Out and About and Sushi for Lunch

I took the bus from the end of our street to our local shopping mall today, which happens to be built on the Olympic Park.  I took the bus, because the route has recently changed and it now takes you right through the middle of the Olympic Park, instead of going around the houses and taking much longer.   As a consequence I was intrigued to see the new route and the other reason for taking the bus was that it now costs £2.50 to park for 2 hours at the mall, or £5 if you stay any longer, which I am frankly just not prepared to pay.  For £1.40 each way on the bus,  I could stay as long as I liked.

I had to try to exchange an item at Primark, which I couldn't do in the end as they didn't have another item to exchange it for, so I'm hanging onto the original for now and  I needed to find a couple of other items and gifts whilst there, so when in Primark I saw this cute pair of fluffy socks for £1 I decided to buy them for Little Bird as a treat on Valentines day.

I also saw this Jelly Bean fragrance gift set advertised at 90% off in Boots.  As it was originally £13, this means I was able to buy this for £1.30 and Little Bird's Valentine's gifts are now bought and stored away ready for the day itself and very little money was spent.  Whilst I realise that not everybody buys gifts on Valentine's day and many people find it a horribly commercial event, we do celebrate it, but we just have a very small gift exchange which does not incur much expense.

As I was in the mall over the lunchtime period, I decided to treat myself to sushi for lunch so I went to the Japanese store there and bought these yummy California Rolls with crabstick, mayo and avocado for just £3.40 plus 30p for ginger.  They were definitely the yummiest I've ever tasted. 

Not quite as cheap as the sushi I usually buy from Wilko, but no comparison either if I'm honest.  Well worth it for a very occasional treat.  I'll definitely be going back there if I ever get a craving for sushi again.

Enjoying on TV at the moment....

I haven't been watching too much normal TV lately, mainly because OH treated himself to a Netflix subscription for a few months, (£6 pm or so I think) so that he could watch all the back series of Breaking Bad.  (More to come in another post.)  Some nights, however, I do get to the TV first and there are a couple of programmes that I've been particularly enjoying of late.

The Town - ITV3 - 10 pm - I caught this last night and immediately was hooked.  I'm assuming it is written by the same writers as Broadchurch, as it seems to be written in a similar way.  I believe it has already been televised previously, probably on one of the main channels, so I must have missed it, but I am recording it from now on so I can watch it at my leisure.

Food & Drink - BBC2 - Mondays 8.30 pm - I'm not particularly foodie, but I've caught this programme a couple of times in the last few weeks and I've quite enjoyed it.  It is not too twee or precious about food and Michel Roux and his invited guests make it an entertaining programme to watch.  It also focuses on eating well on a budget which is very useful.

Birds of a Feather - ITV - Thursdays 8.30 pm - I'm enjoying the new series of this blast from the past.  The rapport between the 'girls' always make me chuckle, especially the way they insult each other.  Not to everyone's taste I'm sure, but there is something lovely and nostalgic about this series returning to the screen. 

(If I'm honest I often carry on watching on this channel and watch a bit of Benidorm too.)

Mr Selfridge - ITV - Sundays  9 pm - Enjoying the new series of this too, when I manage to catch it.

Looking forward to....

Nashville - More4 - Thursdays 10 pm -  So excited, US series 2 of this great Country and Western soap series is starting later this week.  Some great music and lots of drama.

The Great British Sewing Bee - BBC - New series starting very soon.  Can't wait.  Sorry, can't remember exact date, but just to warn any other fans out there who didn't know.

