2017 Working Mum keeping on top of it!

cannyscot_2

10 years on MSE I have picked up lots good tips on budgeting and householding that has helped enormously. Now financially good ! but lots of working has meant house has slipped . Looming reduction in income means we need to drop cleaner and sort ourselves our.

So looking for time saving and money saving ideas..old or new
plan is...
1. buy tesco pass -get delivery every week and plan meals and alcohol to avoid ..drive by £25 spends in the coop. 8 years planning meals but now got a bit careless-lidl nice stuff etc?

2. new robotic hoover and cordless for stairs ... Christmas gifts .

3. Cleaning sink and kitchen surfaces every night ...per flylady

4. Washing... got dry buddy and dryer and heated rack.
...wash teatime every night and hang heated rack overnight. Dry buddy saves on ironing but elec bill high.



Looking for hacks to smooth life as this year I will work super hard -lots and lots of hours so need life to run smoothly so I can spend time organising finances as redundancy coming up and need to get time to get a new job.




Areas want to cut down are...

1. Food spend -crept up.
2. Electricity-is so high! £750 a year. Gas- is fine got well under control despite living in a very cold place-no idea how to monitor electricity am reading up. smart meter?
3. Cleaner -need to eliminate/reduce - £200 a month.
4. Need to invest in better storage -lots clutter-looking for clutter hacks -particularly in Kitchen -thinking of buying mug racks for under cupboards/glass holders/-any ideas as Kitchen space is limited. Need to be able to keep Kitchen under control ourselves without cleaner.
5. Need more time to be healthy -walk etc -but cleaning might be a good exercise!

Any ideas welcome -got a bit lost -busy earning but have forgotten how to save money and live wisely!

Tink_04

Can i join in with you ??

I only work PT but have 2 kids and struggle with MS, we are about to move house and im trying to save and make as much use of my time when i can.

My aims are

Use the SC at least twice a week
Meal plan
Shop from a list
Get a cleaning system in

I have found that some items are worth the money for time saved when you a re working but some are not - i am going to try an easy tea night once a week for us (egg & chips - Beans & Jackets) just to try and make sure im not cooking all the time as im often ill or exhausted!! I batch cook when i can and find this is invaluble - micro rice is also worth the money i find as it can go with most stuff i pull out of the freezer and means we have a quick meal (iceland do frozen bags of white rice 6 for £1.50 and you just microwave them )

Good luck!!

cannyscot_2

Hi Tink

Yes please ! SC is a godsend ! On the microwave rice I know what you mean but we do have a plastic microwaveable rice cooker which is pretty quick. I know that asda do a electric one for 12.99. (depends on kids age as mine can turn it on!)

Cleaning must be hard for you-we are just rubbish!

LameWolf

I have one of those microwave rice cookers.

Quick suggestion: Known on the Flylady thread (which you are welcome to join, of course) as the Valli Mantra:
"Don't put it down, put it away".
If you can get everyone in the house to live by this, you'll find life heaps easier.

I meal plan, but with the option of swapping days around if I'm having a rough day (I have lupus). So for instance, we were due for sausages and roast root veg tonight and pasta in cheese sauce tomorrow (the latter I can make on "autopilot".) But we've been out into town today and I'm exhausted, so it's pasta tonight, sausages tomorrow.

Tink_04

Lame Wolf - I usually swap my meals around depending when I can and can't manage!

Cannyscot I've never seen a rice cooker? I try not to buy gadgets that won't get used - silly question but what do you do with it?

I have been to work today and getting the kids sorted for back to school tomorrow. I have Mexican chicken in the SC today - going to serve with rice for tea so will be easy and only 1 pot to wash - going to get DH to chip the potatos tonight for tea tomorrow so I can just leave them in water over night ready.

I'm planning on no spending until Sunday as have more than enough food in so hoping to have 6 (possibly 7) NSD's and make use of what we have in.

OS_QS

hey, can I join you?


