Waiting for life to begin....

dawnybabes

I try and use our local farm shop - its tastier a works out much cheaper than the supermarkets. They've brainwashed us into thinking we are getting a bargain !!

stiltoncheese

I can't believe how expensive meat is becoming in the supermarket to be honest, and everything else. I swear every time I visit, the prices have gone up again.

There is a new Morrisons opening soon and we have a local Aldi too, so as soon as I am on maternity leave in 9 weeks time, I am going to start shopping there instead as I will have all the time in the world to shop around. There is also a weekly market on which I can't get to as it's only on when I am at work and the veg is a lot cheaper and just as good quality. Hoping I can start shaving some more off the monthly food bill as currently spending around £220 pm for 2 adults all month and 1 child for half the month (this does include all cleaning stuff, cat food and cat litter though, as well as personal items like toilet roll, shampoo and shower gel).

Thankfully, we will be using cloth nappies and wipes and hoping I will be able to successfully breastfeed so no additional baby costs to add to the bill.

stiltoncheese

Well it's finally Friday, yay

Plan for today is:

• [STRIKE]work from home to save on petrol costs[/STRIKE]
• [STRIKE]breakfast and lunch from stocks at home[/STRIKE]
• dinner from menu planner (probably spanish chicken & new pots or thai green curry & rice)
• [STRIKE]check online banking & update spreadsheets[/STRIKE]
• NSD
• [STRIKE]general housework to keep on top of mid-week clean I did[/STRIKE]
• [STRIKE]Add list to fridge door to write on things we run out of and need on next shop so I stop forgetting to buy the things we actually need and instead buying things we don't [/STRIKE]

I didn't end up sorting out the correspondence yesterday afterwards as OH's needs doing too so thought we could do it together this weekend instead. Still need to clean the oven which is going to be a horrible job, but we're moving out in 7 weeks and need to get it looking sparkly again to save paying someone to clean it!

Haven't done the sealed pot yet either as I need to find some sort of pot I can use. I do have a terramundi but that is for £1 coins so don't want to fill it up sooner with loose change and then have to smash it. It was a present so didn't cost me anything, but hoping when it's full I can try and get the coins back out through the hole in the top so I don't have to smash it and buy another one

Happy Friday everyone :beer:

stiltoncheese

Just logged onto O2 online and had an online chat with an advisor about my tariff. Phone was available to upgrade last August and I never bothered as my iphone was still fine. Checked my usage and realised that I don't really use my current tariff as me and OH mostly text which is unlimited and I mostly use the internet at work and home. Managed to cancel it down to £14 per month (from £36) which is a nice big saving. Not giving it up completely as me and OH text a lot through the day and think this will only increase when baby arrives and he is back at work.

beanielou

Great saving for you :j

stiltoncheese

Yeah, thanks Beanie. I was quite pleased with how easy it was and they didn't try to persuade me to upgrade or have extra minutes etc.

Just cooking dinner now.....went with spanish chicken in the end as forgot we had OH's DD here from tonight and she won't eat curry.

Also ended up being a NSD as planned so I actually completed my to-do list today

Hope everyone has nice plans for the weekend

stiltoncheese

I love weekends!

Have some loose plans this weekend so will write a general list for the entire weekend and see how it goes.

• Clean oven (I WILL do this lol)
• Sort correspondence out with OH
• [STRIKE]Clear remaining washing in basket (only 2 loads)[/STRIKE]
• Put clothes away from ironing basket (I only iron as I need things)
• [STRIKE]Breakfast and lunch from what we have in[/STRIKE]
• [STRIKE]Dinner from menu plan[/STRIKE]
• [STRIKE]Check online banking and update spreadsheets[/STRIKE]
• Tidy out 1 kitchen cupboard (see if I can find something to use for sealed pot at the same time)
• Clean fridge and decide what needs using up pretty soon
• [STRIKE]NSD[/STRIKE]
• Finish reading the final 3 chapters of my book as been too busy recently to read

Think that's it for now. Will have the usual housework bits to do on top, but that is something I usually do everyday to keep on top of things so won't take long.


6 1/2 weeks until we move house which is really exciting. OH hasn't picked up the boxes from work yet though and I'm already dreading the thought of packing everything up. I hate moving house!

stiltoncheese

Well, checked online banking and decided to pay off the odd £48.92 from my credit card, rounding the total down to £900. All interest and payments have been added/made for the month so that will stay at £900 until next month's payment now is made. Feels nice to have a round number. Hoping to clear this by November so I don't have to worry about payments suring maternity leave.

This leaves me with £145 spare cash to last until 30 August, which is roughly £50 per week (all bills, petrol, food etc accouned for, so this is disposable income). I am hoping to spend nowhere near that though as OH knows I am on a saving mission before baby comes, so any not spent will be paid off the credit card on 29 August before wages go in the following day. I'm reluctant to transfer some more of it now just in case something unexpected does crop up in the meantime as 3 weeks is quite long time when you have no money! I'm pretty strict though and have already paid £216 to the cc this month, so sure I can add to that at the end of the month.

Will be so nice when I only have the loan left to pay, and hoping I can clear that from some inheritance money by Mar/Apr 14. Feels strange knowing I will finally be debt free then

beanielou

Sounding good

stiltoncheese

Weekends go by so quickly! It's alreayd Tuesday and I didn't post on here yesterday either.

Weekend and Monday was good though. NSD on all 3 days days, all meals made from things already in fridge/cupboards, and all evening meals done from what was written on the meal planner :T

Dinner again tonight is also from the meal planner (quick cheat meal tonight of fishfingers, chips and beans as trying to run the freezer contents down before we move in 6 weeks).

Plans for today

• [STRIKE]Bring lunch into work from home[/STRIKE]
• [STRIKE]Dinner from menu plan[/STRIKE]
• [STRIKE]Check online banking and update spreadsheets[/STRIKE]
• [STRIKE]LSD - need to pick up some bits, but will draw £10 from atm and use that.
  Estimate will cost about £9 for the bits we need.[/STRIKE]
• [STRIKE]Add leftover change from above shopping into pot in car for daily toll bridge
  charge (5p each way). I need about another £2 in there to cover from now until I
  go on maternity leave and then all spare change will be going into a sealed pot.[/STRIKE]
• Put a load of washing on tonight

Not much of a list today as working. Sure I will find some things to add to it as the day goes on though....I always have things which need doing!