Earthgirl gets back on track!

Mortgage_Reduction_Novice

Seems like your low energy has given you some thinking and planning time... not such a bad thing after all. Best of luck.

earthgirl

Hi all,

Scan was great! The baby was really active and we got a really clear profile shot. It made it all seem real. They have moved my due date forward a few days to 1st Aug - that will fly by!

I have been working out my maternity pay and the annoying thing is that I am going to have to take the bulk of my maternity pay in the Summer hols when I am not working anyway!! Nevermind it can't be helped. I have worked out that I can take the half pay and then £123 per week and can comfortably take August till the following Easter off school. During the last 3 months I don't think I'll be able to make overpayments, so I need to save up £1,500 to pay into the home account to cover bills from Feb - March, and then if I want to keep up my OP challenge of OPing £1,000 per month, I need to find another £3,000. Plus buying the last few baby things I need, and probably the loads I have forgotten!!

Doing this spreadsheet has filled me with renewed purpose. I plan to really maximise every penny to see if I can save up £4,500, as well as doing my normal £1,000 / month ops.

So what can I do - spend less and earn more is the crux of it I guess!

Spend less
1.Try and get remaining baby items (buggy, highchair and possibly a set of reusable nappies) second hand.DONE
2.The family seem to have rallied round with loads of baby clothes, and I will look out for them again on freecycle when I know the sex.
3.I vow not to spend any more money on Maternity clothes, and just use the bands and the clothes I've got, mixed with OHs and mums clothes.ONGOING
4. Grocery. Now the hormones have settled down I am returning to sensible grocery spends of £20 / week. I need to stick to this and do more baking and home cooking to ensure I still get the vitamins and a ballanced diet without going over £20.ONGOING
5. Vouchers - I need to take the baby vouchers in my bounty pack to the baby shops and get all the freebies I can.DONE I need to keep my current vouchers (m&s £10, B&Q £10) to spend on necessities - B&Q seeds for veg. My airmiles voucher needs to be exchanged for a spa day for mum and I for her birthday.CANT DO!
6. I need to get anything that hasn't been stolen from my allotment back to my garden and hand in my notice on the allotment to avoid a fee. I need to organise my patio veg garden and start planting (Feb 1/2 term)DONE
7. I need to take my gym card back to the gym and collect my deposit.DONE

I'll try to get as much as possible of this done before the end of the month.

Earn More
1. Tutoring -I have been turning down a few tutoring clients lately who have been out of area, but I am fairly full most nights now, and two nights a week I do two sessions. I could possibly fit in another one on Monday and one Saturday morning.DONE
2. I am still keeping up with breakfast club and lunch duty, netting me about £100 / month - I'll try to keep going as long as possible.ONGOING
3. Small bsuiness work. This creates income for my OH, which will take the pressure off me. I need to commit time to this properly, every week.

Banking
1. Set up internet banking on both new accounts
2. Check up on any unsuccessful DDs that halifax didn't manage to set up.DONE
3. Get credit card fee back from halifax.DONE
4. Make feb OPDONE

Right thats plenty to be getting on with!!

setmefree2

Glas to hear the scan went well

lonelyinlondon

Hello Earthgirl

I have been reading your diary for ages and wanted to thank you-you are inspiring!

I have some things in common with you, being a pregnant teacher! Gald to hear your scan went well. Our baby is due on 24th June, so not far in front of you.

I wanted to ask for a few (actually a lot!) of pieces of advice.

Do you have any tips on motivating yourself to do schoolwork, thus freeing up time to think about/plan finances? Esp with being preggers I am finding it very hard.

Would you recommend any particular recipe book? £20 a weeks is great. I never seem to go below 50 for the 2 of us, although that might be my Waitrose habit!Which supermarket do you use? What veg will you plant in your garden to help keep costs down? Would you recommend a gardening book? We have a patio style small garden. When do i need to start planting and what?????????//

What have you been able to source cheaply or free babywise, and how? Details please!

I hope it isn't too cheeky to ask all these questions.

Top tips please! Thank you thank you!

AA

earthgirl

Hi LL,


Congratulations on your pregnancy, how far are you now?

Not sure my tips will be useful, but its good for me to think about them too!!

I try to only do school work at work. I rush around all day getting everything done, but at least I don't have to take much home! Once a half term I set each class a simple task to do so they get on with that, and I mark all the books in class so they don't come home. I try to make everything as easy as possible, with a very simple proforma day to pay lesson plan, with all the boxes for the rubbish (skills, competencies, start of objectives, success criteria etc, etc.!) filled in and I just select which one I'm using. I have a good selection of resources I know I can dip into. I always have a student teacher and make sure the bar is set high at the start to avoid problems later(!) I also try not to worry about it, and just work hard when I'm there!