February Food Challenge

Spurred on by a wish to de-clutter our kitchen as much as possible, and by the fact that we have quite a bit of food in our cupboards that just isn't getting eaten, I have decided to set myself a Food Challenge this February.  The main purpose of this challenge is to try to empty our food cupboards of said food that is not being eaten.  Whilst I realise that I am very lucky to even have food in my cupboards as many people don't, I must point out that some of this food has been around for a while and some is definitely already out of date, so needs using up or throwing out.  I am a person who hates to waste anything and I want to try to use up as much as possible.  I'm not particularly bothered by best before dates on dry goods or preserves, so I am happy to use these even though the date may have passed.   I did a stock take last week, which went as follows:

Herby Dumpling Mix 5 x 180g packs
Ainsley Harriott Indian and Curried Lentil and Chickpea Pan Soup x 3 packs - I have tried this a s a soup, but I think I'd prefer to use this as the basis for a casserole by adding some chunky vegetables and cooking in the oven or slow cooker, possibly with lamb, and serve with couscous.
Ainsley Harriot Lemon, Mint and Parsley Couscous x 1 pack - I will have to eat this myself as it is not one of OH or Little Bird's favourites.  They like plain couscous.
Plain Couscous 1 x  340g pack
Ainsley Harriot Pecorino Cheese and Garlic Croutons 2 x 95g packs.  These might be nice thrown on top of or in the odd casserole here and there.
Popping Corn 2 x 500g packs - A great healthy snack for lunch boxes when I get around to making it.
Chicken OXO Cubes 7 x 6 cube packs and 2 x 4 cube Knorr Chicken Stock cube packs - (I don't think I'll need to buy these for quite a while!)
Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce Mix x 2 packs
Fajita Seasoning Mix x 2 packs
Chicken Tikka Masala Seasoning Mix x 3 packs
2 Peshwari Naans x 1 pack
Lasagne Sheets x 1 pack
Hellman's Light Mayonnaise x 2 Jars
Dijon Mustard x 1 bottle
Branstons Brown Sauce with Bite x 1 bottle
Cream Crackers x 1 pack
Melba Toasts x 1 pack
Quince Jam x 3 Jars
Homemade Rhubarb Jam x 3 Jars
Quince Paste x 1 pack
Packets of Polos x 7
Packets of Sugar Free Mints x 4
Grated Parmesan Cheese x 2 50g pots
Bottled water 350ml x 6
Oat So Simple Mixed Flavour Porridge sachets x 1 box of 9
Frozen Mixed Berries x 1 Pack
12 Stuffing Balls Frozen
4 Garlic and Coriander Mini Naans x 1 pack Frozen
1 Pork Chop Frozen
Carrot and Coriander Soup Frozen
Crispy Duck Frozen
Linda McCartney Vegetarian Sausages x 1 pack Frozen
1 Frozen Turkey - Don't Ask -  I originally bought this for Xmas Day and then we decided to buy a fresh one.
4 Frozen Breaded Cod Fillets
Braising Steak Frozen
Strong White Bread Flour 1kg
Wholemeal Flour 1kg
Yeast Sachets x 4
Raspberry Jelly x 7 sachets.
Trifle Sponges
Instant Semolina x 1 Box
Crème Brulee x 2 packs
Weightwatchers Cookie Mix x 1 pack
Scone Mix x 1 pack

Quite a bit of food there to keep us going for a while I think.  This list only refers to full unopened packets that are not our normal weekly essentials or that are in the freezer and need using up.  Some of this food was bought as a result of stupidly overbuying at Christmas, as we had visitors for the first time and I wasn't sure quite how much we would need.  Some is a result of seeing bargains and squirrelling them away.  I think that a month of using up these items would be a very good idea as it will save waste and I think it will seriously help me to save some money this month as I could almost manage by just buying fresh fruit and vegetables, milk and bread for a fair part of the month.  I am adjusting my menu plan for the month with this list in mind and will be devising my shopping list each week using both and I'll see how I get on.  Any extra money that I manage to save will come off the overdraft.

I do realise that this challenge may seem more like luxury and not a challenge to some, who are struggling to put any food into their cupboards.  I apologise in advance if this post offends anyone who might be struggling to make ends meet or feed their families.  It is never my intention to offend anyone.

In addition to the food we have in the cupboards, I also have several money off coupons for some of the big supermarkets that came through the door last week. I will use the vouchers if I think they are saving us money, but if I find it cheaper to shop at Lidl, where I usually shop, I will not hesitate to do so, as I am very happy with the products I usually buy from there.

