I am grateful for:
* The blessing of getting to know my birth family
* That after growing up as an only child I found out I have two sisters
* That I have a relationship with both sisters
* That I was able to take part in one sisters wedding as a bridesmaid
* That we have always found the money to do the important things in life – attend weddings, funerals, important events etc
Categories: Gratitude
I am grateful for:
* How easy it is to recycle. I can do my bit for the environment without much effort on my behalf. Just throw it all in the recycle bin.
* The $15 amazon gift certificate a friend sent to me. Now I just have work out what to spend it on
* That it is payday tomorrow and there is still money in the bank
* Good pens that feel nice when I write
* Reliable and cheap public transport.
Categories: Gratitude
I did this up for hubby in the slow cooker. I just threw everything in so i want to keep a note of what I did, for next time.
Ingredients:
Cut up raw sausages
1 bag diced frozen veges
1 tin tomato soup
1 tin whole tomatos
1 apple diced up
1 tablespoon of curry powder
1 tablespoon of cornflour
1 beef stock cube
Method
Disolve stock cube and cornflour in a little hot water. Add all ingredients to slow cooker, stir and leave for 6 hours on low. Enoy with crusty bread or mashed potatos.
Categories: Recipes
Grateful for:
*The long weekend
* My husband that can always make me laugh and feel better
* My puppy dog, who so desperately wants to play even though he is still recovering from his op
* The beautiful day outside
* That DVD’s are so cheap to hire, considering how much time and effort goes into making the movies
Categories: Gratitude
Quick meals – for nights I really dont feel like cooking.
I want to keep a list of meals that are quick and easy so that I can get something on the table for nights that I really dont feel like cooking, but when that time comes I cant think of what to prepare, so I want a list that I can easily pick from, and make sure I have the ingredients at hand.
So far on my list are:
* jaffles – baked beans, ham and cheese, banana
* frozen fish and chips
* ikea meatball sandwich
* nachos
* tinned soup
* fritata with leftovers and eggs
* homemade pizza with pita bread base
* pasta and sauce
* meat and vege
* stirfry w- frozen veges
* tandeco one pan meals – lasagne or savory mince – only available at Coles
* dinner winner beef – only available at Coles
Cook some long grain rice. While that is cooking, mix a couple of eggs with some crushed garlic, fish sauce and chilli sauce if you have it. Make an omelette and when cooked, slice into thin strips. Fry some bacon and garlic and add it all to the rice. Toss in some defrosted peas and parsley and serve. Takes about 15 minutes as you can get everything done as the rice is cooking. If you have any leftover roast meat you can also add that.
Cook the potatoes in the microwave until soft (about 10 minutes depending on the size). Make a cheese sauce and throw in a drained tin of tuna and sweet corn. Add some frozen chopped parsley and they are ready to serve.
Cook the potatoes in the microwave until soft (about 10 minutes depending on the size). Top with a drained tin of tuna and then pour pasta sauce over the top of that. Top with grated cheese and put under the grill until golden (5-10 minutes).
Cook your favourite pasta until al dente. Mix a jar of pasta sauce, a drained tin of tuna and a drained can of champignons and heat until hot. Mix with the pasta, top with grated cheese and serve.
OR you could also mix in a tin of tuna with some peas and grated cheese.
* Pesto: make a batch of pesto sauce and keep it in the freezer for a last minute sauce. (or have a jar of pesto on hand)
Any other suggestions are welcomed!!
Categories: Cooking & meal planning
Meals for this week:
Tonight – garlic prawns with veges + curry sausages in slow cooker for hubby if he is hungry after work, if not will be a good standby meal for him in the freezer.
Sunday – roast beef, roast pumpkin, warm smashed potatos and beans with gravy.
Monday – lunch – roast beef sandwich
dinner – spaghetti bolognaise
Tuesday lunch – greek salad
dinner – stuffed potatos with leftover spag bol
Wednesday – lunch – tuna sandwich and fruit
dinner – curry from left over roast
Thursday lunch – chicken and veges tin
dinner – homemade pizza
Friday lunch – tuna and pasta
dinner – Tortelini with bacon and mushroom sauce
Categories: Cooking & meal planning
Happy Australia day everyone. I am enjoying my day off, and I feel very pretty today. I have pretty shoes on, a pretty skirt and nice blouse. I am happy with my current body shape (that is not saying I dont still want to lose weight, but I feel ‘comfortable’ now) and a sunny disposition. I notice that when I feel good about myself I am less inclined to shop to make myself feel better. I have decided that life is too short to wear clothes that make me feel any less than great about myself. I am diligently ditching clothes out of my wardrobe that are either too big, dont make me feel wonderful, or are too small for me at the moment. It is nice to be able to open my wardrobe and only have things in there that I know suit me, fit me and work. Last night I cleaned out my stocking drawer. I now know that all the pantyhose are the right way out, all the stockings and footlets are paired up and they are all guaranteed to be run and hole free. The clothes that are too big and I dont like are either being donated or sold on ebay. The stuff that is too small is being bagged for future evaluation when I do lose more weight.
