Giveaway-Shirley Goode book

Dear reader,

As promised yesterday a giveaway to say thank you for your lovely comments and for reading my blog.

I read about this book on Sarinas Allsorts and ordered The Shirley Goode Kitchen.

Shirley has some great ideas on frugal cooking and the recipes in her book embrace money saving.shirleygoode@bolgspot.com and this is her blog.

I have read it now and would love to pass it on to one of my readers. So, please, leave a comment  and I will enter all names into a draw on Sunday and will contact the winner.

Have had a good talk to myself and am pleased to report 22 hours, 36 minutes and 14 secs without a cigarette. Feel a bit tense but have just watched Taken 2 with Liam Neeson which was excellent.

Cooked organic lamb steaks for dinner with loads or roast potatoes, mash, greens and veg.
Will have the left over veg and mash tomorrow with homemade faggots.

Sarah. X

Snowy walk in Buckinghamshire.

Dear reader,

Have just returned from making a little dog very happy. I thought I would share some pictures of where we went today. You can just see him in the last picture which also shows a snow sculpture. Maybe a snowman but I'm not so sure! 

Long time no blog

Dear reader,

I have been quiet for a few days and have missed blogging but found myself distracted by a busy life, rushing to work, staying late, you know the routine.

I would like to say a huge Hello and massive thank you to my new followers, Emma Watts, Frantics Antics and Sylivamcilmail. I had a nice comment today also from K2D who jolted me into action, so a big thank you to them too.

We have had overnight snow which started getting heavy last night about 2200 hours. I got home first but poor Big Man had to abandon his car at the top of a hill and then rang me to say he was going to walk home through the lanes with his torch.
Being the devoted girlfriend and having a Volvo with all wheel drive I went and collected him. It was horrid though and I was a bit scared but I didn't tell him!

We will be braving the snow today and taking our neighbours fat terrier out for a walk, he loves the snow and goes mad.
I always feed the birds anyway and put water out for them too. I confess, I leave a bit of bread out for Jingles the dormouse (he's a rat really but it sounds better)

I have missed you all and your comments so will be doing a giveaway tomorrow.


Sarah. X

Assistance required

Dear reader,

A big welcome to New World-thanks for reading and following. I now have 11 followers!

It's so lovely to read your comments and see new followers. It's the first time I've ever written a blog and I'm enjoying it greatly.

My blog was inspired by looking up money saving ideas on the Internet and ways to pay off our mortgage by saving money elsewhere. I didn't realise there were so many brilliant blogs out there with like minded people all doing their bit to save money and try to live on less.

I am hoping to get more followers but I must admit I do find it hard to think of things which you might find interesting, after all I can only give you snippets of my life and hope you might like them.

I often get writers block and wonder what on earth to write.

I'd thought I'd tell you a bit more about me tonight.

I'm a 42 (Scorpio) female.
Have put on weight which I'm cross about and am about 2-3 stones over what I'd like to be.
I smoke, which I am desparate to stop for both health and money reasons but mainly health.
I love cooking (and eating, hence the overweight)
I can take or leave alcohol-Vodka and diet coke or wine
Love holidays abroad but have very recently developed a hatred of flying. Totally petrified! To the point of tears. Don't know why.
No children-met the right man too late.
Love animals especially dogs and horses but anything really.
Work full time (long hours)
Like gardening and general home making
Enjoy long walks and try to on days off wherever possible.
Love National Trust days out which we joined this year.

Goal this year- to find willpower to stop smoking, get slimmer and fitter. I have others but think these are most important to start with.

Any tips for quitting the deadly cigarettes? Have tried patches, spray and hypnosis.
Please, please do add a comment if you have.

Sarah x

Mortgage vs Flash show offs

Dear reader,

Big man and I bought our house last March. We are no financial whiz kids but we know our interest rate, the years we have left and how much we pay per month.
We are extremely keen to overpay when we can afford to and reduce this as well as saving a substantial amount of interest.

While at work, Big Man and his colleagues were discussing house purchases and mortgages and he told them about this link to work out how much you can save by overpaying,
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/mortgages/mortgage-overpayment-calculator

How shocking is this: None of them knew about over paying, one of them thought you got penalised however much you over paid, none of them knew the interest rate they had signed up to, a few of them didn't even know how much they pay each month. One of them was paying interest only and had forgotten this didn't pay back the capital and one of them had a 10 year longer mortgage than he realised.

These are the same people who holiday abroad, who feel hard done by if they don't eat out, who insist on designer goods and clothing and all the latest gadgets. They mock me because I don't have an up to date, trendy mobile phone that tells me when to change my socks!
They can tell you the exact price of the new Fruit named phone due out and all the rest of it.
One of them actually brags that his girlfriend expects designer gear for her birthday. Is that something to be proud of?

I was proud of my boyfriend today, he knows all the important things about our mortgage and that his girlfriend only wants a kiss on her birthday.

