From Little Acorns...

WhiteSnowdrop

What a lovely weekend and what a horrible morning! I'm debating using the car to take the kids to nursery as its so horrible and I have a work client straight after so I don't fancy looking like a limp rag when I arrive! I'll pick them up from nursery walking though as I'm trying to do 10k steps everyday and the walk to nursery and back normally sorts most of the steps out. Nothing more to report really.

Happy Monday… yuck

WhiteSnowdrop

Checking in after a horrible sickness bug has hit the family including me. Luckily my Mum helped out massively yesterday so I could just concentrate on being sick! Unfortunately my dd came down with it last night and still looks awful this morning although she is eating and drinking now. Lots of washing, towels and bedding, luckily it is really windy here and dry at the moment so hopefully I won't have to use the td too much.

Anyway I guess the sickness is a bit of a kickstart to the diet! I've been reading HDK diary about her weight loss and am so inspired. I've had two weeks off everything since finishing my MA (bar the viva I have to do), apart from starting my new job and I now really want to make things happen. I don't think going to the gym will work for me just because of time but I could work out at home, I have enough dvds and there is lots of free stuff online too. I walk over 10k steps each day taking the kids to nursery so that's free exercise too. If I just get my calorie intake under control and then add in some extra exercise surely it would work!
A house based day today so I'll make sure I get all of my items on flea bay to sell. I'm a bit confused about the 20 free items, there seems to be an offer on of a further 20? I'll keep adding them until it isn't free anymore.

To do

1. Fill up flea bay
2. washing!
3. Decide upon weightless strategy

WhiteSnowdrop

What a horrible wet, cold day!

Money Generating
I'm continually listing on flea bay. I think I need to do a search of the house to find out what else I can sell - if it isn't nailed down and all that! I've a bag of clothes that I've tried to sell at the sales that I just don't want in the house anymore so I need to take them to £4clothes near me at some point this week. I've quite a busy week with my job, not many hours but enough to take up all of my mornings bar one when we have to see the nursery for parents evening/morning! I think the next big money generating project is getting my business up and running which requires a bit of thought! I think I should get paid £20 ish on the 25th of this month which I'll op as soon as we receive it.

Money saving
Meals all planned this week although bought a french stick for the kids lunch today! Back on track for dinner though and I should just need milk etc as a top up shop, so will try to last the rest of the week on £15 or so. I'm buying christmas stuff at the moment which is budgeted for and I've managed a few quite good savings. I'm using up points to get the gifts and generally haggling as much as possible to try and come in under budget. I got a great molton brown offer last night off the grab it board which covers 4 gifts.

The kids need a big winter coat and snow boots this year as we'll be walking to and from Nursery through all of the worst weather. I might start to get that sorted out sooner rather than later and just buy the next sizes up for the both so that they last.

Off to sort the house and do some playing with the kids.

WS

WhiteSnowdrop

Such a lot to think about at the moment. From a money perspective I'm really starting to see where I can improve the savings we bank. I believe I'm doing all I can to generate money and it really has become quite a habit now. We are also really good at maximising our money when we do spend, i.e. using £co and vouchers etc, I rarely buy anything full price now and always try to get the best value for money. What I have begun to notice is how inconsistent I am with everyday spending. I went to Mr L this week as we only needed milk etc, I took £15 in cash in and only spent £13 but then went to the shops the other day for my Gran and just spent £19 on nothing! I've adopted the MSE way of thinking in so much of my day to day life perhaps this is the last piece of the puzzle?

We have done so well this year and by looking at out mortgage statement which came through on Friday (over 2 pages long, hee he,he) we have paid off over £20k in the past 12 months which is a brilliant achievement but I still think we can do more and I think the secret is in the incidental spending. So I'm going to really focus on NSD for the rest of this month and see if that helps. Plus I'm going to keep a spending diary too and again notice the difference that makes.
Hope everyone had a fab weekend.

WhiteSnowdrop

I've just realised I haven't updated this diary for a while. We have now overpaid an extra £1540 since June which is a really great total as although the challenge I set says 3k, that was an annual total so I'm really pleased with £1500 in 5 months.
We have quite a few house jobs that we will need to have experts in to do (electrical and plastering) so that is going to cost £££ potentially. I'd like to re-decorate the kids room as it is very much a nursery and I'd ilke to move some of their toys upstairs as well as converting an inbuilt shelving unit into a small wardrobe and some under bed storage. As well as op'ing we are also saving for an extension in the next 12-18 months at that point the kids will move into their own bedrooms so I just want something to tide them over until then. I'm thinking a small bit of painting and a couple of bits from Ikea so under £100 should be an ample budget.

Money Generating
I've been paid so all of that was op'd. I've had a few flea bay items sell but from the ones I have finishing today I don't think many will sell and I'm running out of items to sell so I may give it a little bit of a break for a month or so, apart from the selling the cot. I'm working hard to set my own business up and start earning from that sooner rather than later. I don't TT at the moment so I might start that next month.

