Doing Great.

I went back to the gym on thursday, did the treadmill, the bike and the machine circuit...I was pleased with that...and wasnt too sore the next day, I think my calf muscles were the sorest thing on me and even they werent bad...Friday, did the treadmill, x-trainer, and circuit...Today is a day of rest, give the muscles time to recover and will do a little treadmill at home tomoro.  Ive been doing not toooooo   bad on the food side, watching what goes in.  After all I want all this work at the gym to pay off...Ive also been sticking to the  no junk food thing, and the no zero.  Ive been drinking alot of water and tea.  The tea thing is something I use as a distraction, when I gave up smoking (bout 5 yrs ago), I use to make a cups of tea as a hand distraction..something to occupy my hands.  Now Ive changed that slightly, at nite when I bored or emotiona, I make a big cup of tea instead of raiding the fridge or pantry (not junk in there anyway, but still food).  Its just till I get on top of my new routine of gym, and better eating.   My biggest challenge I think will be when hubby is home from work, on his week off...It throws me off any routine I have, dont get me wrong, I love it when he gets home, but will still be a challenge.

Hi ho, hi ho, its back to the gym I go........

I did it, finally, I signed back up at a gym, and went along this morning and did a Step class....its been over 6 months since I went to a gym and did exercise.  Hard, hard, hard..but it can only get easier...Im still not buying Zero,,so happy with that..I want to do this gym thing better and smarter than I have before. At my gym back in NZ I went hard out and stayed that way for nearly a year.  Maybe too hard out,,didnt rest my body when I should, probably didnt eat as well as I could have..so this time i want to work smarter not just harder.  So will update that as I work it all out.  On the supermarket side of things, well, I went to the 'mothership" cash'n'carry..lol, but I didnt go overboard..I now have enough loo paper for the next 4 or 5 months...toilet cleaner for at leat a year..spray and wipe for about a year too...Im trying to shop smarter too and still stick with the healthy options...I need to do some more baking today.  Kids have gotten use to having just home made things in the lunch boxes.  I clean out my pantry on friday..tided it, sorted it, stocktaked it..and my freezers. SO I now have a big list of food I have in the house..I should only need to get milk, bread, fruit and veg for at least the next month, give or take a few items.

One addiction down, Next!

Glad to say, still not having Zero, now I think I have another area I need to work on,,,going to the supermarket...yip, you read it right...I went in there this moring to get milk, bread and butter...over a hundred dollars later....I get in that place and something takes over in my brain.  Im gonna have to cut myself off from there.  Which as you can imagine and I can hear you from here..YOU have to go there to get food.  I need some come up with some strategies to controll myself there.  Yep a list is a good idea, but do that anyway and doesnt work..I may need to take some cash, enough to cover whats on the list and leave my eftpos card at home...Will work on that one...Today has been productive..while I did have to buy a new internet security disk(i got $18 knocked off for asking), I made a chicken pie, mince pie, meatballs (for freezer), an apple tartlet thing...So I'll have nice healthy meals ready for when hubby gets home..2 sleeps to go...

By George I think Ive done it.......

Well I am pleased to be able to write that I think I beaten my coke zero addiction,,lol, I have gone from drinking around 2 ltrs a day to zip...I now drink chilled water, sometimes straight, sometimes with a little lemon juice..Ive also gone back to drinking more tea...so now i have stopped buying it.   Now dont get me wrong, if im out, catching up with the girls, i may have a zero...but my need to drink it all the time at home is gone... And on the eating side, I am very proud, I have been so concious of what goes in our mouths..over the last week or so, we have had no takeaways....and i have stopped buying lunchbox snacks..no more little bags of chips,  bars, anything full of preservatives and things i cant pronounce...instead i have continued to bake and make.. I now make the jelly with fruit in it.,  I make marmite and cheese scrolls, muffins.  I still wrap each one and freeze...so nice to know what my kids are eating..At the moment I have a pot on the stove, making my own chicken stock..and with the legs im using to make that, we will use them for dinner tonite.

Back into the kitchen...

