Bricks Not Books

VintageHistorian

I'm off work this week and we have begun potty training DS today, cross your fingers for us! He's running around without a stitch on, except a pair of socks that he insisted on He managed to hold on for a full 2 hours, had a 20 minute fuss and fidget because he needed to go but wouldn't use the potty, eventually gave in but shrieked the place down, and now he seems to be getting used to the idea even if he isn't very happy about it. We have put him back in his nappy just for naptime.

OPs for June at £32.45, the bulk of which were Tilly Tidies. PA continues to be very quiet except for AI tasks that I refuse to participate in. I had an eBay sale and cashed out of Topcashback but that money is currently ringfenced for the emergency fund, and talks money goes in my S&S ISA. Hopefully PA starts picking up again soon.

Yesterday we had DS in nursery so me and Mr VH went into town. Paid in my speakers check, got a new fitted sheet from TK Maxx (600 thread count!) and some stickers from Flying Tiger for my Christmas charity donation, and then got more sunblock in Boots as DS gets thoroughly covered in the stuff and we're starting to run low.

We then popped over to M&S as last month Mr VH spotted a duvet and pillow set that we both liked (a rarity). I had 20% off with my Sparks card that was due to expire on Wednesday so we decided to go ahead and buy it. When we got there we couldn't find the one we liked at first so picked a compromise option. Then as we wandered around Mr VH spotted the one we originally liked, and there was one superking left! So compromise got put back and the right one was purchased. It was £69 but almost £14 was knocked off so we're quite happy with that.

We don't have a huge pile of bedding, just 2 pillowcase/duvet cover sets which we bought with some money gifted at our wedding, and 2 fitted sheets. One of the duvet covers has lost several buttons and some of the embroidery threads are coming off, so when that eventually needs to be relegated to recycling we can take our time picking a new third option.

(We also don't have a superking bed, we had a kingsize bed but my Mum recommends getting a duvet bigger than the bed so you're nicely covered in the winter, and she's right!)

I was looking forward to not spending much during this week off but along with new bedding yesterday (although that can come out of the home improvements fund) I have also popped out to Tesco while DS was eating lunch and spent £11! I needed a baguette for lunch and dinner, which I got, but then Mr VH asked me to pick up more fruit for DS and I spotted a yellowsticker pizza which has gone in the freezer for a future dinner. 

I hate this heat. But I have washed all the new bedding this morning and put it outside to dry, it was only feeling slightly damp at folded edges after just 90 minutes!

Dinner tonight is southern fried chicken strip baguettes with baked beans. The chicken will go in the airfryer so the oven doesn't have to be on.

Have a good week and try not to melt everyone!

VintageHistorian

OPs for July have kicked off at £18.41, and I've got £8 pending in PA already after doing a 45 minute survey earlier in the week.

Potty training is going about as well as could be expected. DS is a bit reluctant to use it after a few days of being pretty good but we think we might be over-prompting him so we're trying to rein in the "let's try for a wee!" reminders today.

Back to work on Monday. Don't want to go as despite the very intense nature of potty training it's been very nice having a week with DS and DH. DS seems to be a bit more receptive to me encouraging him to sit on the potty and "try", which doesn't bode well for DH on Monday, but I'm sure DS will get used to it. He was very clingy with DH again this morning, no idea why.

I have made a huge batch of ratatouille so we have 7 portions for DS and 3 for DH, one of which DH will have tomorrow evening with roast chicken. DS will probably have half of one of his portions tonight with some rice and some defrosted chicken stirred through.

Our dinner tonight will be oven pizzas, and I'm going to try and time the baking of a lemon drizzle cake to align with the oven being on. If not then I'll do it tomorrow instead. Have a good weekend everyone!

VintageHistorian

Need to do a money shuffle tonight but the laptop is already feeling very hot. I did add an OP of just over £4 a few days ago. Most of my PA money is still pending so I can't cash that out just yet.

I was supposed to do a talk last week but after realising I hadn't had confirmation and getting no response from the person that booked me I found a roundabout way of getting in contact with the group. The person who had booked me was very ill and had had to quit very suddenly and the paperwork they handed over did not include me, so someone else had been booked instead. Disappointing as I was looking forward to having another £35 in the FIRE pot, but they have now asked if I can come and talk in 2027   

Other than that, a quiet week. I got a pack of 10 frankfurters for free through an IG offer, so they'll do hot dogs one night and a pasta bake a few days later. I have made marbled cupcakes again as I'm running low on baking supplies, and dinner tonight was leftover toad in the hole. And yes, that does mean that I cooked a proper toad complete with potatoes and gravy on one of the hottest days of the year. Not sensible but I can't refuse the siren song of yorkshire pudding.

