MSE Parents Club Part 7

Buttonmoons

Nooo I win! Just been quiet. Should really go to bed.


Caz, that doesn't seem right that you are getting less! If you work 16hrs you should be getting WTC aswell? Not sure if you were working beforehand or whatever, or you were just getting the CTC element? Or is it housing benefit and all that? Must admit totally confuses me all that and I HATE TAX CREDITS

OH gets his safety bonus on Friday, that's an extra £150 on his pay BUT boohiss cause the recession no more production bonus', hasn't had one since the start of the year but thats £2400 less a year now, and it doesn't affect our tax credits cause now his base wage, is what he was getting when he was on a lower wage, but all the OT and bonus' topped it up to what he earns now.

So odd, feels like we had MORE money when he was only earning £200 a week at the council! I had all the bills to pay then too and got £50 a week CTC (which they made me pay back, oh no not that claim, the one before that, still rage about that now and then GRRR.

So basically our old income used to be about £1040 a month including TC and CB, and now his base wage is around £1457 after tax, £550 gone every month in NI and Income tax, bloody criminal, and then I get £40 a month CTC and £80 a month CB - SO WHY THE HELL AM I POORER?!

Must admit I got used to living lavishly, when he had the OT plus that wage up there, PLUS we still had the £50 a week CTC for part of it (until April) We are down about £500 a month.

Mad thing is, I DO try and SAVE, like before I'd never buy tesco value, and now the bulk of my shop IS that! Must be saving money there, the cats cost a bit but Im just fattening them up to eat, Keira doesn't need as much nappies, just 1 for bed, hardly as much baby wipes, so wheres it going?

F A G S and D I E T C O K E and OH's trips to the S A N D W I C H L A D Y beause he is too L A Z Y to make his own S A N D W I C H E S.

So the £150 extra this month (It's actually £150, his company adds on extra to cover the tax, so you actually do get £150 extra)

£30 - Sisters MP3 for Xmas
£25 - On two R4 cards - 1 for my other sisters Xmas
£30 - Eyepet for Keira's Xmas
£30ish - For Keira's Rollerskates/helmet/knee and elbow pads.
£20 - Puzzles/books/art top ups for Keira Xmas

So it will all go towards Xmas, I'm sure there was something else I ahd written down before that I was buying Keira for Christmas, WHAT WAS IT?

Buttonmoons

I forgot about the board games. Thing is my Gran always gives Keira (and all the other kids including me ) £50 for Xmas, so I have to think off £50 worth of crap for her to buy and she won't buy clothes for Xmas either as it's not CHRISTMASSY and every kid HATES opening clothes for Xmas (I know I did, worst gifts evah, Lime jeans? Urgh!)

So not sure If I should get her the board games or let my nan get her those + some more puzzles.

Oh and her princess duvet Im buying this week to encourage to go back to sleeping in her own bed, getting ridiculous!

SusanC_2

Sami_Bee wrote: »

Have you seen the disney (mickey/WTP) ones I think from Lidl

We got them! I'd planned so I didn't need to go shopping this week and then had to go for them. Now I can do WTP birthday cake and jellies for Alice's birthday.

SeptemberBaby wrote: »

Thank you, thats a lovely thing to say! . I'm told she is very good with her speech and can say sentences such as 'night night Daddy, Poppy's going to bed' and her current favourite 'no no Jamie, thats Poppy's!' :rotfl:. She knows all her colours and can count from 1-8.

Alice knows her colours but her first answer is still always pink when you ask what colour something is.

SeptemberBaby wrote: »

Hope you and Annabel are well. Is she still enjoying her walker? We have tried Jamie with one this week but he is not at all interested and Poppy thinks its her new toy :rolleyes:. She also thinks 'Hello Puppy calling' is saying her name on the V-tech!

:rotfl:

Buttonmoons wrote: »

F A G S and D I E T C O K E and OH's trips to the S A N D W I C H L A D Y beause he is too L A Z Y to make his own S A N D W I C H E S.

Why not just make them for him? Before we were married my OH used to waste time and money travelling home for lunch every day instead of taking sandwiches with him so when we got married I just started making him a packed lunch. Once he got used to it, he could see that it was a better idea and now he often makes it himself.