It seems I have been on a mission..to cook...I use to bake alot and cook alot, but since moving here with hubby working away I lost my cooking MoJo, but since wanting us to eat healthier I have got back into it..I decide to start with the kids school lunches, I had fallen into the trap of quick snack products to fill there lunch boxes, like little bags of chips, snack bars, little packets of biscuits..well thats now stopped.  I started baking muffins, and marmite and cheese scrolls..I individually wrap each one and putthem into the freezer, so in the morning i can pull one out and pop it into their lunch box and by time its morning tea they have defrosted.,I am buying more fruit and have even started to make own jelly with fruit.  Dinners,Im making from scratch (on the most part), sneaking in alot more vegetables...Im feeling  better already by doing this.  One more week before hubby gets back from work, so by then I should have alot more ideas of great meals..I pondering at the moment, I went and looked at a gym, just by my kids school..I use to love going to the gym back home in NZ, tried one gym here and it was a lovely gym, nice people, but didnt really get the same feel i had, had. The convinence of the location of this one is a big upside.  Its $18 a week, no contract and if you dont plan on going one week, you dont have to pay for that week.  For hubby, he can just pay for the week that hes home from work, which i really like the idea of going with him.  WIll have to think a bit more on it.

Into the kitchen again......

I decided to get back into the kitchen....I hadnt done alot of baking since being in Oz...I use to do alot...and with wanting better food,with less .weird ingredients, what better than making it myself...so the last couple of days ive done some...around 4 batches of muffins...cookies, marmite and cheezy scrolls...most of which i have individualy wrapped for the freezer for school lunches...oh yes, and tried a friends reciepe for weetbix slice..i did slight variations as per what i had in the pantry...yummm Ive been keeping any eye on the spending too..and i do think ive done not too bad...Considering start of term fees are due...scouts, with the shirts and fees, this term is $247.... so that plus the rugby expenses have kind of blown it out of the water...so will tighten up on the budget elsewhere to make up for it...Mothers day has gone well, we went for a picnic this morning with friends at a local park,,then met up with another friend at the beach at lunch time...

Back to busy...

Its been nearly a month since my last entry....I have been checking labels more..and constantly re-evaluating everything....Im starting to get on the 'saving' bandwagon again..with a few exceptions...suprise suprise, the kids...my son had been asking about playing a sport again,,he played soccer back home in NZ..but the soccer here isnt what i want, so last nite i signed him up for rugby union...and his first game is tomoro...DOH...so today i was on a mission, boot, shorts, socks, and mouthguard...Im very excited.. he had practice last night and did awesome...a natural. But it wasnt cheap,,fees for the season $100. $75 for the stuff I got today..ouchy, but i think its going to be well worth it.   Also, scouts start up nxt tuesday..that $180 for the two of them for a term  not counting uniform and any out activities that come up...But I want my kids to be active and involved..my daughter Im thinking of putting in the local theatre group..its again, not cheap, but I think she would thrive at it, so will go along to check it out on monday. that $125 a term. I had my hair done this week, and it was the pick-me-up I needed, and by needed I really mean needed..I was having a very down period of late..so this little treat has made a huge difference. But am looking at other ways to save, cutting back on power usage, food, water, gas..petrol and, for instance, we met up for a cuppa at the local shopping centre the other day, I took my own can of drink in my bag to have in the food court..they other mums didnt know I had taken my own drink and it saved me buying an expensive drink there..Ive been watching what ive been eating, trying to cut back..using the treadmill(not as often as I should though)..Hubby went back up to work the other day...Kids are back at school, so thats been nice the last 2 days..lol, So no plans tonite, Sons rugby tomoro morning..Yippeeee, then prepare for next week when it does start to get busy...rugby does training on a thursday nite.I have one huge thing I want to change soon,.,.and that is my coke zero consumption..I think I may drink too much of it..Im starting to wonder what addictive thing is in it..hehe, I must get through around 2lts a day, give or take...Im thinking I should start with alternting, zero then water...which would in effect halve my consumption...will keep ya updated on that one...well ill leave it now, catch ya soon

Its been a while.....

