Monthly Archives: September 2015

Prep saves me money and temptation

Recipe
Hello Dear Reader,
Life is picking up a pace here, autumn is a busy time for everyone. We all have busy jobs, family life and hobbies. On Tuesdays, I get home, park the car and get straight to Slimming Club for five thirty. I get my day sorted the night before and tomorrow morning. In the morning, I’ll put a beef stew in the slow cooker for DB to eat when he gets home and for his and my lunch on Wednesday. Tonight, I’ve made my salads for tomorrow’s lunch and supper; the latter of which I eat at slimming club as I won’t get home until seven. If I didn’t eat at slimming club, I’d eat the Tarmac on the road whilst walking home!
I’d gained 2lbs recently so I’ve redoubled my efforts to manage my eating since. Loads of veg, salads meat and fish and low carbs. As you can see, I still have carbs but I’m being careful. Lunch/ supper is 50g of half fat feta, quinoa and salsa with lettuce and carrots. About 250g for each meal, with skimmed milk throughout the day, 600 calories. Fat removed bacon and scrambled eggs take my daily intake up to around 1100 altogether. I should lose so weight…..what I’d gained would be nice!
A bit of time and effort means, after a busy day, a average 20 mile each way commute, slimming club and daily housework, the food stays on budget and there’s no temptation to turn to junk as I ‘didn’t have time’. It works for me and saves me time and money.
Over to you, share how you ‘stay on top of it all’ with full time work, family, commuting and everything else we all fit in.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxxx

I feel no need to spend money at the weekend

Uncategorized






Hello Dear Reader,


I’ve had, just as I usually do, a lovely weekend. As you can imagine, I have a vice like grip on the finances at the moment. I’m paying for the carpets this week, £750 to have all the rooms upstairs, the hall way, the stairs and the living room with underlay and fitted carpets, including the fitting!! I’ve planned it since January, set aside 1/10th of the cost each month. I’m getting them fitted the first week in November but I can assure you, I feel an immense sense of satisfaction when I’ve saved for something without rocking my overall budget.

‘I couldn’t live like that’ is something I’ve heard and been told. I’m ok with that and don’t take it as a criticism but as a reflection that it’s alright for all of us to live our own lives and make our own choices. It’s my choice to while away my weekends with gentle pottering, painting, giving the house a thorough clean, ironing and gardening. We walk and bath the dogs, clean the windows, wash down the doors and frames and wash all the floors.

I shopped and got some lovely vegetables from Lidl, cooked Sunday lunch of braised beef with mash and greens ( no mash for me, too many carbs ) and prepared my menu for the week. My work clothes are ready and we’ve cleaned our shoes. It’s all very simple.

We didn’t have a takeaway on Friday night, didn’t hit the shopping centre on Saturday, didn’t go to a show on Saturday night and didn’t go for a pub lunch on Sunday. We could have done all of those as we could afford them if we didn’t divert our finances into savings and over paying the mortgage but we didn’t. We are happy as we are to be careful with our cash and prepare for the long term.

You only live once they said.

That’s not exactly true. You only die once, you live every day. So, we can all live as we choose.

We feel no need to spend money entertaining ourselves at the weekend. Over to you, who’s happy to just potter? Who doesn’t need to ‘ get out’ at the weekend?

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx

Chickpea, carrot and courgette fritters

http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post

Hello Dear Reader,
We’ve been so good recently and stuck to our healthy eating habits and tonight it as time to have something snacky and fried. Normally, we stick to a spray of fry light, a non stick pan or cook things in the oven. Fritters are best fried in a couple of millimetres of sunflower oil. Here’s the recipe
1 tin of chickpea slow gently crushed with a potato masher,
3 carrots grated
1 courgette grated
4 heaped tablespoons of gram flour - I can’t eat gluten, so I use this flour a lot.
2 beaten eggs
Half a mug of ready cooked quinoa
2 heaped tablespoons of Ras el hanout - a Middle eastern spice combination, commonly found in supermarkets
Combine the lot and get your frying pan with oil really hot. Use a dessert spoon to drop a heaped spoonful at a time into the pan. You can fry five fritters at a time. Don’t turn them too soon and allow one side to crisp up before you use a spatula to turn it. Cook for around five minutes per side.
If we were being good then we’d have eaten these with salad but we just had a few spoons of sweet chilli sauce. These are great cold in a picnic or for a packed lunch. They can also form the main part of a veggie supper with a tomato sauce and some greens. I love the fluffiness of the grated veggies against the chunks of chickpeas and the gentle spice of the Ras El hanout. They could take more spice and you could add chopped fresh chilli.
We’ve spent the day painting and working on the house, what’s a few extra calories!
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxxx

Beef and quinoa, wrapped in cabbage and cooked in tomato sauce.

