366 Day Penny Challenge: 300 days update

The trouble with writing scheduled blog posts is that you never really know what will happen in the mean time.
I had started to write this post on Monday 17th October, all ready to be scheduled and posted live today - 26th October, but I've got good news and bad news.

The good news is pretty much what I had written in the next paragraph.

We are getting so near to the end of the year and to the end of the challenge, I must admit I have really enjoyed doing it. If you can remember from my last post I said I had fallen behind with making payments into my 366 Day Penny Challenge jar, but I have made it up and am well on target to saving £671.61.

After a quick tot up, I now have the grand total of £451.50

The bad news is that since writing this post last week, my poor car had a rather nasty malfunction. The power steering went, and of course being my car it wasn't going to be a simple quick fix, oh no, it's always the worst case scenario where I'm concerned. The whole steering rack needed to be replaced, luckily my garage did get it fixed and back on the same road within a day, but I've had to use my saved up money to cover the cost.

So my 366 Day Penny Challenge jar is now looking sadly empty, however there are still 66 days left till the end of the year, and I will continue to save as I have been doing, so I reckon I should still have a good saving by the new year.

How are you all getting on? Are you still saving or have you decided you couldn't be bothered anymore and already spent the money? Or have you had to use it for an emergency like me? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.

#MealPlanningMonday - 24th October 2016

The nights are drawing in and there's definitely an Autumn chill in the air, so I think it's time to start making hearty stews, cottage and shepherds pies, broth and dumplings, toad in the hole and all those sorts of comfort foods.

I actually like this time of year for food and cooking, mainly because I can chuck everything in my slow cooker and leave it. It's also a good time to get Squiggle to eat different things because I can hide them in a stew and he never notices.

So this week, we shall be having

• My mince & mash - I usually chuck whatever veggies I have, (usually a carrot, parsnip and some onion) in the pot and slow cook with the mince all day, add some gravy granules towards the end and hey presto.
• Fish fingers, mash and beans
• pizza
• spaghetti on toast
• chicken & butternut squash risotto

Not sure what I'm going to do next week as it's half term and Squiggle is off to his dad for the week, I may try and freeze a portion of what I make this week and then I can just zap it in the microwave. 

Hope you all have a great week,

Thanks for reading.