Aubergine pasta

I rarely meal plan, and I am assured by the various money saving blogs and forums that meal planning will turn my financial life around. We also don't eat to any set pattern, the way my mam seemed to - there'd be a roast on Mondays, a Findus crispy pancake and beans on Tuesday, sausages for Wednesday etc. and the pattern never changed throughout my childhood. Instead I buy what looks nice and is cheap and then just keep track of what needs using up by when.

Today's ingredient of choice was a rather sad looking aubergine, bought when they were 29 p in Lidl last week.

 So, veggie pasta sauce was made with:

1 small onion - 5p
2 cloves garlic - 5p
1 stick celery - 1p (from a reduced price pack)
Half aubergine, diced- 15p
4 lumps frozen spinach - 15p
1 can tesco value chopped tomatoes - 31p
1 paprika flavour pot - 13p (from approved foods)
Splash  olive oil - 5p

200g gluten free pasta - 48p.

Obviously if you're not a stupid coeliac then you can use way cheaper pasta.

Anyway, soften the onion, garlic and celery in a little bit of oil. When they're soft, add the aubergine, spinach lumps, tomatoes and parika doodad. Cook for as long as it takes the pasta to cook.

Serve an appropriate sized portion, thinking you'll have got enough leftover for tomorrow lunch, then decide to scoff it all anyway.

Makes 2 greedy person portions at 69p each.

Working 9 - 5, what a way to make a living

The good thing about having a job is getting money for being a librarian (which is the best job in the world). The bad thing about it is the serious lack of time it leaves me with.

Trying to keep track of what I spend to the penny whilst working full time just isn't happening for me right now, and that's fine. I'm still watching the spends, just not analysing them to the nth degree.

So yes, not spending much, but nor am I doing anything exciting. Actually that's not true. I'm cleaning the house (which in itself isn't exciting), but whilst sorting out the eldest's bedroom now he's gone back to uni I found a pack of fags with two left in. Free nicotine! Hurrah!

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

My favourite things are not any of the twee crap gubbins that Julie Andrews sings about. I like fags, wine and diet coke. Right now I'm not having any of them and it's making me a little grumpy. However, I'm trusting that at the end of the month I'll see a real difference in my wallet.  For now, I'm going to keep stropping around the house and drinking endless cups of tea to try and cope with this self-induced state of misery.

Spent £23.03 today on the weekly shop at Lidl

September spending totals so far:

Food, cleaning products, toiletries - £23.98
Entertainment - £0
Dog - £82.63
Extra Transport - £10

Shepherdess Pie

Today I have been cooking, which is something I do like doing and when I've not got much money I actually like it more, as it feels more of a challenge.

Today I've made shepherdess pie, which is vegan. My prices are low due to most stuff being bought reduced price or having it donated from a chum with an allotment (thanks Fran!)

2 sticks celery - 2p
1 red onion - free
1 large carrot - 5p
1 pepper (I used 3 left over bits of red, yellow and green) - free
150g red lentils - 35p
1 can value chopped tomatoes - 31p
Paprika flavour pot - 13p
Drizzle olive oil - 5p
750g potatoes - 30p

Total cost: £1.21

Dice the veggies and soften them in olive oil, chuck in lentils, tomatoes, paprika thingummy and add boiling water. Cook til the lentils are done. At the same time boil the taters, mash them and wait til the lentils are done. Assemble the pies, chuck them in the freezer and feel smug that you've made 6 portions at 21p each.

No pixtures, as it was too dark to get any decent ones.

Didn't spend anything today.

September spending totals so far:

Food, cleaning products, toiletries - £0.95
Entertainment - £0
Dog - £82.63
Transport - £10

Free food

When I was first diagnosed coeliac I was given a load of info about dietary restrictions, requirements and nutrition. Included in the gubbins was info about how to claim free gluten free products. I dug the leaflets out a few days ago, filled in my details and got my first free box of stuff today!

The idea is that having tried the various products, you can then request those you need/want/like on prescription. I've worked out that it's probably not worth me getting anything on prescription as I have to pay for mine (and the system for getting GF stuff is a tad complicated), but that's no reason not to claim the freebies.

In the box there is:

Box of all purpose flour
Box of high fibre flour
Box of fusilli
2 x pizza bases
Loaf of seeded bread
Loaf of high fibre bread
Tiny bag of cornflakes
Box of fibre flakes
4 pack of part baked high fibre rolls

Seems there is a belief that coeliacs need extra fibre.

Spends today were 95p on milk.

September spending totals so far:

Food, cleaning products, toiletries - £0.95
Entertainment - £0
Dog - £82.63
Transport - £10

Birthday Barnacle

It's the woofster's 6th birthday today! Or more specifically, it's the day we picked to celebrate his birthday on, as we don't know when he was born. He was abandoned, having been quite badly treated, and the kennels he ended up in guestimated his age at about 18 months when we adopted him, so we chose 1st September as his birthday.

Anyway, he needed a new harness as his old one was fraying very badly, so we wandered over to Pets at Home and bought him a new one. It cost £23, which seems like a lot, but it's good quality and should last several years at least.

The boy in his fancy new harness, looking quite sorry for himself

Barney has, however, been a bit off colour the last few days. Earlier in the year he was very ill to the point it was touch and go for a while, so I tend to be a bit cautious with him when he's sick. We went to the vets this afternoon and apparently he has a virus. Due to his health history the vet said there was no point in waiting to see if he got better naturally, so he's on antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. So he'd getting better which is good, but I'm distinctly poorer which is bad.

Today I've spent £23 on the dog harness and £59.63 on vet's bills. And a tenner on petrol, as I needed to borrow the car to get the child to her friend's house, then take the dog to the vets, then collect child. Fricking expensive day.

Tea has been some soup and crackers, washed down with council pop.

So I was thinking about how to categorise my spending totals this month. I may add to the list as the month goes on, but I think this is a good start:

September spending totals so far:

Food, cleaning products, toiletries - £0
Entertainment - £0
Dog - £82.63
Transport - £10