Flushed with success!

Day 11 on my latest quest to curb consumerism and - without sounding too smug - I'm pretty pleased with how it's going.

Nothing other than food and travel costs have dared to cross my payment path and, on Wednesday, I even had a little article on debt and stopping shopping in the Daily Record. So, if I feel like forking out for something un-necessary, I can dig out the article and remind myself that the advice I'm so good at passing on to other people, applies to me too.

Even Kevin seems to be embracing the 'make do and mend' mentality I'd mentioned in the article.

A couple of days ago, the part he had ordered for the fridge arrived and after a slight struggle, quite a lot of swearing and a few stray screws, he emerged triumphant, shouting "Done!", like a DIY Gordon Ramsay.

This success has triggered a trip to his wee shed to drag out the tool box and as I type, he's in the loo tinkering with our temperamental flush. I daren't pop my head round the door but from behind it, I can hear him making confident, little whistling noises and so far, there hasn't been much swearing...

Here We Go Again!

A promise is a promise and today seemed as good a day as any to give up shopping for another year.

Okay, so I knew I'd be back at work today and therefore have limited access to temptation - plus I had sated my shopping desire last week with a few purchases in the Hobbs sale -but it's still a start.

Of course, nothing ever goes smoothly in the House of Hall and last night the fridge broke. It sits sulking in the middle of the kitchen floor, while its matching freezer friend smugly purrs away in its allotted space, challenging us to find fault with its frosty fabulousness.

Kevin has come over all manly, pulled wires out and announced 'It's the thermostat', so one has been ordered and in the meantime we wait, trying to remember how different our lives were when we could 'chill' things...

Luckily, we have sub zero temperatures outside and a tiled floor in our teeny tiny porch, which is now packed with everything that needs to be kept cold until we can either get the fridge fixed or (damn, it'll involve spending) buy a new one.

Hobbs has never been happier - food at floor level meant this morning's walk was accompanied by a hefty chunk of pate which he'd managed to scoop up on his little terrier tongue on the way past.

Just don't tell Kevin. He was keeping that for his lunch...

My Halo Slipped...

My five pounds a day rule has suffered a bit of a setback.

A couple of friends’ birthdays (one was the big four-oh so a decent bottle of bubbly was required) and an emergency food shop put paid to my smugness at having kept to my budget so well over the last couple of weeks.

Most people are not familiar with the ‘emergency food shop’. Most people realise long before we do that their fridge needs a top up, but as I keep all my nail varnishes in there - it stops them going gloopy - we’re usually too dazzled by their jewelled colours twinkling in the glow of the refrigerator light to see that nothing much else is on the shelves.

I would feel a bit guiltier over my inability to stick to my promise, but I doubt even Nigella Lawson could have conjured up something edible out of the one old lime and half-eaten jar of cornichons that were lurking in the back of the fridge - although if anyone has a recipe that proves me wrong, I’d love to see it.

I know I’ve fallen off the wagon but it was just a minor tumble, so I’ve put my wallet away again and clambered back on.