Fighting My Inner Demons - Day 1

It's really hard to know where to start with this one, I know what I want to say but the words won't come. 

For as long as I can remember and I can see a pattern for sure, I have dealt with stress and issues with alcohol. It is not something I like about myself and it is not something my kids like about me. I also know I can't stop at 1 beer, I drink them all. I need to stop and break this pattern. I have always had HUGE self esteem and self confidence issues and also need to address this. 

A couple of years ago I started using Calorie King Australia and managed to stop drinking and lose some weight in about 8 weeks. I then went on a holiday to Queensland and all the good work went out the window. Now I find myself at 105kg and drinking too much again (a 6pack of beer at least every 1 - 2 nights), It is making me miserable and tired all the time and I know that is probably where my "get up and go has gone". 

So instead of writing a huge post I will leave it at that and list my goals to a new and healthier me:

1. Restart on Calorie King Australia ( I know it work but have to stick with it). If you are a member of Calorie King Australia this is a link to my food diary which will help to keep me accountable. Sarah's Food Diary
2. Stop the Beer (easier said than done but I will do it) 
3. I WILL start exercising again using my heart rate monitor, I just brought some new rechargable batteries for the WiiFit board. 

I think that is enough goals for today. 

I have a big bottle of Mimi's iced tea concentrate found in the simple savings newsletter here,  which I really like and I have that with some ice and soda water, sometimes a handful of frozen berries, This helps a bit with the alcohol, sometimes I think I am just dehydrated and take that as wanting a beer, I will make a drink of this instead from now on. Not sure the best way too add it in my food diary though. 

I am also going to start listening to my (weird I know) hypnosis and subliminal message mp3's on my iPod again. I think these were really helping. 

I am sure there is more I should write but just can't really think of it right now. I also just remembered I need a new battery for my food scales so will "guesstimate" my food on calorie king until I get to town and get a new one. 

xoxox Sarah

A Nice "Weekend Away"

This morning I realized that the school holidays are nearly over:) Yay all round BUT the kids have been really good and I have mostly worked. What with cleaning short stay accommodation and working in the kitchen at the tavern, they have spent most of the nearly 3 weeks at home with lots of looking after Damon included for the older 2. 
So I decided today that we are going away for a couple of nights, Monday and Tuesday are my weekend. I have booked us a cabin at a caravan park in Bunbury, so we can catch up with friends but are out of their hair at night and we can have some nice (I hope) family time:) 
I have just gotten home from working most of the day and am looking around at all I have to do before I go. Not much cleaning but I cooked up a heap of meals yesterday which must go in the freezer and there is packing. Lucky for us we don't have to leave until lunch time tomorrow:) 
Damon will only pack toys as per normal. I had to sneak some clothes in for him last time we went away. 
Josh never packs much and well Heidi will pack everything she owns plus some I think:) 


I know I am trying to save money but I think this is definately going to be a sanity saver for me, sick of being stuck at home and working all the time. 
On the plus side I am going to take lots of food with us so I don't have to buy much and hopefully it doesn't rain and we can go to lots of parks:) 


So hopefully it's great and the kids continue to be good:) 


xoxoxo Sarah

The Toilet Ate My......

This morning was running smoothly until Damon(3.5ish) went to do a wee. 

I was happily drinking my coffee and heard the toilet flush. What's so strange about that I hear you thinking.... 

The next thing I know and Damon is crying like his little heart has broken. I went running to see what had happened and he had picked up his Shorts and Jock off the floor and in fell the jocks. 

Poor Kid almost couldn't tell me the story he was crying so hard. Needless to say he couldn't "catch" them and the toilet ate his Jocks. 

