after putting my hours up we we're still worse off

angela30

ellos everyone, wow its been a long while since I've been on these forums lol, with having to put my hours up at work and just normal family life I just didn't seem to have anytime for myself never mind signing onto my getaway moneysavingexpert, i have really missed this place.

I had to put my hours up at work it felt that i was spending more time working than i was with my family, putting my hours up was meant to bring in extra money to pay the dreaded bills, but nothing seems to work out the way we wanted them too, before i moved my hours from 22 hrs a week to over 40, i spent more time doing the things i loved most which was cooking, i think before i did something like 95% of the cooking in my house and mostly very healthy.
when i put my hours my hubby took over the kitchen bless him he isn't a very good cook or even a healthy cook, but i was so tried when i got home from work i was just grateful that someone else was cooking lol, I think that was a mistake.
i noticed about two months ago that our bills wasn't going down and we seemed to have less money than we did before and i just couldn't work out how we was losing money even tho i was earning more, it wasn't until i had to take a week off work that i noticed that our shopping bill had gone from £170 per month too almost £500, that's for 2 adults 3 children and 3 cats.
how has this happened i asked my husband, I don't know he told me, maybe its because i have to buy easier to cook meals or ready cooked, things in jars.

so i took out my folder i was using last year and worked out our weekly/monthly shopping bills and con-paired them to the shopping bills this year, shocking isn't the word i would use, I can't blame my hubby or my eldest because they cooked the way they knew how to cook, as long as everyone is feed that's what matters and years ago i used to think the same lol.
In a way maybe its my own fault I loved cooking so much I mean the kitchen was my getaway the place that was my own and i never liked to share my personal space,, (get out of my kitchen) was what i used many times lol.
i should of taken the time to teach them how to cook, my eldest is 18 years old and can only cook the basics of food's for the highest price, that's got to change, one day she will leave home and will be living of chips and soups if i don't teach her to cook.
life lesson for me, learn to share the kitchen lol..

so anyway i have cut my hours to 24 a week and i have taken over my kitchen and the shopping once again, but this time, I will only cook 4 days a week, and the other 3 days are cooking lessons for hubby and my two eldest lol..
yes with only working 24 hours i'm not going to earn 1000s a month, we are not going to have anymore savings but we didn't when i put my hours up anyway, but at least i know where the money is going, good food dinners and i will be at home where i am needed lol.
actually thinking about it we should be able to save a little because i could save a little when i was working 24 hurs so fingers crossed i can this time.

Long_tall_sally

Interesting to read. Thanks for sharing. I use too many jars etc & my food spends are way too high & I only work part time so I don't even have that excuse!

tessie_bear

i think you are so right...when i worked full time food bill was about £600 a month and childcare £1000 a month and i spent a load on petrol and clothes to wear to work and treats because i worked so hard i deserved them

now i a sahm and u can see in my sig what i spend on food for 4 people...i spend nowt on childcare and nowt on petrol as got rid of my car.....in fairness i dont have many treats but dont really miss them

i suppose its if u need the money for bills u need to get out and earn it but u can save loads iif u have the time to do it

all the best tessa

[Deleted User]

I love how the current rhetoric is 'make it pay to be in work' but with childcare and less time to take charge of the household it doesn't work like that. I am hopefully starting a new job soon which will be shift based inc nights and very full time. Right now I am averaging 17 hours a week, but I have time to cook from scratch most nights. Full time working I might get lazy and be tempted by ready meals and takeaways.

angela30

I think that was the problem, i was earning more but i wasn't spending on the shopping bills, my hubby was doing all the shopping and cooking but when are just not good at that thing well at least my man isnt good at that kind of thing lmao. I was cooking at the nursing home and working nights as a care worker, so when i got home i didn't want to cook because that was i was doing all day, or I was too tried to cook because i had been working the waking night shift lol, the only day i really had to do any of this stuff was on a Saturday but i spent that day catching up with the cleaning lol, catch 22 i think.

joedenise

I think when you are working full time you need to be much more organised. I used to spend an afternoon at the weekend batch cooking and freezing meals which would then be used over the following few weeks. We started off with using jars and tins plus what I'd batch cooked but over time everything came from the freezer and cupboards. We were still eating reasonably healthily.

Now I'm retired I menu plan a month at a time but don't do anywhere near as much batch cooking as I used to. Now it tends to be just one meal for today and other for the freezer! Perhaps I ought to start batch cooking again and saving a bit more, LOL!

Denise

surfsister

angela30 wrote: »

ellos everyone, wow its been a long while since I've been on these forums lol, with having to put my hours up at work and just normal family life I just didn't seem to have anytime for myself never mind signing onto my getaway moneysavingexpert, i have really missed this place.

I had to put my hours up at work it felt that i was spending more time working than i was with my family, putting my hours up was meant to bring in extra money to pay the dreaded bills, but nothing seems to work out the way we wanted them too, before i moved my hours from 22 hrs a week to over 40, i spent more time doing the things i loved most which was cooking, i think before i did something like 95% of the cooking in my house and mostly very healthy.
when i put my hours my hubby took over the kitchen bless him he isn't a very good cook or even a healthy cook, but i was so tried when i got home from work i was just grateful that someone else was cooking lol, I think that was a mistake.
i noticed about two months ago that our bills wasn't going down and we seemed to have less money than we did before and i just couldn't work out how we was losing money even tho i was earning more, it wasn't until i had to take a week off work that i noticed that our shopping bill had gone from £170 per month too almost £500, that's for 2 adults 3 children and 3 cats.
how has this happened i asked my husband, I don't know he told me, maybe its because i have to buy easier to cook meals or ready cooked, things in jars.

so i took out my folder i was using last year and worked out our weekly/monthly shopping bills and con-paired them to the shopping bills this year, shocking isn't the word i would use, I can't blame my hubby or my eldest because they cooked the way they knew how to cook, as long as everyone is feed that's what matters and years ago i used to think the same lol.
In a way maybe its my own fault I loved cooking so much I mean the kitchen was my getaway the place that was my own and i never liked to share my personal space,, (get out of my kitchen) was what i used many times lol.
i should of taken the time to teach them how to cook, my eldest is 18 years old and can only cook the basics of food's for the highest price, that's got to change, one day she will leave home and will be living of chips and soups if i don't teach her to cook.
life lesson for me, learn to share the kitchen lol..

so anyway i have cut my hours to 24 a week and i have taken over my kitchen and the shopping once again, but this time, I will only cook 4 days a week, and the other 3 days are cooking lessons for hubby and my two eldest lol..
yes with only working 24 hours i'm not going to earn 1000s a month, we are not going to have anymore savings but we didn't when i put my hours up anyway, but at least i know where the money is going, good food dinners and i will be at home where i am needed lol.
actually thinking about it we should be able to save a little because i could save a little when i was working 24 hurs so fingers crossed i can this time.

You are doing your son the best thing you can teach him to be self-reliant and to be able to look after himself. And once he has a girlfriend to share the tasks at home. So many women work full time but still do 90% of the domestic chores. whose fault is that? ours!!

Rowan9

We don't have kids at home now but even for the 2 of us we have to be organised with shopping lists and menu planning. I know when I come in from work it's so good to know what's for tea, especially if it has been made and frozen etc. I really can see how some people's bills would soar when they change to working full-time. Good for you noticing and taking the time to work out the rise in the food bills!