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Big Eejit Meal Plan - 13th May

I've linked up with Mrs M's Meal Planning Monday!

Making this a quick one as I am doing it from memory! Wasn't in the mood to blog last night and not really in the mood to make pretty pictures like normal, so it's short and sweet from me today:

Monday: Both of us having sporting things tonight - hockey for Jewhurst and Zumba for me followed by a church meeting, so we are just having something light like toast....

Tuesday: ....which means we can BOTH have sausages with curry sauce and rice tonight!

Wednesday: Chicken and broccoli bake for Jewhurst; pizza pinwheels and salad for me

Thursday: Spanish chicken and rice

Friday: Home made burgers and chips

Saturday: Chicken nugget wraps - we loved these so much this weekend we are having them again!

In case you missed it, the speedy sausage meatballs were a triumph. You can have a look at the recipe here - it comes with a Drool Warning!

As always you can join in the fun over at Mrs M's blog.

Have a good week!

Speedy spaghetti and sausage meatballs

Oh Big Eejit readers have I got a treat for you tonight.

This is a recipe I have adapted from one I tore out of an Essentials magazine ages ago. I like meatballs a lot but feel it's a bit of a waste of money buying ready made ones when you can make them yourself out of mince...but then I could never be bothered with that either. This is the best of both worlds - easy and cheap. Bonus!

Speedy spaghetti and sausage meatballs

Ingredients

2 TBSP olive oil

450g pack of pork sausages

Small red onion, chopped finely

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Pinch fennel seeds

400g tin chopped tomatoes

1 TBSP tomato paste

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

400g spaghetti, cooked to pack instructions

Method

First of all, skin your sausages. It is a bit messy but strangely satisfying (or that might just be me...!) Heat the olive oil in a deep saute pan, tear your sausages into chunks and add them to the oil. 

Cook for about 5 minutes until starting to brown, draining off any excess oil. Add the onion, garlic and fennel seeds and cook for a few moments more. De-glaze the pan with a splash of white wine.

Add the chopped tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and tomato paste, along with a splash of water. Reduce the heat and simmer until your spaghetti has cooked. Take a ladle or 2 of the pasta cooking water and add it to the meatball sauce - it'll help it stick to the spaghetti better.

Serve on a warmed plate sprinkled with cheese, and some chopped basil if you have it.

I honestly cannot recommend this recipe enough - it is so delicious and tasty with lots of nice flavour from the fennel seeds and onion. Jewhurst gave it a massive thumbs up too so it is definitely one to add to the regular list. I'm sure that meatball sauce could be easily frozen as well.

Why not give it a go!

Some things that I love #1

I saw this cute little blog hop from But Why Mummy Why? on a new blog I've started following. It's a really lovely idea and a good way to summarise things that have been happening recently that perhaps wouldn't make up a whole blog post.

If you want to see what it is about then it is explained here, just grab the badge and then join in!

Something I read

I have just finished reading Life of Pi and I have to say that I loved it. I was always interested in it and then when the film came out I was determined to read the book before seeing it. Jewhurst described it as "a boy, a boat and a tiger" but the book is SO much more than that. It is a beautiful and tragic account of faith, God, nature, hope, humanity and survival. The chapters outlining his religious journey, especially the one where he encounters Jesus Christ for the first time, were so wonderful I read them over again. As a result I don't want to watch the film - I revisited the trailer and although the special effects looked wonderful I fear that the underlying story, plot twists and essential essence of the book would be lost.


Something I watched

The new Sky Living series Hannibal has caught our attention. After wasting 15 hours of our life watching the nonsense that was The Following (actually that's not strictly true, I gave up after 2 episodes but Jewhurst was determined to see it through and stuck to it with admirable perseverance), we are so happy to have something more interesting and gripping to get into.


Something I wore

We've had a few days of lovely weather here in the South West, and with that I have been able to wear some summery clothes. In the winter I live in jeans and hoodies but in the summer I can be a little more stylish and dare I say it, GIRLY, with nice tops and cardis...maybe even a skirt (albeit with leggings!) and my beloved pumps. Unfortunately after a long and horrible winter, the sudden exposure to sunlight has also meant I'm wearing a rather nice spotty heat rash on my forearms and chest. Unfortunately this does nothing to help my argument with cold-loving Jewhurst that the summer is better than winter!