3onitsway

Susan Dare I ask what you're doing here at 3.56am? :eek:

elle_gee wrote: »

3, you're probably sorted by now but bullsh1t business letters are my speciality if it was anything like that You can get the Pampers boxes on eBay too.

Hope everyone's well xx

That should be in your signature - and on your cv! :rotfl:
We're sorted now thanks to some very wise women on MSE!

emlou2009

Buttonmoons wrote: »

I said to her, don't shout on me unless it's an emergency, she said "What's an emergency?" I said "A really big problem" she says - LIKE IM ON FIRE?!

I had to bite back a laugh and said Yes, like your on fire, now go to sleeeeeep!

:rotfl:

carlamagee wrote: »

who works/worked in a mobile phone shop? do you know how they valuate your upgrade allowance? ive only ever been a pay &go-er before, so not sure how i shuld deal with them when going for my upgrade!??

meeeeee!
you're better off waiting a couple of months, then ring o2 and tell them you want to leave cos you've been offered the same amount of minutes/texts with vodafone for £5 a month less with free insurance and the phone you want for free, then they 99% of the time will match it for you. failing that, go into either a phones4u or carphone warehouse rather than going direct through the network as they can give you cashback or things like wii's which you can either keep or sell on :money: the tariffs are generally the same but in network stores they dont tend to do offers and freebies cos they think they dont need to.

[rant]
when i worked in o2 i used to give away free accessories and i got told off cos i was blighting their good name and using bribes to sell products that were good enough to sell themselves clearly not cos i sold more than double what everyone else did... and the franchise is now closed down due to lack of business! ha!!
[/rant]

SeptemberBaby wrote: »

SM, I'm addicted to making banana muffins - have a set of silicone muffin cases and everything! . Also make lemon drizzle cake :drool: and thats as far as my baking goes!

:drool:
i am making lemon drizzle cake today... mmmmmmmmmm


actually managed to spend a night without seth in the bed, til 5am when we deemed it too early to get up and brought him in! then i got up at 8am and seth and OH are still asleep :T

elle_gee

My previous job was PA to a bunch on company directors who used to vaguely tell me what they wanted a letter to say and I'd be left to get on with it! Even now I do enjoy writing stroppy letters to the tax office!

Well, Rhys slept 8pm to 4.30am... which would be good if I wasn't concerned about all the bottles he'd missed in the meantime :cool: I can hear him waking up now but I've been up for half an hour so at least I've had breakfast and done his meds in peace

searching_me

morning ... i had my first fairy post havent chance to look at it as jayden was shouting for a bottle but thank you the tink that lives at elles house ...

gay OH texted me at 1:12am saying how much pain he was in but i was sparked so texted him this morning when i woke up ... feel really bad i havent seen him so gonna sort something out ...

can i ask whoever had the lemon drizzle recipe write it up for me please philips bugging me about wanting it ..

got a busy day today going to get my vacuum part (she says hopefully) .. then meeting a work mate for lunch then zoes got her parents evening at 3:30pm so all go ive said to zoe if its a good review then she can have a chippy dinner so hopefully all good ...

so how is everyone else this morning? x

jillie1974

morning!!

Glam- how did Jack get on with the new teats??
working wonders here. Kian fell asleep bout 10.30 and woke up bout 3am and then again at 7.30am. so i was really only up the once over night.

we are going to the baby clinic today to get weighed. He;s been fed and changed just need to change his clothes as he's still in his 'night babygro' so he looks all nice and presentable.

Bruno- how is your little one? and your OH

DH is still off work. says he feels better but to me he sounds worse. now got a bad cough (and he smokes so not a good combination). he's not going to work today. but like yesterday think i;ll do some more batch cooking.

SM- they made lemon drizzle cake on This Morning yesterday, looked lovely

i dont bake cakes at the moment but i enjoyed the cooking session yesterday, pprob cos it just wasnt to be eaten straight away. so i may start baking next month for things to do when Kian is asleep. Keeping on top of housework so i need sumat else to do

emlou2009

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4942/lemon-drizzle-cake

tiamai_d

Yes, I got DS1 all dressed and took him to an empty school.

Ah well, DS2's nursery is still on so Amber, DS1 and I shall go drop off DS2 and then have a date