Adventures of the Boy & Me: Part 3..

DebtFreeDuo

I want to say nice to see you back but not sure if that is the right wording but I'm sure you know what I mean! Used to read your old diary but its been some time since I last commented. Nice to see you are doing well. I know what you mean with it being so expensive trying to give our small ones the best start. My boys dad doesn't give me anything so it does limit what extra things I can get him into weekly, he gets a football leaflet every now and again from school and he is always asking if he can do it but right now its not something I can fit in,

It sounds like you are doing the very best for your boy, time with them is the most precious thing isn't it.

Chandelier.

Afternoon,

It's been a busy day indeed which I did not expect. I've managed to get the following done.

• Fill car up with petrol. £30 spent.
• Collected prescription and got it dispensed.
• My friend came round for coffee and we chatted for two hours. No expense here.
• Nipped into town to pick up my two new pairs of glasses. £2.70 spent on car parking.
• Ordered a birthday present for work friend. £4.99 spent.
• Ordered myself a new fob watch and pair of scissors for work. £6.50 spent.
• Picked the boy up from school and fed him.
• Renewed breakdown cover. £46.00.
• Worked out a budget for yearly car expenses.

So it's been a mixture of spends, some of which were needed. I bought myself the items for work as my previous ones had broken and they are much needed. I won't have to borrow anyone else's now :rotfl:.

I've literally just got home and sorted the boys tea which is pizza tonight. I'll have some leftover pasta from last night.

I'm going to chill out for half an hour now before we have to go back out the house.

It's so chilly here today and I'm really feeling it.

Welcome back to my diaries and rambling on about things, Debtfreeduo. You're right it's hard to give them what they want and time is precious. I do as much as I can, that's all that matters.

We have a roof over our heads and food in our tummies.. I'm grateful.

Chandelier.

Evening,

We finished yesterday off with a three hour stint with the boys ice skating lessons. I had a catch up with friends whilst there and took my own food/drinks with me. It was absolutely freezing inside.

I can't believe how cold it feels all of a sudden. The temperature seems to have dropped massively. I've been layering up plenty yet I'm still feeling it!

Today has pretty much been a chill out day for all of us in the Chandelier household. I think with everything that has gone on this week, it's been much deserved and I'll be ready for work tomorrow.

I'll summarise our day as follows;

• Woke up, used leftover bagels for breakfast.
• The boys nanny came to town with us and bought him two new pair of shoes, much appreciated.
• Ate lunch at home before we went out.
• £2.70 spent on car parking.
• £2.50 on a milkshake as a treat.
• I bought myself a new pair of shoes for work in the sales, £19.99 down from £45.
• Homemade roast dinner, using leftovers from our freezer stores.
• I've used leftover meat and prepped a sandwich for tomorrow's lunch at work.
• The boy has built up some of his lego he got for Christmas.
• All the boys homework is now up to date.

That's pretty much it for the rest of the evening now. The boy is happily playing on his nintendo switch and I'm just browsing around the internet. The intention is that we both have an early night, ready for whatever tomorrow throws at us!

Chandelier.

Morning,

It's an early start here in the Chandelier household. I start work at 7.30am and have a ten hour shift ahead of me. The boy also has ice skating from 8am till around 11am which his Nanna is taking him to.

I tried to get an early night but did not succeed.. it must have been just before midnight I fell asleep and my alarm was set for 6am. I kept waking up at random points through the night and we all know that broken sleep isn't great so we shall see how my day pans out. Hopefully it won't be too full on for me.

I've rounded off some of my bank accounts and moved funds across so I've made a payment to the CC of £19.00, which brings the total now to £600.00. A nice even figure which will do for me.

I'm expecting an extra payment, income wise this month which will bump up my funds/budget. I'll most likely allocate a lump sum into my savings and keep the rest into my surplus account as that is running low and theres a couple of things to account for next month.

I have one birthday at the end of the month which is my godsons. I've no idea what to get him as Christmas has just passed so I think I'll stick £15 into a card for him which he can either spend or save. I already have a stash of birthday cards I can use.

I currently have £83.00 left in my entertainment budget for the rest of the month. We have a party to attend on Friday which I'll set aside £20 for. I'm going to try and sneak in some of our own drinks as the cost of drinks at the venue is extortionate and makes my eyes water. It's around £4 for a regular size coke.. enough said.

I've no plans next week for the weekend but I'm thinking I may take the boy to the indoor climbing place near us which he enjoys. That will be around a £20 spend as admission is £13.95 and I always buy myself a coffee there.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. I beat get on.

It's a slow start to the morning!

[Deleted User]

Morning,

You've been a busy bee since I was last logged on.

Yay to the rounded down debt figure of £600 - That's something I always used to do, hated having those random figures!

Happy Monday to you, have a good day and wil check in later.

Dxxx

DebtFreeDuo

Great on rounding down your debt, I think I may take a look at mine and see how much I need to clear to get me down to the next hundred! Hope you managed a better nights sleep last night, I don't do well when I've not slept well.