Something I listened to

The lovely weather, change in season and lighter evenings has also brought our resident blackbirds out to sit on our garage roof and call to each other. It's a lovely sound and makes me feel all summery :)


Something I cannot live without

As well as having heat rash on my arms and chest, I appear to have cultivated a few red spots (like a reaction rather than acne) on my face, which is also really dry too. So at the moment, once I've slathered on Boots Protect and Perfect serum, my cannot-live-without product is my Clinique concealer!


What are you loving this week? Why not join in the blog hop!

Big Eejit Meal Plan - 6th May

I've linked up with Mrs M's Meal Planning Monday!

Bank Holiday! Yay! Hope you have some sunshine wherever you are :) I am heading up to visit my BRAND NEW nephew (and soon-to-be Godson) with my mum so I am super excited :) Well I say he's brand new... he's about 5 weeks old now but thanks to working weekends and visits and holidays elsewhere I haven't been able to get up to see him. I can't wait to get up there and get some cuddles, no-one else will get a look in ;-)

It's not often I spend a weekend 100% away from work and this weekend was no exception, but even though I had to do a Junior Church session on Sunday, Saturday was COMPLETELY FREE! And even better, thanks to the hockey off season Jewhurst was too. We had a lovely lazy morning, dandered into town and then while Jewhurst was at the gym I had a browse in the shops. We picked up some goodies for tea, had a cuppa in Costa, then headed home to watch the Irish Cup final (I fell asleep, needless to say!) Chilli nachos for dinner, then we watched a film (39 Steps - I'm a Hitchcock fan but wasn't blown away by this one). Nothing special but out of the ordinary enough for us!

This week is exciting because one of our friends from Belfast is coming over to stay :-) The lovely Kerrie did our amazing wedding invites, orders of service, table plan and place names for us. She is so clever and they looked brilliant on the day, matching our space theme perfectly! Our table plan is hanging up in our spare room so she can admire her handiwork again ;-) As a result we have gone all out to make nice, exciting meals - ever look at your meal plan and think "I really like this!" ? No? Just me then?! 

Recipes
Lentil Dhal
BBQ sticky chicken

I tried to track down the recipe for the meatballs, but couldn't find it. It's from an Essentials magazine and I'll try to blog about it when we make it. The chicken nugget fajitas are Jewhurst's idea - he had them on camp back at Easter and they sound like a nice simple Sunday supper. We'll just do some chicken nuggets in the oven, then put them out on the table with wraps, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, peppers, etc. etc. and just help ourselves. I may experiment with mixing fajita spice through mayo as well to make a nice condiment!

Head over to Mrs M's blog to check out some more ideas. 

Have a great Bank Holiday! 

Please note that I have had to change my comment settings to registered users only to stop incessant spam. This is only relevant to those commenting on mobiles or tablets - computer users can still comment on Disqus as normal.

30 ways to save £1

Image source

Who doesn't love saving money? It's something that we are really conscious of. In the current climate, when families are using Foodbanks and being turfed out of their homes for having too many bedrooms, we are more than aware of how fortunate we are to have a roof over our heads and food in our cupboards. But nevertheless we are not complacent about our household income and the need to budget carefully, especially as we have been saving up for our postponed honeymoon trip to Australia next month! Every spare penny has been going towards that, making it all the more important to keep our essential costs to a minimum.

The lovely BakingAitch drew my attention to a great new competition from the folks at MoneySupermarket - they ask us to provide up to 30 ways to save money and not only do they give you £1 per tip, but you also enter a competition to win £2000! Not too shabby.

I set about writing a list and was amazed at how quickly the tips came. So without further ado, here are the money saving tips from the Big Eejit household:

1. Meal plan, meal plan, meal plan. I cannot stress enough how much this has saved us money. I know some people like to plan as they go and shop when they need to, but if you are serious about saving money then this is a good way to start. If you know exactly what you are going to eat, then you will only buy what you need. Little trips to the shop between meals can often add up with extras. If you blog, join in with Meal Planning Monday from Mrs M and get loads of ideas from other thrify households.

2. Make a list. If you have planned your meals then make a list of what you need to get and most importantly STICK TO IT!

3. Cook in batches. Make the most of offers on things like chicken and mince to make a batch of chilli, chicken stew etc. and put extra portions in the freezer. There have been some weeks where all we've had on our shopping list have been breakfast and lunch things, because our evening meals were from the freezer or storecupboard.

