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I was up nice and early as usual this morning to do the Davina Super Body DVD – Super Sculpt with additional Super Pump section to work my upper body even harder. I love doing this DVD it still leaves me feeling like I’ve had a great workout!

I made a lovely bowl of porridge for breakfast this morning – Chocolate, Pear and hazelnut. I made up the porridge using 1/2 cup of Rude Health Porridge mix and 1 cup of water then mixed in one small chopped pear and a scoop of chocolate protein powder. I topped the porridge with another small sliced pear and a few hazelnuts.

I love chocolate and pear together, makes me think of chocolate and pear tart!

Lunch was a big bowl of leftover veggie chilli with some spinach, carrot, cucumber and beetroot salad on the side.

Loving this chilli, perfect for cold winter days. I also ate an un pictured peach.

Last night I have been thinking of what to have for my afternoon snack today and I decided to try something new out:

Peanut Butter Mousse with Black Cherry Jam

• 1 pack of mori nu silken tofu
• 2 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon of agave syrup
• 2 teaspoons of naturally sweetened black cherry jam (I use St Dalflour brand)

Blend the silken tofu, peanut butter and agave syrup together in a food processor until smooth. Pour into two containers and chill in the fridge. Top each portion with a teaspoon of the jam. Enjoy!

Please don’t be put off by the tofu, it has a neutral taste and and lovely texture plus its packed with protein. If your still not convinced you could use Greek yoghurt instead. I love it for making healthy deserts. For all the peanut lovers out there you’ve got to give this a try – I may even try making a chocolate peanut butter cup version!

After work I met up with the hubby at the supermarket. We had decided that tonight would be ‘anything goes night’. I usually try and meal plan as much as possible to save cash and reduce food waste, however what this doesn’t allow for is some spontaneity and the opportunity to raid the reduced section at the supermarket occasionally! We probably didn’t get to take full advantage as it was still fairly early but I was really disappointed there was nothing very nice at all. I ended up coming home and making a quick cheese and red onion omelette with red pepper, carrot and cucumber on the side.

Boring! For desert I had a couple of delicious frozen chocolate avocado cups with coconut and as I was still hungry I also had an old favourite – frozen raspberries with vanilla rice milk.

So disappointed there was nothing nice reduced, its typical I always see things I fancy when I’m not able to get them!

Shopping List

Since I have been on my Big Budget Challenge I’ve realised the importance of having a budget when shopping and sticking with it. I get paid tomorrow (yey!) so I’ve been thinking about the things I have on my wish list that I’d like to get this month. Only problem is that this list is pretty long and when added all up well over my set budget!

So I’ve had to do some prioritising, here’s what I’ve came up with:

Hair cut and colour

I am desperate to get my hair cut and coloured. Luckily I just colour my hair at home pretty cheaply but my hair cut is a bit more pricey. As I’ve found a good hairdresser I’d like to stick with them, they charge £40 for a cut and blow dry.

Massage

I have been dreaming about getting a massage for months! There is a salon just up the road from me which offers a full body 1 hour massage for £30. I think I’m going to treat myself.

Blender

As I discussed in this post I’ve really put a fair bit of thought into which blender to get. I’ve finally decided to get this Kenwood model. I feel that it has all the features I need, it has good reviews, and looks good. It will do me until I can afford a Vita Mix!

Slow CookerI’ve seen this very cheap model on Amazon. it has fantastic reviews and for just under £8 you can’t really go far wrong. I’ve always wanted to try one out and the hubby loves stews so this should be useful for preparing quick dinners when I’m working late over the winter.

Eye shadow

Sarah blogged about this Urban Decay eye shadow pallette and I was instantly in love. Its £27 but contains shades that are all perfect for my colouring and that I can use to create a few different looks – including my favourite smoky eyes.

Work out gear

I feel like I’m constantly buying workout gear but considering I spend a fair bit of time in it (and washing it) I can understand why. I’d like some plain black leggings and a longer line vest top plus a comfy hoody that I can wear in the gym and for my new yoga class. I could also do with a new yoga mat as my current one has bits dropping off it! I’m going to try shopping around a bit for these.

Magazine subscriptions

One thing that I’ve learned through my big budget challenge is that I just can’t help myself when it comes to magazines! As I’m always going to end up buying them I’d might as well save myself some cash and make a few subscriptions as you tend to save a fortune getting them this way instead of buying them in the shops

Clothes

I added these items to my autumn fashion wish list a few weeks ago -

Grey Knitted Pointelle Jumper £35 Topshop

Beanie £14 and hand warmers £12 Warehouse

Hand warmers are a must for iPhone users! I think I’m also going to have a look around Primarni ;-)to get a couple of fun cheap things to spruce up my wardrobe a bit.

The stuff that didn’t make the cut

It may seem like there's quite a lot of stuff there to start with (thanks to making money on ebay my monthly budget is a bit more substantial than it usually would be).

Things that are still on my wish list include a new coat and boots. As I have a couple of perfectly good coats I can’t justify a new one right now, same with the boots :-(

How do you go about prioritising purchases?

Still disappointed with my boring dinner. I think I might go and snack on an apple in a minute as I still don’t feel that satisfied! Do you ever shop from the reduced section? What's the best thing you’ve ever bough from it?