I love new years. January is always full of potential and positiveity here!
Our spending fast is going well save for a couple of hiccups. Our mantra has been progress, not perfection. So we don't beat ourselves up about things not going to plan, but focus on all the good that has so far been achieved (which is a lot!)! A few tweaks to the meal plan but so far have stuck to it almost constantly. We had guests round last night and made a massive 8 portion + 1 lunch portion worth of chicken korma, full of chickpeas ad cashew nuts and coconut milk. Yay for the store cupboard! :) Still barely made a dent in the freezer though!
Tonight I have swapped round the planned biriyani (as we had curry last night!) and instead defrosted bolognese and made up a big family size lasagna. I had all the makings for a lemon tart in the fridge (reduced lemons, cream, sweet pastry etc) so that's in the oven now as I type for a special treat dessert. From the sounds of it, hubby is going to need it! Hes been desperately fighting off a bug for a week, bless him.
Had quite a bit of home-made chicken stock that needed using up. So that's in the slow cooker now along with a couple of handfuls of scotch broth mix, and bottom of the fridge stuff. This time being, carrot, savoy cabbage and a bit of cooking bacon. Should produce several lunch's for me over the week.
I haven't used the tumble dryer for 2 weeks now! Obviously the most variable way to save money is with food shopping, this is also what I have the most control over to make a big difference. But I started looking at other ways too, the next logical one being energy usage. I've had to accept that the laundry basket wont be empty as it was, but i'm keeping it under control nicely using my airer to dry clothes instead. It takes 1-2 days for the clothes to dry fully but with a bit of planning and time i'm getting used to it. Before the latest storm moved in I managed to dry 1 load on the clothes line outside. First one since summer! Ive also started boiling a full litre of water in the kettle at my first cup of tea, and pouring it into a thermal flask I keep at the side of the kettle, because that really is a sucker for your energy bills. And the usual, batch baking things, chucking in baking when the oven is on for dinner etc to make the most of energy/heat.
We've also been talking and making plans for the coming year. We've decided together that some raised beds would be very appropriate for our garden and really want to have a go at growing our own this year (again!). I try every spring but so far haven't got past a few dying seedlings and 3 potatoes. Were taking a different approach this year so will see how that pans out and keep you all updated.
I also feel in a better place to think about getting chickens this year. We thought about this last couple of years, but I couldn't take on any extra tasks at the time. Then I broke my ribs and they took until winter to heal. So we've been waiting for the new year to look at getting some again and I feel a lot more able to cope with 'more' now. And surprisingly it looks like coops have come down in price since I last looked at them. I've found a lovely affordable one big enough to house 4 hens comfortably, its £114 and the run is big enough I wouldn't have to risk letting them out in the garden eating my veggies. So really excited about the possibility of that. Would love to give the kids that experience, of collecting fresh eggs in the morning from their own hens and making breakfast. Along with any veg I can grow myself, hopefully that should bring our shopping bill down even further. Exciting plans in motion! :)
So far we are on track to pay off our debt target this month, and not only that but we've managed to build up some emergency savings too! Different people will go about this different ways. Some put every penny into the debt and don't save. Others save first and start paying debt once an emergency fund has been built up. Personally im working on a 2/3 - 1/3 basis. 2/3 of money is going into debt repayment and 1/3 into savings. That way if anything happens, (usually a washing machine breaking down or the car needing a replacement part) the savings are there for that, and we don't have to go back into any debt we've just payed off.
Ive collected my brewing equipment together and want to show you all a bit about brewing your own drinks. I will be making scrumpy style cider when I can get down to the shops for some apple juice. And i've ordered a Merlot wine kit (30 bottles) from Wilkos. Which will be going in my fermenting bucket tomorrow.
So far ive planted some sage, rosemary, coriander, lemon basil and thyme on my windowsill. On my other window sill is a mix of lettuce/spinach/kale, and a pot of cherry tomatoes, and a pot of larger tomato, ready to start growing. Im holding off planting my chillis because its not quite warm enough in our house yet. Mum has kindly donated her raspberry canes to me! Im just getting my bed in order then will be picking those up :) cant wait!
Some soup recipes coming over the next week or so. x