Uncategorized

Hello Dear Reader,
Not the greatest photograph but a fantastic supper that goes a very long way. The meatballs are lean beef, with quinoa, wrapped in cabbage leaves and cooked in a tomato sauce. To make these, you will need:
A Savoy cabbage, removed leaf by leaf and place in a steamer, partially cook for around five minutes.
To make the filling
450g of lean minced beef, however you could use Turkey or any minced meat.
1 courgette, grated,
1/4 butternut squash grated
Salt, pepper and garlic powder,
Half a cup of quinoa, I use the ready cooked type where you just add boiling water and soak.
Any seasoning you like, I added smoked paprika and cumin.
Shape into egg shaped meatballs, place the cabbage leaf and wrap the cabbage leaf around it. Place in a shallow baking dish. Cover with foil and cook for forty minutes at 180. Serv with the rice, noodles, pasta or potatoes. As I’m trying to control my calorie intake, we had steamed green beans. They are coming to the end of the season so I’m enjoying them whilst I can still get them.
Tomato sauce - two tins of plum tomatoes, a teaspoon of olive oil, three cloves of garlic put through a garlic crusher. Warm the oil in a pan, add the garlic, cook for just a few seconds and add the tomatoes. Cook for five minutes. Use a stick blender to get the the tomatoes to a smooth sauce. Pour over the stuffed cabbage. Season the sauce well with salt and pepper.
You can buy this much beef in Aldi for £2.75 and adding some grated vegetables makes it go further. You can use grated carrot and onion or even cooked rice, anything to bulk it out and make it go further. It’s a great way to the se wilting cabbage leaves too. These are great cold and reheated another day.
Do you have a version of wrapped meatballs? Does anyone make these cooked in vine leaves? I’m going to try growing vines just for the leaves. We’ve got a busy weekend of painting, housework, gardening and cooking. It’s no chore for me as I love getting work done around the house.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxcx

Fifteen minute meal and cakes for Macmillan.

Uncategorized

Hello Dear Reader,
Back on form! Two recipes for you today! Everyone had a ‘go to’ quick and easy supper. Mine is a stack of steamed vegetables with a veggie stew flavoured with bacon chunks. I used
100g of ‘cooking’ bacon - my butcher sells a kilo bag for £1.99, so just 20p worth.
1 courgette in chunks
1/2 a butternut squash in chunks
100g of mushroom - chopped
1 carton of chopped tomatoes, onions and herbs - I stock up on these from Asda when they are three for £1
Sprinkle of garlic powder
Chicken stock cube.
Add all the ingredients to a frying pan, stir and cover with a lid, the squash will steam and soften. Cook for around five minutes. I didn’t use any oil as the bacon pieces had some fat.
Add the crumbled stock cube and chopped tomatoes and herbs and half a teaspoon of garlic powder.
Simmer for ten minutes.
Serve with steamed vegetables.
As promised, I made cakes for the Macmillan coffee morning. Above, is vanilla sponge, with layers of strawberry jam, vanilla chantilly cream and strawberries. I made a sponge mixture from equal weight of eggs, butter, sugar and SR flour, and baked at 180 in a deep cake tin for forty minutes. Leave overnight to cool and then slice into three layers.
Chantilly cream is double crew, sweetened with icing sugar then add flavouring. I added vanilla extract to create vanilla cream. Whip the cream until thick enough to form peaks.
My second cake was lemon and blueberry. I added the zest of two lemons to the sponge mix and cooked as usual. I layered the sponges with lemon curd, lemon chantilly cream and blueberries. Add icing sugar and juice of one lemon to 600ml of cream and whip until thick enough to form peaks.
Easy to make and real crowd pleaders and very simple to make. Indulgent and would make a great dessert for a special occasion. I can’t eat either cakes and chose to make them with standard flour so I knew the cakes would have a moist buttery sponge. I bought the cream and fruit in Aldi where the punnet soft strawberries or blueberries are only 89p each and 300ml of double cream is 59p, so it’s certainly indulgent and for special occasions but if you shop around then you can find the ingredients at affordable prices.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxx

Where’s the food Froogs?

