New me, new diary, new positive thinking!

Lula-Hula

Hi Tea & everyone else who hangs out here ,

sorry for whingeing yesterday, Dad just busy at the moment & gets lost in what he's doing, always been rubbish at turning up on time & got worse now he doesnt have mum to tell him what & when to do.

It's good to hear you're completely pain free now & if there are free 2 yr olds available I'll have one I hope you dont have to rush back to work too soon, those early years are just so much fun & go so quickly, I find it so hard to believe that DD is now 9 - how did that happen :eek: but as she's quite small & still loves cuddles I can pretend she's still my baby .

Never ever feel guilty about chocolate consumption it's simply essential to well being & scrumptious nourishing soul food. Right I'm off to snuggle up to some dairy milk now & hoping green & blacks will be on offer somewhere soon

[Deleted User]

Hello to anyone new or old who congregates here, the more the merrier! Who knows we might get enough together for a party

What a horrible wet and grey day today, I have got playgroup once DS is at school so that’ll keep me dry for a bit. The kids and I are walking to school today despite DS complaining that it is too far, playgroup doesn’t start until 10am so by the time we have walked from school to there it will be 10am at the rate DD walks and I am taking the pushchair just incase.

DS doesn’t have to wear his uniform today to school in exchange for a gift for the tombola for the Christmas Fayre; I have managed to root something out of the cupboard and will duly hand it in

The shopping is being delivered this afternoon and I need to ring Curry’s to find out what time they are delivering the freezer tomorrow, can then start to build that up again.

My NS week hasn’t quite turned out to be so I’m hoping that next week will be much better.

Lula – No need to apologise for whinging, I would have done the same. As for DD, I will send her on the first bus or train to you this morning let me know which one’s easier for you.

Karmacat – Hope you manage to sort the detector out.

Right off to get motivated, catch you all later.

Karmacat

Aw... we all need a whinge, Lula.... I've been whinging like crazy about my headaches - which have stopped today! Tea, I haven't sorted the detector yet - I worked yesterday morning, left the house at lunchtime to do 3 mystery shops, and didn't get back till 7.30, when I needed to eat and do the inputting etc, and thats when I saw Bob's post with the link to the carbon monoxide detectors. But I'm going to send off for one today, budgetting can just go out the window if its your *life*.

Don't toddlers walk slowly! I see little families walking past my house on the way to school, and it does make me laugh sometimes, if I was walking to that pace, as the parents have to, I'd go crazy sometimes, I like to stretch out and pace.

Anyway, have a good one all, take care.

[Deleted User]

Hi Karmacat glad that the headaches have stopped...it must be all that wine

Walking to school I ended up putting DD in the pushchair as we were going to be late, it was the same on the way back from playgroup to get DS. I don't mind her walking slow but she stops dead every ten seconds to let people pass her that are miles away from where we happen to be!

[Deleted User]

I have been doing some thinking and there is one week left until DH gets paid, currently the kids and I are using £120 a month or £30 per week for things like soft play, playgroups and buying extras forgotten when the shopping has been ordered. I have also realised that I need to set a strict limit on what I buy with the shopping each week.

What I plan for this coming month is on the 15th I will draw out from the bank £120 and each week I will only take out £30 from that money, at the end of each week I will note down how much I have left and will reduce it by that amount the following month; any change goes in the pot.

I am aiming to get it down to £80 a month which to me is a bit more reasonable.

Today would have been a NSD however I had DD’s Christmas party to pay for which was £2.50 but at least it is out of the way.

Once the freezer arrives tomorrow I can also build it up again with meat for the month, which was working out well.

[Deleted User]

It’s another week again, don’t they come by quickly???

DS’s school newsletter is asking for money for the school fund this week, they want £5 per family. Looking through the whole newsletter it is all money wanted for this, that or the other! Unfortunately this is not something we can give as currently we don’t have it spare and not only that surely the school should be asking for more money from the government and not parents

Anyway whinge over and on today.

Today is going to be my first NSD of the month and I am hoping that there will be some more as I need to get a grip on it…besides I want to hit my target and get a trophy

I won’t do my weekly update on the money making side of things as I haven’t done any cashback clicks this past week however I do plan to get some done this week :rolleyes:

The good news is that the freezer arrived and I am currently in the process of filling it up again; DH took DS to Tesco’s to get the meat for the month and some bread and that has duly gone in. It will take me a while but I will have it back to what it was.

Right, must go and dress the darlings and have some more tea.

Have a good day everyone xx

hypno06

I'm with you on the school "contributions" - DS needs £10 for DT equipment....there is always something, isn't there!

Good luck with the NSD today - I think I have managed one this month, which really comes under the heading "could try harder".....

Karmacat

Doesn't time rush by! I'm with you on the school contributions - I understand why the schools ask sometimes, but as you say its constant, thats not okay. Great to get the new freezer stocked up tho, what a good idea. And on the cutting down the weekly money. I take out so much a week, often put most of it into a cash fun I have laid by, but sometimes, like this week, it all goes - mystery shopping expenses, food, a haircut, stamps, the odd bar of choccie. A pound to the poppy fund.

Had my tea, off to get my brekkie. See you later!

[Deleted User]

Just a quick update.

I have done the shopping online and have saved £10.19 in deals and delivery this has been transferred over to the savings account for the next big installment to SiL

I also forgot to mention that both DH & I have had the first e-mail from FSCS regarding Icesave and are waiting for the second one to come through so that we can get it all started and hopefully get the money back in time for Christmas.

I plan to put the 'frozen' Christmas money in the savings account as an over payment to SiL just in time for the new year once we have it back again

Right off to sort DH's and the kids dinners out.

Oh and I also forgot today has been my first NSD of the month

Catch you later.

Lula-Hula

Hi Tea,

that's great news about icesave, you must be so relieved . sorry to say but the school contributions just get worse. DD's school asks for £30 a year from each parent + all the activities like mexican week £5. Christmas Fayre's the worst; we have to fill a bag with sweets, send in a contribution & then go & buy stuff we dont want :mad: .

Your spending plan sounds good. I've really found it helps to have a fixed budget. I started the grocery challenge a few months ago & couldnt get my spending below £50 a week so withdrew but in the last 3 weeks I've managed to spend about £35 each week. It's all about mindset & it is quite satisfying to find a cheap alternative that is as good as the branded product.

Keep up the good work & enjoy filling your new freezer

lula