Food, well I went a bit mad when I got pregnant, but now I just try to get good healthy stuff, and keep portion sizes sensible. I shop at lidl for toiletries and cleaning products, aldi topped up with asda and tesco for food. Have never tried waitrose, but the quality of aldi stuff is great, you should try it!

Recipie books, I like one by cas clarke called grub on a grant,had it since uni, its great really simple and easy to come up with cheap meals. I also liked the look of SOME of the economy gastronomy recipies and printedthem off. OS board has recipies and I just stick to the rule that NOTHING is thrown out!!

I'm not growing loads this year - salad leaves, tomatos, potatos, corguettes, strawbs.

Nothing to plant now, early pots can go in next month, and I might start my tommys off then as well. You could plant winter density lettuce now. It really does save money and as long as you keep it simple you'll be fine! Try gardeners world website for video tutorials for free!

I got loads of freecycle - stroller with raincover footmuffs etc, baby monitor, 3 bin bags of clothes, high chair (gone to my mums) cot, friends have given bath, moses basket, car seat, breast pump (not sure about this one ha ha!) and loads more. You have to go and collect the things, so look and advertise on freecycle in the hols or weekend.

Hope this helps!!

earthgirl

Hi All,

Things are going well! I have cleared the allotment of most of the stuff I need, including loads of strawbs. My FIL has given me seed pots and I have cleared a strip and got some manure from the allotment to go in there before I plant them out.

Had a lovely weekend with my frugal parents in law, and have come home with lots of recipies, jars of preserve and a pair of pjs that actually fit (how kind).

I have bought a set of reusable nappies, went for motherease in the end, and paid more that I originally estimated, but I got everything I needed from newborn to x large, second hand from ebay delivered for £96 - I think this is a good deal, as long as the baby and OH get on with them!!

I have also bought a new 3 wheeler buggy (at £80 its £30 more than I wanted, but its NEW!) It will be great for the pot holes and fields around here, and it has the foot muff, rain cover, parasol and change bag, so its re sale value should be quite good as long as I look after it!! The price for the remaining new buggies went up by £10 after I bought it, which I'm chuffed about!!)

I am going to leave the rest of the purchases to my mum (she loves charity shops!) and look on freecycle, so I might be £176 down, but thats all I've had to buy so not too bad!

Right off to make a quick leek and potato soup, leeks donated to me! and then pancakes yey!!!

evab_2

Wow you're doing loads, glad the scan went well and you are feeling better now.

My veggies are growing nicely I get so excited when I see the first shoots coming through, lots do do in March and April with the potatoes and other veg. I gonna ask for small fruit trees for my birthday in April.

Ev x

lonelyinlondon

Thanks so much for all that info EG!

I am 22 weeks preg now. Feeling good most days apart from the odd day when I am tired. I put that down to growth spurts! You are super disciplined at school-v. impressed! I am in school now and supposed to be doing some marking-but obviously not!

Will look on gardeners world website. I have that grub on a grant book from when i was at Sheffield Uni. Will have to dig it out! Will also look on freecycle. I want to buy a parent facing buggy so that is a bit limiting price wise. Trying not to fall in the bugaboo trap!

TBH it is freezing at home, that's why I am here too-how sad! Boiler has died and still waiting for Landlord to replace it. Boo!!! I rent out my flat and am trying to pay off mortgage on it. Not bought here in Bedford yet as tbh have country idyll dream and not sure Bedford is exactly where we want to be. Happy holidays!

cha97michelle

Congratulations Earthgirl on your pregnancy, and as always you amaze me with your energy and enthusiasm to achieve your goals.

I don't think i could do a quarter of what you get done in a day even without being pregnant. I always struggled to get all the school work done in a school day when i was working, although i think a good part of that was the amount of paperwork we were expected to do and having to produce resources for interactive whiteboards the whole time.

Glad to hear your news and that you are doing so welll anyway. Listen to your body and if it tells you it is ok, you won't go far wrong. Mine told me to eat lots of chocolate unfortunately, but my babies were still ok.

earthgirl

Hi all,

I've got loads done, gardening, bought all the baby stuff on the list ( buggy, nappies and high chair off freecycle) and done some tutoring and got a new customer, and I've done some small business work.

I just need to pot up some herbs and strawbs, and spread the manure on the potato bed then I'm off to my mums.

I've made my feb op of £1000, and also made an extra £1000 OP for one that I won't be able to make in Feb 2011. I might try to make another two months with £2,000 ops to cover 2011s missed OPs due to maternity leave, and then start saving!

Right off to the FREEZING garden!