More Christmas shopping

I’ve been seriously on the case this week. I managed to pick up a few bits and pieces on Saturday but the shops were heaving and I lost patience quite quickly and slunk off to a coffee shop with my best mate instead. However, I’ve been around the shops on my last two lunch breaks and have picked up quite a few things. I’ve also placed a couple more online orders.

This evening I sat down and wrote a list of what I’ve bought for who. I’ve also got an emergency present to wrap up – someone always catches me out! It seems that Husband is the only person left that I have to buy for. I also need to get wrapping paper, a couple of padded envelopes and some stamps but then I am done!

 

 

Getting organised for Christmas

Oh I do love Amazon. It makes life so much easier, doesn’t it? I’ve just done a spot of Christmas shopping online. It took me all of five minutes. I’ve just ordered 2 books and a CD for Dad, each with a healthy discount. I’ve also just ordered my 2010 calendar for work plus three others for little presents – Amazon have got some really good ones this year. I’m hitting the shops tomorrow so I expect I’ll do a  bit more festive shopping then.  

I can’t remember the last time I did my Christmas shopping all in one go. I have great admiration for the people that manage it. One friend of mine dedicates a whole day to it in mid-December and gets everything done in one crazy day. Personally, I would find this really stressful. What if I couldn’t find the right thing for the right person on that particular day? And shopping in December? Gah. I do a little bit but it really is just the last few things.

Longer term readers of this blog will know that I tuck things I buy through the year into a couple of pretty storage boxes. I find this much easier, particularly as we have a lot of friends that we get smallish presents for, like a book or a pair of earrings. Here, in early November, I only have two friends left to buy for and the rest is mostly for my family. Maybe one year I’ll save up and try buying everything in one go, just for a change!

I’ve already got my Christmas cards sorted. For the first time ever I bought them in the sales and tucked them away. It wasn’t really intentional. I was in the queue at Boots right at the end of January and saw them on a shelf - each pack of 30 was only £1.24 so I bought two. They’re nice ones too. I suppose if I was going to be really Shoestringish I would send e-cards or something. However, being a stationery addict, I just can’t do it. I love the pretty designs and the jaunty red envelopes. And I like sending proper letters in the post at any time of year. Which reminds me. I need to get some jiffy bags and find out when things need to be posted to America, Australia and Europe to arrive in time for Christmas…does anyone know?!

Blinkin’ lovely

Ever have one of those days that is just a bit same old, same old and then something comes along that makes you sit up in your chair, blink a few times and remember the world can be a kind of crazy, lovely place? I’m having one of those.

Just now I found the following comment left for me on my ‘About’ page:

Hi, I’m the author of the book, Sucking Eggs: What your Wartime Granny Could Teach You about Diet, Thrift and Going Green, which you wrote so kindly about in the late summer. I’m really glad you enjoyed it. It’s made my evening finding it mentioned here.
Very best wishes,
Patricia

Amazing! And how lovely. Finding my post might have made Patricia’s evening, but her comment has certainly made mine. If anyone else fancies reading the post in qustion you can catch up here. I really did love reading this book and have actually bought it for a friend for Christmas.

I suspect ’Sucking Eggs’ has, justly, been very popular. When I occasionally check what terms people have used to find this blog (frequently hilarious – ‘husband in frillies’ is still my favourite) it is quite often this book that people are looking for information on. I also get a lot of hits from Carrot and Coriander soup, Runner Bean Chutney and forget-me-nots…

Anyway, many thanks to Patricia for stopping by and saying hello and also to all of you lovely folk who leave a comment and add a little zing to my day.

Getting organised (again)

I’m feeling quite pleased with myself because I’ve actually managed to get a few niggling things done today. I’ve shuffled some money around and my emergency fund is now standing at a respectable £1500. I’m aiming to get this to a minimum or £2000 but I’d really like £3000. Obviously I’m going to carry on saving afterwards but this is my current project. Another part of the re-jigging has been completing my Christmas fund. I’ve already bought lots of small presents for friends but I still have one or two to buy for and I have barely scratched the surface of buying for Husband or family. I have £255 for the remaining presents, wrapping paper and any other festive things that might tickle my fancy. Now I’ve just got to get on and get stuff.

