Todays outfit.....

I was adding up how much todays outfit for work cost....M&s trousers, £2 charity shop, Bonne Marche top, £1.50 charity shop, Boots, £2 charity shop and my big padded duvet coat was £4...from a charity shop!!! The only thing I bought new (apart from underwear and I draw a line there! lol) was my handbag and I actually got that in Primark sale for £3. So top to tail for £12.50 - not too shabby!

Loads of reduced meat!

Well I had carefully made out my weeks menu including lunches, given the troops the "we will be eating more pasta and pulses" speech.....got to Asda and struck really lucky on the reductions....£45 worth of stewing steak, braising steak, some lamb mince and chicken kievs for 10p per packet!!!! I spent £1.10 and have an extremely happy family!

Cheapest milk....

I must admit I had always thought that the cartons of uht milk would work out cheaper than fresh milk but I was wrong!!! Fresh milk in Asda works out as 44p per litre whilst the cheapest uht milk is 57p per litre - although uht milk is handy as I always have a couple of cartons lurking in the cupboard.....you live and learn!

Frugal soup

Well after yesterdays pity party I have girded my loins and got on with it....Todays menu is porrige made with water for breakfast, chicken and rice soup for lunch (made from Sundays chicken carcass and left over tiny bits of scrap chicken with rice, carrots and onions) Tea is Sausage hotpot (a la Frugal Queen) with pancakes and golden syrup for pud..

Heading for deep doo doo

I checked and yes, the Child benefit Child tax credit will all stop.....heaven help us...deep doo doo......So, I have picked myself up and have looked again at our finances.... First, we have no debt at all except for our mortgage which is really small. I only work part time but it will enought to cover our mortgage and all our necessary bills (ie Housekeeping/electric/gas/phones/internet. I will cancel Netflix and my Gift giving from my wages. I run our money via a Freedom account where I have "virtual" envelopes for all our spending - its broken down into different accounts. So I earn enough to pay for following accounts - Car tax & insurance, Xmas, Birthdays (with a reduction in these both). The other accounts - Holidays, Household, Emergencie and Car repairs - will be added to when I can by selling stuff and car booting. We both had allowances we paid for clothes we needed and entertainment - I will not have enough for this....OH is looking to see if he can pick up any casual work but as he has back and neck problems its virtually impossible to find anything. We do have some savings but I need to keep them for emergencys only - its a slippery slope if you start using your savings for day to day stuff. I am looking for more hours at work but there isnt anything available at the moment.... Its dd I feel sorry for - she was getting £30 Education allowance for staying on at school and that will go - if she got into uni at least she would get a bursary but as it looks like it will just have to be college she will have to try and get a part time job but as we live in a very small town is really difficult. Sorry its a bit of a miserable post but its rather hard to be cheery at the moment...