Coffee and chocolate

miggy

Printer cable is sorted but printer isn't working properly and the voucher came out all skew-whiff so I might have to get it printed at the library. I have spent most of my share of this week's food money already but DS1 is making fajitas for us tonight and I have been to the new Asd@ for ingredients and saved lots. Tomorrow I'm working another evening shift so I might do a liver & bacon casserole in the SC. The liver will be less than 50p and we have most of the rest of the ingredients.

There has been a lot in the local papers about cuts which will affect us, but we still don't know whether it will be pro-rata (that looks wrong but I can't find the spell checker, if there is one) cuts or actual job losses. I suppose pro-rata would mean changing contracts so it's quite unlikely: you never hear of it, do you? That leaves us with job cuts :eek: That's already happened in one sector: just one member of staff left there now. DH is in with a reasonable chance of keeping his job (and we would really struggle on just my income) as he's been there a long time and is experienced in training, which would be useful as there would be volunteers to train.

On a more cheerful note, I am going to see what Christmas Cake ingredients I have and start soaking the fruit. :j:j:j

miggy

I am feeling inordinately proud of myself for having saved £££ by jointing and filleting a chicken all by myself. I found the instructions online and got a bit lost in the fiddly end instructions but maybe the chicken was anatomically irregular or something? Anyway, 'tis done and the bones and odd bits of meat are in the SC with some seasoning, herbs and a drop of water to see what can be made of them, one of the (substantial) fillets has been fajita'ed for dinner by DS1 and there is lots left in the fridge.

miggy

Moved a bit more into savings last night!

I do look at the account and wonder if some of it should be going into a mortgage overpayment, but I don't know. I won't know unitl we find what's going to happen with DH's job and that won't be for ages yet.

To save against that day (when and if) or to be longer-term provident and chip away at the mortgage? Without the benefit of hindsight it's guess-work.

The other thing is, should DD get into Uni then she will need funds, and the savings pot isn't exactly enormous.

It could be time for a review of finances... perhaps some coffee first... and the ironing pile needs taming... and I haven't put today's laundry in yet...

At least I will pop over to Evernote and stare at my financial priorites list in the hope of starting some useful thoughts.

miggy

The financial priorities list has been revised.

I had forgotten the kitchen flooring was on there, and that's been done, though it cost £35 more than I'd budgetted as the budget was a guess and I was out of touch with costs.

I've also factored in some money for DD while at Uni, though it won't be much, just a bit to help her along.

It's really nice to strike through some of the list, even if I am adding to it! I had forgotten the mortgage payments are listed so as to come AFTER everything else has been provided for, which is sensible but means I had better get my MS skates on if I'm ever to pay any more off!

The ironing awaits, [STRIKE]the laundry is laundering[/STRIKE], [STRIKE]second load going in[/STRIKE], [STRIKE]my hair needs drying[/STRIKE], the bathroom wants cleaning, the bedroom needs a hoover, [STRIKE]the rabbit is still under overnight covers[/STRIKE], bins need emptying... I think I will leave the computer on for a bit and come back to cross a few things off or they won't get done. Update as I go along, readers may smile politely and ignore the content.

14 items ironed
27 put away
Giving up for now .

miggy

Went to hang the washing out and spent half an hour watching a hedgehog! It's a young one, don't think it's well, it let me get far too close, but I fed it a sliver of chicken so at least I know it isn't hungry.

ETa - just after I wrote that and opened Google for St Tiggywinkles, I heard a car so I ran out to make sure it wasn't going over the hedgehog (which it wasn't). The neighbour who is knowledgeable about wild animals was there so he examined the hedgie and said it was too light to survive the winter. The good news is his g/f has already rescued, fed and re-released a couple of them this year so it's now in a crate on the way to her house - and I have lots of nice photos.

Lunch time - I think I will update the jobs list and regroup - I'm due at work later.

