Thrifty Living

I must apologise for my absence - I can't really believe it has been three weeks since I last blogged. My health has not been good and I haven't felt like writing about anything or taking photos - very unusual for me, I know. 

Unfortunately I had to discontinue my diet as I had such a bad reaction to all the salad and so-called healthy food I was eating, my IBS went completely crazy. on top of that I got a stomach virus which put me in bed for two days last weekend :( Not a great use of time, which is so precious these days. So I am back to my usual eating regime for the time being. In the meantime, I have arranged to have some private intolerance/allergy testing done to identify what foods and drinks upset me. I am hoping the result of the tests will make a big difference to my health going forward.

This week for us has been all about thrifty living, and surviving on less money. I am now into my second month of the new job so have more of a handle on what my disposable income is after the mortgage has been paid and all the bills taken into account. There isn't a lot left over, but there is scope for us to live very comfortably if we make some small changes and be more mindful about what we buy, what we cook, etc.

I have spent the weekend making batches of soup: mixed vegetable - using marrows from the allotment - lentil and bacon, and tomato with roasted red pepper and garlic. On top of that I also made a stew in the slow cooker using random parcels of meat from the freezer and vegetables left over in the fridge. That translated into three meals for us.

A freezer full of soups !

Homemade stew, frozen spinach from the allotment, and other odds and ends packaged up and ready for meals

This morning I was lucky enough to pick up some more reduced items from Asda - four chicken breasts for £2.36 ($3.72) and a pack of turkey mince for £1.72 ($2.71) which I will make into a Shepherds Pie. I'll be portioning those up and putting them in the freezer soon. 

Unfortunately our biggest expense is alcohol, as we both enjoy a glass or two of wine. Even when we buy cheaper alcohol from Aldi or whenever it's on offer at the main grocery stores, it is still our main expense. I'm not sure how we can reduce that, apart from reducing our drinking :(

I see from fellow bloggers, there are a lot of you out there who are also following the same course as us - trying to live simply and save as much money as possible on groceries, clothes, petrol etc. I welcome all tips and suggestions others have about living frugally but well.

My next post probably won't be too far away. I have bought some clothing bargains on Ebay which, if they are a success, I will be sharing with you :)

Fiona x