January blues

I think I, like most people am experiencing the post-Christmas January blues. You know the feeling when payday seems sooo far away, and there's less going into your savings at the end of the month because of the festive period.

Rather than getting on with it like I have been doing for the last year and enjoying the little things I keep getting preoccupied with buying stuff, stuff I don't really need and that I know won't make me happy. Stuff like Kindles and touch screen e-readers, iPads and getting my hair cut and coloured even though I only had it cut in late December. It's not that I'm feeling particularly unhappy as such, it just seems that because of buying the computer which ate up £440.00 and having to pay out for some of my annual season ticket (just over a couple of hundred) and the BF still owes me £200 it kind of seems at the back of my mind its like to hell with it this month, in for a dollar in for a pound.

Then Miss Sensible comes along and explains that its silly to think like that, and once the £200 is repaid to me, I get my season ticket loan from work and my sister gives me cash for my vouchers things will probably be ok and I can stash away a couple of hundred into the ISA at the end of the month- eeking me nearer to a total of £7,000. Not a huge sum of money but I'm kind of pleased that its making progress, slowly but surely.

Whats making me feel a bit better is that most people seem to be in the same boat with many of my co-workers discussing plans for the weekend involving nothing too exciting, complaining that they're broke. Last night one of my best friends came over and I cooked home made nachos with cheese and salsa to start and then home made, from scratch chicken and sweetcorn pizza. We chatted on the sofa eating away, and even though my dough didn't rise for some reason, making the pizza extra thin and crispy we ended up feeling sleepy, stuffed and happy.

Today I had plans to get up bright and early to go to a Zumba class at my gym, but yesterday I forgot to book and it was full at 8am this morning. Instead, I started a lethally addictive game of Simms 3 (borrowed) which I sat glued to for the whole morning. I forced myself to switch it off as the bedroom needed sorting out, and other house bits needed doing.

When everything was done I made another big batch of soup, which made five portions. Considering the whole bag of carrots cost 75p I think that's pretty good going.  All I needed extra was a couple of sweet potatoes, a stock cube, half an onion and one roasted pepper (from the jars). So that's lunch sorted for the next week. I also picked up some pretty good bargains (I think anyways) in the Sainsburys local opposite my work. The big Christmas boxes of Jacobs crackers were reduced to £1.20 so I bought two, the carrots, four or five apples which were pretty nice for £1 and a six pack of McCoys crisps a snip at 94p.

At the moment I feel a bit like that fish from the Disney film Finding Nemo who is told 'just keep swimming... just keep swimming..just keep swimming...' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmyUkm2qlhA

If anyone else feels the same feel free to let me know.....xx

Welcome 2012

Last night I spent the evening working in the pub where I used to work when I was a student a couple of years back and where my BF still works and our two housemates and friends drink. After making the decision to swerve the 02 Islington with its £25.00 entry fee, expensive drinks and endless waits for night buses home I was told the bar was short staffed for NYE and asked could I help out if possible. I figured that I would only be on the other side of the bar come midnight if I turned the offer down anyways, and the BF was working as well as his cousin and one of our close friends.

The evening started off fine, then as 10pm approached people started to get drunker and more annoyingly rude, one of the staff members who was working had a particularly bad personal hygiene problem and I was hungry! However, disappearing for half an hour to tuck into some homemade soup (1KG carrots a snip at £1-Asda made five jars of soup, four of which are tucked away in the freezer) and a chunk of homemade bread (I was lucky enough to be given a bread maker for Christmas :)) a few deep breaths and peace and quiet I returned to the bar much calmer. That and most of the clientele had left for the evening leaving just the regulars and our friends at the bar. We shut about ten to midnight, had a few glasses of (free) champers to see in the new year and then returned to work for 45 mins. We cleaned up and were finished at about 2am when we all sat down and had another free drink.

 Though it was hard work at some points (why do people feel the need to speak to bar staff like they are stupid when they're actually in the wrong I don't know, and I don't know how people have the patience to deal with them full time- it certainly makes me appreciate my job) I think it was worth it, I didn't spend a penny and people were flinging cash around left right and centre last night, I have no hangover today and even earned a little extra cash too.

Today I plan on going for a little relaxing swim and steam room session, and then will be trying to make my own sweet and sour sauce seeing as I have most of the ingredients in the cupboard (note to self, buy white vinegar) with king prawns, vegetables which need using and rice and making the most of my time off before going back to the grindstone on Tuesday.