A pound stretching maternity

MrsSave

A lovely, quiet day today. I've had quite a few braxton hicks and some cramping (sorry!) today but I figure that's going to just increase now!

Today's only spend was our Tesco shop. We got it delivered this week (probably will every week now to make things a little easier) and it came to £44.08, so a little under my £45 budget.

I've done a few surveys today. My swagbucks is over 100 after cashing in a few days ago, onepoll is 5p short of £25 and my prolific is completely frustrating me. I have 4 or so surveys waiting to pay out and they're taking ages. I have £4.70 ready to go, but can't pay out until it's over £5. I have over £6 waiting.

I've checked the topcashback account, and there's over £80 waiting to be paid out there. Fingers crossed by the end of the year I can access that! My payday is 1 weeks from today, and I really hope I get a little tax back (I did last month) as November is looking tight!

Tomorrow is laundry day (though every day currently feels like laundry day.....it's never ending!!). Tomorrow is also slow cooker day, and I've got garlic and lime chicken (I think) in the fridge ready to throw in. May have it with rice.

There is a fair locally tomorrow, so we'll take ds for a little after dinner. Rides are £1 each so we've said that we'll decide beforehand how much money we'll give (I'm thinking £3 sounds good - that's 3 separate rides) and I may have to pick up some candy floss for me (I love the stuff!!). There's a bigger fair in just under a month's time a little further away, so that will be far more costly and will involve food, etc.

Katzen

Morning Mrs S,
Glad you enjoyed your day at home. Sounds like you're really getting on well with your budget etc, when's number 2 due? Can't be long if you're getting BH.
Have a good day

MrsSave

Number 2 is due at the beginning of December, I'm coming up to 33 weeks now. Time is starting to fly now, and I really should get things sorted for this little one's arrival! My plan for this morning is to sort the hospital bag out. I've thought about it a few times, and have got some baby bits out to one side and have bought my toiletries (with Boots points!!). I need to sort through everything now and find a bag that they'll all fit into!

I've started pinning lots of nice clothes on Pinterest! I guess it's far cheaper doing that than going shopping, especially when things don't fit!! My aim after having baby and losing some of the baby weight is to build a capsule wardrobe in the colours that suit me, and then I'll be able to add some nice pieces to it when I see them/can afford them. I know I'm getting vouchers for Christmas and probably will for my birthday as well which is in the new year so will keep them until I decide to go on a little shopping trip! For now, I'll keep pinning!

MrsSave

Today I've sorted out my son's bag for when I go into hospital. He'll end up at one of his Grandparent's whilst I'm giving birth so he helped me pack this morning. He initially just wanted to pack all his teddies, until I told him there would be a little while before he went so he may like to keep his teddies with him a little longer!!

I also went to set the moses basket up after giving all the different bits a wash a few weeks ago, but noticed the liner was stained. I decided to have a good go at getting it like new today, before looking to buy another. I managed it! I soaked it in a stain remover and then washed it at 90 degrees with more of the stain remover. It's drying at the moment, but looks as good as new!

I've also done some laundry today, but the basket still appears to be full!! Will spend tomorrow on it as well I think. It has been raining on and off all day so I couldn't use the outdoor line. I used the clothes horse instead!

We took ds to the fair this evening. We discussed with him before going that he could go on 3 rides, and I'm very impressed at the fact that he went on 3 and was then happy. Didn't ask for any more. We spent £6 there altogether.

I've had a successful day with the surveys. Onepoll is now over £26, I cashed out almost £7 from prolific, with another £7.50 waiting to be approved, which I can then cash out, and am just a little short of 200 swagbucks now.

I did place an order for Mothercare, which came to £8.95. It was for pregnancy things for me, and I went through topcashback so will get a few pence back!

My shoes from Dorothy Perkins arrived. I wore the boots to the fair this evening......I like them!

MrsSave

Sorted the laundry into piles.......there's loads :eek: I've cleaned the downstairs toilet this morning, need to do the bathroom as well. Add to that the living room needs a good dust and a hoover and the hallway floor needs a clean :eek: I then must, must, must sort out these hospital bags and give the whole of upstairs a good tidy. I'm saying it every day at the moment in the hope that I'll actually do it!!! The baby will be here before I pack anything in a bag!