Lemon_Tree

miggy these times are horrible aren't they, we've got people being made redundant at my place as well at the moment and planned for the next few years, and i know that somewhere along the line it will be my team's turn. I'm the main breadwinner so it's all a bit scary. I think i/we made the decision (before we decided to move) that if we had any spare money once our debts had been paid we would start overpaying the mortgate. we have one where if you need to stop paying for any reasons you can use your previous overpayments to offset your monthly payment.for me that means we would at the very least save some interest when we overpay but also have the knowledge that it's there to give us some space if i did lose my job. Does that make sense? i think i've lost it during all the typing lol.

glad the hodgepig is going to be well looked after.

miggy

Lemon_Tree wrote: »

miggy these times are horrible aren't they, we've got people being made redundant at my place as well at the moment and planned for the next few years, and i know that somewhere along the line it will be my team's turn. I'm the main breadwinner so it's all a bit scary. I think i/we made the decision (before we decided to move) that if we had any spare money once our debts had been paid we would start overpaying the mortgate. we have one where if you need to stop paying for any reasons you can use your previous overpayments to offset your monthly payment.for me that means we would at the very least save some interest when we overpay but also have the knowledge that it's there to give us some space if i did lose my job. Does that make sense? i think i've lost it during all the typing lol.

glad the hodgepig is going to be well looked after.

Thanks LT

Yes, it's definitely worse if you are the main/only breadwinner. I suppose all we can do is trundle on, keep our noses clean and wait to see what happens. I'm not panicing - been there before and survived and although this time round it's worse with effects so widespread, I know DH is a little more likely to remain. Last time - with a three month old baby and me with no job - it was a bit of a crisis. I can smile now, I know we survived it though it meant a move. The move was down to gorgeous Dorset, though, and although we're no longer there, it still has great memories.

miggy

This month is suddenly turning expensive so some of those savings may end up being transferred back!

I have just totalled up what we owed DD (she paid for her driving test but we said we'd pay so that was the biggest bill, plus she had done lots of bits of shopping with her staff discount and I hadn't paid her allowance for six weeks)! I had better warn DH before he looks at the bank balance, LOL. It was all owed to her, though, and I'm glad it's now sorted.

Other than that, DS2 has a birthday coming up and has no idea what he wants. Then about midnight last night it transpired that his Dad and sister are working on his birthday evening, his brother and brother's g/f are away and that leaves him, me and possibly DD's b/f. We can't even put it off a couple of days because DS1 will be away a while. I was racking my brains a bit to see what I could come up with to distract him - he doesn't want to see a film or have friends round. Then it occured to me - he has been complaining that his bed is coming to pieces! Looking at it the other day I saw the damage is getting worse. I had the idea that if he chose a new one (there will be a price limit!) then we could have it delivered on the day and it would keep him busy setting it up. Not a huge fun birthday event but at least a distraction to fill the time after school and DD's b/f might help which DS2 would enjoy.

Not cheap, and probably something we could defer, but it will have to happen sooner or later.

I'm thinking about it...

Now off to buy pudding rice, see Mum and get back in time to wave DS1 off on his travels for the next ten days or so, not to mention the housework that still needs to be done, another load of laundry to go in the machine and probably other stuff that I've not thought of.

MatyMoo

miggy wrote: »

Went to hang the washing out and spent half an hour watching a hedgehog! It's a young one, don't think it's well, it let me get far too close, but I fed it a sliver of chicken so at least I know it isn't hungry.

ETa - just after I wrote that and opened Google for St Tiggywinkles, I heard a car so I ran out to make sure it wasn't going over the hedgehog (which it wasn't). The neighbour who is knowledgeable about wild animals was there so he examined the hedgie and said it was too light to survive the winter. The good news is his g/f has already rescued, fed and re-released a couple of them this year so it's now in a crate on the way to her house - and I have lots of nice photos.

Lunch time - I think I will update the jobs list and regroup - I'm due at work later.

Bless you for spotting the hedgehog and getting it sorted, I love the spiky little things :T

miggy wrote: »

Thanks LT

Yes, it's definitely worse if you are the main/only breadwinner. I suppose all we can do is trundle on, keep our noses clean and wait to see what happens. I'm not panicing - been there before and survived and although this time round it's worse with effects so widespread, I know DH is a little more likely to remain. Last time - with a three month old baby and me with no job - it was a bit of a crisis. I can smile now, I know we survived it though it meant a move. The move was down to gorgeous Dorset, though, and although we're no longer there, it still has great memories.

Oooh, what part of Dorset Miggy? You live/have lived in my two favourite english counties

miggy

Oooh, what part of Dorset Miggy? You live/have lived in my two favourite english counties

Blandford Forum in North Dorset. It was lovely.

I've lived in some of my favourite counties too - London, Dorset and North Yorks are probably my top three that I've actually lived in. Lucky me.