£67,031.92 is a frightening number indeed....

earthgirl

Hi just caught up. Great news on the mortgage and the utilities credit. I would also investigate asking for some back if you felt it could stop xmas debt. It’s your money! But well done for reducing usage.

I am reluctant to post my cleaning rota in case people think I’m scummy but think getting organised has really helped me to reduce stress and keep the house ok. It’s never all sparkling and I miss that, but it’s never embarrassing and as a full time working Mum with side jobs as well, I just don’t have the time to do much more. Please be kind though as I’m learning!

I speed clean 4 mornings per week for 45 mins. I have a cleaning apron with pockets that hold cloths spray and gloves and a scrubbing brush. Saves time as I can just grab the apron and run around whichever room I’m doing.

Each of these mornings I’ll put on a wash and hang out, leaving me about 30 mins. One morning is sorting washing and putting away. I don’t iron but I Hang out really carefully to avoid creases. One morning I wipe the bathrooms and hoover quickly and change towels and pillow cases. The other two mornings are focused on a theme.
Wk1 bathrooms and toilets deep clean
WK2 floors deep clean/mop dusting
Wk3 change all bedding and clean glass.

We have a put away rule and have trained the kids to put things away. It works for me but I’m so time poor and don’t have high standards

Hope you find what works for you.

wishingthemortgaheaway

earthgirl wrote: »

Hi just caught up. Great news on the mortgage and the utilities credit. I would also investigate asking for some back if you felt it could stop xmas debt. It’s your money! But well done for reducing usage.

I am reluctant to post my cleaning rota in case people think I’m scummy but think getting organised has really helped me to reduce stress and keep the house ok. It’s never all sparkling and I miss that, but it’s never embarrassing and as a full time working Mum with side jobs as well, I just don’t have the time to do much more. Please be kind though as I’m learning!

I speed clean 4 mornings per week for 45 mins. I have a cleaning apron with pockets that hold cloths spray and gloves and a scrubbing brush. Saves time as I can just grab the apron and run around whichever room I’m doing.

Each of these mornings I’ll put on a wash and hang out, leaving me about 30 mins. One morning is sorting washing and putting away. I don’t iron but I Hang out really carefully to avoid creases. One morning I wipe the bathrooms and hoover quickly and change towels and pillow cases. The other two mornings are focused on a theme.
Wk1 bathrooms and toilets deep clean
WK2 floors deep clean/mop dusting
Wk3 change all bedding and clean glass.

We have a put away rule and have trained the kids to put things away. It works for me but I’m so time poor and don’t have high standards

Hope you find what works for you.

That sounds like a good system to me, I love the idea of your apron, what a fab idea.

WannabeFree

earthgirl wrote: »

Hi just caught up. Great news on the mortgage and the utilities credit. I would also investigate asking for some back if you felt it could stop xmas debt. It’s your money! But well done for reducing usage.

I am reluctant to post my cleaning rota in case people think I’m scummy but think getting organised has really helped me to reduce stress and keep the house ok. It’s never all sparkling and I miss that, but it’s never embarrassing and as a full time working Mum with side jobs as well, I just don’t have the time to do much more. Please be kind though as I’m learning!

I speed clean 4 mornings per week for 45 mins. I have a cleaning apron with pockets that hold cloths spray and gloves and a scrubbing brush. Saves time as I can just grab the apron and run around whichever room I’m doing.

Each of these mornings I’ll put on a wash and hang out, leaving me about 30 mins. One morning is sorting washing and putting away. I don’t iron but I Hang out really carefully to avoid creases. One morning I wipe the bathrooms and hoover quickly and change towels and pillow cases. The other two mornings are focused on a theme.
Wk1 bathrooms and toilets deep clean
WK2 floors deep clean/mop dusting
Wk3 change all bedding and clean glass.

We have a put away rule and have trained the kids to put things away. It works for me but I’m so time poor and don’t have high standards

Hope you find what works for you.

I love this post :A

Honeysucklelou2

When you work full time, it is difficult to get everything done at home as well. What a great idea about the apron and having a 3 week rotation.

Treadingonplaymobil

earthgirl thanks for the cleaning routine!

Having a bit of a disaster morning here - arrived in London last night, unloaded the car outside my relative's house, and the car wouldn't start when we went to move it to the nearest car park! We think the alternator is not working. Of course we are now into weekend vehicle recovery and getting the car repaired in some heinously expensive London garage. Boo.

System

Oh no TOPM couldn't have happened whilst you were at home it had to be in London . Hate cars , they are money pits .

On the upside at least you are safe and at relatives .

Cherryfudge

This is not what we want to hear. I hope they can fix it quickly and not too heinously. Other than that I hope it's a really good weekend.