Well, I havent posted in a while...I got a little 'lost' for a time...but now have found a new path that I want to give a go....I still have the goal of financial security, but on a more physical, personal side Ive found some areas that need an overhaul also...I need to drop around 30 kilos (mainly so I'll fit into my winter clothes...have packed on the beef since we moved to Oz), so will aim high and go for 30...wow, scary number, but do-able I think...and to do this I want to do it properly...and do it by the most healthy way I can..Not only for me but for my husband and kids...Ive been giving food alot of thought lately, how its made, packed, where its from...We'll take chicken for example..for years I always considered that the healthy meat to go to when watching my weight...but then with a little more thought I started to consider the hormones and antibiotics that chickens get given..whats that doing to me and my family...I want to take a step back..well more like 30 years...go back to how it use to be.  I was reading a "diet" plan the other day, now I read alot of these, but do it with sceptical eye..and it was talking about the food side of the plan and it made the comment about if a caveman couldnt  eat it then you shouldnt either...chicken, steak - yes, he could get that,  hamburger - NO, he couldnt...if it didnt come from the land or sea then it off the menu..Real food, not full of preservatives and colourings and other things I have no idea what they are...another good tip I heard was if you cant pronounce it, then dont eat it...I bought a treadmill the other day (was going to hire, but found this new once on special)..I have done the fitness thing before..for a year I was a real "gym bunny" went alot, and did lose weight and loved doing it...but once the whole moving thing started I lost my fitness way and once arriving here I kept going with the gaining...needless to say 14 kilos later Im alot less happy..With hubby working away I have alot more freedom with the food side of things, although I also lack the support around me constantly, so its a give and take situation. I WANT TO BE HEALTHY AND HAPPY AND I WANT THIS FOR MY FAMILY.   (and I want to fit nicer clothes). So where do I start??? I am going to start shopping smarter, reading the labels..Ideally the food I am going to by wont need lables, a banana is a banana and shouldnt contain anything else.  The meat is the hardest thing for me at the moment..will have to do some investigating on that one.. Fitness, well, time to get moving...

Aussie Day....

Our first Australia Day....had bbq at my sisters up the road..only had to take dessert, so used some brownie i had in the freezer, chopped up a few doughnuts i had in the pantry and threw on a few chocolate things i had in the fridge..Easy peasy..Was having a bit of a crap morning, kinda wished hubby would just come home(know he cant, working, but just felt that way), and 1 minute later the phone rings, and its hubby, WOW, just when I needed to hear his voice..Felt alot better after that.  The bbq was good, the kids were nearly very good..hehe, my sister even did up a new and revised budget for me on the computer..(i have no idea how to do much at all on the computer)lol, so that was good.

A very quiet day...

Had to make a trip to Coles today...in need of milk and a couple of other things...Longlife milk was on special,,$1 for a ltr. so I grabbed 3..eggs, a loaf of bread, and i indulged by buying some soft drink for myself...(love Coke Zero), and a few slices of bacon, so that I could make bacon, chicken Mac'n'Cheese tonite..the kids love it and its a great way to get veges into them...in total I spent $15.35.  So all going well, I shouldnt need any other groceries for a week or so..Didnt have the best day today...Not sure why, missing hubby maybe, or perhaps just a down day. I even tried  baking to cheer me up and cant say that helped at all.  Im sure Ill be back on form tomoro. 

Didnt do too bad...

I did end up spending...cant deny it..Was taking the kids to my friends for a visit around lunchtime, so didnt want to go completely empty handed but also didnt want to spend a great deal..Stopped off at Coles on the way there and picked up a packet of chocy doughnuts, and a packet of 18 little lamingtons and a bottle of drink. Already had a packet of Snacks in the cupboard, so too those too..My friend fried up some chips and dinsims for lunch and our offerings for after..it only cost me $5.20 so considering the kids were fed, and fed well, and had a great day playing in the pool and with friends i think it was well worth it...  So total spend for the last 3 days, $5.20.. I also have really enjoyed watching the kids playing around the area where we live...so many children these days stay inside or expect expensive entertainment to keep them occupied.  Back when we were kids, we rode our bikes, climbed trees, played with the neighbourhood kids..all things that were fun, healthy and free..Its one thing that I love to see..them riding round the park or down the road with a group of kids..playing cricket or footy at the park across the road..I think if more kids were encouraged to play in the same way the obesity in kids would not be such a problem...as you can see from the pics of my kids they are very healthy..

