There’s nothing quite like running a small business to truly understand the value of 101 Ways To Cook Mince or its second edition Toasties Toasties Are Nutritious.

It’s either feast or famine in our house. And we are in the in-between stage. The stage when you check the bank account a little obsessively waiting for bills to be paid. The stage you know you’re owed money, but it’s sitting in an accountant’s To Do tray.

Meal planning becomes paramount, holidays become wishful thinking and internet shopping becomes internet browsing. I like to put things in the “basket” and then empty it before moving onto my next online store. Somehow it makes me feel like I’ve actually purchased stuff. It just never arrives, which doesn’t usually bother me, because in most cases I’ve forgotten my imaginary purchases by then anyway. And for the kids, there’s always Ikea for a fun and cheap day out. Those 20c ice-cream cones are a big hit, so is the free ball pit. Easy peasy.

What do you do to stretch out your cash in the lean times? Have you got any good mince recipes?

bigwords x