Here I go again!

alimac23

Today has been fairly productive

- went to Boots to get a few things for baby. All paid for with advantage card points. Cost £0.00
- investigated Aldi again, not been in ages. Some really good bargains, got what I could and deleted these items from my weekend Tesco shop. Total spend £15.08.
- onepoll survey done £0.15
- washing drying on airers
- sent DH to work with packed lunch
- meals all planned until next weekend, hard to plan much beyond this as baby could make appearance any moment
- spending diary updated
- £0.94 payment to RBS card

Bigger payments should be made early next week when the statements come in.

One slip up today, was really hungry when I was out and bought a cake for myself and one for DH- cost £2.60. Feel bad about this, cake wasn't even that nice!

MummyDrusilla

Hello! Congratulations on your impending arrival - very exciting!!!

Look out for baby groups now before baby arrives so you know what's out there - trust me, finding out about them and possibly going along while you're still a duffer will do wonders and means it won't be so daunting post-birth.

Have you thought about cloth nappies? They're not all terries and soaking in buckets of foul water any more. There's some gorgeous ones out there nowadays and some are just as easy as disposables. They've saved me a small fortune, even including the laundry costs (I only do a nappy wash every 2-3 days which is about what I was doing with just DS's clothes in the first weeks). I'm a big fan of cloth for many many reasons!!!!

Also, if you don't want to do cloth nappies, there's cloth wipes which are amazing at cleaning up pooey bums compared to sposie wipes. And you will justify the spend by the end of the first month. Believe me!

alimac23

Thanks Mummydrusilla!

I did think about the cloth nappies but to be honest just bypassed it thinking breastfeeding was enough to think about than more cleaning. All nappies so far bought on special offer. I might have another look though...
Haven't seen the cloth wipes anywhere though, do you just mean muslins?

Thanks x

nannygladys

Hi there, I cant give you any baby related hints (my babies are in their thirties!!!) but congratulations on the impending birth I will keep an eye out for your news, and getting yourself sorted now will mean a worry free and debt free life with your little one and OH - good luck with everything you seem focused and positive.
Jxx

mummy2mygirls

Hello just come across your diary Not long to wait now, bet your excited. Im going to subscribe to your posts so can keep a eye on any news.....
I use cloth nappies on DS2 at the moe, Good idea to get breastfeeding etc all sorted first and then if you still like the idea then look into cloth, but you do have to be carefull as there is sooooo many cute nappies it could get expensive lol. For cloth wipes I use some that are properly made ones (most nappy places online etc sell them) But also I brought some cheap baby flannels from the 99p shop where they are a pack of 8 and just the perfect sie for wipes (far to small for a flannel) also I cut up a fleece blanket to make some fleec ones which are good for faces etc, I often wet a few together and keep in tubberware boxs so they are always at the ready- also i just pop a drop of baby wash in with them)
Good luck with your Journey x

alimac23

Thanks for your comments. Def going to try the cloth wipes idea when I run out of the stocks I have - again been buying these up on special offer since my 20 wk scan!

Today has been a bit frustrating, got a last minute invite to a baby shower with no time to plan a MSE gift. Ended up buying an expensive babygrow and booties from a local shop and it doesn't even look that much to give :-(. Plus I will still need to buy a gift when baby born too!

Other than that my sis is bringing me in a couple of limes and some ginger for a recipe I am going to try tonight ( have an excess of coconut milk i want to use up but am sick of thai green/ red curry!) so she will need paying. Otherwise no more spending!

To do list for today:

- update spending diary DONE
- do any onepoll surveys
- speak to sis about putting her on my Costco card so we can half the membership fee
- not spend a single penny more
- make small op to RBS card DONE £0.93
- hang washing outside to dry

Have a good weekend x

alimac23

Morning! Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend. Yesterday was a lovely day spent at a friend's baby shower, although I did have a touch of the green eyed monster! She has a beautifully decorated home, her nursey for the baby is just gorgeous ( mine isn't even finished yet!) and all the decorations/ food/ drink/ presents were just so elaborate. Even her baby bag is designer ( I don't have one of those yet either !). My husband gets so annoyed at me cos I am always wondering how other people do it! Anyway after spending lots of time internet window shopping last night i remained firm and had a NSD day yesterday. Today it's back to my new MSE ways:

Couple of small steps this morning (it's great what you can acheive without leaving your bed these days ):

- done onepoll surveys - £0.15 + couple of prize draw ones
- made small op to RBS card £0.51

All main payments for this month will be made next during the week when the statements are in, but as I said main goals for June/July are to avoid any further spending on cards rather than making serious inroads to the balances (mat pay kicks in end July).

Other plans for the day:

- get up!
- storecupboard lunch and last nights leftovers for dinner
- tidy up a bit
- go for a walk
- not spend a single penny

I am possibly showing some signs that labour may be on it's way but won't go into that on here! So just want to be close to home today.

alimac23

Update:

Moved the entire balance of the M&S card to Virgin ( balance transfer fee of £24 incurred). Now on 0% til June 2013. Will not update sig until balance cleared and Virgin is updated with new CC total.

This now means the majority of the debt is on 0% although different amounts end at different times. I have worked out that the best way will be to make minimum payments to RBS and Next ( usually ounded off to a whole number) with the v small but regular op's to RBS and throw as much as I can at getting down the mammoth Virgin card ( some of this is not at 0%).

Here's hoping! Still waiting on the statements for this month.

alimac23

Well due date today but no sign of baby!

Not been a good day on the MSE front . The main spend today was planned but was very much a want rather than a need. I wanted the house and garden to look nice for all the visitors we expect over the coming weeks and wanted all my front garden pots/baskets filled beforehand. As a result we spent £37.99 at a local garden centre. Garden looks lovely but I do feel quilty. Which begs the question - is it better to have no fun and enjoyment and pay off the debts more quickly, or have a treat now and again along the way???

Other than that £5.92 in A$da - essentials only! I did look at baby sleepsuits but DH was the strong one that pulled me away!

Hospital tomorrow to decide on an action plan for Junior's arrival so hopefully a NSD.

Oh and forgot to add: a whole £0.09 paid to the RBS card today.

Darkphaery

I think you have to have a little treat along the way. If I didn't i'd be more likely to give up sooner and spend a lot more. I've made nearly £160 on ebay this last month, it's all being paid off my CC except £2.40 which i used to buy a book i wanted. In the grand scheme of things it's not a lot!
Good luck for juniors safe arrival take care