Nst; fearless february

cupcake-queen

Afternoon all, as usual I was AWOL over the weekend!

Groceries: £139.93/£130 - ooopps! So close but that's me shopped out for the month
SFD: 7/15
Travel: £11.20/£33.60
Half-term: £12.63/£50
LTW: 2.5/5

Hit the jackpot big time with half-term freebies. My sister works at a cinema and has offered some of her free tickets so we can see the new Disney film. Not only that but she's going to drive us saving us the bus fare but will probably pay for parking or towards her lunch. So that's our big day out sorted. Wednesday I should be going around a friend's, our boys go to school together and she's also a cake maker so going to give her a hand over coffee and let the boys to it!

My frog is going back to my GP. Don't like talking about it but the fog is descending. I'm so disappointed as I thought I was well again.

Bobarella

Hi All

Kat - Hello, fancy seeing you here A lovely cameo.

Thrifty -How old are yours? I have a 6 year old. I have forgotten those years of not being able to leave a room, constant tidying that feels like it never ends, and not being able to go to the loo in peace. So it does happen. I seem to remember I felt that it was when he went off to school he changed so much. Hang in there. I am glad the walk helped you.

MotherNerd -Go on, you've got my gossip radar going off now, what was your cousin being boastful about. I love people who are all about having more than anyone else. My favourite saying is, 'If you've got an elephant, they've got a box to put it in'
Thanks for the mini challenge too!

MagicCat -Sorry youve been feeling down. Hope you felt a bit better for posting?

Sorry to to everyoe else who is not having a good time.

Traveller - Apologies for never posting my free london ideas. I barely ever get on a computer these days, and the tablet is a pain.
I am sure you have done all these but my top suggestions are:
The Museum of London - It has two floors, both are facinating. You get a great picture of London from its original settlement, to now. There are ruins visible of the original city out of one window, a great picnic room for schools, or whoever wants to use it, & the Lord Mayors golden coach is well worth ooing at, although when you consider the LM is Bojo at the moment, less of a thrill
The Royal Parks - Have you done Greenwich recently? We had a lovely transport themed day out as son was doing transport in reception as a theme. We took a DLR to island gardens, then crossed under the foot tunnel to greenwich, which he found exciting. From there we took a Thames Clipper for very little on top of the oyster card cost, it was fun going up the river. Then we went on the cable cars at the O2, which terrified me but the guys enjoyed. We then went and got coffee and hung out at the O2 which has all these fountains that the little one enjoyed running about in. We spent less than £10 for the day, so not free, but cheap and a lot of fun.
Richmond & Bushey Parks are really worthwhile going to if you havent already, the deer are amazing and you can get right up close to them.

If you have NT membership Ham House is fantastic, & there is a place in Hackney which I havent managed to get to, but its very central. Both free of course with the membership.

The Geoffrye Museum -I think is still free. Incredible place if you like interiors, really facinating to see how they've changed over the age. Nice cafe and gardens, right by the tube.

Corams Fields - You can only go in with a child. Has a lovely playground, cafe etc, right next to Great Ormond Street Hospital. Also worth a trip but fee paying, is The Foundling Museum. If you've ever shed a tear watching Call the Midwife, it is similarly tear jerking when you hear of all those poor children who were left at the home. It really makes you appreciate your own family more.

The Museum in the Docklands -Has 3 floors, in the most amazing old warehouse setting. Cafe in the ground floor is great, has soft play, not sure of your childs age, sorry, but its called Mudlarks, and is a nice indoor setting. The museum itself has stuff on jack the ripper, & the sailor shanty towns that existed in the slums around the east end. Very atmospheric.

Er, think thats my top ones! And remember, 'if your tired of london...'

thriftylass

Bobarella wrote: »

Thrifty -How old are yours? I have a 6 year old. I have forgotten those years of not being able to leave a room, constant tidying that feels like it never ends, and not being able to go to the loo in peace. So it does happen. I seem to remember I felt that it was when he went off to school he changed so much. Hang in there. I am glad the walk helped you.

They are 3, 11months (and 42 :rotfl:) DS and DS are just a bit too young to leave unattended or to safely play together, plus DD is just learning to walk. I'm sure it'll get easier once they get more independent.

Bobarella

Oh yes so both right in the dependant stages for different reasons. It is hard when you feel you get no YOU time at all. Is there anything you can do to change that? Or is it just a hang in there situation?

WelshKitty85

thrifty it will get easier. My little ones are 6 & 9 now and will happily entertain themselves and are pretty self-sufficient (it actually makes me sad that DS can now reach the tap to make his own drink, so he doesn't need me any more!). But I remember the stress of them being small and not even being able to wee in peace! Can you take some time for yourself once they are in bed? A 20 min candle lit bubble bath really does work wonders.