I’ve also been ignoring some Next deliveries for a couple of weeks and this evening I finally got around to sorting them out and trying things on. The clothes I bought for some friends children are just what I was looking for. I also ordered myself a bag. I’ve been after a new one for a while. I don’t really need it so I am being fussy. As it is not exactly what I want I have decided to send it back and keep looking. One of the things I find most difficult about the whole shoestring thing is that I can get a bit bored. I am used to spending less now, but it gets a bit dull doing the same things, wearing the same clothes and so on. I think the trick is learning when a little spend is actually a good idea. For example, before we went on holiday I booked us a table at Jamie Oliver’s restaurant in Cornwall. And it was expensive compared to the sort of places we’d usually go. However, the restaurant was amazing and it was probably the best meal I’ve ever had. I don’t regret a penny of it – it was just what we needed at the time. 

Anyway, back to my Next stuff. I also ordered some new clothes. The band has got a couple of gigs coming up and I really am out of clothes to wear that I haven’t worn a hundred times. Plus, with Christmas coming up, it’s always nice to have something new to wear. I’ve done pretty well. I ordered a pair of black skinny jeans (I look appalling in dresses so they aren’t really an option) and a black lace top. The total cost of my new outfit? £44. I am very pleased. I’d like a new pair of earrings to go with them so I might go into town at the weekend and get some and tackle a bit of Christmas shopping while I’m at it. Actually, what I’d really like is a new pair of heeled boots. I last bought a pair two or three years ago and they look liek they have been worn to death – which they have. However, I’ve decided to wait until the January sales. I’m not set on a particular pair or style so I can go into it with an open mind and see what bargains there are to be had!

Now I just need to go and package that bag up and take it to the Post Office…

Lazy dinner, home-made soup and Mrs Rochester the Second

I made some Pea and Leek soup yesterday. I made enough to last me 3 days at work. Since I already had a bag of frozen peas, some dried mint and a bottle of olive oil, the only ingredients I had to buy were 3 leeks – very good on the budget! Here’s the recipe if you fancy a go:

PEA & LEEK SOUP

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil (I use olve oil for pretty much everything)
• 3 sliced leeks
• 175g frozen peas
• 850ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 teaspoons dried mint (obviously fresh mint is great though)

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a saucepan and saute the leeks on a lowish heat, stirring frequently until they are beginning to go translucent and a little golden around the edges (about 5 – 10 minutes).
• Add the peas, stir, then add the stock and the mint (if you are using fresh mint then wait to add it until you have nearly finished simemring).
• Pop the saucepan lid on, bring to the boil and then simmer for 15 minutes.
• Use a hand-held blender or food processor to blend coarsely.

I popped a bit of ham in at the end because, well, why not? However, I didn’t put ham in the main batch because soups containing meat have a shorter shelf life.

This evening I’m making a bit of a lazy dinner. Lazy because, firstly, the sauce (korma) is coming out of a jar. I’ll be adding chicken, cauliflower and green beans. There should be enough that I can freeze two extra portions which will save me an evenings cooking next week sometime (also, one less meal to budget for next week). This will be a lazy dinner, secondly, because I’m going to use cous cous instead of rice. I like rice but I am pooped and cous cous barely needs any attention whatsoever.

Since I’m not cooking for an hour or so I’m going to curl up on the sofa with a good book. Yesterday I realised the time had come for my annual re-reading of Jane Eyre. Must be all the drizzle, fog and dark evenings…

A spot of hybernation

I’ve been a bit under the weather hence the lack of posting so I’ve decided I’m going to have a couple of weeks of hybernation. A bit more rest and a bit better attention to what I’m eating. And books. And early nights. It’s the only way forward! It turns out that I’m getting quite a few more days off over Christmas than I anticipated. Husband, alas, isn’t getting that many days off. So I’ve decided I’ll use a few of them to try and get things done around the house and I’m going to pretty much ignore it all until then.