Have a good week everyone!

VintageHistorian

Finally got £8 out of PA the other day so can pay that over tonight when I do the food shopping money shuffle. Also got a £5 Amazon voucher from a receipt app so I've added that to my account. They tend to be spent on eBooks that are on a 99p offer.

I am investing £55 a week in a therapist for a few weeks. Not having a major mental health wobble but I've been having a lot of thoughts about the future that I'm struggling to untangle and deal with. Had the introductory session last weekend and have already started to put a few things in to practice that I hope will help in the long run.

DS is resisting his nap today despite looking wiped out before lunch. Mr VH is currently trying to get him to nod off but I can hear giggles so I'm not sure it's working.

Not much else to report on the money saving front. I have made some stewed cinnamon apples for DS to have in his porridge. Might try to make biscuits tomorrow if I had time.

Dinner tonight is southern fried chicken with potatoes wedges, corn on the cob, and beans. Have a nice weekend everyone!

sunshineli

Good for you for recognising the importance of looking after your health and investing in therapy. It can be easy to neglect things like this when you have financial goals, but at the end of the day being healthy and happy is the most important thing. Ps the porridge sounds delicious 

VintageHistorian

July's OP total was £42.04, so that £8 from PA was very helpful in the end.

This month may be very small as I've just paid my annual car insurance. As usual the company sent me an offer that was £50 over what I paid last year. So a look on TCB found me a range that were similar cost to last year. I actually ended up paying slightly more than the cheapest quote as I bought the cheapest that had a Defaqto rating of 4 stars, all the others were 1 or 2 stars. It was only a few £ more and a friend of mine who works in the motor industry has previously recommended looking at more than just the basic cost.

Plus there's £40 or £45 cashback through TCB but that normally comes in around October or November time.

Anyway I have the money saved, because sinking funds. But I'm going to try to get through the month without using it so I'll have some cash for car repairs if necessary. MOT is in February and the car is 15 years old, albeit with less than 100k miles on the clock. So I may not be able to OP much but it will balance out if I have £200 towards essential repairs over winter.

Although that does also remind me that I need to get the windscreen wipers replaced before the autumn weather kicks in.

I had to miss last week's therapy session as I had a poorly tum. Me and Mr VH were both ill but luckily we were ill on alternating days so one of us was fit to look after DS while the other lay in bed feeling rough. Mr VH's stomach was fine but he felt utterly wiped out and we both felt like our muscles were "heavy". All very odd. But we're both much better now, just got to get DS over his latest cough.

The talking is definitely helping though. Not to go into too much detail as it can be upsetting for others but I've had a lot of thoughts around the losses before DS, the possibility of having (or not having) another child, turning 40 etc. I'm not certain I'm happy with some of the conclusions I'm starting to lean towards, but of course more sessions will help me deal with them. As I've said repeatedly on here, we must play the hand we're dealt with.

Today I may chocolate chip cookies for me and Mr VH. Far too sugary for DS, at least that's my excuse for not sharing with him I've got some things that need to be done before winter but will need to write them out another time. DS has almost reached the end of naptime.

Dinner tonight is toad in the hole with the usual accompaniements. Have a nice weekend everyone!

VintageHistorian

I think I'm up to about £21 in TT this month, just need to find another £9 to hit my target.

Had to work over the weekend so I've had this afternoon off. I've made a lemon drizzle cake for us to have during the week (me in the afternoon at work, Mr VH as dessert after dinner), phoned HMRC to try and get free childcare hours for DS sorted out (I now have a temporary number and need to phone back at the end of the month for a permanent one), and I've added my September meal plan to my planner.

I've also worked on my October meal plan as our system is changing soon. Next month I'm changing hours so I'll be working a bit longer 4 days a week and having 1 day off, and Mr VH will be going back to work. Once Mr VH is back at work I'll be doing the nursery pick up and getting DS ready for bed on my own, so I've swapped around my plan to make two days easier "chuck in the airfryer" or "have in the slowcooker before going out" meals. It will definitely need some tweaking but until I see how DS settles (and how tired I am after longer days) I can't say for certain how it will go.

