I'm going to do a diary too :)

ally18

"So different though when you have two salaries, when I was on maternity leave we didn't have much money, I feel like I've sold my little girls childhood in a way being a part time mum... Just feel I have to take advantage of the opportunity!"

Hiya,
Don't ever think you are ruining your daughter's childhood, far from it, you are making her life, your future 'little one's' life and yours and your husband's life much more worthwhile in the coming years. Just remember how content and worry free you will be in a couple of years. Go for it.

That's why everyone on this board is doing their utmost to do the same. Because we all care for our futures.

(Wish I'd started much, much younger though)

:rotfl:

gerbiljo

ally18 wrote: »

Hiya,
Don't ever think you are ruining your daughter's childhood, far from it, you are making her life, your future 'little one's' life and yours and your husband's life much more worthwhile in the coming years. Just remember how content and worry free you will be in a couple of years. Go for it.

That's why everyone on this board is doing their utmost to do the same. Because we all care for our futures.

(Wish I'd started much, much younger though)

:rotfl:

Thanks Ally that brought tears to my eyes, definately having monday morning blues today hurry on tuesday xx

Looking forward to the first so my normal payment comes out- ha! crazy really who looks forward to direct debits coming out!!

gerbiljo

Monthly payment is off! £365 came off and £92 interest. I think we can get another £100 off this month before the update- £17 that has turned up from odd ebay payments etc via quidco yay (the odd is usually about £3) and CB. Once this has come through I will update the MFIT challenge and we should be in the green!

What about all the snow, I love it but work wont pay us if we dont get there! So I'm going to walk, it takes two hours and I work a split shift but I draw the line at walking twice there and back!! I seriously resent not being able to play in the snow! Though our little daughter is very scared and really cries when we put her in it

Will update when quidco comes through!

vl2588

That reminds me, 1st December means an end of month must have just happened and I can balance my budget and see if I can put something in the ISA, yay!

gerbiljo

hooray for budget balancing! hope it tips in the ISAs favour

gerbiljo

The quidco money is in! £17 something which I have topped up so £20 off - £74600, CB coming tuesday I think so will send update after that. Fingers crossed we might get something from our travel insurance... but wouldn't bet on it!!

vl2588

It has gone up at least (not much).

gerbiljo

Well done on it going up!

Well, this week has been tough. We had lots of snow where I was and I really hate driving in the snow. I find it really scary, I had over my share of car accidents when I was younger. This week I ended up walking to work, in the last few days I walked 26 miles in wellies. I usually do a split shift and so I had to sit at work all day as well with nothing to do. A few blisters, a fall on my wrist and a very sore back and hips later I have been very sore resulting in me calling in sick on friday. I never call in sick, When I was pregnant I worked up until 39+1 (waters broke 39+2) and only had one day off the whole time after had been up hospital for abdominal pain...but sometimes I think I'm my worst enemy. Thursday night I didn't get in til 9pm and had to collect my daughter from my parents and walk her back in the cold as we weren't allowed to shut early and I woke up friday morning and just couldn't struggle on another day! This is annoying to me as we have a fairly 'newish' boss and he has taken away our sick pay, so I will be losing out on some money next month, however I do have some commission coming which might balance it out but it is a bit annoying all the same as my bonus will be swallowed up. I think I put myself out too much for my job and get annoyed when it is not appreciated. Friday I laid out most of the day with my daughter and I felt awful at how much she knew and could say none of which had come from me, I almost felt like I didn't know her, she was so funny tho and tbh I actually think having that time one to one with her was worth losing the money ten times over.

I have some work dilemmas really, I have realised today how truly exhausted I am and that perhaps I should not be putting myself out over and above what I need to do. I work 9am-7pm though I get gap in the middle work load depending. Most of the time this is a few hours a day when I go home and sort out all the animals and the house as best as poss then go off to my mums (if theyre in) to see my daughter, sometimes its more, but monday before last for example I was at work 9am to 10pm, this doesn't happen lots but I struggle to get back on track after these long days. When I returned to work after having my daughter I had to get a solicitor to help me enforce a 48 hour week with my employer as they would not let me go part time and as well as monday to friday wanted me to do weekends and nights too (I've had to do 90 hours or more before), luckily I managed to get these terms. Recently my boss has changed over and he has asked me to consider weekends again, which I have been considering doing, plus I was offered a job which has also offered me the odd weekend shift which I could use to push my money up, so I was thinking perhaps I could do one day a month or something, but this week plus the fact I won't get paid for this day off has made me seriously reconsider, family time is so precious and rare I think. Why do they always make you feel that you should do more?

