Onwards and upwards

[Deleted User]

Didn’t update yesterday as I really didn’t feel up to it; something unexpected came out of the bank account yesterday which has now totally skinted us and as a consequence I have had to borrow some money off my mum, £400, to see us through until pay day next week :mad: She says she doesn’t want it back but we already owe her £2k so I have told her she will get it back half next week and half the month after and then once we are straight I can then work on the £2k we owe her.

I hate this!!!! It’s driving me insane! :mad::mad:

Next week the kids and I were supposed to be going to the local farm, it costs £15.10 for the three of us but we can’t afford to go, so we are going to have to go to the park and they can play out in the garden instead. Near to where my friend works there is a duck pond, so we could always go there as well one day.

So next week will be a NSW as much as possible, with the kids driving me nuts too no doubt :rolleyes:

Hi Jo - *waves back* Glad that I’m not the only one that overspends on groceries, a lot on here seem to be doing as well at the moment. Yes I do make as much of our own meals myself as I can which does help keep the budget down a bit.

We had the groceries delivered last night, £80 in the end so not as much as I first thought but we still need to go to Tesco’s as we need some potatoes and some cheese.

I forgot to mention, DH has been taking his lunch for the last few weeks so that's a good thing, if he keeps it up.

DH is back working at the flying club on Saturday, first time since the problems with his eye began so when he eventually gets his medical back from the CAA he’ll be able to fly again using the Tach hours he’s built up



I need to stick to my plan as I feel like I am losing my way again, so despite DS being on holiday for the next three weeks I am going to do the following:

• Reviews on Dooyoo – I know I keep saying I will do them but I end up not doing so I must sort that out.
• Surveys – not just me but DH too
• Meal plan – we have enough food in the house
• No, no, no unnecessary spending in Tesco’s
• Try and flog more carp on e-bay
• NSD as much as possible
• Walk as much as possible
• Free stuff with the kids as much as possible

We have DD’s 3rd birthday party coming up and DS has his friends 5th birthday party coming up and DH is back at the hospital for a check up on his eye and to discuss the next operation too this month.



Anyway enough rambling from me and on to today, the plan is as follows:

• Tesco’s - Done £5.47 spent
• Wash up - Done
• Hoover through - Not yet
• Throw kids out into the garden this afternoon - Too wet

That should keep us going for a while, have a good day everyone.

Jo_R_2

ROFL @ "throw kids into the garden":rotfl:

I was thinking the other day about my grocery spends increasing, and thinking about it I do know that some things have increased, in particular tinned tomatoes (I buy a lot of these as a basis for veggie meals), Linda Mac's veggie sausages (we eat loads of these), decent bread (I tend to buy branded as I find the cheaper own-branded all squidgy and icky), eggs, etc...

There are things I do insist on that do up the budget a few pounds - don't know if you're the same? - such as organic milk, organic cordial, full-fat fromage frais/yogurt for the kids (the cheaper own-brands tend to be low-fat), wholemeal pasta (slightly more pricey than white) and eco nappy bags and nappies for baby (the washables from DDs are sat gathering dust as couldn't find the time to wash and dry them with this one!)

Sorry to hear about the unexpected expense - you don't say what it is but is it okay - I mean is it for something you need - I ask because I fell foul of the automatic renewal with my contents insurance a while back and they'd hiked up the price, so I cancelled it and got most of it back minus cancellation fee?

savingholmes

Sorry to hear you had an unexpected bill - hope the kids don't drive you too insane!

PS I got the temp job I went for yesterday! Start next Thursday

[Deleted User]

Something happened last night that hasn’t happened for a while, I had a bad dream and woke up and then couldn’t get back to sleep and started thinking and worrying about money, normally I only worry about money during the day not at night, so now I am very tired as a consequence.

The unexpected bill was for RAC although we have breakdown assistance with Privilige and DH forgot to cancel it, although as I am named on the cover he reckons that I should be able to cancel it too??

I know DH gets paid next Friday which should be a bit of a comfort but it’s not because I know we are still going to be living in the overdraft.

I have been looking at the diary for next week and DS has a party to go to next Saturday, so I need to get a present and a card etc for him and apart from Thursday when we are going to the Science Museum we should have a fairly free week.

I don’t mean to sound so down in the dumps but I am really tired.

So I this is my scheme for next week:
Monday – Rain expected so indoor things to do with kids
Tuesday – Park/garden & playgroup walking as supposed to be nice
Wednesday – Biscuit making and garden playing - car will be used
Thursday – Science museum with friends and kids – bus and train used
Friday – Play-doh, colouring and garden for the kids – shopping delivery too

I have less than a quarter of a tank of petrol in the car and I am going to try and hold off using it next week unless I really need to, I think I will set myself a mini challenge and see just how long I can go before I fill the car up.

