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

Treadingonplaymobil

Week 18: Day 5

Morning! Almost the weekend, hurrah! I am having a weekend almost entirely off work, which will be enormously novel, so I am very excited.

Had a long chat with DH last night about his pay rise and he is feeling a lot more philosophical about it. He's going to accept the rise they have offered and focus his energy on the future planning bit of the meeting, so he can be clear on their and his expectations in the coming years. He is also going to push for an extra 1.5 days annual leave that he is due as a manager and has never been awarded (he is a very junior manager, but still), as that can be used for childcare to help me earn a tiny bit more. Every little helps.

We are going to try to get our front garden fence panels nailed (ha. Nailed. Get it? I'm here all week folks) this weekend, so we can put the plants out in the front garden and actually start to enjoy it.

Meanwhile I'm off to the nearest city on the train with DC3 today to meet a friend, so need to make packed lunches and generally get ourselves organised so we don't spend any money. I am having the same thought I do every time we have a day out and thinking I need to get myself a thermos flask/mug so I can take tea out with us. Sometimes borrow DH's but he is using it a lot at the moment.

to do today:
1. paint another batch of fence pickets and the batons to join them.
2. Finish last bit of tidying the DCs' room - amusingly, it is the playmobil that is left to sort. Bets on whether I tread on any?
3. social media for work.
4. pick up a fathers day card (and some card for the DCs to make cards) for DH and my dad from town.
5. Plan BBQ on weekend for minimum spends - the other family are bringing pudding so just need main course and drinks. Maybe veggie kebabs to bulk out whatever meat we get.
6. Menu plan and my supermarket for next week's food so I can get it while I'm in Lidl this evening and save making two trips out to the shops this weekend. Will need to allow for a veg top up shop as it won't last 9 days, but can get everything else.
7. Pack a nice picnic to take out today.
8. Make gluten free brownies if time before we leave, as friend is gluten free so it would be a good afternoon treat.

to do this week:
1. Make picket fence panels.
2. Finish digging trench and make gravel channel under fence location.
3. Go through camping stuff and plan what we need for the summer's camping trips.
4. Keep focusing on smaller business while main business is quiet. Going ok, although not making me millions,
5. Ask my mum about the chair and relist it with better description (assuming it doesn't sell by Tue). done.

[Deleted User]

Morning ToP,

Yay to the pay rise, I'm sure that it'll help budgetting wise.

Sounds like you've a busy day ahead, have fun x

Treadingonplaymobil

A couple of other things...

Weekly budget pots
Dividing up our regular overspends (food and family entertainment kitty) into weekly pots has vastly improved our tendency to overspend. It's not going to be perfect this month as we were a week into the month when i started, so we were already over budget for the first week (by pretty much 100%) which I've had to factor in, but I'm fairly sure our overspend for the month for these two pots is going to be significantly less than it has been. I thoroughly recommend this to anyone struggling to make budget categories last a full month.

Me time:
I am feeling really frazzled at the moment with work, childcare, managing our frugal living (frugal compared to before, anyway!) and general trying to achieve too much, so one of my goals once the front garden is finished is to slow down a little. I was searching for ideas for self care/nurturing/slow living yesterday, and realised I am doing absolutely none of them. This lack of down time is leading to the temptation to buy the trappings of leisure time - scented candles, loungewear, books, knitting and sewing supplies - as a substitute for actually having the leisure time. I've discussed before my temptation to buy the image of what I want rather than making it happen in reality, and I am conscious of not falling into this trap again.

I'm sure there was a third thing. It will come back to me I'm sure. I know you're all on the edge of your seats.

warby68

I think the weekly budget will help. Its never too long to wait to reset an overspend or too long to wait for the next small treat. It wasn't deliberate but that's how my online shops every 3/4 days works. If one shop needs to be essentials, its only a couple of days to another more relaxed one and it saves planning too far ahead and risking plans changing or being bored with what I chose a week earlier.

I should say that whilst not in debt we took on a huge school fees commitment instead without having planned it so that's why I lurk here for tips as its a huge amount to find each year from income. We have no help whatsoever with it . I know the choice of private education might be a sensitive subject but we're just 'ordinary' so finding the cash has been like finding a 3rd salary if not more for 9 years. We have 3 years left (ignoring university at the moment). I just didn't want to sound too 'righteous' about lifestyle choices - we have chosen something very difficult to afford as well.