Back on track....yippeeeeee

Have had no-spend days the last couple since hubby went back to work...Havent even left the house.  The kids have been playing around the block with the local kids, so theyve been happy enough not to go out.  Going to friends house tomoro for lunch and visit, so should be another spend free, or a very low-spend(may take something towards lunch)make or buy, not sure yet...want to spend as little as possible, to try and make up for the starter motor...Im still a little bitter and twisted over that one.... :-(   But as they say, 'Onwards and Upwards"..."Get back on the horse" and all those other get-on-with-it sayings.  Im also currently investigating medical insurances..which is best, cheapest and will suit our family.  One thing Ive learnt on this cheap living thing is to investigate, investigate, investigate..not to rush into any deal, or purchase but shop around.

Cars....the ultimate money pit!

Have had hubby home since last wednesday,has been  nice..although we do spend more when he is home....now onto the car..its been tempermental lately, so we took it to the auto electrician today, and just got the call to say its going to be $575, for a new starter motor to be put in...arrrrrrrr..has to be done, by geeze, how do ya get ahead when faced with these little unexpected things....and thats not all that needs to be done to the car to get it running just right...over the next couple of months its going to need, tyres, brakes, cv joint replacement...its just never ending....going to have to tighten up in other areas to cover it all....on a brighter not my girls front tooth has finally broken through the gum(probably not quite in the spot its suppose to), but it has done it...its been trying for about 8 months now...she banged her mouth as toddler and killled the front tooth, about 9months ago it developed an infection and we had it pulled so there was scar tissue in the gum which made it hard for the tooth to try and come out...fingers crossed the tooth settles into where it should be, or il start saving now for braces...

relaxing day....

Looking forward to my hubby coming home tomoro evening....Had to collect and pay for the kids stationary and school fees today..ouch...other than that which was expected i didnt spend anything else...Have been pottering around the house today...windows, laundry, bathrooms, all those exciting jobs (said with sarcastic voice)hehe, Catching up with a friend tomoro, the one with the pool, so the kids are looking forward to that...will try and get the rest of the cleaning done in the afternoon before hubby gets home...So hopes are that tomoro will be a no-spend day also..I had the house sprayed by pest control on Sunday...and am pretty pleased  with the minimal number of creepies coming out to die...my sister and i got a pretty good deal for him to come and do both our houses..its the peace of mind i like...

sorting the house day....

Spent a great deal of the day sorting out the house and garage...had the plumbers come round to sort out some leaks...happy to get them fixed...all the cardboard in the garage was starting to annoy me so, finished cutting it all up,,,,,loaded the car as much as I could and found the local transferr station...I only have 2 boxes left in the garage..one full of paper and the other the rest of the cardboard...which i will get rid of in the next day or two...I always feel better when the house is in order...The garden is looking great..the owner came and planted new plants today and the lawns were done...I do love these sorts of days....And come to think of it,,,it was a no spend day too....double bonus...tomoro I am going to have to be strong...my sister is taking me to Ikea...I havent been yet and shes been dying to show me around there....I have a pest control man coming round on sunday to spray in and out...we cut a deal with him to do our house and my sisters...i cant wait, i had to deal with two big white-tail spiders today..squishy squishy..ewwwww. Will report back how i get on tomoro...

Busy, busy, busy....