Chandelier.

Afternoon,

I've not had the time to update yesterday as I ended up at work all day and didn't finish until two hours after my shift. I managed to make it so I came in later today though.

All is well, money wise in the sense of things. Its payday tomorrow and I've earnt slightly a bit more then previous months which will help me out a bit for next month and ease things a little. I need to phone payroll though and query a couple of things I'm unsure of, I want clarity in regards to my pay more then anything. A lot of people have had arrears payments aside from me, I'm just wondering why. Hopefully I can get that done this afternoon and clear things up a bit more.

I've had a letter today from the DVLA which due to my mental health conditions, means I have to swap my licence for another. I'll put that on my to do list for tomorrow and get it sent to the post office ASAP. Once it's done, it's done.

I've had two NSDs, on Sunday and Monday due to being at work.

Today I've paid for car parking at work as the weather was terrible and I'm on a late shift and don't fancy a walk back through the dark. It was only £2.20.

If the weather holds out tomorrow then I'm going to take my car for a wash and mini valet inside. This should only cost me about £15 and is a whole lot easier then me doing it. I hate the stress of it all as I never seem to think I've cleaned it enough. I'll use the money from the car fund.

The boy slept over at his dads last night for the first time in a while. He usually stays at his nannys for both nights but after last weeks arguments/drama he seems to have shook things up a bit. I'm not really sure how I feel about it all. I'm a bit on the sideline and don't want him to miss out on time with his nanny. I dont fully 100% trust his dad to be reliable. I can only see how this pans out.

I'm hoping to speak to my manager today about annual leave for this year so I can start preparing travel plans for the summer. I'm eager to do this and get it out the way and revise a rough plan. I also want to see what I'm working over half term in February as if my days are together I may possibly organise a mini break away.

We'll see.

Chandelier.

Morning,

Thank goodness the past three days of work are now over and I've four days off to catch up with life admin/see friends/relax a little. Work has been a little stressful lately and it's taking its toll slightly. I'm trying not to let it affect me but staff morale is quite low at the moment; I'm trying my best to remain upbeat but sometimes it is hard.

Last night ended up taking a turn for the worse. As I finished work, I set off home driving in the snow/rain. All was fine and I was taking my work friend home. As I came to turn right down a road, someone out of nowhere came straight out in front of me on a scooter (like a child one that you push with your feet). I immediately slammed on my breaks and it was a near miss. The person just stood there in front of my bonnet. I asked if they were okay and they said they were and admitted it was there fault for not looking. This person was dressed all in black and had their headphones in and just did not look where they were going. It could have been a worse outcome had I not paid attention. It really shook me up and I was grateful to have my friend in the car as a witness should anything have come of it. I got out the car and was shaking, it just seemed so surreal. It's made me think that I really do need to get a dashcam incase anything like this happens again. I'm going to head over to the motoring board to see if there are any recommendations dashcam wise and also research it a bit myself. I want one that's decent/good value for money. I'll use money from my dedicated car fund to pay for this, it seems like an essential now.

I've had a busy start to the day and I've only just sat down for a cup of coffee. I've decided today shall be a life admin day and I'm going to allocate a day each week for this, to catch up on any outstanding tasks. Then once it's done, it's done.

So far today, I've managed to get quite a bit done for the morning. It was so cold and icy this morning, I didn't want to leave the house. If I could stay in all day and do nothing then I would but there are things I want doing.

So far I've managed..

• Paid the boys football expenses. (I've paid arrears as the previous direct debit I set up didn't work. A new one has been set up so hopefully it should all runs smoothly. So I'm now up to date and I've messaged the boys dad to transfer funds across when required).
• Transfer some extra funds to my Monzo account.(I've moved some money around as there are some extra upcoming expenses and this should see me through until the end of the month).
• I've been to the boys school to do some reading and work with him. (Each Wednesday I go into school and read with him for twenty minutes. They do reading challenges and he is really keen to do them all).
• I've paid this weeks childcare fees. (All paid and up to date now. I've also paid for an upcoming school trip for the boy at the same time).
• Updated my bank accounts/checked credit card spends. (I've had a quick glance over all accounts and moved money around as needed. My income for next month is all sitting in one account that earns 5% interest. I'll allocate that to seperate accounts at beginning of next month).
• Emailed podiatrist to see about issues with the boys feet. (The boy is flat footed and I was advised to book an appointment with a podiatrist to discuss our options and what may be needed to support him. So I'll see what costs are involved- whatever it is, I'll pay as I'd rather get this sorted, especially as the boy does alot of sport).
• Booked a routine appointment at doctors for myself. (I've managed to get an appointment for next week to discuss some things that's bothering me).
• I've ordered the boy an outfit for an upcoming ice skating show. (The boy has an upcoming ice skating show again so I've ordered him a costume for this which cost £8.99 which I thought was a bargain. I was expecting it to cost more. This should arrive by Monday).
• Wrote out a food shopping list. (I'm just buying mostly fresh food and a couple of other bits to see us through for the next week. I'm aiming to spend no more then £25. This will include some bottled drinks we can take with us to a event on Friday evening, instead of paying expensive prices all night long).
• I've confirmed holiday dates with the boys dad. (I now know the dates they have booked off at the beginning of summer, so I'm going into work tomorrow to book my annual leave. I'm hoping I can get at least two weeks, possibly three at a push, unless we can work it that I work my shifts altogether at the start of a week and once back, work all my shifts towards the end of the week, giving us much longer. I can then start planning our upcoming adventures).

