Taking it slowly, but doing it well.

Betterthanever

Sorry you didn't hear about the job.


Roast dust sounds good, though. Can't be any worse than wheatgrass?.....

wishingthemortgaheaway

Betterthanever wrote: »

Sorry you didn't hear about the job.


Roast dust sounds good, though. Can't be any worse than wheatgrass?.....

Or green tea. Whoever thought that stuff was drinkable???

wishingthemortgaheaway

Thank you everyone for the messages about the job, they rang today, confirmed what I seriously suspected and gave me some good feedback. The person who got the job has more experience than me in early years childcare, where as my experience is in the maintained school sector. Can't do anything about that. On wards and upwards.

Today, I collected the mystery parcel from the post office - it's a story sack subscription service box for Pickle. Story book, puppet, a toy, craft resources, ideas booklet. this is the first one they've done for pre school age. It's not rocket science, but someone else has done the hard work and Pickle and I will enjoy using it together. I signed up to it in August, hence forgetting about it. £20 every other month can easily be found from somewhere.

Food shop at Ald! And I got everything on the list, no need to go to Mr T's. My supermarket said £31.87 if shopping at Mr T's. Aldi price £21.82. Happy with that.

Coffee with a friend but then home for lunch and bake off prep. Note to all... don't try and cook what is effectively a plain chocolate and marshmallow strudel.... should have rung ghostbusters to sort my oven out.

Some advice please: best mse way to manage a 6hour drive, with a 1 year old without spending a fortune in service areas??

I'll need to fill the car up again tomorrow. Fuel budget is well and truly blown this month so going to have to juggle the grocery and household goods ones into fuel. Only thing is, November should! Be a cheap fuel month.

Update on day 17

MSE OCTOBER GOALS

Mop pot target 1) £64.88/£72.38 tt 's and emptying the rest of the bacon subscription pot.
Mop pot target 2) 0/£47.76
Mop pot target 3) 0/£100

Money for new sling: £10/£110
(Ziffit money pending)

Survey/tasks/cashback: £33.39/£50 no change
£20 - shop along
£4.90 - Shopmium
£3.49- Qmee
£5. - Swagbucks

NSDs: 7/12 -

Wish

pinkypig

Sorry about the job Wish and your pragmatic approach is a good one because you can't do anything about that. Hopefully the next oppertunity will perfectly match your expertise

Re the journey could you travel at night? When mine were tiny I'd try and travel when they would sleep and get them I to their PJs before we set off and then pop them straight into bed when we got there. This tended to avoid heavy traffic too. If you need to travel during the day then I'd take a picnic ,coffee, water and lots and lots of snacks:D. Have a safe journey

PP xx

wishingthemortgaheaway

Thanks Pp.

Travelling at night isn't really an option, I don't cope very well driving at night at the best of times, the lights from the street lamps and cars can give me a migraine. And I'm flying solo with little one as we are meeting hubby in London.
Definitely packing drinks and snacks for us both. Might have a hunt for a nt place en route so he can at least have a run about.

When will Star Trek style transporters be invented?

smallholdingsister

Endless drinks and snacks and plan in lots of stops so little one can get out of the car seat and wriggle. nursery rhymes or stories on ipod/CD player if possible or some white noise if you want pickle to sleep. Safe journey xxx

wishingthemortgaheaway

Evening all, thanks for the travel tips, all along the lines I was thinking of so all good.

Today has been lovely and lazy. The main event being that I collected my parents from the airport today. They've had a fab holiday. Despite saying they weren't bringing any gifts back, Pickle has been spoiled with holiday pressies.

Today I've spent £40 (exactly, I won the game) on fuel - fuel budget blown and £9.50 on a stupidly short amount of airport parking. Oh well.