4. Make your own lunch. As well as being healthier than a trip to the local McDs, it's also much cheaper. If, like me, you struggle with inspiration and get sick to death of the same thing day in and day out, use Pinterest to get some new ideas. Get into the habit of making it the night before and perhaps invest in some good tablock boxes.

5. Grow your own. I am by no means a gardener but when I made my own herb garden it saved money on pre-cut herbs like rosemary, mint and thyme. It also saved waste because I could cut what I needed.

6. Don't fall into the takeaway trap. I know, I know. It's a great treat to have a Chinese or Indian or pizza. But when I got into money difficulties and asked Jewhurst (then my fiancé) to help me redo my budget he pointed out that I spent nearly £48 one month on Dominos pizza. Many fast food outlets require a minimum order for delivery and I was spending £12 a time on pizza, sides and Coke. Unsurprisingly, I was overweight in those days too, so cutting down will help your waistline as well as your bank balance.

7. Don't be snobby about supermarket brands. Value and regular brands are just as good and often you won't taste the difference.

8. Have a pet? See if your vet does Healthy Pet Club. For £11 a month, Billie gets 6 monthly check ups, prescription flea treatment and worm tablets, and all vaccinations. Given that vaccs alone are £40-50 a time, flea treatments £70 a year, worm tablets £12 a year, and check ups around £15 each it saves some money even if it is only a few £s and also helps spread the cost so you aren't stuck with a big bill.

9. Download a mobile barcode scanning app. Examples include Barcode Scanner or Red Lazer - you scan the barcode of a product and it tells you where you can buy it cheaper locally or online.

10. Download "Invisible Hand" onto your computer. It is a little temperamental but it will bring up an alert while you are shopping online to tell you if you are looking at the cheapest price or if it is cheaper elsewhere.

11. Make use of money saving websites! Without wanting to sound like a suck up, websites just like MoneySupermarket are great for picking up money off coupons and great money saving tips.

12. Similarly, you can get voucher codes via mobile apps. Vouchercloud is one example.

13. Sell your old stuff. We have saved loads of money through PlayTrade. Jewhurst sold a load of his old DVDs and in turn has got quite a tidy credit balance online if he wants to buy new ones. As a result any new Blu-rays or DVDs he buys are technically "free". In the same way, we transferred all our music CDs onto our laptops and sold them on Music Magpie. They don't offer much per CD but when you are selling quite a few it soon adds up! We got about £50 doing this.

14. Double check postage costs. It doesn't always happen, but sometimes sneaky online stores set your postage costs to default express delivery at a cost of around £3. Switch to standard delivery and you may have to wait longer but you'll save some money.

15. Make the most of loyalty points and coupons. Put your loyalty card - Clubcard, Nectar card, Advantage card etc. - somewhere you can always see it when you open your purse or wallet and remember to scan it. Watch the points add up and use them to get money off. If you get any coupons at the end of your shop put these somewhere visible too, so you don't forget them. Money saving doesn't just come in money off vouchers - double points vouchers may not have immediate benefits but they'll add to your growing points balance and save you money one day. Nectar points have even bought us cheap flights back home to Belfast. Oh and if you shop online frequently, use Nectar eshops to make sure you get points as you shop.

16. In a similar thread, choose a credit card with rewards. This could be a cash reward scheme or a supermarket credit card which rewards you with those all important points. Choose wisely though - we originally went for Tesco Clubcard credit card but we didn't reap many rewards as we mainly shop and get our petrol at Sainsbury's!

17. Pay your credit card bill in full each month. I know this is hard for some households but it is a piece of advice my parents gave me when I was younger and it has always stayed with me. It may feel painful at the time but you won't get stung by sky-high interest rates.

18. Leave the car at home. We are so lucky to live within walking distance of work, church, town etc. and it saves us a fortune on petrol. Invest in good waterproofs and you can walk in all weathers!

19. Save money on energy bills. Check that you have got the right provider using a comparison website like Go Compare, or make the most of new offers - we got a voucher in Sainsbury's one week and switched our energy to them and got ourselves 25,000 Nectar points in the process! Additionally, little things like turning appliances off standby, turning the washing machine down to 30 degrees and a slower spin cycle, or reducing your thermostat temperature by just 10% can save money. We noticed a huge difference in our heating bill when we started leaving it on 24/7 throughout the winter - yes really! We left it on and adjusted our thermostat accordingly. Rather than blasting heat into a cold house at 25 degrees for 4 hours, we left it on low and the house stayed warm, and we never had to put the thermostat above 20. The comparison graph that EDF (our old provider) put on our bill showed the difference from one year to the next.

