Sunday 31 March 2013

Nearly forgot

Drum roll  please



I have finally paid off my car.

It took a bit longer than expected but it finally done.

Its a huge relief......
Who's bright idea was it to put the clocks forward......


DD has work today her shift was changed to a a 9am start to a 6 am start, so normally that is 5am wake up call but today that's technically 4 am wake up call.
The sad thing is i don't need an alarm clock to wake up i must clock watch all night long to make sure I'm up.

Its now pitch black outside and I'm just about to leave to take DD to work.

Happy Easter on and all.

Thursday 28 March 2013

Dangerous dogs

Over the last few days we have heard the terrible report of a young girl being brutally killed by dogs.
2 mastiffs and 2 staffordshire bull terriers.
You cant even begin to comprehend what happened to that poor girl and rightly so the dogs have been destroyed but and its a big but why are the owners not being prosecuted.
I have a Staffordshire Bull terrier and she is a huge softy just like the one we had before her but we know what she would be capable of the same as any other dog.We as responsible dog owners and Lexi is on a lead whenever she is taken out of the house.She would never be allowed to be left in a room alone with a child as nobody can anticipate what reaction any animal would make if something nasty was done to them,one to many pulls of your ears etc.But what i do know is that Staffs aren't all bad they are actually recommended by vets as an ideal family pet,my vet has one.We don't teach our dog to play aggressively she would much rather roll over in submission and have her belly rubbed.
I would take full responsibility for my dog and wouldn't put her or us in a vulnerable position.



Wednesday 27 March 2013

MOT

Last night i was getting my documents up together so i could get my road tax.Upon looking at my MOT i realised it expires on Saturday.
Now this really panicked me as i knew it would need some work doing on it.
I tried everyone i have used before and no one could do it in the time frame.Luckily my eldest daughters friend is a mechanic and she rang him this morning and he said even though he was busy he would take the car for the day and fit it in.
The dreaded call came to tell me it had failed at 5.30.Total cost of repairs is about £ 260 plus cost of MOT.I need rear brake discs and pads plus something to do with the steering rods.So even though it sounds and is alot of money it would have been a heck of a lot more if i had gone somewhere else.
I'm still not in a financial position to have saved for this but i do have the money to pay for it which is a godsend.
Road tax i have saved for i have a Post Office budget account which i can add £5 a time too so that's one less thing to worry about.

Car should be back tomorrow afternoon hopefully all better.

Monday 25 March 2013

Financial Advice

Today i had a visit from a financial advisor regarding our mortgage.He had to do an expenditure sheet.So we went through all my monthly payments
He asked how much all my utilities were and he asked how much my grocery spend was including all toiletries.
I said i budget for £ 280 a month but normally come in under that ( 3 adults)
He told me i must of got it wrong,Why i asked,i know how much i spend.
He then told me that the national average for 3 adults is £ 600 a month.

To say i was shocked was an understatement.

Saturday 23 March 2013

This time last year

This time last year we were having BBQ'S in the garden and playing in the sun.




This year that horrible white stuff is falling from the sky and the prospect of the coldest weekend in March in 50 years....



This week has been a non eventful quite with not alot happening.Which has been a good thing as i have hurt my back it feels like a trapped nerve as the pain isn't always there.Lots of painkillers have enabled me to carry on working .

Hope you all have a good weekend ,Stay warm and safe,

Sunday 17 March 2013

13 Miles

That's the distance my DS ran today in our local half marathon and what an appalling day it was.

It was bitterly cold and pouring with rain but that didn't deter the 20000 people that took part in our local marathon,

This year my son was running for our local hospital  as his newborn baby had to spend the first couple of weeks of her life there as she couldn't get rid of her jaundice.
Despite the terrible weather DS completed the run 12 mins faster than last year.
I made sure he knew where i would be stood as having support along the route spurs them on and this year he saw us and we saw him twice.


Friday 15 March 2013

My Top money saving sites

These are links to a few of my favourite sites for money saving.

MSE

This is always open on my laptop,If you need help or support on anything this site will help.

Quidco

I love the clicksnap cashback that they are running.you get cashback for buying your normal every day items like bread and milk.Also i know its only pence but i have the app on my phone and do the check ins whenever i can,

Topcashback

Snap save is virtually the same as +Quidco,brilliant cashback from your everyday shopping.
Plus with both you can get cashback on many things such as changing energy suppliers,insurances.

Shopitize    http://www.shopscansave.co.uk/

These are apps for your phone,smaller version of cashback/moneysaving but worth keeping an eye on as hopefully they will grow.
+Shopscansave enabled me to get a huge box of maltesers and 2 kit kats free last week.

swagbucks

Earn +swagbucks which can be converted into +Amazon vouchers

How do you earn a few extra pence or what are your favourite websites.

Please Help

Sue from Our New Life in the Country has drawn attention to the plight of an elephant in Manila.

Please click on this link and sign the petition to try and get her moved to a sanctuary.click here

Thursday 14 March 2013

Reductions

As i don't often venture out of an evening i rarely manage to pick up reductions.
So yesterday evening i was lured out after dropping DD off at work to take advantage of a glitch  special offer.There weren't many reductions but a couple on the produce aisle caught my eye a lonely piece of broccoli and a big bag of parsnips for the sum total of 30 p.
These have now been blanched and frozen.