Money Saving
I'm trying to stick to budgets still but would like to set a real challenge for myself in November and December to try and offset the christmas spending! I also want to focus on NSD in Nov and Dec.

To do
1. turn all of the free b.nut squash we were given into stuff!
2. Make some soup and curry for lunches/dinners this week
3. Cook beef for lunch and freeze some for the dinners I've planned
4. make bread
5. Complete the shredding I'm doing for my Gran
6. hoover behind sofa's
7. prep for delivery tomorrow
8. Washing!!!!

Lots to do, have a lovely weekend

WhiteSnowdrop

I sold a bit more than I expected to on my items ending tonight, so another £20 or so to be op'd. The kids are absolutely full of cold and I think I'm getting laryngitis, I feel sorry for the people I'm going to give a lecture to tomorrow! No one seems to feel ill but I might need to buy more tissues tomorrow. I've had a NSD today which is good stuff. I will need to pick up milk and fruit in a day or so and will try to put off doing the weekly shop until late on this week. I won't manage a NSD tomorrow as I need to post the flea bay sales, but might manage it a couple of days next week. As it's half term I want to do a few bits with the kids but I'm thinking no to low spend things like a bus trip to the library, painting and a few other craft type activities. I bought a load of halloween themed items last year in the sale so will drag them out of the loft to see what we can use this year.
We went for a lovely walk just to the local park, kicking the leaves and collecting twigs? My dh commented upon how much he enjoyed it and that it hadn't cost us anything. Maybe I'm winning slowly!
I'm pretty sure we will have a small child visiting tonight as i can hear them coughing already. I sprinkle olbas oil on their pillows when they have colds and have done since they were babies. My ds asked tonight for the brown thing that makes be breath, I was a little confused until I thought it through! If the coughing doesn't stop I may try the vicks on feet thing I've read about.

Off for an early night

WS

WhiteSnowdrop

I've now caught the cold and have now developed laryngitis and now have no voice at all, joy of joys. Just so you know 3 year olds are rubbish at understanding mime! We have been given an absolutely huge pumpkin which I can't even lift! I've lots of free fun activities planned with the kids using this, they should keep us busy all week. I had a letter through from TSB about the 5% 2k thing which I did see on Courgette's diary so I will sit and have a look at that tonight and see if it will benefit us.

Money generating
Off to post the flea bay sales today, just a couple of slow coaches who will just have to wait if they haven't paid yet. DH paid another £30 off the mortgage yesterday which included the flea bay sales and the money off his fuel from Mr T saver thing.

Money saving
Beds stripped and will go out on the line as its such a lovely day. Will try and eat out of our reserves today, I can't do a NSD today as I have to pay for the postage but I can make it a low spend day. I think I'll walk to the shops so the kids can have a bit of fresh air and I get my steps increased for the day.


To Do

1. Beds washed
2. Post flea bay sales
3. Hoover
4. ironing - this evening
5. 4 items off my work to do list

Right off to sort the kids out, have a great Tuesday

WS

WhiteSnowdrop

This is the cold that just will not die! Half term was a complete wash out as everyone was ill so although it was pretty low spend it was really disheartening as I had lots of great things planned and we didn't get to do anything nor were the kids able to have a rest as they spent all week with snot pouring and hacking coughs! Oh well they are better now and are back at nursery now and I'm on the mend.

Money Generating
I've posted the last of the flea bay stuff with nothing else listed at the moment. I'm a little sick of the post office run at the moment so I think as I don't have too much to put on at the moment I'll have a break for a week or two and then get back to it. I've quite a few hours of work booked in next week which I hope will continue this month. It isn't much pay wise but I need to clock the hours for my accreditation application anyway so I might as well get paid for something I would have to do for free otherwise.

Money Saving
I'm not doing very here, I'm trying to get a few house jobs done before the worst of the weather hits so there is constantly some bill to pay at the moment! I'm trying to get control of my food shopping again and not doing very well! Must to better! Although this is spending I'm doing my christmas shopping at the moment and am finding some really great bargains at the moment. I hope to be finished shopping and wrapping by December so I can enjoy the run up to christmas without the stress of that in the way.

It's been a hard couple of months with me finishing my MA, the kids starting nursery, I've started a new job and we've all been ill twice! I'm starting to get back on top of all of the jobs I ignored when I was doing my MA and chucking lots of unwanted clutter out I go. On a positive note I've found out that I've passed my MA with merit and will graduate which is fabulous. The kids have settled in to nursery wonderfully and work is going ok. I'm hoping now we don't have to keep being ill and can enjoy the run up to christmas.

Right, off to start breakfast for the kids but not for us as dh and I are going for a champagne breakfast at a local restaurant this morning! Very decadent but a lovely treat.

Have a great day

WS

WhiteSnowdrop

What is wrong this site at the moment!

Goldiegirl

It's been very glitchy for the last few days.

Congratulations on the news that you've passed your MA, a great achievement, especially as you have so many other things going on