I've recently returned to working full time and am struggling juggling running the house, chores, commuting / working 50+hrs/wk and raising a lively 16month old. On the surface it looks like I'm managing, but I'm absolutely shattered!


We have no family nearby so childcare is a juggle of annual leave and nursery.


I did try to go back to work 3days / week in september after my year's maternity, but workload meant that over the last 4months, 3 got bumped to 4days, then full time this January. Hoping if I can sort out my life / juggling act, then I will feel less stressed at work and hopefully go back down to 4days a week.


I need to get into meal planning, already good at getting shopping delivered, but often its a mishmash of things, and not much dinners! I've a slowcooker, but I have not the foggiest on what to cook in it. I've only ever stuck a chicken in!

trying_to_stay_afloat

Hi
One thing I've found to be really useful is a jug soupmaker. You can throw everything in and press the button. In 20 minutes you have perfect blended soup without all the stirring and faffing around with a blender.

It also saves the pennies as you can use all the bendy veg and left overs rather than throwing them away.

HoneyBee83

Subscribing to this thread as I am in a similar situation to you.
I work full time and am a single mother to DD.
Due to my landlord selling up we had to move in with my parents but looking to move into our own place by Easter. Luckily this has given me a chance to save so we have a nice cushion under us, but when it comes to paying bills again I'm filled with dread!
I have lost my OS ways and will need to organise myself house-wise again.

cannyscot_2

ROOMBA..So not exactly mse ... but the roomba is doing so well ! It is like having a small dog that cleans -home to clean living room!! definately making me feel on top of it!

Only problem is washing is not on yet ....and school starts tomorrow!

Franalamadingdong

How old are the kids? They can do jobs round the house. Mine is 5 years old so there's lots he can't do, and jobs aren't always perfect, but good enough and they learn by doing. He can strip his own bed and bring the washing downstairs. He can hang things out on the rotary drier in the warm weather. He can wipe sinks and the bath, but I am in charge of spraying (usually done while I do the loo so I can oversee). He can sweep, but the vacuum is a bit heavy. He wants to wash up, but it's painful to watch and needs redoing, so this I only allow after baking (so he gets the practice and I only have to rehash these bits). He loves to dust, I have to hide the duster. He can straighten up the cushions on the sofa and bring dirty cups into the kitchen.He does these things while I do my jobs, and he asks to help, I'm not a slave-driver, I promise!

I'm lazy with washing up, and usually I set off cooking tea, and while that's going I do the washing up. I'll do jobs like putting away laundry while drying off after showering too.

I recommend sorting one kitchen cupboard per week, and throwing out chipped glasses etc so they're not just loitering in the back. I tend to put things away in a more ordered way afterwards. I recently did the larder cupboard and, rather anally, stuck a sheet with all the contents listed in categories and used this as the basis of menu planning and I can delete what's removed, also will save time when making the shopping list as no rummaging, or rather, giving up and buying more of what I have in.

Oh, and I put the wash on before work so I can hang it out while dinner is bubbling. Anything to combine jobs!

(Single working mum).

trailingspouse

Plus one for giving the kids chores - it's good for them, and good for you too. A bit of responsibility doesn't do them any harm! And also, as they get older, they don't just assume that you'll do everything for them - and you don't end up feeling like a skivvy.

Once they started school, my kids were expected to make their beds every week day, keep their rooms reasonably tidy (they did this on a Saturday), and clean out the guinea pigs (with help to begin with, but as they got older they were able to go solo).

Also, I do a lot of multi-tasking - it's amazing what you can get done while you're waiting for the kettle to boil!! Empty the dishwasher, or wipe down the sides, or look through the cupboards to check what needs to go on the shopping list.

Only iron what really needs ironing. If you fold T-shirts carefully before you put them away, they will be wrinkle-free by the time you wear them. In fact I really only iron OHs shirts these days - and I don't spend much time on it, as by the time he's put a suit jacket on top and then driven for 90 minutes to work, they're pretty creased anyway!!