Anyway we have had a good day today, we haven't spent too much but I've seen enough that I think a spend up will follow! My main computer disc drive broke this week and so I had a panic tho I forgot I had a cover plan, plus its seems my external hard drive which has been broken for a while can be replaced free too, I am so happy! This has unfortunately meant that I have had to spend alot of my 'precious' time backing up the bits I hadn't backed up and has been difficult transferring it all to my old computer, however it means that everything is sorted out now so when I do have to sell my laptop, it will be much easier to do. Our computer should be fixed in a couple of days which means returning to the shopping centre, hence anticipating a spend! We had a great day as our little girl was so good (shes usually naughty!) and we had a lovely meal and I feel so happy tonight and happier even more that I am off tomorrow too, plus lots of annual leave coming up for us as I have booked a few days in december off!

Whilst out today we were looking at phones, My husband needs a new one so we might get him one and I have been looking at an iphone. I don't actually use a phone- I have one but it has no credit and no battery life so its pointless and I keep getting a big telling off from my dad (who leant me his phone last week), I will get one at some point as I do need to be contactable sometimes really, plus we cancelled our AA membership so if I broke down I would literally have to walk home from wherever I was. Anyway well see, I could just top up my old one, I am really into all things 'apple' tho so I am tempted but this would increase my monthly outgoings by at least £25 a month (without the phone) then I would mainly only use it for the internet and would use it for that probably alot so not sure a basic tarif will do it.

Also in 'technology' we had a look at some 3D tvs today, we really liked them, we won't be buying one tho at least til the mortgage has gone and the extension is up, but oooooh I really want one!!

At home things are ok, our sick chicken is now very well which has started to become a problem as it is too cold for her to go out plus the other chickens have gone off her! She is now very lively and flapping onto the sofas and pooing everywhere which is not pleasing my husband, not sure we can do anything about it now until the weather improves, but I just hope we can get her back with the other chickens eventually, I am happy she is better tho as I thought I would lose her, she becoming very pampered now tho as she likes to sit on my lap and be stroked under the chin, tho the cats are feeling a bit put out!

On going through my computer I discovered a £10 amazon voucher my daughter must of deleted, so that is good, hopefully I can have a little spend soon

So I hope to be able to pay off a bit more tuesday and update. After this I am going to change my signature and I think we will shorten our target slightly. I think with us the question is whether I can hang out at work long enough to pay off the mortgage and I think that if I can't we won't make even the original target so tightening up the target is not really going to make us anymore likely to 'fail'. Ultimately what we have done so far cannot be taken away and it's still been a big achievement, the fact is that living this way is tough and if it all becomes too much we will have to accept its too much, of course hanging on a bit longer has a huge reward so time will tell!!

gallygirl

You're doing fantastically well hon, but your job sounds horrendous!!!!! Not only are you doing a lot of hours but the split shift keeps you away from your DD even longer. I would seriously be looking for another job if I was you*, your DD's childhood is too precious.


*Then again if I was you I WOULDN'T be looking for another job as I don't have the stamina to have been doing it in the first place

gerbiljo

Thanks Gallygirl the problem is in my job that those hours are pretty standard, infact because of the 48 hour contract they're pretty hard to come by. So giving up the field would be the main escape really, apart from hunting out a part time job of course, and I guess it makes more sense to have a second baby first... I am only qualified to do what I do so should I change direction then really I'd literally be 'omitting' qualifications and applying to tescos!! It is rubbish tho, I think what I need to do is set short term targets so currently- get into 2011 and have a rethink, sometimes I feel good like I'm doing a good thing and other times I just feel rubbish!!

I forgot to add that yesterday we did our weekly shop coming in at just under £40, thinking I should of used the tesco vouchers afterall? we will next week as its £7 off £40 so at least get the christmas food with it! Not sure whether the prices are going up or we are spending more. We did spend £4 on a christmas gift tho and needed to replenish all pet food supplies so that was about £8, oh and I bought some cdrs....I guess theres my explanation!

Right hubby is still in bed so gonna get some jobs done...been browsing iphone contracts.... all seems like a big con really haha, I see it as an expensive extra food shop a month. Joking aside I feel I might spend some serious money today...on the credit card of course- I am softening the blow in the fact that I am earning clubcard points haha!!