PennyGrabber's Path to Pecuniary Positiveness!!

PennyGrabber

NSD today, as I have just pulled a 12 hour shift. Who says teachers work part time, eh?!! It meant I couldn't go to the shops, so a saving there.

Mum came up to watch the concert I was helping in, and she brought up six bits of shortbread for us, so I shall put those towards tom's picnic lunch. It's sports day, and at our school, the parents get to have a picnic lunch with their children on the field, which is really nice. Of course, I have my two at school, so I'll be a mummy for a bit then! Got in loads of other picnicky stuff as part of my shop on Tues, as there was tonight and tom that needed it.

The basic plan for the weekend (it's a daddy weekend) is to spend the whole time tidying and cleaning. When mum came back for a cuppa, I found a bird and a mouse in the dining room, in a new place, so I want to clear the room as much as possible, and give it a good clean, as goodness only knows how long they've been there! :mad: And I don't know if it's my cat or the ginger tom I see in my garden who likes to try his luck getting in and bullying my cat...

Anyhoo, tidying, cleaning, and using up stuff, with the aim of running down stocks. In this aim, I seem to take one step forward and then two steps back... very frustrating!!

Diet still seems to be going well. Was going to treat myself to a chocolate bar this evening after a long day at work, but realised that I didn't actually want one! Quite proud of myself there, actually.

So, positives:
- nsd
- great to watch my two in the concert - it was about 700 children singing together, performing to about 1200 people!!
- good day for diet


Oh no! Just realised it wasn't an nsd, as I forgot to take any lunch, so popped over to the c00p for something, £1.55 to add... Oops. It's so easy to forget these little shops that don't cost much, but are a fortune over a year!

Not many +ves, although I am feeling good tonight. I shall go to bed and have a read, ready to tackle the day tomorrow. Need to : pack lunch, get them up early to do suncream, have a shower and hairwash (I smelt all day today as it was sooooo hot!), pack up their dad's stuff, wrap two presents and write two cards, wow the list is long!

Night!

Suffolk_lass

Hi PG,

I know you keep busy when the children are at their Dad's but take a little me-time for yourself this weekend. My DH has gone to France for the we with a coach load of yr7s so I am planning to keep busy but also to sit and read for some of the time. Today though, I must weed before they seed! ... catch up later
SL

PennyGrabber

Have spent most of today feeling sorry for myself.

Feeling a bit better now, but still not really sure how to break out of this cycle. Maybe I should just take cash, as someone on gc suggested. I've never felt very comfortable with that, as it doesn't allow for the flexibility of bargains, but then do I need them if they're not on my list? Lots to think about, I think. And, with my two stupid binge-spends, I am now down to £3.23/day, and I had done so well to get up to £3.50!

Positives:
- nsd
- admitted a problem
- only 8 weeks until holiday now!
- good eating day towards diet. May weigh myself tomorrow, and see how I'm doing.
- House is tidier than when I woke up but still loads to do before the children come back
- olb all sorted; tax credits will be paid in on Monday, and I'll be able to sort out all of the purses then. (£100 car, £50 hols, £50 xmas, £60 fuel, £80 food, £80 ents/gifts) This should then leave me enough to pay off a bit of the credit card, and maybe even put a little bit towards some euros. In fact, i think I'll put some into a jam jar towards the euros, so I can see it and won't want to use it for something else - if it's already allocated into a pot, I'm much better at leaving it, than when it's sitting in my account. Must try to play to my strengths more when it comes to money...

You know, I think I will try the whole only taking cash thing. After all, if I see something i want, it's just that - something i WANT, not something i NEED. After tomorrow, there are four more weekends in this month, so four more shops. I will take a £20 note to each of those, and see how much of it I can bring back home to add to the euro pot. Genius idea!

Off to bed to chant +ve mantras to myself...

