New Year's Eve cooking and resolutions

Dear reader,

I have never been excited about going out on NYE after memories of plastic cups in pubs and the strike of midnight giving licence to the ugliest, slobbery men kissing you whether you liked it or not.
Tonight is the delightful night of town centres with drunken fights and pubs charging you to get in, no thanks. Spare a thought for the emergency services who have to work and pick up those who can't behave. Did you know that really drunk people have to be taken to hospital? The days of putting them in a cell to sober up are long gone. I know a few ambulance staff that say loads of people call an ambulance then get out at the hospital to save a taxi fare. Makes me mad! Do I sound like an old moaner? I just worry for those who genuinely need help.

Big man and I both have to work tonight and so last night we had a little treat. I cooked mussels and frittes. Well that sounds a bit posh. I bought a pack of mussels in Lidl that you just microwave, already in a garlic and white wine sauce, reduced to £1.99. I made some skinny chips that I microwaved first to get part cooked then oven cooked them with a bit of oil. We had them with a reduced garlic baguette 20p yellow sticker. It was lovely!

I usually stay at home and have a few drinks, that suits me fine.

Today I am continuing my frugal cooking and hope to have a few more meals in the freezer ready for when we go back to work.
Yesterday, using Frugal Queens recipe I made 23 faggotts in an onion gravy. I did the same as she and bagged them up into meals for two in the freezer. 4 meals for us.
I also made two lasagnes and these are also in the freezer in two person portions-6 meals.

This morning I boiled up some pulses for stews, you know the sort, pearl barley,yellow split peas, red lentils, green peas and will portion them up and freeze them ready for stews and the like in the slow cooker.

I have a few challenges ready for 2013. My supermarket shop is to be £40 a week. We are not going out for meals or buying any clothes this year. We will not be having a holiday and will scrimp and save to pay off our debts. I know it doesn't sound like much fun but nor is being in debt.

We have different accounts for the cars, insurances and household bills. I am refusing to have the central heating on, instead we use our log burner which heats the lounge and the downstairs of our house. I also dry our clothes in front of it. Big man has just read an article about a man who only used one bin bag all year. He recycled and composted everything else. I hate plastic bags and try not to use them. We will also try to be more green this year. It's the food packaging that fills our bin so I try to buy loose when I can.

I am hoping for more followers next year too so if you are reading this and would like to follow, it would make my day!  Have a great day and I hope the New Year brings you much happiness.

All the best for 2013

Sarah. Xxx