love to but I don't have the right equipment. I would love to but I don't have time. I usually cook and then some for later. I do this so I have the oven full, on the once and then I just reheat, either in the mini-oven or the microwave. This makes sure I not only save the planet but money too. My electric slicer came from Argos many years ago. It was about £15 but I use it and use it. Today, I defrosted and cooked a boned and rolled shoulder of pork and by slicing it thinly, made four meals out of it.

 My 'tupperware' came from the Salvation Army shop and the pots, of which I have ten, were 25p each. They have been worth every penny I spent on them as I use them over and  over again. I also added a good portion of gravy into each 'serving' and there's more than enough for two people. Time? Two seconds to get it into the oven and about ten minutes to slice it and dish it up into potions for a later date.

 I don't have a huge chest freezer. There are only the two of us. Here is the bottom of ours and it contains: turkey and veggies pie, fish pie, two portions of roast pork and gravy. Time again? Seconds and costs minimal. The effort was a delight!

 We had spicy spinach and coconut soup for lunch and I made enough for another day. There are three ladle's full in each 'marg tub', which is enough for the two of us for either a snack or a starter, or even a full size working lunch for one. It reuses the marg tubs (which I never throw away and always reuse some how).

 Here again, dispels the myth of bulk cooking as being expensive, difficult or time consuming. Allow to cool before putting in a plastic tub and pop straight into the freezer. There is nothing like having something easy to reheat to hand, after a really busy day at work. I know I could open a tin, but I know exactly what goes into my food and I like to keep it simple.

 Here they are taking up no room at all in my very small, three drawer fridge freezer. Nothing special but very cheap, highly nutritious and delicious.

 Finally, if I have the oven on, I fill it up. I didn't just defrost the pork joint, but also the chicken I had in the freezer. Both were roasted at the same time. I like to over cook chicken, allow it to cool and then strip every last piece of meat off by hand. I now have three meals from one chicken, all bagged up and all are now happily tucked into my freezer and ready for stir fries, pies or to go in salads for lunch or a light supper.

Frugal cooking is not just about using ingredients creatively and making everything go a long way, but using energy and time efficiently too.

Today is cancelled until further notice!

 Last night, I cooked supper whilst feeling extreme fatigue. First day of term drained me and was full of incidents, which although they didn't phase me at the time, left me feeling shell shocked. By seven o'clock in the evening, I couldn't stand up right any longer and had to go to bed. Unfortunately, I didn't stay there and wore the hall way carpet out going back and forth to the lav and was sick for the rest of the night. I knew I wasn't well when DB had to take me as I had temporarily lost my sight and balance to a migraine. It was an eventful night. I resisted the codeine until DB couldn't stand the fact that I was crying in my sleep!!!! I eventually woke up, after initially going to bed as seven at three o'clock this afternoon!!! Where did that day go?

Some food will often provoke a migraine, and it isn't the same food and sometimes some food will give me a migraine, and sometimes it won't! If there were any rhyme or reason, then I could avoid triggers, but there doesn't seem to be any way.

Back to last night's supper. I used one bag of Quorn mince, (on offer at £1 a bag in Tesco) and made chilli con quorne! I made potato wedges and had some much reduced coleslaw. By all accounts, Dearly Beloved said it was delicious but mine is in the freezer to eat when I feel well again! I'm rather partial to chilli and chips so it was a pity to miss it, but I slept through supper......and breakfast.........and lunch!

Making a little go a long way.

 Here's how I made a little go a long way. I baked four bread rolls, two for our supper tonight and two for our lunches tomorrow. (I have already made Dearly Beloved's cheese and tomato sandwich for tomorrow.) I also cooked some frozen broccoli and cauliflower, put it in a dish, covered with cheese sauce (still using up the Coleman's three for a pound specials!) I sliced two tomatoes, put them on top and sprinkled two tablespoons of grated cheese (last remnants of Christmas food) and cooked that for 20 minutes in the mini-oven, putting the bread rolls in for the last five minutes.

 The end result!

I had some lentil and vegetable soup in the freezer, I microwaved it in a pudding basin with a spoonful of Thai curry paste and a sachet of creamed coconut. So it became spicy Thai red lentil soup. It was fab, along with a bread roll and some cheesy veg. I have cheesy veg and a bread roll to take to work tomorrow so savings all round. I'm wondering how cheap I can be tomorrow?