Good morning Bloggets. Today is the first day in three weeks I have been on my own. I can hear my shopping coming. ClunkClunkBoomBoomBooWooVoom goes the man in the van who can.
Haha. They make such a clatter.
Teen been in and we actually had time for a chat, he was in fine fettle as we say in the North East. I made his lunch and a cup of tea. He started at half six this morning and is working until four today.
I have been asked to write about debt. Gosh, I have lived through that in my childhood. It was awful and I would hate to go through that again and for sure wouldn’t like my child to see what I saw my poor parents struggled with life’s finances.
Well, a New Year can bring so many promises, we hope, so why not start the year with your very own promise?
I can only suggest that you get one of those boards that stick on your fridge, if you can’t see print, then use your computer, open a file call it whatever you want. A tick list. Write down just four ways you can save your money. I say four because I am sure if you think about it, there are double that amount you could write down, but then you will be overwhelmed. Less is better. Like body building, you can’t go in for that enormous weight, start off small and build yourself up.
(Habits)
Do you have a bottle of wine each night? Well, why not try to have three quarters and keep a quarter for tomorrow evening, open another and have half of that then half the next night? By doing that you will save in a week one and a half bottles of wine, so per month, 6 bottles. Now it all depends on how much you pay for a bottle, but if it’s say £5, that is a huge saving per month of £30 per month. In the UK, we can buy wine from about £3.75. I don’t know how much it is the rest of the world, but you get the picture? Even if you don’t drink through the week and you only have a couple of bottles on a weekend, try to buy a less expensive bottle or two, saying just £3 per week is £12 per month, sounds nothing, but when it comes to Christmas gifts and we know how fast Christmas comes around, that will be so many more gifts you can buy debt free, or money towards your car tax or winter coat.
Smoking? Well, again the same, open a new packet and remove two cigarettes, put them in a wooden box, or empty packet. Never take from that packet until it’s full. Test yourself see how strong you can really be and remember that tick box on your fridge or on your computer? Go to it each night and congratulate yourself, it’s a great feeling. I so must do it more often as you can have your tick list for many things, including things that make you feel better in your mind, body and soul.
You have a great friend at work, perhaps you can car share? Or share a taxi? If you work near where you live, and it’s a nice fresh day, why not just walk that extra ten minutes? Imagine if you do all the things I have written about how good you will feel after just one month? As for how fit you will be by the summer or good you will look by next Christmas party?
Even if you take a look at what food you buy each week? I try to buy things like chicken breasts or diced steak because there are a few meals I can make from that, and home; made soup is so little in cost to make and if you do a big pan of it, it will last two days of food for your family. You can buy some of those frozen bread rolls and put them in the oven, it’s a lovely nutritional meal for you all. Hot pots casserole a good old shepherd’s pie if you buy a big pack of mince, you can have the shepherd’s pie with half the mince and the other half make a Bolognaise for the next day.
It costs more money in the long run to buy convenient food rather than make a home cooked meal and if you work and can’t be bothered just want to get home, open the freezer and put on a tray for eas? Well, if you cook on the Monday for that day and the following, Tuesday you come home to a wonderful meal already made and so much better for you.
I guess it’s life’s choices and all depends just how much you are worried now about money. If you don’t want to feel like this next year at the same time, only you can help yourself. If you are in so much debt, saving hundreds per year doesn’t even come close, small steps will get you there, it will just take longer.
New year’s resolutions? Hmm. I had them as a young girl, but by the time I reached 25, I realised I could never stick to them. I admire those who can. I have said before I am so weak in so many areas. But when it comes to not eating meat, gosh, I am so very strong. I cooked my Husband pork crackling the other night, he loved it, I was never a fan of pork, but the crackling? Oh, my it absolutely killed me. The smell and the crunch as I took a chunk off for Hub to eat. Hub said he hates cooking joints of meat, he never felt confident about it, I have no issue other than feeling very hungry whilst the kitchen is full of delicious smells and as for roasting potatoes? To cook them in the meat juices, oh my, the flavour from the potatoes? Teen and Hub were going crazy the other day with the roasters, as for me I bit my bottom lip and imagined those animals in the fields, and it helped but after 20 years of being a full time vegetarian, I feel proud of being able to stick to something. But it wasn’t a resolution, it was a visit to a farm where I fed a baby lamb that did it for me.
I think the reason resolutions don’t work for me is because they are so long term. I have to do for today. Little steps again. Then it’s not so much a threat.
Well back to the old ways of cleaning and cooking. So, I best dash to do the work. This morning I wrote two poems I was asked to write so I feel good about that. As for the rest of the day? There is an oven with my name on it. Gosh, I hate cleaning ovens out, and fridges to be honest. Though these are the things that must be done. I have been a housewife for 31 years, since a child bride that I was and I’m bored stiff with it all but realised this is my life. Unless I win the Lotto? Gosh that would be lovely. It’s funny the three of us have three different views on winning the lottery. My Husband would take care of our finances, teen and us, Teen bless him would take care of us and his pals. Me, us three and treat my friends but the majority of the money I would win would go on Charities of my choice. To know I have been able to change a life or get closer to a cure for blindness or to make it so people didn’t have to fear sight loss or in my Husbands case, to see for the first time, wow, I dream of that. Because he has never been able to see, he would take a very long time before he could see like a sighted person, as his brain would have to learn what everything was. But like tomorrow, he is off to a big meeting he dreads the breaks, as every one of his colleagues get up and chat mix and this is how it should be, but if you are in a strange environment and there are lots of sounds around you, it’s so difficult to mingle. I feel so sad for him. I just want to give him the gift of sight, even a little. Are we born too early for this to happen in our lifetime?
Oh, I just remembered I have an important phone call to make. Oh, I’m actually dreading this one. So, must do that before the rest of the day runs away with the hours. Until later, take care of yourselves and make today a new start to give yourselves more smiles.
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