No change in the updates below. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Update on day 18

MSE OCTOBER GOALS

Mop pot target 1) £64.88/£72.38
Mop pot target 2) 0/£47.76
Mop pot target 3) 0/£100

Money for new sling: £10/£110
(Ziffit money pending)

Survey/tasks/cashback: £33.39/£50 no change
£20 - shop along
£4.90 - Shopmium
£3.49- Qmee
£5. - Swagbucks

NSDs: 7/12 -

Wish

wishingthemortgaheaway

eveming all, here we are again.
Today was no better than yesterday money wise. So there are no updates to my goals below, it's going to be a massive stretch to reach them now.

This morning Pickle mountaineered ove a double duvet I had just stripped, sadly, his nappy chose that moment to give way under all the wriggling. Needless to say the duvet needed washing. I attempted to wash it in our washing machine and, although it fit, there wasn't enough space for it to move, so off to the laundrette it went. - £10 from the household goods pot.

I also stocked up on travel snacks for tomorrow and treated myself to a bottle of prosecco and a nice pudding pot. Unnecessary spends, especially when things are getting tight, but the £14.00 I spent (from groceries) will be less than I would have spent out on service station snacks.
Tomorrow I will spend on some breakfast and lunch at the service stations, but more to give Pickle some car seat free time. My plan is to set off super early, be away by 7 at the latest, and see how we fare.

Dad repaid me for his coffee pods and for the airport parking yesterday, he paid in cash so I'll juggle the YNAB pots around as appropriate.

Looking forward to some days away, which should be super cheap as hubby's family will treat us, then it will be downhill to the end of the month.

Update on day 19

MSE OCTOBER GOALS

Mop pot target 1) £64.88/£72.38
Mop pot target 2) 0/£47.76
Mop pot target 3) 0/£100

Money for new sling: £10/£110
(Ziffit money pending)

Survey/tasks/cashback: £33.39/£50 no change
£20 - shop along
£4.90 - Shopmium
£3.49- Qmee
£5. - Swagbucks

NSDs: 7/12 -

Wish

wishingthemortgaheaway

morning, this is yesterday's update, I was so tired last night I couldn't think straight. Pickle decided to party at 3:15 yesterday morning. So we made the most of it and set off REALLY early on our trip to see family. If the M25 hadn't been shut on the bit we needed to use we'd have been winning, but the resulting delays made the journey 2 hours longer than it could have been.
My only money outs yesterday was £4.88 on breakfast for us both in a service station. I took snacks and drinks for the rest of the journey, but always intended to buy breakfast.
Money ins:
Ziffit have confirmed £31.91 for the books I sent off 4 of the more 'valuable' books were rejected, but even so, a good out come £30 to the sling fund & £1.91 to the mop pot.
Mum and dad rang, they've paid for a repair on my brother's car (he's forever using the bank of mum and dad) and as they are always ridiculously fair in these matters and want to make sure I get the same... they want to pay for the dbs check for the supply agency. I am so grateful. Everything was feeling a bit tight. I would have managed, but the mop pot would have suffered. This way I feel like I'm back on track.
They are also going to be paying for brother's new glasses, and have said that they want to put that money into Pickle's accounts. I really do wish my brother & s-i-l were better at their finances generally but, I am pleased to benefit.

Hoping for a no/low spend day today, what ever happens I should be able to just use the cash in my purse. Need to meal plan and sort a shopping list for either delivery/click and collect on our way home Tuesday - I don't think I need much, so it might be a prime now order, a bit more expensive than Ald! But I'm going to need the convienience.

Update on day 20

MSE OCTOBER GOALS

Mop pot target 1) £66.79/£72.38
Mop pot target 2) 0/£47.76
Mop pot target 3) 0/£100

Money for new sling: £30/£110


Survey/tasks/cashback: £33.39/£50 no change
£20 - shop along
£4.90 - Shopmium
£3.49- Qmee
£5. - Swagbucks

NSDs: 7/12 -

Wish

pinkypig

Traffic delays are the worst - poor you:(

Have a great weekend with your family, your mum and dad sound lovely.
Xx