It was so hard not to laugh. Heidi and Josh were having a good giggle to themselves and poor Damon just couldn't see the funny side of it:( 

I am still having a giggle. Great one for his 18th I think:) 

Have a great weekend xoxo

Potato and Pumpkin Bake

This afternoon has me in a bit of a "What to make for Dinner" funk, I should have gone shopping today also. I have put it off had a huge nap with Damon, I now have to be at work in 1.5 hours and now find myself stuck for ideas, really wanting a potato bake but have no cream or eggs. So I made one with some condensed mushroom soup out of the cupboard. 

Here is what I made: 

Potato and Pumpkin Bake

Ingredients (approximate, use what you have): 

3 medium potatoes

1/4 butternut Pumpkin (the seedy end)

1/4 - 1/2 Spanish Onion

1 Tin Campbells Mushroom Soup

Tasty Cheese grated (not sure how much I grated it as needed for each layer)

1/2 tin of milk

1 - 2T Cornflour

Parmesan Cheese, shaved 

Salt and pepper to taste. 

The making:

1. I used my mandolin type slicer it's one of those ones off the t.v. and sliced as I went so I wouldn't have and left over bits of vegies. I did them quite thin I think on number 2.
2. I also grated the cheese for each layer and the parmesan only went on top. 
3. Using my small square baking dish I layered potato, pumpkin and spanish onion.
4. I added a little salt and pepper and spread 1/3 of the tin of soup.
5. Grate some cheese and sprinkle on top of the soup. 
6. Then I repeated the above steps until I ran out of pumpkin. I did 3 layers. 
7. The top has the final bit of soup some more tasty cheese and a sprinkle (handful) of shredded parmesan.
8. I then half filled the soup tin with milk and added a bit of cornflour to hopefully thicken it a bit, and poured this over the top. 
9. Into the microwave for 2 bursts of 10 minutes on 80% power. 
10. Into the oven until brown on top and ENJOY:) 

All Plated Up with freezer fried rice and
random frozen vegies I found in the freezer:) 

Chicken, Mushroom and Chorizo Risotto

So tonight I made a yummy risotto. I had grand plans to take some pictures and put them up but of course my memory card in the camera won't work and the phone is taking blurry pictures:( 

So here it is and the best pics I have. I loosely base it on the recipe on the back of the Rivianna Aborio Rice packet. 

Chicken, Mushroom and Chorizo Risotto. 

I don't have the exact measurements but here goes:

2T Olive Oil

2T butter

1 large onion finely chopped

1/2  chorizo thinly sliced (mine was out of the freezer)

400g chopped chicken (freezer again) 

I think it was about 2 and a half cups of chopped mushrooms

a cup or so of white wine 

2 cups Aborio Rice

1- 1.5L chicken or Vegie stock (mine was out of the freezer)

1cup peas 

1/2 cup corn 

Parmesan cheese and knob butter to finish

So to make it :

1. Heat the stock 
2.  Melt the butter and oil, add the onion and chorizo with a touch of salt and pepper over a low to medium heat. Put the lid on and turn to low. I like to let this do it's thing for about 5 mins but I stir it every minute at least to stop it sticking.
3. Add the rice and stir for a minute making sure all the grains are nicely coated and kind of opaque.
4. Add the white wine to deglaze the pan and start the next 20 mins of stirring. 
5. When the wine is absorbed I start adding the stock 1cup at a time. 
6. After the first cup stock add the mushrooms and don't stop stirring:) 
7. When the stock is absorbed add the next cup and keep stirring, my arm gets sore in the middle:) lol
8. When there are only 1 - 2 cups of stock left I add the chopped chicken, peas and corn. 
9. When all the stock is added I put in the Parmesan and butter, give it a good stir and pop the lid on for a few minutes to make it super creamy:) 

The YUMMY finished product even the chicken hating 16 year old and 3 year old like:) 

Poor Heidi ate the bits of chicken thinking I would make her eat them but I normally pick them out of her finished meals:)

My Current Budget

This week has me thinking really hard about money and bills and things. ( credit card is going down but it feels like this week has gone so slowly and nothing seems to be moving along)

I have written out and re-jiggeed my budget. I had about $20.00/week I didn't need to be going into my bill account.

