Spend less now, work less later...

EscapingTheAlarm

So it's roast season again and this is one of my biggest downfalls (only really topped by sequin season which is fast approaching)... so far, I've managed to cook at home every week which I'm telling myself has saved a lot of money but my problem is that I love the whole tradition of getting people together for a roast and so have ended up cooking for 4 or 6 instead of 2 most weeks (Today is no exception). I love it but as I only buy meat which I know is free range/outdoor bred etc, it's actually starting to add up again. I need to think about how I can balance this out between the food shop and our personal spending money.
Things feel quite tight this month and we've still got plenty of commitments before payday - we will be turning down any new invites until then if they arrive.
We are feeling the pressure more than usual at the minute as we have a baby on the way which is very very very exciting but has really put a deadline on clearing these debts as my income will drop significantly once it's here.
My boss spoke to me the other day about taking on more responsibility at work and I really don't know what to do. On one hand it's a great opportunity and will obviously come with a very welcome pay rise but on the other hand, could perhaps clash with my idea of being an almost stay at home mum when the baby does arrive... it's a nicer problem to have but it's still a tricky one! I need to try and work this out with DH before a meeting I have with her this week.
Other than that, we are still plodding along and although things feel tight, I do feel like we're going to get there!

EscapingTheAlarm

So that potential promotion at work won't be happening as the job I would be filling required the current person in post to get a promotion which we all thought she had in the bag but unfortunately didn't come off! I feel bad for her as she's trying to put on a brave face but is clearly gutted about it. I'm actually surprisingly gutted about it too even though I wasn't sure it was something I wanted! Turns out I really did!
I'm struggling at work at the minute as people are trying to take so much pressure off me now that my bump is growing that I actually feel frustrated by it! It's completely out of kindness but I can't help but find it irritating!!
We're hopefully going to be able to pay off my car finance once we get paid this month! It's going to leave us without a lot of savings but it will be a massive chunk off what we owe so will be a big achievement. Our loan overpayments will have to go on hold for a while as we buy stuff for the baby but I'm still hoping to have everything cleared by next summer. We keep thinking of new goals and ambitions that we are so impatient to achieve- I need to start thinking of small goals I can aim for instead of big ones to help keep us motivated once we're out of debt... need to get my thinking cap on!

enthusiasticsaver

I missed your announcement so congratulations!!! When are you due? Paying off your car finance to minimise outgoings is a good idea. Saving a healthy buffer is also good but of course it depends on your maternity pay arrangements and when you intend going back to work and if you can manage to go to part time hours. Lots to think about.

My DD does 25 hours a week (5 hours daily) which works well and when her DD's start school she wont need any childcare except for school holidays. She is lucky though in that her and her DH work locally and they live in same town as us and her PIL. We and her MIL do childcare one day a week each so she just needs to pay for three days. DGD1 gets her 30 hours in January just as DGD2 starts nursery. Up until then we are sharing childcare for DGD2 between us all for KIT days and when DD returns to work mid November.

BachSoon

EscapingTheAlarm, I have just come across your diary and wanted to say that you are doing a great job. The inroads you have made so far will make such a difference to the length of time you have your debts. Congratulations on the pregnancy, babies are ace mine is nearly 9 months old... They grow so quick! Hope you are enjoying pregnancy, I loved every second of mine :rotfl:
I can empathise with you on your DH's approach to finance, as mine is exactly the same. It's difficult at times with two completely different attitudes to finances.

EscapingTheAlarm

Thanks enthusiasticsaver! We're so excited! I'm not due until the new year so we have a bit of time but not many pay days to sort things in! My maternity pay isn't too bad and we should still be able to save for the first few months which is really good but it does tail off towards the end so I need to be prepared!
It sounds like you've got a really good set up for childcare with your grandchildren! We're lucky in that we will have a similar set up for our little one too which will be a huge relief! I just need to decide how many days I want to go back to work for... I think it will all depend on money! We need to do some maths and work out how much money I actually earn each day as that could be a deciding factor.

EscapingTheAlarm

Thanks BachSoon! We can't wait for our little one to arrive! I bet you're so in love with yours! I've been so lucky so far during my pregnancy that I'd hardly notice if it wasn't for all the kicks!
I'm glad you think we're doing well as sometimes it's easy to forget the inroads you've made and focus more on how far there is left to go!!
I'm glad I'm not the only one who sometimes has to do battle with my DH over money but I do have to say that he's getting so much better! I just hope that we can keep it up once my pay is cut!

EscapingTheAlarm

I've had a MSE win this weekend! A couple of my friends have given me some hand me down maternity clothes and I feel like I'll probably have enough outfits to last me until baby arrives now! Phew- that was an extra expense that I'm very pleased to be avoiding!

EscapingTheAlarm

I have just paid off my car finance!! I can't believe it! £5445 later and although it's left us with only £500 in our savings account, it's a massive weight lifted and an extra £145 every month which can go towards something else!
I'm not sure just yet what to put it towards but I think it would be good to use it for the loan overpayments as we have been using our usual overpayments for baby stuff... I'll chat it through with DH and work something out.

enthusiasticsaver

Brilliant. Well done on clearing the car finance. Having less outgoings will help on maternity leave

EscapingTheAlarm

I can't believe the end of the year is coming around so quickly!! We haven't managed to pay off the loan as I'd originally hoped but are pretty much sorted for the baby's arrival now so should be able to make overpayments for the next two months before my pay goes down considerably. Our current balance is around £3200 and we have £1500 in savings since we used most of it to clear my car finance- I'm really really hoping that if we manage to put £1500 away for the next 2 months then we can clear it before baby arrives, cutting a total of £310 from our monthly outgoings if we include my car payment! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!
We had such a lovely Christmas and were so lucky with our presents (almost all baby related things that generous family members bought like the pram, cot and car seat) so I'm feeling very optimistic about the new year! I hope everyone else had a great time too! We're off to see friends for lunch both today and tomorrow so I'm going to have to make sure DH doesn't decide he needs 3 courses or we'll have spent a fortune by Monday! I feel like I'm inflating everywhere at the minute so at least that's motivation to just stick to one course!