Today I have done some housework, done the grocery shopping, added a couple of things to my wish list for my spending money. I want:
* a foundation brush
* an eyebrow/eyelash brush
* nads hair remover wand (so I can do my own eyebrows at home and save money)
* gel inserts for my shoes as I have flat feet and my feet hurt at times
* the new Guy Sebastian CD
* sight training for the DS
I am trying to be responsible with my spending money. I need to learn to make choices and sacrifices as well. I cant always have what I want as soon as I want it, so I am making a list of what I would like and I will get each thing as I can afford it, hopefully on special. I have giftcards for Myer, DJ’s, Kmart and Target. I could use them to purchase the above but I am waiting to see if there is anything that the family needs first. I do have a membership with Nova Pharmacy that when I reach $150 in purchases I get a $15 gift voucher, which I could use to get a couple of the above. (I get all toilet paper and nessecary toiletries from there if cheaper than the supermarket) I am also postposing joining Weight Watchers till I can afford it.
I spent a couple of dollars to hire a couple of DVDs, so I am going to relax in front of the TV, give myself a manicure and pedicure, hair treatment and facial and attempt to use a sample wax strip to do my eyebrows(wish me luck) and I am going to cook myself a yummy meal of garlic prawns and veges tonight.
I have done up a menu plan for the next week to help save time and money. See next post for details. I hope everyone else is having an enjoyable Australia day
Categories: Money Management
I am grateful for:
* That I live in Australia – and all the freedoms it allows
* That all factions of Government do the best they can to run our country responsibly.
* That the state provides so many services that we take for granted – roads, librarys, schools, hospitals etc
* That the weather is so lovely today – too nice to be inside
* That my husband is dragging himself to work today even though he is not feeling the best – I am very proud of him
Categories: Gratitude
From a recent simple savings newsletter:
“CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC
Transforming myself from a shopaholic to a smarter consumer has enriched my whole life. Not only am I saving money, my life has become deeper and more meaningful since I decided to live by the following rules:
* Keep away from the shops.
* Buy only what you need.
* Buy second hand if you can.
* Be stylish, not fashionable.
* Don’t buy what you can borrow.
* Stop reading glossy magazines that encourage shopping.
* Borrow books and magazines from the library.
* Read about simple living.
* Do it slowly.
* Spend more time with your family and friends.
These rules may sound simple, but they have changed my life. For as long as I can remember, I have loved shopping. I could easily do it all day, every day and never tired of it. I enjoyed the quest to find bargains or something I had ‘always’ wanted or didn’t yet have.
When I felt angry, sad, lonely, fat, old, poor, disappointed, rejected, embarrassed or simply ‘not good enough’ – I went shopping. It made me feel better.
When I felt happy, confident, rich, delighted, loved, appreciated and ‘on top of the world’ – I celebrated by going shopping.
Although I work full time, I had never paid off my credit card and financially I was always struggling. Then I heard about climate change and the impact my shopping was making on the environment. That’s when I decided I would stop shopping all the time.
At first, this decision left an enormous vacuum in my life. I used to be very busy – ‘Never enough time in the day’ was my mantra. Then suddenly I had lots of free time! I didn’t have many really close friends, except my mother and sister. We often used to meet for a coffee and a chat while we were out shopping. But with all the free time I now had, I realised I had been too busy to make other meaningful friendships because of my constant shopping.
I don’t meet my mum or sister at the shops any more. We now get together in each others’ homes and, although I have always enjoyed their company, I rediscovered a deeper connection with them. We talk, laugh and cry for hours and hours. I am learning so much more about them. I have started to deepen the friendships I have with people who were just ‘acquaintances’ before.
Instead of shopping, I invite them over for a cup of tea or lunch or for a walk along the beach. I’m even starting a book club.
Due to the money I was able to save from not shopping so much and because I wanted to entertain more, I rented out my small unit and moved to a lovely old house. However I soon realised I needed more furniture, so I bought it all very cheaply, second hand from eBay. Everyone who visits my home says how wonderful and stylish it is. I love making cheap, affordable meals for my friends. I had my first party on New Year’s Eve and 35 people came, each bringing their own meat, drinks or salads. To any shopaholics out there like me, it IS possible to change – I’m living proof!”
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Most of these are the rules that I have been living by, without even trying….so why arent we in better shape financially? Probably coz I buy things that we dont “need” even if they are bargains or second hand. Also I buy with the intention of reselling but dont actually follow through. I need to improve the follow up, and actually get some of the stuff sold, and pay off our debts. I will be satisfied when we are debt free, have a healthy balance in the emergency account and have the budget fully funded and all purchases planned and budgeted for. It is going to happen this year
Categories: Money Management
I am grateful for:
* My freedom, the ability to chose virtually everything in my life
* My Mother – for her support and understanding
* A house to clean
* Dominos pizza – for providing such cheap meals when I have had a hard day at work:)
* That I finally got through the next level of my video game before I gave up and would have put it aside for 12 months.
Categories: Gratitude