I am on a single parents pension and I get:

$644.00 Pension week and
 $756.57 Ftb Week. (first payment of this amount as Heidi has only been living here a few weeks.)

I also work in the local pub kitchen generally Wed - Sun lunch and dinners depending on how many people out out to dinner and I clean a holiday/short stay accommodation house - sporadic but busy over Easter.

I haven't added any child support to these amounts as I am not sure of the exact amounts and mostly use it as schooling and clothes/haircuts etc for the kids. They go into dedicated bank accounts with the kids names on them in my net-bank.

Not including fuel and food my current fortnightly bills are : $1342.20

I report my earnings to centrelink every fortnight and am paid fortnightly to make this easier and I am not spending it all before bills come out.
I also have to make sure after reporting my earnings to centrelink each fortnight and them telling me what I will get that there is: $681.10 on reporting week for the bills to come out with my other work pay going in.

So my current weekly budget is:

Rent: $150.00
Water: $6.50 (just had a bill for 111.00 this week)
Heidi Schooling: $10.00
Josh Schooling:$10.00
Rego:$14.60 (will go down to 8.00 at start of July as I didn't start putting away money until after christmas)
Roadside Assistance: $8.00 (will go down to $4.50 at start of May as I didn't start putting money away until after christmas )
Gas Bottle: $12.00
Credit Card: $300.00 (should be paid off in 16 weeks then $0.00 payments) I can easily change this amount if and when needed if I am having a really tight week.
Savings: $30.00 (only started this week properly after playing with budget)
Direct Debits: $140.00 this includes: ( I think I have it right @139.40/week so hopefully everything is sorted)
Power: $20.00
Phone: $20.00
Daycare: $38.68
Internet: $25.00
Foxtel: $11.25 
Health Insurance: $24.75

I am not sure how much my fuel is I think t is about $80.00 a fortnight as I am not driving to town as often.
Food I spend about $100.00 - $150.00 but I have a lot of meals in my freezer and am only topping up.
As soon as the credit card is paid I can then start directing those funds into savings and food.

Any excess money is moved into my EF/savings account once a month or so. I did this yesterday with all of my accounts and I had a lot of money just sitting around so my EF/savings account now sits at:

$177.86 I also use this for fuel if needed.

I haven't brought anything off the internet since March and for me that's a big one.  I think I have $40.00ish in my Paypal account so if I buy anything it can come out of that.

A Little About Me

We are a tiny 2 Bedroom house with 1A and 3 kids. 
I have 2 boys, Josh 13 and Damon 3.5, My niece Heidi 16 has recently come to live with us and I thought it would be a great time to start a blog about our journey together. 


It has definitely had it's ups and downs but we will figure it all out as time goes by:) 
I am trying a lot of new things and re incorporating many things I learnt and stopped using to save money and time. 
Like the whole unplugging of appliances or filling a thermos in the morning and using that for hot water during the day, I have been using it the next day too but not sure if I am saving money by heating it in the microwave:) 


Cooking from scratch is something I tend to do but I need to remember what I have in the fridge/freezer and use it before it gets gross and goes in the bin. 
I have been cooking in bulk and freezing last month was the first time in ages but it makes everything much easier. 


I have recently started a garden and I have some vegies in boxes and pots on my patio. I haven't harvested much yet a couple of herbs and the most successful basil I have the man next door gave me BUT I haven't killed it yet so yay me:) 


I am not sure what to write about the kids right now but will think on it or just get them to do a little post about themselves in the coming weeks. I can already see what Damon would write: 
fkldsgfklbgdfjkr eiofndf. 


I have a budget that I really have to stick to and I think I will copy and paste it into my next post and see how it changes over time. 


I am really excited about this :) 


There will be so many subjects to cover that my mind boggles but I hope you enjoy it as much as I will:) 


xoxo Sarah