20. DIY! We have used this especially with our garden, but it can apply to washing windows, washing the car, or painting and decorating too. I know it would be nice to get someone else to do it but if you can, do it yourself and save money on labour costs.

21. Save small change. Put your small change in a money box and use it to buy small essentials.

22. Be patient! Really want that new film or CD that's just come out? Wait a few months til it has come down in price. Or even better, go online to Play or Amazon and buy it second hand (off my husband if you want! ;) )

23. Use your library. This is especially handy if you have kids, but even without kids my local library has saved me some money through ebooks for my Kobo.

24. Visit Sure Start Children's Centres or your local church. Sure Start provides many free or low cost activities for parents and children - breastfeeding cafes, stay and weigh clinics with health visitors, play sessions and even things like baby massage. Similarly, many churches have Toddler group sessions which are free or low cost. Mine at work is very popular with over 100 families coming along each week over 4 sessions. We provide lots of toys, drinks and snacks, and the opportunity for both parents and children to make new friends.

25. Geocaching! Jewhurst and I love this. It is a perfect way to get out and about for a minimal cost - if the caches aren't within walking distance it is only the cost of your petrol. It's suitable for all the family and a great way to explore your local area or discover new places.

26. Google free things to do on days out. Jewhurst and I are off to London in a few weeks - the train is costing a bit more than we'd like but once we are there all we need to pay for is our dinner. We are bringing a packed lunch for the train and hope to spend the day sightseeing on foot or visiting one of the many free museums. We will do the same when we go to Australia next month - we just love exploring and people watching!

27. Ditch the gym. Join your local Zumba class for only £5 a session and save around £2-30 a month on gym membership. It's only worth it if you are going every day. Even better, take up running...which is free!

28. Save money on greetings cards. I love giving people nice cards but nice cards can cost upwards of £2 each. Instead I go into The Works and make the most of their BOGOF offers on packs of cards. You can get generic ones with nice pictures or specific birthday cards. It's handy to have in your drawer and saves an expensive trip to WHSmiths.

29. BUDGET! This is the most important thing - without this, all of the above it pointless. Make a note of your monthly income, subtract all your regular outgoings (direct debits) and then divide what's left into 4. What you're left with is your weekly budget and it is up to you how you spend it...

30. But DON'T SPEND WHAT YOU DON'T HAVE! A simple rule but so so important. If you don't have it, don't spend it. If you don't need it, don't buy it. If you aren't left with enough money to pay essential bills or buy food, then re-evaluate your priorities. Do you need that Sky sports package? Can you switch brands? Could you walk instead of driving? If even after all that you are still struggling then seek help - the Citizens Advice Bureau or Money Advice Service are there to help you. Don't suffer in silence.

Do you have any more money saving tips? Share them on your blog and enter the competition!

Please note that I have had to change my comment settings to registered users only to stop incessant spam. This is only relevant to those commenting on mobiles or tablets - computer users can still comment on Disqus as normal.

Big Eejit Meal Plan - 29th April

I've linked up with Mrs M's Meal Planning Monday :)

Back to the proper meal planning after a week or 2 of being away. I got back from Belfast on Wednesday and didn't bother meal planning when I got home which actually made Thursday and Friday rather stressful as we tried to decide what to have! I kept looking in panic at the big empty space on the wall where our meal plan is usually stuck!

I had a wonderful time in Belfast but feeling the effects of yummy food, snacks and alcohol on my middle! So I am doing a couple of Rosemary meals and resisting snacks between meals (apart from Rosemary-approved ones like Ryvita and Philly!) Hoping that getting back in the running/Zumba/walking to work routine will help. 

Meal-wise this week is a bit of a pain for me - 3 days in a row I will be out at tea time and not back til gone 7, thanks to Zumba, a Governor's meeting, and a trial session at my local running club. I will have something light before I go out each time and save dinner til afterwards, so hopefully I won't be too ravenous! 

No recipes, sorry - it's all from jars or the freezer ;)

As always you can have a look at some other meal plans over at Mrs M's blog.

Oh, and apologies if you are looking for a Messy Church craft share as promised... I forgot to take ANY pictures yesterday so haven't got much to share!

Have a great week!

Please note that I have had to change my comment settings to registered users only to stop incessant spam. This is only relevant to those commenting on mobiles or tablets - computer users can still comment on Disqus as normal.