So the lovely Laura has set up a blogger budget challenge and I have (rather belatedly) decided to join in.
I am quite happy with our general grocery budget, but there are a few things I want to improve upon- with Christmas (and a holiday) approaching I would like to be more mindful of my finances.
So here are my aims:
- Cancel the milkman milk. (Simple- I like an easy one to start with- we got persuaded to sign up to the milkman ages ago, but it has been getting more expensive, and I prefer other milks so we don’t use that much any more. It is getting to the point that we will have to start throwing milk away as it goes out of date before we use it. Plus I don’t think it is organic).
- Attempt my own almond milk (I am saving this project for half term)- it is my fave non dairy milk but it is expensive.
- Check my on-line bank once per week (as I pay everything by direct debit I never have to go on for bills or anything).
- Save money each month towards general, car stuff and holiday fund.
- Start to buy Christmas presents now- I prefer to spread the cost of things like that over a few months.
- Make some Christmas gifts instead of buying them all. I always make a Christmas cake for my parents and Andy’s, but I would like to make other gifts for other people too.
- Look into getting a veg box delivered- I have only looked at one company and at the moment I can’t decide- I think I need to look at various other companies to make an informed decision.
- Use all my travel sized skincare- I love Clinique skincare for their cleanser, toner, moisturiser and the intensive skin rescue cream (I get super dry skin in the winter) and when you buy them in Boots at bonus time you get freebies! I love mini things, and I love freebies, so together it is very exciting! I save them for when I travel, but I never finish a travel sized one before I get back home, so I have lots of half used ones. So I need to use up all the freebies before I buy new normal sized ones. I am not going to buy any over the next 2 months!
These are the main ones I use.
And all the travel sized mini freebies that I need to start using up!
That is quite a long list isn’t it?
They are quite random ones (can you see the Christmas theme creeping in too?) but they are what I will be aiming for. Having them on here will help me stick to them too 🙂
Plus a few random things- look at the size of my hummus carrot sandwich!
Wow!
One carrot in a big pile! I am loving my food processor grating the carrot for me- so much quicker! And less mess!
I have been working my way through blog swap items;
Luna nutz over chocolate bar- tasty but I think peppermint stick is still the winner. Yesterday I did a short run- 2 miles (in the crazy wind) in 20 mins- I was super pleased to be that fast! 🙂
Chocolate chip clif bar for some pre-aerobics fuel. Looking forward to that tonight.
Apple crumble porridge (yes still pimping)- chopped garden apple sprinkled with cinnamon, oats, almond milk, raisins, left to soak overnight and then cooked and topped with flaked almonds and more cinnamon. Could have added some almond extract too.
And, look what came in the post!
The pack for the Great South Run! I love it! My name already on the number (which is good as the Cancer Research people sent me “Marie” instead which is not my name!!!! Some very fancy info, a magazine- now I can see why the cost of entry is so high! Less than 2 weeks to go now, how exciting!
Anyone else a big sucker for freebies like me?
Right past the fence is a road, then a field, then some big buildings. It was so foggy I could not even see the other side of the road! This was around 9am too- normally the fields are misty but it clears quickly. It was also cold, and I could not decide what to wear for my run. In the end I went for a loose long sleeved top and running tights (first outing of the season!). Half way around the sun came out and it got hot, but only for about 5 mins, then it got cloudy and cold again. Think I played it just right.
I made a sort of chai latte! I heated up a carton of almond milk (it was sweetened but I normally have the unsweetened stuff) and then added some Christmas tea (which is from Whitards- black tea with orange and spices- soooo good). The latte was yummy. Plus a peanut toffee clif bar. Mmmm. The nest thing about running in this weather (well, as well as not getting too hot or dehydrated) is coming home to a nice warm drink.
Yesterday I made some carrot cake cookies- I never usually use boxed mix but I found this in my cupboard(only 7 months past the best before date so must have had it for years!), and one of the suggestions was to add grated carrot. I used my food processor to grate the carrots- even though it took me ages to work out how to add the disk in to the mixer, it was so speedy! Much better than grating by hand, plus I do not have orange fingers!
Mix it all up- yum! I think they soak their raisins or something as they are super squidgy- yum.
And then today I made some cream cheese icing- I used cream cheese, a little honey (brought back from Romania by my parents), and icing sugar.
I have a lot of nozzles and I am not sure if I chose the right one?
Anyway I think the swirl looks nice- when I get some colours I might even attempt some mini carrots!
A little bowl of porridge with raisins and cinnamon (made with coconut milk)- I don’t like to be too full when I run, but I can’t run that far without anything either so I only used 25g oats I think.
I love the nuun tabs. I find it really hard to drink from the cups of water, plus I don’t want to drink too much before I set off, and I prefer to sip on my way around. So I take this with me on 10K + runs (and have it when I get home usually on shorter runs).
Alpro yoghurt and Lizi’s chocolate granola- the bomb! I was starving by this point as I finished the run at 12.10ish, and as we wandered around the shops for a bit got home after 1pm.
Fruity bread (from the freezer, not home-made sorry) with pb, plus nectarine and fig. Me and Andy also shared a 
Copacabana which is milk and dark chocolate buttons and brazil nuts! Yum.
And one of these- I baked these for work but also took some around to their house for tea – I had to have one!
One of the scones I made with some blackcurrant spread and teapigs spiced winter tea. Mmmm.
This is me once I got home with my medal! I do love a good medal 🙂 Andy’s parents surprised us by coming down to see us (as it was almost a loop which you repeated I saw them just at the 5K mark) and so after we finished running we wandered around the lovely shops at Hatfield House before heading home.
The all important goody bag- including a £5 sweatshop voucher, kitkat and mikly way (no banana though), and a little Mr Benn pin.
I got a pirate one and Andy got a cowboy one! Pretty cool mementos I think.
Pb and white chocolate blondies- these are always super popular at work 🙂
Using my new Lakeland baking trays!
I am so pleased at how they turned out! I keep saying to Andy I think they look like they could be on a market stall. He thinks this is me insulting my baking, but I mean on a nice farmers market stall or something. Like at the start of Rachel Allen’s Bake show. Do you know what I mean?
I also made some dark chocolate brownies- again these are always popular.
Yummy 🙂
My table is covered in the little bags!
And brownie bags;
And one of each;
I think they look so pretty anyway! It was a lot of work to make them all, and bag them up and decorate them etc, but it is for a good cause and I am hoping people will see that.
I think I am looking a bit suspiciously at the camera! OK I have taken worse but it did make me laugh!
How exciting! I won a prize on the lovely 
After dinner me and Andy tried a booja booja truffle each. These were rum sultana ones-and I don’t like alchohol or drink, but I do add stuff like that to a Christmas cake -and these smelled like a Christmas cake. Or maybe just like rum- anyway they were super strong! But booja booja always make such amazing chocolate- the rest are safely in the fridge for another day. Thanks so much Rachel I am looking forward to trying every single item in the box 🙂
Warm butternut and goats cheese salad. This was spinach zapped in the microwave for half a min, topped with roasted butternut, herby goats cheese, caramelised onions, and quinoa cooked with beetroot, tomato, pepper, courgette. Yum.
Lemon slices (from Hummingbird)- I made some for my Nan 🙂
Yay my new bowl! With chocolate alpro and chocolate granola.
Alpro with coconut extract, and chocolate granola. More yumminess.