Bricks Not Books

VintageHistorian · 28 December at 2:46PM

Every single year I tell myself I'll do my last OP of the year on the 30th and every single year I forget and am annoyed with myself.

I have learnt my lesson and I have done my final OP of the year just now. It was a £10.18 Tilly Tidy and has nudged me over my target of overpaying £400 this year.

Finally OP total for 2025 - £404.57!

Food spending has got a bit out of control over Christmas. Some how I spent £52 in Waitrose yesterday and then a further £27 with Tesco

I didn't actually intend to go to Tesco but there were no yellowstickers in Waitrose, just a lot of fresh stuff with use by dates of the 29th and 30th. I also spent £8 on two desserts for me and Mr VH to see the year out and in with. Lesson for next year - Just buy one of the larger cheesecakes in the future.

Tesco on the other hand was more generous with the reductions. I got a large pack of beef mince, a small pack of beef mince, and a large pack of diced stewing beef, all for 1/3 or more off. Annoyingly I had already bought some stewing steak in Waitrose but I've put one of those in the freezer for a future meal. I've put the smaller packet of mince in the freezer too, and I'm going to use the big pack of mince to make bolognese for me and Mr VH. The large stewing pack is in the slowcooker right now, ready for dinner tomorrow.

DS has turned into a bossy little soul over the past two days. Mr VH was working yesterday so I took him to my parents house where the extended family helped tire him out and distract him. Mr VH got up with him this morning, once I was up we got him dressed (with great difficulty) and then I took him for a long walk in his pushchair. He's now napping, as is Mr VH.

We had a lovely Christmas. I now have another big pile of books and nowhere to put them. It's the kind of problem I like to have. Before I get too absorbed in my new ones I think I'll have a re-read of a few that I remember disliking first time round, to see if any can be jettisoned to the charity shop to make some space. I have a lot of books I enjoying going back over when I'm in the mood so I tend to keep them, but the bookcase situation is getting critical. Mr VH has just as many and will often only read them once, but will not give them up for love nor money. So we have a problem of our own making.

The alternative though is not having any books at all and that's just not the world I wish to live in. I need to be a little more ruthless, or at least accept that after two reads and a firm thumbs down both times it means the book is not for me and must go. Other lovely gifts include chocolate, socks, homemade biscuits, and my lovely new planner! DS also got toys and his very own tricycle, which is currently sitting in the boot of my car (hidden) as God knows where we're going to put it in the house, or where he'll be able to ride it. It will be great when we go on holiday later in the year though, assuming we can still get suitcases and things in around it.

We do need to have another toy declutter, and maybe start moving things up to DS's room. He does now have more storage up there and I can see a few toys around that I think would be better once he's past his next birthday, so I might suggest to Mr VH that we put a few things away to make space now and bring them back out over the summer, then other things can be packed away in the storage down here.

This afternoon I'm popping out to pick up some bits from Olio, to make me feel better about the food costs situation. I've requested cherry tomatoes, mixed peppers, green beans, and a bag of Maris Pipers. The tomatoes and a pepper just need to last until Wednesday, when I can make them into soup. Green beans could be eaten tonight, and the potatoes should be fine for a week in the fridge.

Dinner tonight is beef stew with dumplings and mashed potato. Should make 4 portions but god knows where in the freezer I can squeeze in 2 of them, they might need to sit in the fridge for a day or two alongside the bolognese I need to make!

Have a good week everyone, and if I don't see you at the end of the year - Happy New Year!

VintageHistorian · 30 December at 1:11PM

My parents have had DS today so after a breakfast of toast (with no one asking to share it XD) I have run around like a blue bummed fly:

Started dinner in the slow cooker (trying a new recipe, "Italian beef braised in red wine").
Cleaned the toilet and sink (Mr VH normally cleans but he's working several Saturdays in a row so this is a quick refresh).
Wiped around the kitchen and done the washing up.
Cleared out a bread bin that was storing scented candles. It's currently outside with a note inviting anyone who wants it to take it home.
Sorted out a big bag of muslins, some size 2 unused nappies and some unopened baby toiletries for a pregnant colleague.
Changed DS's bedsheets.
Washed DS's bedsheets along with some other laundry stragglers, and put them outside to begin drying.
Sorted out some of DS's toys and bits of paper, artwork etc. Some things have been binned, some have been moved to the shelf in his bedroom, and a brief reorganisation means one of his larger Christmas presents now has a place to live when it's not being played with.

I'm sure there was something else I did but I can't remember it. I was going to de-Christmas the living room a bit but actually I don't want to say goodbye to the decs just yet. And DS will be very upset when the lights come down so I'll delay that until 12th night.

I still need to peel some potatoes to go with dinner but first I need some lunch!

VintageHistorian · 30 December at 2:52PM

I have been instructed to head over to get DS in half an hour so figured I would pop back here for an update.

A while ago I mentioned on here I was investing some money in a few therapy sessions. At the time I was having a great deal of difficulty around a landmark birthday, the choice around having a second child etc. In total I had 6 sessions, which was a good amount as I had an issue I was working on rather than struggling through a bout of difficult mental health.

Ultimately the conclusion I came to was that although I would be happy to have another baby, I simply could not face another pregnancy. It would be my fourth one, it would need the exact same medication regime as DS (I'd already got confirmation from the hospital that we could have the same support), and although I can now say I've had one successful pregnancy I know that the two previous losses would weigh on me just as much. DS needs a Mummy who is mentally healthy, not one who can't pick him up or who won't run around after him because she's terrified of causing a miscarriage. And if we did lose one then he would suddenly have two very sad parents and no real understanding of "why". It's one thing to choose that risk for myself and Mr VH, quite another to put DS through it too.

Obviously it would be different if I was younger and we could wait a few years until he's in school. But I'm now 40 and the risks around everything (miscarriage, difficult labour, longterm health problems) is now going up. If we'd had DS when I was 35 then we might go for it later down the line, but that would be to wish for a different life. So although I feel a bit sad about it, I have a big family and I wanted something similar for DS, I know it's the best decision for the three of us.

The upside to it is that I was saving for another round of maternity leave and that money can now be distributed to a few pots. I won't put many specifics here, but the most relevant bit for here is that I'm going knock £1000 off the mortgage in the new year. And the get a few other savings pots started or finished off including:

Saving for a new car (this will be long term, I want to get at least 2 more years out of the current car).
Finishing off my emergency fund (only needs a few hundred pounds for this, once it's "full" it will cover 6 months of expenses).
Creating an "educational opportunities" fund for DS (this will be static and will just be run through a regular saver to boost the interest. Mr VH has said he'll match what I put in. We'll then use it for things like clubs, activities or day trips when he's in school that we might otherwise struggle to pay for. Child benefit will still go into his ISA).
Top up my S&S ISA.
Put a bit towards the Disney Paris fund.
Finish off some "prepping" stuff (we're not big preppers but I've recently set us up with an emergency bag and I just need to get some last bits for that, and a solar-powered radio to go in our powercut box).

Starting the savings for the new car is the main one, about 50% of my maternity savings are going to go towards that. I will then be putting £150 a month towards it, plus anything extra I might earn during the year. I just don't want to be caught in the same situation as last time, where the car broke down so many times that I no longer felt safe driving it and had to rush to buy a replacement. Next time I want to have a chance to look around properly and take my time, and get something with an engine bigger than 1.4 litres because crawling up hills is infuriating.

And now I need to go get DS. Happy New Year everyone!

Merlin's_Beard · 30 December at 3:27PM

I'm glad, even if it was a difficult thought to come around to, that you've been able to make the best decision for the circumstances that exist and that you've been able to have that help to make it.