Treadingonplaymobil

Week 42: Day 2

Before I get stuck into looking at this week, I need to get down a little confessional about the weekend...

£268 later, we have a car that works again :eek: . So annoying, could really have done without that. It's wiped out 80% of our savings account (all the pots for annual bills, that had been building solidly for a couple of months, for the first time since LBM). So that's a bit rubbish.

Also, the weekend was generally enormously expensive on all fronts - £70 to a relative for an activity they promised DC1 as a birthday present then realised they couldn't afford (after promising it), so we and another relative chipped in so that DC1 didn't end up let down. Plus lunch with some old friends that ended up being more than I anticipated (evenly split bill, others on steak and prosecco while I ate veggie and didn't drink), plus an activity for DC2 to make up for DC1 going on a fun activity which also ended up being more expensive than anticipated. Plus the car, of course. So all in all, a pretty disastrous weekend, financially speaking.

BUT it did make something hit home - this is the kind of weekend we would have organised a few times a year pre LBM, and not really added all the costs up. Yes, the costs were 'unexpected', but (apart from the car) only because we didn't plan for them; they all actually could have been anticipated - things like the lunch weren't exactly a shock, I could have looked at the menu of the place online and stated I was going to just pay my way, the friends wouldn't have been offended. To be honest the whole weekend felt a little hollow because there was a constant nagging feeling of 'we can't afford this' at the back of my mind. Lesson learned that any future weekends away like this need to be carefully planned out in advance, with the whole budget for the weekend planned and actually in our bank accounts before we go, rather than winging it, which is pretty much what we did this weekend.

Also, I know I overcompensated with DC2's activity, we didn't need to something as expensive as we did.

Silver linings: an important lesson learned.

Now, onto this week...

I'm working up in London until Wednesday. I need to feed myself today but other than that it should be moderately cheap as I'm staying in a hotel with breakfast included (paid for by the people I'm working for) tonight and tomorrow, and lunch is catered. Not sure about dinner, will just grab something from M&S to eat in hotel room if we aren't eating out.

The downside of being away is that I won't get a huge amount done either earning or MS this week (I am being paid for work tomorrow and wed, obviously, but it isn't amazing pay - £150 a day for longish days), and I'll need to get the DCs' advent calendar ready when I'm home on Thursday as I won't have done anything before then - I have printed out all the activities and bought chocolates though, so I just need to load it.

Have had three work enquiries this weekend, so fingers crossed at least one of them comes off. One is over the Christmas period (I often get bookings then as people are off work and have the time to come to see me) which is a bit of a pain, but it's two clients so will be about £100 profit for <5 hours work, so I can't really complain. Plus it's not in my house so I don't need to worry about tidying up.

Right, better get on with my day, or I'm not going to get anything done!

to do today
1. plan week - need to keep on top of work admin like emails and contract work.
2. December budget.
3. finish contract work for this week before I leave my relative's.
4. pack up and get myself to the other side of London and check into my hotel.
5. some more Christmas knitting - I'll have some time to kill at the other end of London, so might treat myself to a coffee and some knitting in some hipster East London cafe .

To do this week
1. put advent calendar together.
2. DO SOME CHRISTMAS SHOPPING - still have no stockings, no presents from another relative who has asked me to buy for the DC, nothing for DH....
3. fabric for tree skirt - need to check if my mother brought any down with her.
4. keep on top of work admin so it isn't a nightmare on Thursday when I'm home.

To do this month
1. Keep the total spend at the budgeted level - it's high on YNAB this month (£3,842) as it includes the £470 paid off the MBNA card and all our savings pots are actually budgeted.!This is not going well.
2. Keep a tight record of Christmas spends so I can ensure it sticks to budget as far as possible.!Ongoing.
3. Keep beavering away at my business goals.!Ongoing.
4. Make some candles - we've run out! And I know one person really wants another one for Christmas, so will add it to her hyacinth.!Done! Although I'll probably use them up and need to make more before Christmas.

Treadingonplaymobil

As another way to try to get my head back in the MSE game, I have selected a couple of diaries to read from start to finish - currently working my way through XSpender's, which is super inspiring and full of relevant ideas, as her starting debt was not a million miles away from mine.

wishingthemortgaheaway

TOPM
firstly I think I know what one of your 'jobs' may be. Does it involve coloured scarves and making people look like they've had two week's holiday just by wearing the right colour???? (I'm about to book my style day)

Secondly: the thing that stood out to me was '£70 for dc1 gift that relative couldn't afford'.....
When I think back to your early diary days and you said you didn't want family to know your financial situation, could it be that you are not alone? And a conversation could readjust everyone's expectations?

Yup, the car sucks... (but when you have an emergency fund you'll take it in your stride)

And everything else, you've said (regarding planning for such a weekend)