I wish more reductions came my way but i will grab them when i can.

nto
x


Wednesday 13 March 2013

Tea

Tea is the one thing i miss on my fast days,As I'm only allowed 500 cals i have to drastically reduce my tea intake.I cant get my head round black tea or herbal tea and i don't drink coffee,so i have to drink water ,lots of water.
Apart from that this fast diet is going well 2 weeks now and i have lost some weight not exactly sure how much as only got scales a few days ago.
So onwards and upwards or should i say downwards.




Sunday 10 March 2013

Mothers's Day (part 2)

Well today is officially Mothers Day.
Today is a good and bad day.Bad in the respect i miss my mum and i wish she was here to share the highs and lows of my life.
Good is i am a mum a job that i have loved having for over 25 years.
This morning i came down to find my youngest daughter (and only child at home) waiting for me.Take into account it is 6.05 am.
I was greeted with a huge hug and all this....






I knew she was up to something as i was banned from the kitchen last night.no hardship there...
DD made me cake pops 10 in all but only 8 now.They are truly delicious.
Bunting was hung candles lit a beautiful mug which said "if mums were flowers I'd pick you" and lastly a fantastic wall art.I have wanted this done for years and she has chosen a perfect place for it to go.

2 cards on fireplace with a photo of my mum and me strategically placed in between.

DS will be over later but its Mothers Day he has to help his DD lavish attention on her mummy.And MIL is coming over for dinner this evening so my OH can lavish attention on her.

Hope you all have a fantastic day whatever you are doing.
x

Friday 8 March 2013

Fast Diet

As i mentioned a few days ago
im now into my 2nd week of the fast diet.It seems to be going well and i have lost some weight but not exactly sure how much(scale issue)
The 2 fasting days are manageable ,like most people i eat out of habit not hunger.
The only thing i am struggling with is ideas for food.so over to you do you have ideas for  meals,i tend to only eat lunch and dinner and can have 500 cals on my fasting days.So recipes of roughly 200 and 300 cals each would be gratefully received.

nto
x

Some days are sent to try us

And the last few days have been like that for me.So without wishing my life away too much i will be glad when this week is over.
DS is moving this weekend from a 2nd floor flat to a bungalow will be great for the baby whom i might add is thriving and getting more gorgeous everyday....
My 4 year old granddaughter is going into hospital to have her tonsils and adenoids removed,we knew it was coming up but my son got a phone call yesterday from his ex yesterday saying it was happening today ...she does wind me up....
Cashback from my different sites is going well had a whopping £39 paid into my account this morning from one of them.Do keep using them as you can save a fortune.
Did you know that if you have a Tesco clubcard you have free access to this
http://www.clubcardtv.com/

Question

Has anyone used a food dehydrator? a very distant acquaintance has one and raves about it,i have read some things on them and i would like one but i don't know if its because i like gadgets or i would really make use of it.I tend to save swagbucks up and use the vouchers i get from it to buy myself something .
what do you think of them?


Wednesday 6 March 2013

Mothers Day

Mothers Day came early to me this year.
My eldest daughter is working at a wedding fayre this weekend so asked if we could do something early.
So after a quick pamper session from youngest daughter,we headed for TGI Fridays.
Cocktails and good food and even better company.



Yesterday we had a glorious day weather wise ( i know us Brits always talk about the weather)
Seeing the sun out and feeling its warmth all be it through a window at work was really nice and fills you with the joys of Spring.Most people except this little fellow

He spent nearly an hour attacking his reflection.




Sunday 3 March 2013

wow

I have just stumbled across something new that i thought i would share.

I have a kindle and i also have Amazon Prime.Today i was looking for info on the 5:2 diet and found i could borrow the book for free.
From your Kindle you press the button next to the one that looks like a house.
go into kindle store
then go into kindle lending library
it then brings up 289271 titles.
i think you can only do one at a time but who reads more than one book at a time.

I hope a few of you are able to take advantage of this.

Friday 1 March 2013

Eat Fast and life longer

My son has been raving to me about the benefits of the 5:2 diet,now hes not overweight at all just wants to make sure he lives a long and healthy life.
Me on the other hand i am overweight.I have dieted for the last 32 years.I have put on and lost the same 5 stone so many times i have lost count.I became ill in my teens through dieting.I have tried every diet going all succeeding until i reach target weight .....i love being slim and feel happier in myself when slim i don't personally believe it when people say I'm happy being fat.

So i have joined the bandwagon and I'm trying the 5:2 diet.If you can find this programme watch it its brilliant.http://www.documentarytube.com/eat-fast-and-live-longer-bbc-horizon-2012

Today has been a fasting day,its tough but i hope it gets easier.I have only been doing this since Wednesday and have chosen Wednesday and Friday as my fasting days.It may not work but im going to give it my best shot ,if i can reduce my chance of getting cancer,diabetes,alzheimer's its got to be worth it.