I Love Thursdays

I like Thursdays.  Thursday is a day when I can generally please myself, more or less.  No gym visits, and no other commitments, unless I have made them.  Just dog walking and putting out the rubbish being the main things required of me.

Call me sad and a bit weird, but I like collecting all the rubbish from different parts of the house, bagging up the recycling and putting the food waste in the caddy (well, maybe not this bit) and I really enjoy putting it all outside to be collected early Friday morning.  I love that feeling of purging the house. It feels good.

I'm still keeping a note of the amount of bags we throw out each week, with a view to trying to reduce it this year.  It is gradually settling down after Christmas, January sale shopping and Little Bird's birthday and will hopefully be completely back to our normal levels come February.

It felt doubly good this week, as Thursday was the day that I also took quite a lot of stuff to the charity shop.  It had been sat on the landing for virtually the whole month, which was a bit of an eyesore, not to mention a nuisance. I was glad to have finally got around to taking it.

In all honesty, I was a bit put off after taking some things before Christmas.  I got the distinct impression that the staff in the CS were feeling a bit overwhelmed with stuff, so I didn't want to go back too soon.  I had a chat to the lady in the stockroom on this visit.  She said that she had had some days when she had been completely overwhelmed with stuff, but explained that they never refuse donations and it had been a little quieter of late, which was reassuring. (Especially as I will have some more things to take next month).

I did do more than just the above mentioned things this Thursday.  I did some washing, ironing (I'm keeping on top of the ironing basket for once), blog post writing,  present wrapping/card writing and general bits of housework. We all need days when we have carte blanche to get things done. Needless to say, a good few things got crossed off this week's to do list, which is always pleasing.

In addition to purging rubbish from the house, I am making a concerted effort to purge the cupboards and freezer of uneaten foods.  It is quite satisfying to see them quite empty to be honest.  It makes me get a little more creative in the cooking department.  I only want to stock what we are going to eat that week, plus a few other cupboard staples (just in case I forget to defrost something, so that at least there is an alternative).

I haven't placed an Approved Food Order for a couple of months now, although when I realised this, I did go on their site and fill a basket, which I may go ahead and order.  I was incredibly careful to only put things we use very regularly onto the order, so that they won't hang around for months in the cupboards not being used.  It can work out very cost effective to buy things from AF, so I won't ever say never with regard to ordering from them again.

Anyway, I made OH and I a chicken casserole in the slow cooker from a packet mix bought from AF. I've got several different ones in my cupboards that I am working my way through.  I can see lots of Rustic Beef and Beef Bourguinon coming up on the menu next month!  Well once or twice anyway. It's not the sort of dish I could eat every single week.

I also did some menu planning for next month.  There's a few things in the freezer that could do to be used up before I buy more food, so most of next week's menu is sorted which should hopefully make it an inexpensive food shop.  Just as well, as I've spent quite a bit of money this month with one thing and another and I have a feeling that February is going to be a very lean month. Fortunately, there's only four weeks in it!