What a couple of days its been...My boys birthday is this weekend, but to fit around as many people as i could, decided to have a playday at the park ...now since living in wa i can probably count on one hand how many times its really rained...But the one day i organise something outdoors, what happens??? Rain, rain and more rain...But I am very lucky that I have made some lovely friends...one offered to have it around at hers,,,the one that has the pool under cover..and my other friends that met us at the park in the rain and then moved location to my mates.....Turned out to be a great day..the kids had lots of fun..so happy about that...then today the bedroom suite that i bought arrived...i unpacked the tallboy, and the bedside tables..cardboard, and packaging everywhere...the bed was a whole nother issue,,It came in boxes ready to assemble...Now I could have waited til hubby got back from work(next wednesday),,,but really, im not that patient...So unpacked tall the bits and piece, no instructions, how hard could it be...hehehehe, long story short, did it, all by myself...YIPPEEEEE made it too with the bedding i bought and it looks great...

Now confirmed..I cant be trusted to go to the shops......

I have now come to the conclusion that if i am going to succeed at all at this low-spend challenge I am going to have to avoid all shops....I went to Kmart today to get some bedding for the new spare bed that is arriving on thursday...That is a need and I did manage to get 4 pillows, 1 set of Queen sheets, an extra 2 pillow cases, and a Queen size quilt..plus a pair of sandles for each of kids ready for school, all this for $100.00...Then went to Coles for the rest of stuff for sons party tomoro,,,have found out that more kids are coming than previously expected so wanted to make sure I had enough...plus needed a few more things for home..baking goods mainly..I was hoping to do it on the cheap, but had two hyper kids with, so lost some of my concentration...Ended up spending $100 there too...This day has just proven to me that I should stay away from shops...if im not there it doesnt worry me and i spend nothing..Probably a good time to learn this lesson, at the start of the challenge...

Singing hot, hot, hot....

Another wonderful day today....decided last night to back to my friends house(the one with the pool) after being invited that is, today....So last night I baked some choccy muffins (again, my one egg chocy cake recipe) in muffin tins...that way not going empty handed by also not having to pay out to buy any food or drink...Thus make today a NO SPEND day....the temperature today is,well im not sure of the number, but its hot....the kids and i have taken up residence inside with the fan on...Ive been reading on and off all afternoon the SS site..I get inspired everytime I read it and all the other bloggs from my fellow SS...If we can all keep ontop of blogging and posting our failures and successes, we should all be able to get through the year with great results....Unless I melt that is and with how I feel at the moment that is a definite possiblity...singing hot hot hot...olay, olay hehehe

Really enjoying the holidays......

When the holidays started knowing hubby was going to be going away, I was a little nervous...I love my children to bits, but they can be, whats the word im looking for....a handfull...So Ive been trying to find things to do to keep them busy and occupied..The Wii is great for the indoor times and have arranged playdates and picnics at parks for the outdoor time...All this on a budget.. and today was no different..this morning they had some indoor time, then went to the park across the road...I managed to do some cleaning and other household chores while they were occupied...Then i had arranged to take them to a friends house, who has a pool set up.  We had been there the other day also for a visit and swim....Not wanting to show up empty handed I was a little naughty and went to the shops and got a couple of bottles of drink and a bag of chippies for all the kids..Nice to be able to contribute considering the fun afternoon we had, all for $9.00....We had the stuffed potatoes I preped ready last nite, for dinner tonite with spaghetti and shredded chicken on top...Ive pulled out some of the appple bread i baked the other nite and some of the savoury muffins ,,ready for a picnic lunch tomoro...add a couple of choc muffins and that should do nicely,. I keep bottles of water in the fridge ready so thats the drinks taken care of too....Im a little worried, the birthday play day I have organised for my boy is now on a day that is suppose to be thunder storms.....arrrrrrrrrr will post how we get on with that one....

use it before i loose it....

I was inspired to keep going, using up those items that were hitting use-by dates...I found some apples in the pantry, found a recipe for apple bread that required milk, so that was a double bonus...then found some baby spinach leaves in the fridge, so i now have a dozen  savoury muffins in the freezer as well...and the potatoes i had left, i have cooked in microwave and am going to scoop out the middle, mix in some more of the spinach, some sauce, a little cheese and fill the skins back up...probably have them for dinner tomoro nite with a salad...and the last little bit of milk turned into a cup of tea...a freezer full of picnic goods.. yippeee