I will be happy to see at least one cupboard emptied as soon as possible, as I will be able to use it for storing items for the dog which are currently cluttering up our worktop.  Please note, that I don't throw food away easily, unless it has gone off and can't be used for either ourselves or the dog, so I have no intention of just dumping the food or wasting it. I am intending to use it all as soon as I can.  Anything I don't use and do happen to throw away I will give my reasons for and as far as I am concerned they will need to be pretty good ones although you may disagree with me on what they are.

Although I am calling this a February Food Challenge it may take longer than just one month to use up all this food.  So be it.  I will be posting periodically about this challenge, to let you know how I get on with using up said foods.  I am looking forward to seeing the list reduce as quickly as possible.

Project 52 - Week 5 - Filling a Couple of Empty Photo Frames.

Joining in with Dreamer at Living a Slow and Simple Life I am attempting to complete one task per week for a year i.e. 52 projects to clear up all those tasks/projects that I need/want to do but just never get around to.

This week I've done the very small task of filling a couple of empty photo frames that I had lurking in the sewing room.  One I bought for £1 in Bargain Corner at IKEA and the other was reduced to 20p at B&Q, so I could resist neither.

In the IKEA one, I've put this greeting card which has an animal with an uncanny likeness to one of our much loved, sadly deceased pets on it.  She was a much loved part of the family, along with her sibling, for a few years, but was unfortunately very shabbily treated by a vet at the end of her life, which was very sad indeed.  She brought us much happiness and love though, as she was a wonderfully affectionate little creature who would sit on OH's chest and lick his stubbly chin of an evening. 

This card normally sits on my kitchen window sill next to this pair of salt and pepper pot pigs we were bought a couple of Christmases ago and which represent the two guinea pigs we had, which were our first family pets.  The markings and colourings of the pot pigs aren't quite the same, but I genuinely appreciate the gesture.  I look at this picture every day when I'm washing up and think of our lovely little pigs.  I decided to put the card in a frame as they deserve to be remembered, and the card kept getting splashed when I watered my plants.  Besides it fitted so perfectly it was almost made for it.

I miss our little piggy friends.  I could happily have a whole guinea pig village if I didn't like going away on holiday quite so much.  Maybe one day.

Talking of holidays, the second frame in this task was filled with a hand stitched route map of our US road trip in a camper van last summer, using embroidery thread.  We drove through parts of Nevada and California and had one of our most amazing holidays yet.  Although it was already unforgettable time does dim the memory so I decided to make this as a momento to keep it fresh in our minds. I added the US Flag patch which I found in a charity shop here for 50p or something similar.  I really like it and may even make another one relating to our trip to Australia 5 years ago to visit my sister and some other relatives.

 It's a wonderfully simple idea from a fabulous book called Home Made Simple - Practical Makes for Living and Giving by Joanna Gosling, which I was given as a gift for Christmas and this project was the second I've completed from this book, but there are a good few more I am certainly going to try.  It may even feature again in 52 projects further down the line.

So Week 5 in 52 Projects and I'm keeping up so far.  Just.  This was a simple task as we were away this weekend so time was a bit limited.

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Monthly Round Up

January this year has been much like it was last year.  I spent quite a bit of money in the sales in an attempt to save myself some money on the cost of birthdays and next Christmas and also to spread the cost.   It's a strategy that I've employed for the last couple of years and it seems to serve me well.  It does, however, make January an expensive month.

It's not all been about buying presents for others though and I have managed to buy myself and Little Bird a few bits and pieces that we needed, mainly some new fitness wear for me, as I was in need of some new vests for the gym.  I managed to get 3 relatively inexpensively at Primark, who have recently introduced a new range of fitness wear.  They seem to fit well and do the job so I'm happy to have spent less on these than I was expecting to.

In addition,  I also managed to buy Little Bird some new clothes (t-shirts and leggings mostly) in the sales, and also a new swimming costume (not a sale item), so she should be well taken care of now until the spring/summer when I might need to do a stock take of her wardrobe again.

