MSE Pregnancy Club XI

mookiandco

mountainlioness wrote: »

£500 each!!! Wow! That is major shopping!

Sadly, it is quite often stuff we really dont need. Things like weird pasta bowls, leather wallets and handbags, antique jewellery, clothes that we will never wear etc. Alot of it ends up on ebay or being given to others. I try to tell her we would prefer the money or get us practical things like towels or sheets but I'm afraid it falls on deaf ears!!

money_maker_3

me my mum and sister all spend £20 on each other and we now only buy MIL and FIL (£20) and our niece and nephews. Once all of OHs sisters had a kid, we stopped buying each other. Kids are limited to £15 (bar last year when my sis finally had her wee boy and I went a bit mad and spent £45 !!)

Jasmine in total from us and santa gets £100, but was more last year as mum and dad bought the DS from santa, but I still only spent £100 !!

She will have to get less this year as you cant get the baby nothing as she will want to know why !!

elle_gee

OH has gone through to watch Rhys be taken off his ventilator.. I don't wanna see

Need to go down to thw hospital shop later for a "happy birthday Grandad" card for my dad from Rhys as it's his birthday tomorrow. They have a lovely selection of cards and little gifts - I'm amazed! Think I'll be excused from presents this year?

Was just saying to Oh how money-saving this hospital stay is. No food or petrol bills! Not even costing anything in nappies or cotton wool balls cos the hospital insist we use their supplies.

Searching, what sort of job is your OH after? Just thought the Christmas retail jobs will be advertised in September which isn't all that long away.. My mum used to change jobs all the time (bored easily!) and used to go to a job fair type thing at the Job Centre each September and get a new job for Christmas. She worked in H Samuel, Peacocks and BHS and got offered a job at Argos through those job fairs. Supermarkets too will probably increase their staff levels even despite the "credit crunch"..

mountainlioness

Everything crossed for Rhys

Re: xmas jobs - I worked at Royal Mail at xmas, which paid well. I think you had a choice of evening (sorting mail) or morning (delivery) so it was quite compatible with other jobs. I ended up staying on part-time while I studied as the hours and pay were good (relative to most p-t jobs)

Triggles

Sami - I'm not sure - I'm doing regular NI contributions, but not with a small earnings certificate. DH & I talked about it and went that way with it, as it means I'll get the full £123 per week for MA, as opposed to the lower rate. I may be looking at going with the small earnings certificate once I'm back to my self-employed work after my "maternity leave". I did put in my info online for the regular contributions (I think it's about £32 per quarter), so I would think you could do the same for the small earnings certificate.

money_maker_3

good luck vibes to Rhys !!!

money_maker_3

oohhh When did I get my 4th star ?????

Sami_Bee

SM - how far are you from the centre? would mystery shopping work for OH?
Did ur work take on anyone to cover ur maternity? they should have done a swap, you for Philip :rotfl:

Sami_Bee

money_maker wrote: »

oohhh When did I get my 4th star ?????

about 97 posts ago

Thanks triggles I think I can get the full MA as I met the threshold for 13 weeks while I was working pt but I'm not sure, I was supposed to sort all this months ago

SM -! My auntie whos not really my autie works at the sorting office in sheff but I don't think royal mail would take many on they've been cutting jobs every year for a while now:rolleyes:

workinmummy

Hi just checking in.

Elle -so happy for you that Rhys seems to be responding and you got to see his beautiful eyes.

Not much to report. Weekend of cleaning and ironing, food shopping, visits to the park with DS and his usual Sunday morning football training.
Picked up the moses basket plus stand and bouncer i won on ebay. Fab bargains in great condition. Even snobby OH was impressed. Seller was lovely and even threw in a matching cot mobile and uplighter.

Have checked my list of baby stuff to buy, only large things left are cotbed mattress and 2 safety gates (have 2 dogs, one to keep them out of the living room and one to keep then off the stairs). Rest is stocking up on nappies, wipes and some newborn vest and babygrows. Yay for me. :T Amazing how it all mounts up with just a few purchases a month.

Really need a skip to clear out the junk in the two spare rooms, then we can decide which will be the babies room, this will then need painting and a blackout blind and curtains. Leaving this to OH. As i can't stand to be in the same room as him, when hes doing DIY, because its always accompanied by lots of swearing and muttering and if anything goes wrong then its usually my fault.:rolleyes:

He has also spoken to the occupational health at work, and is being allowed to return to work at reduced hours for as long as he needs after his recent colitis episode. Which is good, because i really don't think that sitting at home all day does him any good. (or our finances, if i'm being honest). Just hope he can cope at work, with the side-effects of the steroids and pain killers he is taking.