I need to take a parcel to the post office today to return some of the Dorothy Perkins shoes (I ordered 2 sizes as I never know what size will fit!!). It's got a prepaid return label so no cost there. In fact today should be a nsd. 5 days until my payday. Please, please be the 'I think I'll get' amount and not the 'the minimum I'll get is' amount.

Right, I should be doing housework and not browsing/reading/window shopping/typing!!

Katzen

33 weeks along, you must be well into 'heavy and uncomfortable' now, I hope you're getting chance to rest. Well done on getting the basket liner scrubbed up, nice to save the price of a new one especially as they are in it for such short time. I know what you mean about laundry, never ending in this house, can't imagine what it'll be like with two, especially dreading the poo-nami baby grows of the new born phase.

hannahroberts1985

Afternoon Mrs Save,

Your sounding very organised! Wanna know a secret we've only just today set up our bed nest and I haven't finished my hospital bag!! I'm a !!!!!!! X

MrsSave

Didn't make it on last night, had a rough day yesterday. I think in my head I could get around and clean the whole house......my body said no after a few hours and I felt awful for the rest of the day. I cried 3 times, and I'm not someone who gets emotional! Ds was left to play for most of the day, or just left in front of the tv. I felt so guilty. So this morning I took him to soft play and he loved it. We've had a lovely morning, and he's now at school so I get to sit and rest.

We did end up going out for dinner last night after I sent dh an sos text (or a "what time will you be home from work?" Text, which he knows means "I'm really not having a good day"). He told me not to think about cooking and as soon as he got home he suggested we all go out. It came to just under £20, which isn't too bad for 3 meals and drinks.

I'm still working away on the surveys. I've got 340 swagbucks (half way to my next voucher), £26.70/£40 onepoll and enough for another prolific payout if only people would approve!!

Dh had an email yesterday to say he wasn't successful with applying for the new job. To be honest I'm not surprised, and neither was he. He has no experience at all (and didn't ask for any help with his cv which worries me!! I'm such a control freak I'd need things like that to be spot on). The email did say that they had a very high number of applicants. At least he has a job, it was just a case of no harm in trying.

Hannah, I can't believe you haven't finished your hospital bag!! Mine is in progress now, but with ds it was finished by 30 weeks :rotfl: Though saying that, I did unpack it again once I was in labour, decided I needed more pyjamas and sent dh shopping, which is a 15 minute drive away. My labour was only just over 8 hours start to end so I may not try that this time! As soon as he got home, I had to go into hospital! :eek:

Katzen

I did think you were a bit ambitious with your cleaning plans yesterday MrsS, well done for even tackling some of it though. Have you got your freezer well stocked ready for the arrival? I remember that being a total life saver for us! We were lucky as DS was born in early Jan so I was able to stock up on all the 'oven ready' meal deal stuff that Mr T had in the reduced section because clearly everyone was still eating turkey not Lasagne- just had to read the labels for what could be cooked from frozen.

Well done on all those surveys, I have tried but really find them such a drag for the money they make- but every little counts I guess.

I hope you have a more restful day today and a quiet (as possible with a little one) weekend ahead

MrsSave

Thank you. I've got quite a few slow cooker meals all prepped in the freezer that just need defrosting and then throwing in the slow cooker. Will be preparing another load next week which should give us 2 meals a week until the new year! I've also started stocking up on microwave rice (not budget friendly but so convenient!)! I do need to think of a few other 'easy' meals ready! Frozen lasagne and things like that sound like a fab idea, and will make sure we've got plenty of fish fingers and sausages! I do like the fresh pasta and sauce, and they only take minutes so will be adding them to the weekly shop!

It looks like unhealthy eating for the foreseeable future :rotfl: We're also hosting Christmas this year (I think I'm mad!) so if baby is a week or 2 late (please don't be!!) there will be plenty of Christmas foods in and we'll live off buffet type foods!

I've tried surveys a few times, but I think I used to try too many at one time an drew get fed up. This time I'm sticking with these 3, and they seem to be worth it. Especially as I'm home whilst ds is at school so can spend a little time on them. Prolific is a very good one. You don't get many surveys, but when you do they're worth £1-£2 each on average.