Wysiwyg49

Totally agree with the weekly budget pots - I have done that this month, like TOPM I started properly in week 2 and it is already making a difference.

emmie26

I think I'm going to do the weekly pots, I am terrible for spending frivolously when I feel I am flush at the beginning of the month, this will take away that temptation. I only have one pot of leftover money that has to cover all day to day luxuries, like days out, meals out, make up etc, so if I spread it equally between the weeks I'll at least realise how little money this really is and think before I buy.

Treadingonplaymobil

Week 19: Day 2

Another week! Had a very internet-free family focused weekend, which was lovely. And we kept it pretty low spend - apart from food and drink for the barbecue on Saturday night (which I think added about £30 to our food shopping bill) we only spent change from our spare change tin on parking at the beach, took everything else with us for nice picnics and snacks and activities. Feeling really rejuvenated and refuelled, it's been so long since we spent a decent chunk of time together as a family without a million plans to get through.

Totally failed to get the fence put up in the front garden as we realised yesterday afternoon when we started it that I'd bought the wrong length of screws. Whoops. Going to attempt to buy the correct size today and will try again this week.

Have had a bit of a realisation that I need to take some more time for myself, so (in true TOPM style) I have made myself a list in my bullet journal of things I enjoy doing and am going to try to take half an hour every day to sit and read, or knit, or do a pedicure, or one of a number of other free activities. Have also set myself some goals for fruit and veg intake, sleep, steps etc (I did this a couple of months ago and it was great, but have slipped out of the habit). Hoping that taking better care of myself will lead for great efficiency in other areas, like MSE ones!

The budget is not looking amazing for the rest of the month - we have a shortfall, having paid for one of the many camping trips we have agreed to, and we have this extra CC payment coming out on the 30th due to the balance transfer (although DH will have been paid by then, so that's not such a crisis), but I think I'll be able to cover it with booked work without eating into my business account cushion. Need to sit down and crunch the numbers some more.

to do today:
1. paint another batch of fence pickets and the batons to join them.
2. tidy DCs' room.
3. social media for work.
4. clear the ironing (too hot for ironing!)
5. pack and post some orders for work.
6. get on top of my 'niggly little jobs' list for today, which has a lot of things on it.
7. Get a couple of laundry loads washed and on the line - we have a bit of a sandy and sun cream covered backlog to get through from the weekend.

to do this week:
1. Make picket fence.
2. Go through camping stuff and plan what we need for the summer's camping trips.
3. Keep focusing on smaller business while main business is quiet.

Treadingonplaymobil

Hot hot hot! Not complaining though - it's nice when the heat goes on long enough that I don't feel obliged to sit outside and make the most of every single minute. Have been in and out today and it's lovely.

My 'Good Things' list (ways to make time for myself, little challenges like eating 7 fruit and veg a day, walking etc) is going well so far - I sat and knitted for the first 30 minutes of DC3's nap today, and was pleased I'd taken the chance as she woke up after only 40 minutes.

Number crunching was depressing - we are already a couple of hundred over budget for this month, not counting the extra CC payment. I have had to take some of my cushion from the business account, which is tiresome. However, we are less over budget than we have been in recent months, so I'll call it a not-quite-a-total-disaster.

to do today:
1. paint another batch of fence pickets and the batons to join them. done.
2. tidy DCs' room. Not done. Like a sauna up there!
3. social media for work. Done.
4. clear the ironing (too hot for ironing!). Done, amazingly.
5. pack and post some orders for work. Done.
6. get on top of my 'niggly little jobs' list for today, which has a lot of things on it. Pretty much done.
7. Get a couple of laundry loads washed and on the line - we have a bit of a sandy and sun cream covered backlog to get through from the weekend. Done.

to do this week:
1. Make picket fence.
2. Go through camping stuff and plan what we need for the summer's camping trips.
3. Keep focusing on smaller business while main business is quiet.

XSpender

Im glad you spent DC3's nap time taking time for yourself. I remember when DS was little using that time to do housework etc, no wonder I was always knackered.

Alddee camping specials started yesterday. I'm assuming they are the same week wherever you are in the country as I am at the opposite end to you.:)

emmie26

I am still at the making the most of every second in the sun phase at the moment. My house is a mess, we are just eating bbq food and drinking gin in the sun - bliss!

I need your get up and go so I can tackle my to do list