It's half term week for us and we had a lovely morning at a butterfly jungle/nature park. I have a pass for free entry due to my work (gets me into most attractions in the area) and after speaking nicely to the staff they let us all in for free, not just me! So, what I was expecting to be a spend day had actually been a SFD! We were back home for a late lunch and will have a light supper once children gets home form their various activities. DH has taken them tonight as I am full of cold and can't stop shivering.

DH sold an item on eBay which has taken our saving over £400. I am absolutely thrilled with this as any money we have made previously from selling, surveys etc has just gone into the bank and has been spent. It amazing to see how quickly it adds up.

Waiting for direct debits to go out this week so my debt repayments so far this year will reach over £1000. I am on track to pay them off completely (apart from mortgage and car finance) by April which will be a huge step for us.

apple_muncher

NinjaSavingKat wrote: »

I like seeing this. All the way in Vietnam. Well done Turtles! x

Whoop! Whoop! :j:j:j Our beloved NSK from all the way 'over there'. Awesome to hear from you xx

thriftylass

Thanks guys. It is more a matter of hanging in there. Plus i dont help myself. Whenever I have spare time or a day off I do house stuff etc as it would bug me otherwise. But I will make more of an effort to not just accomodate OH's me time but to make some for me too.

Well done on the savings Welshkitty

liltdiddylilt

thrifty I really feel for you with the kids situation. I have managed to balance life with one nearly three year old now, by putting her in nursery from 9-3 Monday to Weds. I work Weds - Friday so I get 2 days at the start of the week. One to batch cook, hit the cleaning, washing and ironing for the week, the next one to tidy up again and relax a bit. I was slowly going bonkers before that... chasing my tail running around after her. As a single mum 4 days and 5 nights of the week it was super tough.

My friend has children similar aged gaps to yours, and she is on maternity leave, rarely leaves the house, NEVER goes anywhere on foot, because the older one has developmental difficulties and can't walk next to the pram properly, and she can't push the pram with a buggy board on the back. She is sinking into a bit of a fug.. hope you find a way to balance it yourself. I have given up on another child until jellytot is a bit less dependent! School aged maybe... Is that selfish?! xx

Today - first day of half term, was a delightful but exhausting one. We baked cookies at 9am this morning and then after it smelled funky whilst baking, I tackled two HUGE frogs unknowingly, having not seen the challenge mothernerd... I scrubbed a tray that has seen far better days until it gleams, and then cleaned my oven. Two roast chickens, a joint of lamb, sausages and many many other things since had left the worst burned on black goo ever and I HATE cleaning the oven with a passion. So much so that if I wasn't trying to save money I would honestly pay someone to do it. Instead I sprayed it with oven cleaner and left that for an hour whilst I scrubbed the tray/cleaned the resulting kitchen mess. I then poured some astonish cleaner onto a wire scrubber and went to town on it, then left that soaking whilst I scrubbed the trays with the same & boiling water. Actually got more burned on gunk off than I have ever done.. It is spotless, back to brand new!! :j:j

We have also had some good clean free fun in the form of Jellytot triking down to the park with me, via another formal gardens where we tore up the ramps and then spent a good hour on the swings and slide until she was cold and tired and ready to go. Then we had a hot chocolate when we got back, she wolfed down her dinner, had a shower and is fast asleep in bed since half past 6 which is late for Jelly. Hoping for a lie in tomorrow as she has been getting up at stupid o clock

Tomorrow will be a spendy day, but low spend. We are meeting Him in Canterbury for a day out together. This entails £5ish bus fare and some anti-sickness tablets for the bus ride, but will take a packed lunch for us all and drinks - we will do the free museum in the quirky little building centre of town, and head for a mooch around the shops, then head down to the riverside park/gardens for a picnic. Should be a nice day and all being well will cost just £8 max!

SFD: 10/15
Groceries: £92.17

Definitely a tick in the exercise box today between cleaning and pushing a trike/swings. My arms ache!!

cupcake well done for going to the docs with the early signs. I hope you get what is right for you and feel much better soon.

NSK :wave: Hiiiiiiiiiii!!!

Off to get my shepherds pie. Waste not, I have baked jacket spuds, opened them and baked again with cheese on, to go with the pan of mince/onions/lentils & peas in gravy NOM!!! xx

Bobarella

I just need to say this before I burst but I am SO bored of reading about YNAB on here. Every thread seems to have someone raving about it. Sorry. It's like no one was able to manage a budget before this came along.

liltdiddylilt

:rotfl: :o:o:oBob I LOVE YNAB but... before I had it I had a £1.49 app on my phone. And a spreadsheet. And used the MSE budgeting tool. And the one on the MAS website. I am just a numbers freak. I have to be honest though, it is the *going into the red* and this challenge together that really works for me!!! x