Other than the above purchases, it's just been food and household expenses really and a few extras for Little Bird's birthday and birthday presents for the children of family and friends.  I've also had to buy car park vouchers for the gym this month, but they should last me 2-3 months.

I set aside £100 earlier in the month to be paid off my overdraft and nearly had to use some of it to buy this week's groceries until OH stepped in and paid for them as he was buying some other things too.  I didn't get much probably only £20 worth in this particular shop, as I was trying to use up what we have in the cupboards and freezer.

I paid off my credit cards in full again too this month, so I shouldn't be paying anything in the way of interest charges on those.  So, as a consequence, I seem to be more or less sticking to my aims for the year so far, save the one about organising myself so I still have money at the end of the month.  That one didn't last more than a couple of weeks.  I'll try to be better in this regard next month and as it's a short month this should help quite a bit.

In addition to the above, I also managed 9 No Spend Days towards my yearly aim of 100.  I figure if I can manage at least 8 or 9 each month, then I should hopefully meet the target.   Not a bad month in actuality.  It could have been a lot worse, but I'm looking forward to February and hopefully doing even better.   How did your January go? 

Z is for.........Zumba

Joining in with Mum from Mum's Simply Living blog in devising a series of posts around the alphabet (backwards).  Starting with Z then, in my life Z is most definitely for Zumba classes, which I've been doing at least twice, sometimes three times a week for a couple of years now.

I love it.  Love the Latin tunes, grooves and moves, love the sweat it works up and I just have a great time doing it.

Here's a little taster I've sourced from YouTube for anyone not too familiar.  It's a pretty old video from way back in the beginning: it's short, funny, the instructor is good and doesn't take themselves too seriously and it epitomises for me the fun of it all.  I can never work out whether some of the participants in this videa are members of the audience genuinely joining in or whether they're part of the Zumba troupe, but some of them are funny.

The Great Cleaning and Household Products Challenge - Month 5

This is a challenge I instigated myself to try to last a year spending only £125 on Cleaning and Household products.  I'm finding this a very difficult challenge as an awful lot of products are included in this challenge.  As a consequence, I am way over budget at just 5 months in.  This month was no exception and I came in over the budget of £10.42 once again, spending £19.57.

I have to admit that a few of the purchases weren't truly necessary, namely the toilet brushes and the tea lights and another was a luxury bought for convenience more than anything. i.e. multi-surface wipes.

Here's the list of purchases this month:

Firelighters x 4 boxes £2.76 - These were bought whilst in Yorkshire as I cannot buy them cheaper in London so I stocked up.

Toilet Brushes x 2 - Bought from Ikea - 90p

Tea Lights x 100  - Also bought from Ikea - £1.75 - I was, however, almost out of these and they seemed to be cheaper here than anywhere else I have seen them.  They do give cosy glow to the living room in the winter, but are a bit of an indulgence.

Wash Tablets x 20 £2 - Bought from Approved Foods

Fabric Conditioner £1

Bathroom Cleaner x 2 £1.20 - Also bought from Approved Foods.

Sandwich bags 88p

Kitchen Rolls x 3 £1

Black Bin Liners x 10 £1.25

Multipurpose Wipes £1

Toilet Rolls x 36 £5.83.  Unfortunately I was unable to get my usual 2 packs of 18 for £5 from Poundstretcher, as they were out of stock when I visited, so had to avail myself of Morrisons and then Smart Price/Value rolls at ASDA, Tesco and my local convenience store for the shortfall.  It worked out a little more expensive as a consequence

Food Caddy Liners x 2 Rolls - FREE  -  I finally got around to ordering these online from our local council and saved myself some money.  They are normally at least £1.49 per roll.

Total Monthly Expenditure £19.57

My total expenditure so far on this challenge now stands at £95.87/£125 which is pretty dire.  Not sure I can pull this one back now, as even just buying toilet rolls for the rest of the year will send me over the budget.  I need a really good month next month to even stand a chance of lasting as long as possible on this challenge.