Thursday when we go to the Science Museum, the friend we are going with doesn’t drive hence the buses and train and when we get to London we are going to use buses again as it is hard with the buggies on the Underground, the kids will love it any way.

I think that I can manage a few NSD’s out of the above; I forgot to add my NSD from the other day to my signature, so I need to update that.

SH – Well done on the job, well deserved.

Have a good day/weekend everyone, I’m going to get organised.

savingholmes

hope you can cancel the RAC should be fine - esp if you are already covered thro elsewhere... You need that money back really don't you

Sorry you couldn't sleep... I am so chuffed to have got a job - but I am still trying to get a perm job so still don't feel I can relax. So much to do all the time but that is life!

Hope you enjoy the time with the kids

[Deleted User]

Monday today and a step closer to DH getting paid…it can’t come soon enough. Sorry about the weekend but I’ve put it down to PMT and being tired but it hasn’t changed my resolve to change things around here.

The weather has now changed since I last looked, it’s supposed to be nice for most of this week, only Wednesday is expected to rain which is the one day I was thinking of using the car :rolleyes:

Not only will not using the car annoy the neighbours next door but will also save me some money petrol wise. Next door like it when I go out in the car as they move their car forward so that when I do come back I end up parking across the hard-standing and have to move my car when DH gets home so he can park on there. They have the world’s smallest car but think they have a tank :mad:

Anyway I digress, on to matters at hand.




My plan for today:

• Wash up - Dishes soaking to be washed after lunch - Done
• Clean bathroom - Done
• Park with the kids - Done, walked there and back, knackered now
• Sort dinner out – Fajita’s - Chicken defrosting

My plan for this week:

• £20 spends for the week but aiming for less than that spent
• Shopping delivery on Friday
• Walk as much as possible
• NSD’s and low spend days
• Meal plan for the week - Done
• Housework

I am aiming to reign in the spending as much as possible, despite DD’s birthday coming up in a few weeks and DS’s friend’s birthday party this weekend.

Once I have done the meal plan for the week, I will put it on here.

Off to sort the kids out and get motivated.

taxi73

Sounds like a nice day down there..it's pouring down here.Hope you have a nice time at the park.Have a good day and I look forward to seeing the meal plan.

[Deleted User]

Lunchtime and well needed, the kids and I walked to the park and back ½ hour there and the same time coming back and at least the kids enjoyed themselves for an hour.

I have done my meal plan for the week based on food that we have hanging about the house:
Fajitas – Tonight
Lamb hotpot – veg from yesterday to use up and lamb in freezer
Burger in buns with chips
Peppercorn chicken, mash and peas – Peppercorn sauce to use up in cupboard
Giant filled Yorkshire pudding with mash – Got enough ingredients to make the Yorkshire and have mince in the freezer to use.

The list isn’t in any particular day order apart from the first one.

I need to ring DD’s ex-consultant to sort out the invoices he sent to the wrong insurer when he was dealing with her, this I will do once the kids are settled and quiet (she hopes).

So far spent today = Nil the fact that I only have 27p in my purse is beside the point, I just don’t want to draw any out of the bank.

As for using the car, I told DS that we are going to be walking more and more now as I cannot justify using the car and told DS that Daddy and I don’t have enough pennies at the moment to put petrol in the car all the time, I think he understood.

Have a good afternoon everyone, off to get some housework done….please don’t make me!!! :rotfl:

Jo_R_2

I too go around for days with just pennies in my wallet, I hate taking money out and I know if it's there I'm more likely to spend it; if I don't have it there I'm better at deciding I don't really need to buy whatever it is, or taking time to think about what I'm buying.

Oh bless DS for understanding about pennies for petrol. I explain to DD1 sometimes that if we buy this magazine/toy/teddy (of which she has lots!) it means we won't have that money for something else we might want more, like, say, a trip to soft play, so we have to decide which we want most, and it can only be one. She's 5 and quite good at understanding that.

Good storecupboard menu plan btw! And have you cleaned the bathroom?:D

[Deleted User]

Jo_R wrote: »

And have you cleaned the bathroom?:D

Hi Jo - It is a job that I hate along with various others in the house but I bit the bullet and it is now clean, I couldn't believe how much grime had built up over the past two weeks :eek:

I also rang DD's ex-consultant and have sorted out with him where he can send his invoices for seeing DD, so that should be all sorted now and fingers crossed we won't end up paying for them.

All I've got to do is phone RAC and canel them, but as we paid for the year on the credit card and we've paid the balance off. I'm wondering if thye'd send us a cheque for an refund rather than refund it on the credit card?? I'm going to call them tomorrow, so I've got time to think about it.