Suffolk_lass

I'm a bit like you in not liking to have only cash with me - I was wondering if you put your card in an envelope and stuck it shut and wrote on the envelope something along the lines of "this is for emergencies only; not wants or bargains!" and put it in your bag with the cash you are going to use - maybe the zip pocket so you have to actively retrieve it to use it and caution yourself on the way.

The only other thing would be to gear all your shopping to this point in the month (I just looked back and it was the beginning of May and June and here we are again - in line with totm?) - so work actively with the nesting thing and satisfy it in a more controlled way.

It's worth a think about, but maybe this is the wrong week...

BTW I spent a lovely day at Wisley gardens yesterday with my lovely cousin and we spent a bit on a sandwich, tea and cake but no plants in the very tempting plant centre (too expensive!). I offered some plants from my garden to my neighbours (village coach) and several have asked for some lupins (I have loads and they seed everywhere) as we will be lifting and dividing some clumps that are 8 feet across!

Got a red patch on my ankle this morning and I'm wondering if it is 6 hours on my feet/ heat rash? never seen anything like it before but started using an HRT gel yesterday and wondering if it is related (all the warnings about clots and stroke in the leaflet have me wondering if it is circulatory) I think I'll monitor it today

Have a good day PG
SL

PennyGrabber

You know, I think you're right. My last totm was 1st June, which makes this week the week... Thank you for that sage piece of wisdom.

I spent again today, about £7, as I needed to go to a$da to get a bike lock, wasn't going to pay out for that at ha!fords!

A lot of this weekend has been spent feeling sorry for myself, and being extra tired, so I think you're right, and it'll be coming soon. I never used to monitor, and then be surprised when it came, so I think I'd better start looking at it more carefully, and work my shopping around that. Crazy!!

PennyGrabber

PennyGrabber wrote: »

Determined to make the most of what I've done recently, I have just made five pots of raspberry jam! The raspberries cost me 80p for four punnets (should've been £8!), and the sugar was in the stores anyway, so really cheap! Tastes amazing, too. Trouble is, I've now increased my stores! There's no escape!!!

Having decided to not go anywhere near a sm this weekend, I was in one both days. :mad: Sat didn't spend anything, was there with a friend, but today I went to get a bike lock and ended up spending about £7 on stuff. Cuc, pepper, grapes, bread (I like a sm one now and then), and treats...

However, have been using up/freezing/creating with what I bought on Friday in my moment of weakness, and now have a bag of chopped sliced turkey and one of pork in the freezer, can chuck them with some pasta and sauce to make a meal, so they won't have been wasted. They only cost 20p for loads, but that's not the point. Tomorrow lunch, I will take the samosas and chicken kebaby things, and then that's everything used up/put away, except for two slices of a 20p pizza.

No idea what we're having for dinner tomorrow. Silly really, as I have so much in, but I think that's the problem - there's too much to choose from! I did, however, print off a load of weekly meal planner sheets from the net, so I'm off to fill one of those in for this week. Used to work quite weel, as the children could then see what was for dinner and when. They won't be getting any choices this week, as they're in bed asleep, so that's just tough!

Sorry for the long msg, but just had to get some stuff off my chest. Men, close your ears and eyes! And, a great mse-er told me on my dfd, that it's my totm, so that's why I've been doing crazy things. She's awesome! Thanks SL! Don't feel so bad now, as it's not a permanent thing...

On that weird note, goodnight everyone!

PG x

Just copied from gc, as that's kind of where I am at the moment.