Uncategorized

Hello Dear Reader,
Where’s the food Froogs? The beginning of term has been busy, we’ve been painting and my joint pain has made me grimace! In the middle of all that, I don’t feel like either cooking or eating. If I can’t cook it in five minutes then I’m not much bothered. Here’s what I’ve eaten today.
Three rashers of bacon, fat removed, 100g of cherry tomatoes, one large chopped courgette, 100g of chopped mushrooms. Fried in a non-stick pan with no added fat. Breakfast was two poached eggs, lunch was 50g a half fat cheddar and 100g of lean ham. I did say I can’t be bothered!
I’m baking tonight for the Macmillan coffee morning and you can have a couple of recipes for fancy cake tomorrow. You can have those recipes.
I will get my appetite back soon and those thrifty recipes will be back.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxx

How do you change from being a spender to a saver?

Uncategorized

Hello Dear Reader,

It was only five years ago that we lived pay day to pay day. There was just enough but everything was paid for. The bills were paid, there was always food and we got by. What we didn’t do was save.
We changed this after we’d paid off our debts and began a monthly budget which was the same as when we had debts. It meant that everything we had previously in the debt budget now went into savings. Part of that each month now goes into mortgage over payments but the bulk of that now goes into savings. It now means that we can pay for what ever we need with money we’ve saved. So, you asked me, how do I manage to save so much.
Budget?
I set an amount for everything and stick to it, for fuel, food, energy and don’t allow myself to go over that. Yes, it does take self discipline, no it isn’t easy but our money mindset keeps us going.
Money?
I don’t carry any. There’s nothing in my purse. It is drastic but it works. I can’t spend what I don’t have. There no impulse purchases, no treats, no coffees. I’d have to use my card for that and I can see every transaction.
Clothing?
I buy quality every year or so. A set of summer clothes will last two or three years, as will a coat or pair of shoes. I prefer quality over quality and spend about £250 a year on clothes. Again, there’s no impulse purchase but planned shop, for example knowing that I need two pairs of dark work trousers.
Holidays?
After a hiatus, I’ve decided that this is important. I’ve worked out my ferry fees for the year and will buy my ferry crossings well in advance and all in one go. So, it will effectively cost me one month’s savings. I don’t work to sit at home and look at four walls and see this as investing in our well being.
Where do I save?
I have three bank accounts: everyday, rainy day and savings. Everyday has enough money for the bills and shopping and each month my wages go in, my direct debits go out, my nominated working budget is left behind and the rest is split between my rainy day and savings accounts. Rainy day is for items I’m saving for such as carpets, car tyres, holidays, vet fees, hairdressers, clothes ect. It contains 20% of my monthly savings. My saving account has the other 80% of my savings each month. The aim for this is to not touch this.
ISA.?
Yes, we have one and we’ve used less than our tax allowance each year. This is how we save for the big items such as a new car or in this case, the legal fees for the house in Huelgoat. We’ll get back to replacing that straight away. Why do I have a lump of money just sitting there? It’s our safety net. If my boiler needs replacing? The cooker doesn’t work or the dog gets cancer. It’s not there for an exotic holiday but for essentials that we need on an as and when basis.
Mindset?
We are really aware of how lucky we are and how good our life is. Our little house is warm and comfortable, full of books, we have hobbies, we keep active, we walk a lot, we have busy social lives and we go on holiday. We enjoy home cooked, homemade and our home in general. We make do and love what we have. We don’t feel pressure to buy anything for anyone else either. We enjoy seasons and festivities on our own terms. We have no dependent and no one to financially answer to. As far as we’re concerned we feel very comfortable and know how lucky we are. We think differently. We’ve learned how to defer and put off wants for as long as not as it takes and we really enjoy what ever we’ve saved for.
Negatives?
None for us personally but it does mean were judged. However, never by anyone who means anything to us or know us personally. It’s amazing how people are critical of success and happiness. We don’t worry about this, all things pass eventually. So, any misgiving? None at all.
Thanks for your question and see you again tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxx

What a lovely surprise

Uncategorized

Hello Dear Reader,
Saturday saw the first ‘Show-mos’ awarding bloggers who write in some way or other about money. A massive well done to Skint Dad, the lovely Ricky who won Money Blogger of the year.
Frugal Queen also won a category of best debt blog and a mass of thanks to those of you nominated me.
I got out of debt and stayed out of debt through keeping myself on track with this blog. I’m able to reflect on the journey and the persistence it takes to move forward to being a saver and investor. What is frugal to one person is different to another but we stay on our track on our journey. I’m always surprised that you read what is just an online diary.
My life is very different now, my blog has moved with that and we thrift on our way.
It was lovely to win the award but most of all to live debt free.
Thanks again,
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xx

Baking for Macmillan Coffee Morning

Gluten free

Hello Dear Reader,
I’m going to a Coffee Morning on Friday to raise money for Macmillan. I’m going to take gluten free cake, so I can buy some back and enjoy a coffee and slice of cake with everyone else. It will be a knickers to calorie counting day. I’m practising a few recipes first as I’ve not had a lot of success with gluten free cakes in the past.
I also thought I would share the cake carriers I found in Poundland; they stack away easily and are great when you want to transport cake to a social occasion and at a quid each, they are a bargain.
Here’s my recipe
Preheat oven to 180. Line a 10″ cake tin.
8oz of each of the following: eggs (2oz for a large), plain gluten free flour, butter and caster sugar.
2 level teaspoons of gluten free baking powder, zest of one lemon, two tablespoons of sunflower oil, juice of half a lemon.
For the topping, juice of one and a half lemons and three tablespoons of caster sugar.
Cream the butter and sugar together.
Add the flour, baking powder and eggs and beat together. Beat in the lemon juice, zest and sunflower oil. Gluten free cake can have a grainy texture, the oil helps moisten.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Topping - place the lemon juice and sugar in a mug and heat in the microwave on full power for one minute. Stir well and spoon onto the top of the cake. The most difficult part is leaving it to cool so you can eat it.
Over to you, if you were off to a coffee morning, which cake would have you donate generously? I want to make popular cakes to help boost the funds of Macmillan.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxx

Saving money all week!

Uncategorized

Hello Dear Reader,
I can so easily recall what it’s like to have no financial goals except get through the week, with the lights on and the children fed. I know full what it’s like trying to balance the books and keep a roof over our heads. I count my blessings as we know how far we’ve come. Now though, after many years of being financially prudent our financial goals are mainly long term.
When we have our monthly finance meeting, all domestic costs are met and with a budget we stick to rigidly. Set amount for food, utilities, running the car ect; we know exactly where we are to the point that well under 50% of our joint after tax income goes on running our everyday lives. The other percentage goes into long term planning. We set aside a percentage for home renovation with the view to good quality and durability. I don’t intend to spend any more than we have to.
Long term and medium term plans we’ve undertaken within budget this week. Paid for the underlay, carpets and fitting cost to have three bedrooms, hall, stairs and lounge carpeted, it will be done after half term. Paid for Club Voyage membership for Brittany Ferries to give us a 30% discount on our ferry crossings. Both of which have been saved for since last year. Long term plans are that we’ve moved money from the everyday account to ISA with the intention of leaving it there for a year or more.
We’ve also painted the bathroom and another bedroom. We paint everything white in every room, it’s clean, cheap and easy to touch up. We’ve all taken lunches and coffee to work everyday, amused ourselves for free, kept fit with evening walks. I’ve dried all the washing on the one, shopped at the butchers to give us meat for three weeks and bulk cooked for the weeks ahead.
The picture above is from Huelgoat in the summer. The legalities of the purchase is ticking along.
You asked, what’s Huelgoat like in winter, when it snows it looks like this. You’ll find out all about it on my first winter that I’m there.
Love Froogs xxxx