A Frugal Maternity Leave

crunch_time

Ok quick update from the butchers

4 Turkey burgers
4 peppered steaks
9 wild boar sausages
1 portion pork mince

For £13.50
Very pleased with that!!!
That's 7 meals in total!! Will be very pleased if I can eek that out till the end of May!!
I was thinking on the way back from the butchers that that £61 in the slush pot will need to pay for the cement for the washing line this weekend. If we can manage not to spend anything else that would be great too then I can slush that towards my credit card.

It feels so good to be thinking like this again.
Crunchy xx

OrangeFairy

Hi crunchy

Seems like you have everything under control! Super organised.

Well done on the meat purchase- that's fab.

I need to meal plan tomorrow to keep cost down this month.

Funnily enough my mind is on luggage this evening. We fly with e@syjet on the 25th and hubby and I could do with hand luggage that is the size requirements to make the most of it. We have 10kg hand luggage each inc the girls and then one large suitcase which will be more than enough for us for 6 days. We are hiring a small car the other side so I don't think it could carry much more even if we wanted to!

OF x

mum2one

There sounds some great plans there, hopefully the car won't be that expensive on the service.

Sounds a bargain in the butchers.

Xx

crunch_time

Orange Fairy - yes feeling super organised now!! Its great having clear plans out ahead of you!! Not long for your trip now!! I don't think we can afford new luggage now. Just sat down with Husband and decided that weed killer and grass seed is more important this month so will have to pack using what we have. Luckily we aren't going far and only going in our car.


Mum2one - hopefully although husband still hasn't booked it in yet!!:mad:


I've just been updating YNAB with DDs for the month and outflows and checking things off my spreadsheet. I'm slowly getting used to YNAB and can see that it is going to be . I've updated the signature but husbands loan payment hasn't gone out yet so that stays unchanged. I'm counting the holiday and camera separately but they are sitting on each of our credit cards at the moment. It makes it easier for me to account for them this way.


Hopefully by the end of May we will be able to pay off


- £500 mum and Dad
- £180 off Husbands credit card
- Most of my credit card as husband has had to use his own money last month to pay for some stuff rather than his credit card.... it makes me cross that it got like this but we can see it through and then sort out a plan going forward.


We then should be able to pay for toddlers preschool fees and then buy some patio furniture.


It all seems to be going in the right direction now....


Happy Bank holiday everyone!!
crunchy xx

OrangeFairy

Hi Crunchy - sorry to hear you aren't getting the luggage noe - though if you are going in the car and space isn't such an issue as it is on flights it will be fine.

I need to look into this YNAB as it seems to be mentioned a lot and I don't really know what it is.....

crunch_time

Morning diaryland! Hope everyone is having a lovely BH weekend!!


We went to basehome on Saturday intending to get weedkiller and look at cement but came back with patio furniture and a parasol instead!!! There was a sale on and the one I wanted was only something like £145 for a circle table and 4 chairs. I budgeted £300 but was thinking about looking next month.


Mum and Dad said we don't have to pay back the last £500 straight away which is great so I have used the £500 I was saving for this if this month went well to pay them off before we go on holiday so it has gone on the table and chairs etc we came to £260 ish and then we have had to buy a new phone as ours is broken so that's another £40. It least it is not sitting on our credit card.


So there should be about £200 left at the end of this month to either buy things for the house or chuck at debt. Not sure what to do. Really want to chuck it towards the holiday but we need so much for the house!!!


Husband is going to get organised with all his expenses tonight and im going to get organised with dates in my diary. When I'm organised I feel more in control!!


Going to a garden centre today so a low spend day - perhaps just a cup of tea!!


Have a lovely day everyone
Crunchy xx

crunch_time

Evening diaryland!!

More money saving news from crunchytowers!!


A family member was getting rid of some bedside tables so we said we would have them for free!!:j They just need painting to update them so that's another summer job to add to the list!! I spent the morning installing them in the bedroom and it is sooooo nice to have my smalls in a drawer rather than an under bed storage box!! I'm dreaming about wardrobes now!!


Inspired by this I have decided to start a spreadsheet of everything we need for the house so I can start researching and getting things as cheap as I can without scrimping on quality.


I still haven't managed to get my sewing machine out but will do this week for sure!


Crunchy xx

crunch_time

Dear Diary

Husband finally got paid some of his expenses today - £1073. We are still expecting much much more. I paid off a few bits off my credit card and of course the rest went towards his expenses credit card. That means my credit card can be broken down as follows:

Camera - £485
Underwear - £28 - to be paid by May's clothes money
Beer - £40
Petrol - £70


Total = £623


Dry May is going well. We are planning to relax with camomile tea this weekend and hopefully use our new patio furniture. I really am shocked and disappointed that I put beer on my credit card. THIS MUST STOP!! Husband and I have agreed for June that we shall only buy alcohol for social occasions or if we really really really feel like a bottle of wine.


I have also realised that I am massively under budgeting for petrol. Its supposed to be £100 a month or £20 a week but I think I need to reduce the number of outings I make a week.


I've decided I need to have a minimum monthly target for debt pay off to balance it with buying stuff for the house.


With this in mind, from June I am going to reduce the overdraft by £200 every month. With the monthly loan payment that is £475 a month at least. Any extra can sit in the slush pot till the end of the month and then we decided what to do with it.


In other news I did a big sains shop yesterday so we now have plenty of food to last us until the end of next weekend. I perhaps just need to do a top up shop for milk and bread but then we don't have much for the last week in May. I'm beginning to think that £100 a month for food, nappies and formula, and cleaning products isn't enough for us. Perhaps i need to start a separate budget for formula. We get through a £8.50 box every 5 days or so so its a good £50 ish a month and i have another 6 months of paying for it:mad: i don't wish for her to grow too quickly but i think of all the money we will save once she is 1!!


I also managed to get the sewing machine out and started refashioning a top. I have set myself the target of doing 3 by the end of the month...


We shall see if this happens!!


crunchy xx

crunch_time

Morning diary


Just had a letter through from the bank saying that the first loan payment will be on the first of June. This means we can chuck the £275 budgeted for that at other debt this month!! Woohoo!


I've just paid £75 off husbands credit card for the holiday and £200 off the overdraft.


So far this means the following for the month of May


Loan £16,464 - no change this month
Overdraft - £2000 to £1800
Husbands credit card - £621 to £546
My credit card - £785 - £623


There is also £178 in the joint account ready just in case.


Husband managed to take packed lunch to work all last week!:j


We are having a NS weekend a since my 'cup of tea' at the garden centre last weekend cost £60 of entrance fees and tea and coffee for a local attraction we didn't know we were going to be going to!! That all our spending money gone now!!


We also didn't have any booze last night - first night in for ever!! £7-8 in my pocket and feel less fuzzy headed as a result!! :beer:


Anyway off to do some jobs - have an awesome weekend everyone!!


Crunchyxx

crunch_time

Just updated my signature and realised that brings the total debt under £20k again to....


£19,933!!!


Very happy with that!!