Lazing on a Sunny Afternoon....

Hi everyone, how are you?  I do hope everyone is well and enjoying the sunshine today.  I've been out sitting in the garden for a while and enjoyed it.

It feels like ages since I last posted anything.  I have been completely knackered from the early shifts this week and after getting home, eating and doing whatever needs to be done, I've not had much energy for anything else so apologies.

But here we are at the weekend again and I feel rather more energised!

Well what a mixture this weekend has been.  Yesterday I was up fairly early (after a week of early starts at work, 9.00am felt like a disgusting extravagance!) and did loads of things around the house.  Last weekend was a busy one too after I borrowed a carpet cleaner and cleaned all carpeted rooms in the house...which saved a lot of money as all it cost me was a bottle of carpet cleaner and the water/electricity to do the job itself.

This weekend was just general stuff to do like usual cleaning, washing, food shopping & stuff like that.  Apart from the groceries I have not spent any money so that's a good thing.  So yesterday was mega busy and today was more laid back.  Got up early again and lazed on the sofa watching Gok Wan and Supersize vs Superskinny till midday & hubby made scrummy porridge (the sun didn't come out till later so it didn't feel too weird eating porridge on a summer's morning!).

I am feeling a little hypocritical today though as I posted on the wonderful Frugal Queen's blog earlier today about the giving away of things and it is something I do regularly one way or the other, but I am currently selling three pairs of shoes on EBAY!  In my defence, I listed them last weekend before that post.  And I would have given two pairs away gladly but only two of my friends are the same size shoe as me.  One doesn't wear high heels any more and the other already has loads of shoes too and, without wanting to sounds bitchy, isn't exactly in need of hand outs. 

I have sold one pair to someone in the same city as me so she is coming to collect them tonight.  The other two pairs finish tomorrow and next weekend respectively. 

One pair of these pairs to sell are frankly way too good to give away.  They are a well known shoe designer name and I bought them about a year ago and have never worn them.  Idiot that I am.  They're gorgeous.  I'd be an even bigger idiot if I didn't try and get something for them.  Pretty much the same with the other pair too though they're not quite as mouthwatering but they've only been worn once (same designer but bought in 2009 for wedding).

I do have one more pair of shoes that I didn't list on EBAY which are high high high heels and I think I will pop them into a charity shop.  You never know, they may well be someone's dream going out shoes and they can get them for a song.

I'm really rambling aren't I?  About shoes.  How boring.  If you've made it this far through the post I think you deserve a medal.

In other news, I finally popped into Aldi in the week just gone and was very pleasantly surprised at the cost of things and the quality of the bag of parsnips I bought!  I asked a frugal friend I have if she has ever shopped and Aldi and she told me she's been shopping there for years and recommended some particular things (and advised me to steer clear of certain others) so that was good feedback.  I am planning to pop back in this week for any fresh stuff that we need so I'll have another nosy around to see what they have for when I need to do a "big shop" and stock up.

I'll be doing an inventory soon of what tinned stuff we have to see how long we can make meals for before another such big shop though.

What else, ah yes.  I failed on the Chinese Takeaway desire.  I gave in last Friday and we had one delivered in to celebrate it being the end of the week and my not having to work a crappy late shift.  It was delicious but unfortunately they delivered meaty spring rolls instead of vegetarian ones and refused to believe me when I rang to complain so I swore never to use them again!  Perhaps it is someone up there giving me a big clue that I SHOULDN'T BE SPENDING MONEY ON CHINESE TAKEAWAYS!

I have walked past the Body Shop though and am using up the dregs of all shower gels I have before going out to purchase anything else.   And when I do I'll be looking for BOGOFs in Tesco no doubt, not the Body Shop's finest!

The pizza is a work in progress though.  Seeing a friend at the beginning of next month for a pre-arranged lunch and I am pretty sure we'll be either popping out to the deli section of her local Sainsburys which apparently does great "build your own" pizzas or we'll be dialling one in.  But, call me weak if you like, as it's a social meeting and I will have been paid and budgeted for it, I am not beating myself up too much about it.  It'll still be cheaper than going out for lunch somewhere I'm sure!

Right well that's me done for now.

Wishing you a happy week and thanks for taking the time to read today.

xx