Money Saving Tips from Full-time Mums

twinklybev

:T WOW,

Hello all again & thank you so much for your many helpful replies. I've only just had chance to get to the computer for a look & I'm really touched by your good ideas & kindness. I'm going to try so many of these things, the main problem for me seems to be a lack of time rather than a lack of willingness. My Daughter is only 7 weeks old & is just starting to have a couple of naps in the day but not always. She's very active when she does sleep it's deciding between eating, having a bath, tidying up, cooking, etc, etc. I'd like to do them all &have everything in some better order but I guess it's just not possible for a while at least!

The tips are great, esp. the slow cooker I've never used one before - is it different form a pressure cooker? Typical former career woman here, I can run a huge project but finding the new routine very rewarding but very different pace!! It's very fast but in a way that don't seem to make any progress either by the end of the day either! I'm not used to being in the house all day on my won either & finding that the mind wanders without much physical time to do anything. However, I'm determined to get out each day, I went out on some freebies last week, local lake, nature reserve, local shops, etc. which was fab.

We have a Tesco nearby so I'll defo try their nappies & I love eBay!!! So I'll defo thinking of popping some items on there even if it's only a couple of week, the money all adds up & it's a sense of achievement as well as the obvious baby benefits!

Also, thanks for the tiups on the mums website & these recipes look fab. A few more early nights wouldn't go a miss.. thank you all xxx

comping_cat

Yes, a slow cooker is different from a pressure cooker. You 'bung' everything in, turn it on and you can leave it all day. I use mine a lot more in the winter, for stews, casseroles and soups.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=131302 if ive done this right, should show you the recipe thread for slow cookers, some excellent ones here!!!!

Aoife's_mum

Hello again twinklybev

can def relate to the lack of achievement - it's very very different to having a career - there is no recognition for anything you do and very little at the end of the day to show for it. It sounds sad, but I try to make my own sense of achievement by doing very detailed to-do lists for each day - at your stage I think I was just aiming to have a shower, put a wash on and empty the dishwasher (!) - but at least I get a bit of satisfaction in ticking them off. I'm hoping in 18 years we can look back and say, good job (well, maybe 25 years when they stop being stroppy teenagers), but for now it's pretty hard.

Where abouts are you - if you are local I might be able to give more specialised tips?

Jumps

Congratulations. You have definately done the right thing. I could have written your post 3 years ago. That was exactly what my life was like and although I have had to make a lot of changes to the way I shopped and cooked etc it is well worth the effort. I am now a full time mum to DS nearly 3years old and DD 9 months old. I found that there were a lot of baby/toddler groups on locally and it is worth making the effort to go as them you will find out about other groups etc. Good luck with the changes and although it is the hardest job at times it is also the best job in the world. Enjoy your little one.

Rachie_B

Miss_Behaving wrote:

The netmums site is great for new mums...

http://www.netmums.com/

You'll be able to find other mums in your area as well as finding some good info on childcare.

HTH

i agree netmums has been fab for meeting other mums,even though my children are school aged now not babies lol

i wish id found it earlier when we first moved here with a newborn though

also have to agree with the Homestart idea as im a volunteer for that particular charity

hardpressed

A good place to meet other mums is the baby clinic, if you go regularly to have baby weighed you'll soon get to meet other mums. Don't worry too much about achieving goals at the moment, just enjoy your baby. You'll be there to see the first milestones, there is no better job satisfaction.

lindos90

hi, new to this, hope this is the right forum, Ive three kids, (8years, 5years, and nearly 1year) so pretty busy, Ive just gone back to work part time after maternity leave, my job is very stressful and I come home and start on all the housework stuff and feel im missing out on time with the kids.

My husband is very supportive and helpful he sees how frazzled I get, he says I should give up work and spend time looking after the kids/house/(him!?) especially because the childcare and petrol to/from work adds up to the majority of my salary anyway! Part of my reason for finding this site was to see if we could trim down our other outgoings to make it a possibility. My husband works full time so we cant tap into stuff like working families tax credit, apart from the basic rate.

Any way my question is, any other mums out there with advice about giving up work? what do I need to do about pensions, national insurance, tax, can I pass any of my allowances onto my husband? do I need to inform anyone else? Is there anything else I need to do?

I appreciate that I am lucky to be in a position to beable to consider giving up work, I know lots of us are in too much debt to even think about it, but I still want to make sure Im making the right desision before going ahead. Thats about all, any advice would be welcomed.

In answer to OP, I use tesco wipes, (buy loads when they are bogof), morrisons nappies, (but will move onto huggies for night time when she does really big night time wees), would agree with all the other stuff about breastfeedng, NCT, surestart, mum and baby groups and swear by 'The contented little baby book' by Gina Ford!!!!

Sorry its a long post......thats me done.

sammy_kaye18

kethry wrote:

so in teaching them enough sign to be able to communicate what they want, it helps to relieve a lot of their frustration.

could i please just pick up this point please. No arguements or offense intended towards this comment but please be sooooooo careful with this.

I am a young mum and my little boy is 2 and a half years old. I thought teaching him sign language would be a good idea and possibly benefit him in the future as another skill he had. *just to add me and my bf's hearing is fine and as far as we know so is our sons. Anyway he wont speak now. instead he uses sign language - i only understand a little as the signs he knows he learnt himself from a childrens programme called something special (the presenter uses sign language) words he was sayign adn now slurred and he is very difficult to understand and even i have trouble and im with him 24/7. which in turn is making potty training extra hard as he has no word for 'pee pee'

besides that why nto join a baby yoga class, ask the HV about local playgroups so baby and you can interact with other parents and children.

cooking wise id agree abotu making extra portions and freezing them so you have a home made ready meal as and when you can fit it in round babies feeds. also when time comes and baby is at the weaning stage why not make your own baby food. SO much cheaper and you know what ingredients are in the meals so no nasty addictives.

nappies - i find tescos own are really good and have had ben in them since he was about 3 months old. also own brand wipes tend to work well and are just as friendly - alternatively you could just use cotton wool and baby lotion or water.

lynzpower

for any new mums/dads ( or even dads/ mums who have been mums for a while) who can identify with this

I'm going to try so many of these things, the main problem for me seems to be a lack of time rather than a lack of willingness. My Daughter is only 7 weeks old & is just starting to have a couple of naps in the day but not always. She's very active when she does sleep it's deciding between eating, having a bath, tidying up, cooking, etc, etc. I'd like to do them all &have everything in some better order but I guess it's just not possible for a while at least!

Come join us in flylady challenges. the technique helps you plan your time a little more, and feel a bit more on top of things. Although Im not a parent ( yet!) the stuff Ive learned from flyladying has made my home and finances - that paperwork mountain!) SO much easier to manage, and I havnet felt overwhlemed.

Come join us!

Aoife's_mum

Flylady? What/who is that?

Sorry,I'm a bit new to this so haven't a clue, but would love anything that helps me be organised!