My rags to riches, weight loss, yummy mummy stuff and 'owt else i can think of diary!

mummy2mygirls

go find it quick!! you are so positive normally and im sure you will be back to your normal self very soon xxxx

sorry to hear your finding it hard at the moe x

natsplatnat

Hi Rags!! You are doing soooo well - don't lose heart!

I think that sometimes as you feel you are doing well (and I don't mean just you, but you generally) your expectations rise and you want to get to the end goal even quicker! But you are doing superbly well so take 5 mins to sit back with a cuppa and remember how far you've come already!

Nats x

ragstoricheswannabe

right, have got 2 payment holidays so dont have to pay our mortgage for oct and nov. this will let us pay off the egg1 card and some off the egg2 card and hopefully break the more month than money cycle.

spoke to my mate yesterday (who knows my money situation) and they only spend £150 a month on groceries and there are 2 adults, 1 baby same age as ds2 and a dog!!!!!!! just shows i have some way to go as were spending £250ish a month and only have 1 more child!!!!! think i spend way too much on fresh stuff like fruit which we waste. might downsize my friut bowl as ours is huge and looks awful when empty. also feel i need to buy lots of different types of fruit which am starting to see is silly. slowly getting there.

other than that its a case of living within our means and stopping my OH from buying blumming coffee. am sick of this figt now. he agrees but then carries on regardless.

any other hints or tips for me????

Jo_R_2

I know how you feel re: the shopping. We spend between £200-£240 which includes cleaning stuff and generic toiletries (anything 'special' LOL we buy out of our own money.)

I also buy loads of fruit but the kids (DDs aged 5 and 3) always get through it all, and having to buy a teeny bit more now baby's started weaning, and OH has fruit in his pack up as well. I vary it slightly each week so kids getting a variety of nutrients. I tend to go for what's on offer or cheap.

I find buying meat has upped the budget (OH only one who eats meat.) Don't know about you but I get torn between watching pennies and not wanting to buy c*appy cheap meat (and cheap other stuff too) so some things I have to spend a little more on so kinda accept this is why my shopping bills are slightly higher than they might be, I buy organic milk, free range eggs, 'natural' cordials (no sweeteners - hate them!) and buy branded yogurts/fromage frais as the cheap ones are invariably low fat which I don't want whilst kids so young.

Conversely I'll buy cheap low-fat yogurts for me and OH, cheap multipack choc bars/biscuits for OH's pack up, big bags of white pasta, bread on offer or own brand, and own brand loo rolls and kitchen towel. OH and DD1 know they won't be getting anything fancy in their pack ups - I curse the makers of Babybel/cheesestrings/dairylea dunkers - I NEVER buy these much to DD1's annoyance! - and never buy the multipack cartons or bottles of juice for DDs. We don't really "do" desserts very often unless I get a cheap fruit pie or make a crumble with packet or tinned custard, usually it's fruit or a yogurt, or sometimes I'll buy a 2litre tub of ice cream and ration scoops LOL - or buy cones then they have even less!

I always do a shopping list and rough meal planner as I feel lost without them! Not sure if that's any help... can you see any areas where you can cut down?

ragstoricheswannabe

Had a loooooooooong bath last night which relaxed me and gave me time on my own (no kids, fella or owt else needing me constantly) and i had a right good think.

We are still sailing close to the overdraft limit but we have been in worse states than this before and survived so can sort it out once again. Will just need us to be controlled with our spending including our groceries. OH has been quite good this week and not spent anything so no reciepts apart from my glasses. Will be going shopping tomorrow so will hopefully reign in my spending there (have just thrown out more fruit thats past its best. my eyes have been well and truley opened. must think of what we need, not what i think we might eat at some point.

the loan has gone out today and also the overtime money OH got for working sun has gone out today so paid a bit off today which helps the positive thinking/motivation. Updated my sig, i really need to remember to keep looking at it as i think i have done pretty well in what ive paid off this year (not counting the fact that i have also added to it lots this year)

Will have to spend money today as the new car had a flat tyre yesterday and was coming off the rim:eek: luckily a nice man was passing at the time and works in the tyre place in town so kindly changed the wheel to the spare one for me!!!! So OH buying a new tyre today and getting it sorted.