PennyGrabber

Positives for today:
-picked up my new bike, and it's lovely! I enjoyed riding it, and I am looking forward to being able to ride to the shops, thus saving money on fuel, and on shopping, as I won't be able to carry too much... Children are riding to l!dl with me next weekend, as a trial to see if we can all do it together.
- made five pots of jam. It tastes divine (got to lick the ladle, so made sure there was enough on there to get a decent taste!)
- found uses for/used up/froze most of the rest of the stuff I stupidly bought on Friday evening. Will be making some redcurrant jam tomorrow evening.
- got loads of exercise today, and felt better for it. Took an hour to walk to the bike shop, then 15 mins to cycle home again.
- haven't overeaten today, even though it's soon totm. Some months, I HAVE to have chocolate for breakfast!, so that's an improvement, and maybe a result of the diet or new food mentality?
- moved something away from the food mountain in the dining room. Slowly but surely! I am determined to run this stuff down!!
- friend of mine is going to give me his computer programme that I need, as he doesn't use it any more. It's one that I would've had to save up for, and it's quite pricey, so really pleased about that. It will help me to be able to maybe set up my own photography business, which is something I'd love to do. (I'd have to start out small, though, to see if I've actually got the discipline to do it!)
- looking forward to settling up all the purses tomorrow once ctc goes in.
- did some tidying and cleaning, so feeling better about the house now. I've decided not to go away in the first week of the hols (couldn't afford it but wanted to treat myself), but instead to do loads of sorting, organising and cleaning, gardening, etc etc etc.

That's all for now. Feeling much better than I did a couple of days ago.

PennyGrabber

Well, today has been a mixed bag!

NSD, so that's a good achievement. I always find it easier to have a nsd in the week when I have the children in tow. It just doesn't feel like a good idea to shop with them, before dinner, when we're all tired...!!

I had some amazing news today, and some great news, and some sad news. Amazing news: my mortgage is under £130k!! (£129.942.22, but that's still under!!)
Great news: I'm on supply teaching for the rest of the term, so extra money in my August pay packet.
Sad news: I'm on supply because my friend is ill.

Dinner tonight was spag bol. Mince from freezer, tin of toms, some herbs, garlic granules, and a few other bits. Not as nice as normal, but then I only knew we were having that at half four, so tough!!

Tomorrow I'll have either a block of lasagne from the freezer, or something that takes up a big space! Got some cocktail sausages that I want to freeze, ready for picnics in the summer hols. They were half price in te$co last week, and don't want to waste them. Might go and see what I can use up, actually...

Right, that's done. I'm having tandoori chicken (ys ready meal), and have put the sausages in its place.

Positives for today:
- extra money for teaching, will think carefully how I am going to use that
- mortgage under £130k for the first time ever
- good day at work with the children
- nsd
- used up food, rather than getting more. This is a big thing for me. Will try my utmost to do the same tomorrow, but as we all know, Tuesday nights are daddy nights, and I am always tempted then!
- bought myself a copy of jj's foraging bible! Can't wait to go off for some bike rides while looking for stuff to forage!
- have already sorted tomorrow's dinner so not much fuss
- have reserved myself a food slicer from argoos, c00kworks one is £10 off at the mo, so £24.99. Looking forward to having one of those, to see if I can make stuff go further, and cut better bread slices!
- did a few jobs from my list this morning, hope to have another morning like that tom, although I now have to get up that much earlier! Early to bed, methinks...


On a slightly down side, I may have to go to sainsbob tom, to get some more work trousers. I have wrecked two pairs in the lat two weeks!! The most recent ones being today, the inside seam gave way - luckily I was already at home, or that would have been embarrassing!
Night!

PG x

PennyGrabber

Right, today will be a good day. I'm teaching, therefore earning more money, I'm up and getting organised - lunches are already by the door! Getting the children up at 7:15, ready to leave the house at 8.

Jobs for today:
ring tax credits to renew
get money out to divvy up to purses
nsd
buy some trousers (in sains) while keeping the nsd!
chat to friend who has first day of ofsted today
empty purse of coppers
raise bike seat in the hope I can cycle to school tom (weather permitting)

If I can achieve all of this, it will be quite a ms day! Let's see...

Suffolk_lass

You are too kind! I hope you are taking some time to read this evening, instead of plunging into cleaning and tidying while the children are at their Dad's

I've been on a training course for two days and desperately trying to keep up with my other work in the margins so my first visit for two days! (withdrawal symptoms!)

Have a good evening
SL