XSpender - MFW in Training

XSpender

Thanks for the info on virus protection and tax. I will be on a fixed term contract so will be taxed at source I believe.

DH was off yesterday, not cos it was valentines as we don't celebrate it, but just so we could have a day to catch up on jobs before I start work. Carpets cleaned, windows washed, new car seat for DS bought and various other daft jobs that have been waiting to be done for a while crossed off the list.

DMIL has DS today so I have been to look for some work clothes. I appear to be in between a10 and a 12 so not sure what size to get and can't seem to motivate myself to buy anything. I think it's because I don't like the shape I am at the moment:(

DH really seems to be becoming MSE:money: He suggested cancelling his own gym membership as it is not getting used, cancelling RAC cover, selling some of his own stuff and putting the money in the 'family' pot and doing a storecupboard challenge until the end of March. He doesn't realise I have been using up the freezers for a while and there is not enough left to keep us going this long lol:rotfl:

While DS is at his Grandmas I am going to do some cooking today. I have made a list of the following but as it is 12 now I am not sure I will get it all done:

Twinks with raisins
HFW carrot cake (loads of carrots to use up)
Surfers pasta bake x 3 (using up courgettes)
Bolognaise pasta bake x 3 (using up one of the many bags of quorn mince I have got)
Paprika pork for DS x 10 meals
Fish creole for DS x 5 meals
QUorn and leek pie x 2 (current favourite and using up the leeks)
Gammon in slow cooked for DH tea and sandwiches this week

DH applied for the pack to sell his phone last night and it came this morning so I will post that tomorrow and that will be £55 towards the nursery fees.

So far, includng the phone and last weeks ebay sells, we have raised £365 of the £550 needed for the nursery fees. Things are not going to be quite as tight as I was expecting with me starting work in March but I still want to raise enough to cover the fees and another £300 if possible to cover the missing benefits and smaller wage in the first month. An additional £500 would be even better. DH may get a bonus at the the end of the month (won't know until 28th) hich would make the extra £500 very achievable. Anything left over after I get full pay can go back in the savings pot.

DH and I have a 'finance' chat planned for later in the week as we were to tired by the time we had finished our jobs last night. It is to agree the budget when I am back to work and agree what our savings priorities are. DH wants security to help him feel less stressed at work so it looks like building a 3 month income cushion and paying down the mortgage so we are not in negative equity (about £7k at the minute) are our 2 top goals. This is in line with what I want to achieve this year too so it is good that we are thinking along the same lines:D

If I don't get moving I will never get my cooking list done:mad: Apologies for the essay:o Will crunch some numbers and work out what we want to achieve and what we are likely to achieve with me starting work in March and report back later:D

wantabetterlife

Great post x spender, it will be so much easier with OH on board. I think generally it takes a while to get the men on board, it did with mine anyway! Looking forward to your updates.:j

yukkibear

Your figures are looking good well done. My OH understands what we're doing, but still can't quite stop spending the minute he has money. One day lol. Hope you're getting the cooking donw.

dollarsense

Yeah yukki it's tough to resist the temptation to spend, but once you do you never look back.

mummalove

Doing so well and your list of meals has set my tummy off rumbling!

The trick is...as most of us female MSE'rs know, is to let our DHs/partners think they have come up with all the money saving ideas rather than us tell them what we are already doing! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

XSpender

XSpender wrote: »

Twinks with raisins -
HFW carrot cake (loads of carrots to use up) - not as many carrots left as I thought and needed 4 eggs:eek: so will make another time
Surfers pasta bake x 3 (using up courgettes):D
Bolognaise pasta bake x 3 (using up one of the many bags of quorn mince I have got):(
Paprika pork for DS x 10 meals:D
Fish creole for DS x 5 meals:(
QUorn and leek pie x 2 (current favourite and using up the leeks):(
Gammon in slow cooked for DH tea and sandwiches this week:D
Sunshine scones Not on my list this morning

I sat on my bot for an hour after dropping DS off so didn't get as much cooked as I had on my list. Whenever I write a list of jobs I put on everything I want to do not what I can realistically achieve in the time I have. But oh it was lovely to have an hour on here in peace:D

I will make the pies and bolognaise tomorrow as DH has had to leave his car at work for a customer to test drive and it has DS buggy in the back so I won't be going anywhere tomorrow.

Managed a NSD today, they have been a bit thin on the ground this month. I have only managed 3 so far:o

XSpender

Just as I thought I was getting on top of things with the cashflow, I get an email this morning saying the gas bill is due. £193 by the 24th:eek: This changing supllier business has not been as straight forward as I thought. I have calculated I need to raise between £550 and £620 between now and the end of March to cover the balance of nursery fees and living costs as my JSA will end way before I get paid. I also need to budget for my diesel costs and car service. I would like to have the money put aside by the 7th of March which is the earliest start date for my new job. SOme hard work ahead of me:)

I am budgetting for £70 to last us between now and 27th February. This should be plenty as we will only need a small top up shop and some formula for DS and this should cover the car service parts as DH will do it himself.

DH will get a bonus at the end of the month but I am not sure how much it will be as it is the first one of this type he will have had since he got this promotion. A couple of hundred at least:p

I crunched some more numbers around savings last night. After saving and paying for a holiday and christmas I have worked out we should have £6000 saved. This is double my estimate/goal of £3000 for this year :T but ideally we would need £7500 to give us a 3 month buffer. Overpayments may end up around £1500 for the year depending on interest rates and if I can raise any other little bits and pieces of cash they will be higher. We will also pay approximately £2000 off our 2nd mortgage so all in all I will be pleased if we can achieve all these targets.

Today's plans are not very exciting; more cooking, washing and vaccuming. DS and I both have a bit of a cold so it would be nice to add sleeping to that list;)

XSpender

I start my new job on the 7th!:j A week to settle in and then I start shadowing workshops with a view to delivering them to the next intake:) Spoke to the nursery and DS will have his settling in visits wed, thurs and fri. I am trying not to think too much about being without him all day and am hoping the new job will keep my mind occupied:( He will be fine, it's me I am worried about:rotfl:

Spoke to my friend earlier who is having a tough time with her MIL who has recently being diagnosed with dementia and is accusing my friend of stealing from her, breaking into her house etc. Very upsetting for my friend who is her main carer.

Not done much today, feeling a bit under the weather. It's only a cold so a nice mug of H0rlicks and an early night for me.

I must write a list tomorrow of all the stuff I need to get sorted before I start work as I can't see me having a great deal of time when I do start and the time I do have I want to spend with DH and DS. I am toying with the idea of getting a cleaner to ease the load as the only thing DH I bickered about when I was working full time, before I had DS, was the housework even though half the time I was working away and not even in the house:eek: I am not even sure how I go about finding one or how much it will cost. I only have a small 2 bedroom house so I can't see it costing too much for a couple of hours a week.

I found out how come my gas bill is so big. The DD for the old company was cancelled but then the supply wasn't changed over to the new supplier until 6 weeks after it was supposed to. At least I won't have a big bill for the new supplier too. Phew!

Must do some housework tomorrow and I must remember to defrost a tub of the jamie 0liver stew I made on boxing day for DH and DBIL who is coming to tea tomorrow.

yukkibear

Yay for the new job.

cha97michelle

Great news. Congratulations. I love it when someone gets good news.

When i went back to work i whizzed round like a nutter getting jobs done while the kids were at nursery. I'm sure you will come up with a great plan to get you settled back in.