Was planning on listing some things on ebay last night but had a good 2 hours in the bath instead so that is still to do. done my free scartcheez this morning, 10p on each. one is at £8 now and the other is at £6 so might be able to withdraw it next month?????

right off to get ready for work,
hope your all ok?
love rags
xxxxxxx

mummy2mygirls

Glad you are a little more positive today, i nice long relax is always good and i wouldnt feel bad about the ebay as its better to have some 'me' time sometimes.
You have done great this year with how much you have paid back and you might have had to add to the debt but its not been on anything wasted or just to see you through the mth etc, it has been on things that will save you money in the long run car/doors.......
lucky the man was there to save the day i would have no idea how to change a tyre

Pips_Mum

Oh no, do you think the tyre wasnt right when you picked it up? Might be worth checking with the garage/tyre place?

I love a bath (interuption free!) best place for some thinking x x

ragstoricheswannabe

The car is a sporty car and runs on low profile tyres which i have since found out are prone to this if you dont go easy over speed bumps and pot holes..................

Well spent £81 on groceries this week, but before i gasp i have got 2 boxes of nappies and 8 packs of wipes included and some reduced bread in the freezer for emergancies so will save in the long run. Also had a birthday party yesterday so there was a card and pressie to buy in that as well.

Payday on thurs so more will be paid off then. OH is doing some more overtime today so will be more to throw at the egg card. Have worked out that the egg1 card will be paid off next month with the money that should of been going to the mortgage with some possibly to pay off the egg2 card also. this will give us a huge motivational boost as its been too long since i have cleared any debts as they have all been big. then the £100 a month we were paying to the egg1 card will go to the egg2 card so will be paying off £150 a month to the gg2 card so this should start to come down a little faster. (that is a bit of a paragraph but feels better to gt it out of my head and onto paper, as such)

I am very proud of us last night. we put the kids to bed and were trying to decide what to have for our tea (we usually eat after the kids on a sat and have something "grown up" together) and neither of us could be bothered to cook. usually we would hit the take away without thinking but resorted to one of my pre cooked "take away" meals that we just bunged into the oven from the freezer!!!!!! saving over a tenner!!!!:D:D:D well chuffed!!!!!!!!

really not happy in my job and finding the manager so unsupportive since going back after having ds2. she seems to forget i have kids and that my family come first. this feeling has been growing for a while now. but have a chance to get out and do something totally different from nursing. my mum is the manager of a cafe and the second cheffy/cook type person is due to retire. i would be guarenteed the job but its £200 less a month in the "winter" season and the hours are 8-5 five days a week. in the "summer" season i would be better off as the hours change to 8-7 and will still be over 5 days a week. my days would be set so would be reducing my childcare by a day. really trying to weigh up the pros and cons. would be off less days but would see more of the kids and would be able to give them tea and put them to bed every night but its the hours over the summer that is getting to me. always said that i would try and go back to work more hours when ds2 was over 1....................but is the grass always greener on th eother side?????????

ragstoricheswannabe

Had a good think bout the whole job thing and have decided not to go work with my mum and after talking to some mates have decided to look into midwifery!!!!! i know its along the same lines as nursing but its what i really wanted to do when i went into nursing (was advised it best to do nursing then "top up" after) and feel that after 2 miscarriages and 2 babies have plenty of experience now to be a good midwife. always said i would want my own babies before i did it as cant empathise or understand fully untill you have been in the other persons shoes.

It means studying for 18 months or so and prob not guarenteed a job at the end of it. can always defer for a year (if its the same as nursing where you can chose what intake to do) so ds2 is a little older. Think the only thing i will struggle with is childcare so will have to speak to my childminder first. She has been really supportive with everything else so hoping the idea of havimg the boys earlier isnt too much of a problem.

Money hopefully wont be too much of a problem as im sure that its paid on a grade D/band 5 wage but again will have to check.

mummy2mygirls

i would love to be a midwife!!!
hope you are able to do it and the studying all fits in with the childcare etc... i bet you would be a great midwife!! x