Popped into a charity shop over the weekend and came out with a lovely Seasalt Cornwall dress for £7.49. It looks like it's hardly been worn and it will replace one of the knackered White Stuff ones that still lingers in my wardrobe. I need to upgrade my vests and socks for the winter but that can wait until next month.

With that in mind, our winter prep checklist currently stands at:

• Buy more batteries for the powercut box (Mr VH checked it for me the other week so we know everything else is up to date and fine).
• Buy new vests and socks, including thermal socks, from M&S.
• Get the windscreen wipers replaced on my car.
• Get the gutters cleaned (this is now done, Mr VH booked them on Tuesday and they came round on Friday).
• Book the boiler service (we've got someone coming round tomorrow to fix our broken water pump so we can have a proper shower, it broke last weekend. Mr VH will book him to come back next month to do the service).
• Book a tree surgeon to give the tree a haircut.
• Wash the sofa blanket so it has a chance to dry on a hot day.
• Buy new wellies for DS and look for some trousers and longsleeved shirts for him on Vinted.

I'm sure there's something else but it will hopefully come to me later. I like autumn and I much prefer cooking in autumn and winter as I like stews etc, so some of my meal plan changes have involved adding those.

Dinner tonight is a fresh batch of bolognese with spaghetti and garlic bread, and hopefully at least 6 or 7 portions for the freezer. Have a good week everyone!

ladysummerisle

I used to work condensed hours with Wednesdays off. Quite nice to know I was only two days away from at least one day off. The 35 hour week helped too. Now school has started I’ve reverted reluctantly so enjoy it while you can. 

VintageHistorian

Wednesday is going to be my day too @ladysummerisle so I'm quite looking forward to it, most people seem to use Friday instead so I'm hoping Wednesday will mean we can get the occasional trip to soft play, the parking is very limited and half the time I have to turn around and give up. A quieter Wednesday would be nice.

Mr VH had a trip out with a friend yesterday and I had the other half of my time owed yesterday afternoon. Drove over to M&S as my Sparks card had 20% off socks. I couldn't find any daily socks I wanted in the end but I did spot a pack of 3 thermal ones for £10. I got a similar pack from them years ago and they're lovely to wear around the house in winter, but the elastic has gone in them. I now have new stretchy ones and got £2 off. I also picked up an extra pair of PJs for DS so he now has 3 sets for winter.

Then I popped into the food hall and came away with a few bits, including fishcakes for my sister. Need to remember to take those to my parents with me tomorrow. Came home and had my last slice of cake with a cup of tea before getting DS from nursery. He was a bit upset that Daddy wasn't with me but was otherwise surprisingly well behaved. I managed to get him into his cot at 7:30, I think it was the novely factor of me doing bedtime instead of Mr VH.

I was up with him this morning so we had breakfast and a play before Mr VH emerged. DS then would not let him out of his sight. I've taken the opportunity to get a load of batch cooking done for DS this morning. We now have several portions of bolognese, cottage pie base, and cooked sausages. I got a microwaveable mashed potato dish (yes I'm a lazy parent on that point but I did check the ingredients and there's no random nasties or unexpected ingredients, nor is the salt content particularly high), but have now realised it's not enough for both the cottage pie and the sausages. So it will go in the freezer with the sausages and some very watered down gravy, which means peas and a yorkshire pudding just need to be added at dinner times. The cottage pie base will just go in the freezer as is and I'll get some more mash and dollop it on top.

I really hate making my own mashed potato. No matter how much I mash I always end up with lumps.

Tomorrow I need to make another cake, or possible some cupcakes, and an apple and blackberry crumble for Mr VH as we still have quite a lot of last year's blackberries in the freezer. I'm sure there was something else I wanted to cook but I can't remember it so it can't have been that important.

Friday will be payday and so far I haven't had to dip in to the car insurance money, so I will try to rein in the spending this week. I still need £9 towards OPs.

Dinner tonight is roast pork belly with a joint I've had in the freezer for a few months. Somehow despite taking out this, and the sausages I cooked for DS today, I seem to have less space in the freezer even before I play Tetris with DS's food. I think I'll need to rearrange the middle drawer yet again.

Have a lovely bank holiday weekend everyone!

South_coast

There's no shame in taking a shortcut with the mash if you want to, especially if you struggle making it. I splash out on the car wash for the same reason - when I try it by hand, I just end up soaking wet and with a car that's still dirty 🤦‍♀️! Sometimes we just need to accept our shortcomings 😀!