I’m also going to try and get a bit of Christmas shopping done. So that’s my plan for the next few weeks – Christmas shopping, eating well and resting. On that note, I’m off to make a nice big pot of soup to take to work…

Universal blah

Is anyone else just generally a bit blah at the moment? Everyone at work this week (me included) has been saying they feel tired/have a headache/have a cold/ feel a bit deflated. Is it the weather? Who knows…

My home projects have become a bit stuck because I’ve got to the point where I need to get people in to do stuff. And the things that need to be done are so boring. I need to go and choose a new front door, get it delivered and then find someone to fit it. And then I need to be here while they are doing it but I’ve got no holiday left to take so I don’t quite see how it is going to happen. Here is a brief idea of just some of the very dull things that need to be done:

• Living room door: Broken. Need to get a new one and then get someone in to hang it -much like the front door (and no, it can’t be fixed).
• Wall lights: We have two of these in our Living room and they stopped working about a year ago. I don’t know why. I need to find someone to come over and fix them. Except I don’t know anyone who is willing to do this in the evening or at the weekend.
• Flooring: Needs to be replaced in the bathroom, loo and second bedroom. Same problem as the above – I need to be here to let someone in to do it. Also need to go and actually choose it. And let someone in to measure up etc.

These are just a small handful of the things on my giant to do list. I’m just not keen on the idea of wasting weekends trailing around industrial estates or wherever choosing flooring and doors and so on. Or trying to find time to get people in to do this stuff. I’ve done most of the things that I can do myself which I think is why I have lost momentum. I’d give up on the whole thing but I know it needs to be done at some point (we want to sell in the next year or so) and I am fed up of having all of these things to do hanging over my head. Maybe I’ll have to wait until the new year when I can book a few days off work so I can be at home to let people in. THUS for the remainder of 2009 I need to concentrate on the few bits left that I can do myself. I’ll report back if I actually manage to get anything done!

On a slightly more proactive note, I ordered a few Christmas presents on my lunchbreak. I seem to have quite a few children to buy for these days. I find The Book People (you can google them) great for book gifts. The selection is always good and the titles are usually quite heavily discounted. I bought two activity books (one was £1.99, the other was £3.99) and another book for a gift which was £3.99. For those under 1, I ordered a couple of tops from Next. I’m glad I did such a lot of Christmas shopping earlier in the year – it makes it all a bit less daunting. However, I still have one or two things to pick up for friends and I haven’t got anything at all for my family so I guess that is what I need to focus on next!

Focus

I am still sadly finding it impossible to focus. I’ve sorted out my finances and know where I’m at until the next pay day. I’ve also moved some more cash into my emergency fund which is good. Other than that I can’t seem to rouse myself into any kind of action. Which is annoying. Because I’ve got a lot to do…

Returning home

So we’re back from our weeks holiday in Cornwall. We’ve had a very lazy time – lots of walks, reading and eating…and that’s about it!

I haven’t tallied up the books yet but I think we came in under budget which is great. I have that slightly dazed thing going on when you get home after being away – what am I supposed to be doing? Where does this go? What day is it again? I need to get my brain back into gear. Maybe I need a little ‘to do’ list…

• Finances: I can’t remember anything of my plans. I need to go through my receipts and check my online banking so I can get back on track.
• House: Grrr. Will this one ever end? I have to get my notepad back out again and work out what is going to be my next project.

Hmm. Maybe not so bad after all. I suppose there’s nothing left but to just get on with it!

Holiday time!

Yup – I’m off on holiday. Remember back in March (or was it April?) I booked a UK break? Well the time has finally come. I’m really, really looking forward to getting away, having a change of scenery and eating a lot of crumpets in front of an open fire! Some friends are coming down to join us for the weekend and then we’re spending the rest of the week by ourselves in the cottage that we’ve rented. I’ll catch up in a weeks time!