She who laughs last, laughs longest!

On a nicer note, my food shopping is lasting well. Made one chicken do 3 meals for the two of us.
Cooked it on Sunday and had a roast dinner, did loads of veg, roast spuds, yorkies. Plated up 2 more of the same meal to have on Monday evening. Saved a breast and chopped it up with red pepper, mayonnaise and salad for lunch today. Very pleased.

Do have a look at the overpayment calculator, it's any eye opener.

Have a great evening readers.

Sarah. X

The price of beauty.

Dear reader,

I have just come home from work and as always, I read any comments you have sent me and do my replies. I always reply and I love to hear from you.
I then read the Daily Mail online..... I found a great article today called "What's the price of you daily routine-from Skinflint to Spendthrift, three women's beauty secrets"

One woman spends £907.90
Quote, "I'd rather scrimp on other things and face the world full of confidence."

One woman spends £550.78
Quote, "But, compared with previous years, believe it or not, this is beauty austerity for me."

One woman spends £69.76
Quote, "And with that, I’m ready — as I’ll ever be — for my close-up.

I found it strange that they only bought one bottle of shampoo and one of conditioner for the whole year. Anyway, I decided to tot up my own beauty goods, here goes......all my prices are a rough guide but not much more or less.

Revlon colour stay foundation £9-last me a year. (I mix it with moisturiser)

Cheapest blusher £5

Eyeliner £1 (black)

Lipstick £5

Mascara £10

Eyeshadow £10 (still using stuff I bought in 2008)

Hairdye £20 (4x£5)

Shampoo and conditioner £10 (a few bottle of the cheap stuff)

So about £70. They haven't included hair dye and only x1 bottle of shampoo a year! 

I have had all my make up at least a year or two so I'm probably half that.

I've done all the top brands before. The special under eye sticks, the puff your lips up lipstick, the dewy eye drop stuff, the make your teeth as white as snow paste, the make your eyes big, your bum small and your boobs as pert as an 18 year old, the heated eyelash curlers, hair extensions to give you more hair, the hot waxes to give you less hair, you know where (leave all dignity at the door,)

The spray tans, the false eyelashes, the French manicure, (hands and feet if you please!)

I'm exhausted just typing it all..........

No more, enough is enough. I am enough as I am. Yes, a little make up is a great confidence booster and we all like to look good but I am refusing to spend any more money on all this stuff. If you don't like how I look, best not to look then. I do my hair, I put on a bit of make up and that's my lot. Take it or sod off.

I will use what I have, I will make it last and do the best I can with what I have.

I will drink water for my skin, eat well and go to bed earlier. That's the best I can do for myself.

You know, I looked at the three pictures of these women and a small part of me begged for the £900 one to look loads better.............you know the answer.

Supermarket cheesed me off!

Dear reader,

It's sunny here in Buckinghamshire, my garden is green once more, the birds are singing, it's warmer, I can walk down my path without fear of ending up on my bum, (which still has a most impressive purple bruise)

I was wondering what to blog about today and decided to make it something we all have to do. Purchasing, buying, shopping, spending our hard earned cash.

I did a load of food shopping the other night and now, due to my desire to save money, not get ripped off and pay the best price, I look at the price per kilo, or whatever they show it it.

Dear reader, DO WE LOOK STUPID?  This cheesed me off.

There was cheddar cheese with "special offer" shown on the shelf. It was placed at eye level, where they put everything they want you to buy. People were just picking it up. Not me, oh no. I wanted to know the price per kilo £8.70 or something similar when the regular cheese was only £5.71 per kilo. I checked all the other chedders and the special offer was among the most expensive. So what's special about it? I reckon the cheese chairman plays golf with the supermarket chairman on a Saturday!

It was the same with the smoked salmon, Special Offer , buy me, buy me was much more expensive than the decent regular one.
In fact it was the same all round the shop. They even had a section with different items "all on special" which in fact were the same or more expensive than other items in their section.

What are they doing? Why do they try to get us to buy something by making out its a great offer when it's not? It really annoys me.

I refuse to be bamboozled into buying something by confusing prices. My bank are the same, they are always asking me if I want to upgrade my account and get a load of "free" stuff. They then tell me is £10 a month fee. Well it's not free then is it? In fact, they are crafty buggers, it's £15 fee a month but they give you £5 bonus if you pay in over £2k or something and they knock this off the fee.

Don't try to bamboozle me with word playing, I keep on and on asking this and that and getting them to explain it fully. They don't bother asking anymore! I was in sales for 17 years, I know all the tricks and phrases, the power of silence and the selling points.

I really dislike this perception that the public are a bit thick. Am I the only one who thinks the TV adverts are patronising and childish?

I know from reading some of your blogs, we refuse to be taken in by clever marketing and we are a clever lot when it comes to saving and shopping.
What things do you look out for when you are shopping?

Have you got any tips or things that make you cross?

Sarah. X