Crikey, already into November! The past couple of weeks have been spent doing mundane things like attending a dental appointment, sorting out finances & budgets, and generally pootling around doing nothing much. The highlight of the week was my birthday on 1st of the month when G took me for a pub lunch. It was a reasonable £12 for 2 courses and my Vegan lentil bake was piping hot and totally delicious. G had roast pork with lots of veg so I was spared cooking for the day, a birthday gift in itself 😀 DD and the Grandchildren bought me warm fluffy PJ's, slippers and a hot water bottle which will all come in very handy in the coming weeks as the temperature was down to 4 degrees during last night.
She also bought me 4 small bottles of wine including my favourite red. I find a normal size bottle far too much even for the 2 of us lately. They'll last me a while......
She rang this morning to say that she had decided to pre-order the Christmas turkey early this year but that M & S were already sold out of the smaller turkey crowns we normally have on the day 😱 However, she's managed to locate one at Morrisons instead so has placed an order to be on the safe side. Now....it won't be a total disaster if Avian Flu causes supply problems when the time comes, as we'll just eat something else, but fingers crossed that the worst won't happen. Who knows...in a worst case scenario, there could be no electricity on the big day to cook with, but we'll cope somehow 😏 We're going to DD's on Christmas Day and they are coming to us on Boxing Day. I'm planning to cook salmon en croute, fingers crossed.
Are you ordering your festive fare early this year? Do you have a backup plan if things go awry?
Budgeting health check:
All the Direct Debits for the month of November have been paid, including the increased one for energy (increased from £120 to £159 per month) plus the half yearly water bill of £254. The food budget is still being squeezed as much as possible, but I am buying a few extra tins and paper goods like toilet rolls and tissues to cover any future shortages. Eggs are still in short supply, although I did get half a dozen in the shopping order on Wednesday. Now I want to get a few toiletries in stock too for when the weather turns and we can't get out.
I topped up my car with petrol yesterday (£25 worth) and it's still 161.7 per litre. My MOT is booked for the middle of the month. It will cost around £45 so I pray it will pass as I really can't afford a repair.
I need a haircut this month too and I'm booked in for next Tuesday at one of the cheaper salons.
Nothing is coming down in price is it?
How is your budget coping with the increases in costs?
Have a great weekend everyone and stay safe wherever in the world you happen to be x
We're Buddhist and vegan so It's not a problem. My uncle comes for lunch from next door and cooks his own steak and brings it with him,I do the veggies and pudding and we have a happy relaxed day.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds lovely, Jessica, and I bet your uncle loves to come to you.
DeleteWe have an organic free range chicken for Christmas lunch as no one likes turkey and two of our daughters are veggie. I managed to get a yellow stickered one last week so that's tucked away in the freezer. As well as keeping my store cupboard stocked up I have been buying bits of Christmas food with my weekly shop for the last couple of months to spread the cost. Husbands car is booked in for mot next week and hopefully it will pass mines due in a couple of weeks and that's doubtful. I love my little micra but it's 13 years old and done 110k miles so it's getting to the end of it's life so it will be fingers crossed on that day.
ReplyDeleteOoh very well done on getting the YS chicken!
DeleteMy car is also ageing, Devon Mum, it's 12 years old so every MOT I keep my fingers firmly crossed. I do hope your Micra makes it through. They are great little cars. Mine's a VW Fox and I love it too.
I seem to be creeping over what we usually spent on groceries, but with the price increases I am not doing too badly. Our overall spend through all budget items is usually under for the month. I am being very careful with electric, gas and water usage to make up for the spending on groceries.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Happy belated birthday! Glad you were able to celebrate with lunch out. You look nice and warm in your birthday PJs and slippers, with your hot water bottle!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure yet what we'll have for Thanksgiving (later this month) - turkey is the traditional fare, but, my daughter might want a rotisserie chicken, instead. Or, baked salmon. For Christmas, I might make rice and chicken curry.
So far, the budget is holding up well. :)
Thank you for the birthday greetings Bless x
DeleteI hope you can get a good buy on Thanksgiving turkey. They can be very expensive can't they....
Oh, your photo did make me laugh, but in the nicest possible way. You look like a big baby about to go to bed with your teddy bear. you look so cute!!
ReplyDeleteI found a nut roast style thingy in my freezer that I must have bought for last year, so if push comes to shove, I can have that for my Christmas dinner, although Alan says he is ordering some things for Christmas week pick-up from Booths for us both ... and he's cooking he said!!
What I need to do is make a freezer inventory so I know what else is in there, it's not even that big but if a nut roast can have been hiding for a year .....
G said the same thing, Sue, it looks like I'm wearing a onesie! The PJ's are lovely and soft though; Primark's best!
DeleteI enjoy eating those nut roasts but even better for you if Alan cooks it ;) Who knows what else you might turn up in the depths of your freezer too. There might even be sweet treats !
Happy belated birthday wishes to you Angie. You look very cosy in your new pj's and slippers. Definitely something to smile about. They will be perfect as the weather gets colder.
ReplyDeleteThat is a festive photo of you...I love all your gifts. You look warm and happy. I used to drive a VW Fox, and I love it, too. My VW Beetle is a 2002, but it only has about 68,000 miles on it. I walk and ride my bike everywhere. Just put the chains on it in preparation for the snow coming our way...
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