Asda price guarantee

Well my Asda delivery came on time today! last week it was 55 minutes late - this week it arrived at 3.30 which was grand.

Substitutes were fine, my metal mixing bowl was out of stock :( (my plastic ones are really too big and I'm too much of a clutz to get a ceramic one).

Went to www.asdapriceguarantee.co.uk and logged in with my on-line account and they compared trolleys with all the major stores - didn't qualify for a voucher but at the moment they are doing some kind of 10% cheaper dealio so am entitled to a grand total of 48p! Oooo what will I spend it on??????

(my driving lesson was cancelled today - he had a sickness bug - he was not lying on the floor in a foetal position rocking back and forth as has been suggested by sceptics of my driving ability - due another one tomorrow - fingers crossed)

Feb housekeeping left - £194.36 left
(£50 goes into holiday fund)
Spent - my allowance - £5.89
Spent - clothes - £14.74
Spent - household - £35.99
Spent - entertainment - £15.85
Spent - Christmas 2011 - £106.25 (saved - £202.45!)

Knitted kindle cover

Sad or what! just using up some scraps from my stash....

Another menu plan

Spent a wee bit yesterday - went for a lovely drive in the country and had a visit with old friends - as its a long time since we did our "coffee and cake" (I'm getting anal about bringing a flask!!) so we had a treat - £15.85. Popped into a charity shop and OH got a thick jumper (£3.75) and a really nice navy wool 3/4 smart coat for £10.99 which he was delighted with (if had to buy new could never have afforded either!)

Went to a car boot sale this morning but it wasn't on :( - depressed so had a MacDonalds breakfast (me and eldest dd) so popped into Tesco to buy a new house phone as ours is playing up something terrible (one handset refuses to work completely) It was in the sale for £29.99 for 2 handsets so not too bad - also bought 2 nice big baking trays for £3 each.

Just finished my on-line Asda shop - spent quite a bit last week so it was only £55.64 this week including delivery.

So starting February's spendies......

Feb housekeeping left - £194.36 left
(£50 goes into holiday fund)
Spent - my allowance - £5.89
Spent - clothes - £14.74
Spent - household - £35.99
Spent - entertainment - £15.85
Spent - Christmas 2011 - £106.25 (saved - £202.45!)

Kindle

I love my Kindle! got it from my mum and dad and am thrilled to bits with it.I'm an avid reader and will happily read anything so have downloaded loads of free books from Amazon and Project Gutenberg. Bought a cover with it at Xmas but have also knitted it a very fetching stripy sock cover in shades of brown and burgundy with some left over wool I had - wish my camera was working as it looks very preppy!

No more spending at the moment - the menu plan is working well - already have a list on my fridge of stuff we need next week so will do another weeks shopping on Monday. Trying to find free codes for shopping but even paying the £3 delivery charge saves me buying stuff willy nilly.


Jan housekeeping left - £10.24
(£50 went into holiday fund)
Spent - my allowance - £50.20
Spent - household - £58.60
Spent - emergency fund - £43.43
Spent - birthday fund - £18.50
Spent - entertainment - £44.40
Spent - clothes - £18.58
Spent - Christmas 2011 - £106.25 (saved - £202.45!)

Baking

Well was in a good mood cos my driving lessons weren't too harrowing (for me anyway - don't know about my driving instructor!) and got my haircut so decided to bake.

Made - Lemon curd muffins (basic muffin with a dollop of lemon curd in the middle)
Vanilla pound cake (a la Martha Stewart)
Carrot cake (again, a la Martha)

Never made the last 2 before - they are still in the oven as I type so will let you know how they turn out. A grand total of 45 minutes in the kitchen including tidying up after myself and brushing the flour....really, when you think about it this baking lark isnt too time consuming at all - and my family love it when I bake.

I am also wearing a full size pinny I bought of Ebay (99p + £1.89 p&p). At Xmas I borrowed my dds pinny to keep my good clothes clean and now love one - I'm a messy cook and as its cotton I can wipe my hands on it too! Its remarkable how domesticated you feel wearing a pinny!

I also bought a nice fleecy jacket and a top for work from ebay - £12.38

Jan housekeeping left - £10.24
(£50 went into holiday fund)
Spent - my allowance - £50.20
Spent - household - £58.60
Spent - emergency fund - £43.43
Spent - birthday fund - £18.50
Spent - entertainment - £44.40
Spent - clothes - £18.58
Spent - Christmas 2011 - £106.25 (saved - £202.45!)

Money out....

In my attempt to learn to drive I am just on my way out to my first lesson of 2 this week - got a cheque to give to him for £200 (faint) and that was left from my birthday money last year - so in 5 weeks that will bring me up to 20 lessons - surely after 20 lessons I might have a clue!!
Apart from that - didnt spend a penny yesterday as never left the house but have been looking at caravan parks for our summer holiday - not sure where to go yet but have a few ideas and we need a family discussion to see what everyone would like.

Off to wreak havoc on the roads!

Jan housekeeping left - £10.24
(£50 went into holiday fund)
Spent - my allowance - £27.20
Spent - household - £58.60
Spent - emergency fund - £43.43
Spent - birthday fund - £18.50
Spent - entertainment - £44.40
Spent - clothes - £6.20
Spent - Christmas 2011 - £106.25 (saved - £202.45!)

Starting new houskeeping trial

In the past I have usually stuck to my monthly budget for houskeeping by doing an Asda on-line shop and then weekly top-ups - trying something different and keep out of the shops....

From now on I will be doing a weekly on-line shop delivered on a Mon (cheapest delivery) - this week was a really dear one as I was running out of everything (loo roll, toiletries, soap powder,rice, etc) so I spent a massive £75.28

Weekly menu

Roast Lamb
Shepherds pie
Macaroni cheese
Pork casserole
Sausage and mash
Chicken curry
Hot dog rolls & pud
Brisket
Cold meat, bubble and squeak

Was oh's dgd first birthday yesterday - already bought present in the sales so only had to get a card (£1.50) - had lunch out as a nice treat (haven't been out for lunch with oh for quite a while!) - £10

Jan housekeeping left - £10.24
(£50 went into holiday fund)
Spent - my allowance - £27.20
Spent - household - £58.60
Spent - emergency fund - £43.43
Spent - birthday fund - £18.50
Spent - entertainment - £44.40
Spent - clothes - £6.20
Spent - Christmas 2011 - £106.25 (saved - £202.45!)