There is a lot more I want to get done so I'll list them in a seperate post to make things a bit clearer.

Chandelier.

Now I've done the things mentioned above its time to list the rest of the things I'd like to get done today. They are as follows..

• Print off some maths work sheets. (The boy loves maths and has been asking me to do this for a while. I've found a great website and will print some worksheets off for him to complete over next few days. This weeks focus is on fractions. I'm really making an effort to support the boy more in regards to his learning as he soaks up information like a sponge).
• Clear rubbish out the car. (This should take me give minutes to do. It's amazing what ends up cluttering your car. I'll put other things back where they belong).
• Take car for carwash/hoover. (As mentioned previously, I hate this task so would much rather pay someone else to do this. I've withdrawn £20 cash for this but it should cost no more then £15).
• Book hair appointment. (February is the month that I shall treat myself. I haven't had my hair done in quite a while so I look forward to this. I just need a roots touch up and trim. I leave it as long as possible between each visit).
• Book eyebrow appointment. (I last had these done the beginning of December and I'm holding back as much as possible as attempting to grow my eyebrows out a bit more. This should cost £6).
• Do food shop. (I am off to Aldi shortly,
  armed with my list. I hope to spend no more then £25.00).
• Buy deicer/scraper. (I'm totally unprepared for the cold weather so need to get myself kitted out).
• Send off DVLA forms. (I've filled out the forms, just need to enclose my driving licence and send it off at the post office).
• Buy dashcam. (I shall ship around and find the best prices/what suits my needs).
• Pick up prescription. (This should be ready this afternoon. I'll pop in to get it).
• Create February Budget. (I have a few days yet to do this but I'd rather have it over with.
  I'll look at this months expenses and take into account what may be needed for February).
• Phone payroll. (I want to confirm if my pay is right as a lot of colleagues have hard arrears when I haven't. I also want to check when I'm due wage increase/increments. There is a bit of confusion over this and I just want to query it for peace of my own mind).
• Look at my course information for work and create an action plan. (I really need to sit down and look at this in order to devise a plan of how I'm going to tackle it. I have to complete a portfolio including many reflections and this is due in 11th February. I want it over and done with. Once I know what I'm doing, I'll nip into work and crack on with it as much as possible and hope I pass!).

So I think I have enough to keep me busy for the day. I'll get the small stuff out the way first before the big stuff. Whatever doesn't get done can be rolled over for tomorrow. I have plenty of time these next few days. The only thing I have planned for tomorrow is going to my friends for a coffee.. however we all know how quickly things can change!

I shall report back later with what I've managed to do.

Have a lovely day everyone

Chandelier.

Morning,

It's been a couple of busy days in the Chandelier household. I managed to tackle most things on my list on Wednesday, bar a couple of things which can be done another day.

I cleared out the inside of my car and took it to the local car wash. They washed the outside of my car, hoovered all the inside and gave it a quick wipe down. The total cost was £12 which came under budget. I withdrew £20 to cover the costs and have put the leftover change into my purse as I'm running a bit low cash wise. I don't seem to carry much.

I've booked myself in for a hair appointment at the beginning of February which should cost no more then £40.' as I'm only! having! a cut and colour. I try to stretch this out to every 3/4 months as it's a pretty manageable style. I want to grow my hair pretty long so I'm able to style it however I like. I've also booked in to get my eyebrows done which will be £6. Ive started leaving around 8 weeks between these as my eyebrows don't seem to grow back that quick anymore.! February is the month of self care and a little bit of TLC to myself , I see it as a treat for all I do.

I went and did a food shop and mixed it up a bit between Aldi and Lidl. The total cost came to £22.86 which was under budget. This mostly included fresh items however I got a couple of other bits including some bottled/canned drinks that I take to work with me to stop me buying drinks from the vending machine.

I then went to buy myself some deicer/scraper for the car. I found a great insulation cover which only cost a pound, so I got my mum one too. I still bought some deicer spray and a scraper just in case. The total cost was of everything was £6.78. Now I'm ready for whatever the weather brings.

DVLA forms were sent off including my licence, so hopefully I'll get my new one through soon. I just had to pay postage which was less then £2.

I had a good look around at the different types of dashcams you can get. I found a dual one which has a front and back camera and the reviews were all positive. The total cost of that and a memory card was £48. In my opinion it shall be money well spent incase of any future events and I seem to have got good quality for my money. I've asked my cousin to fit it to my car for me as I think there shall be some hardwiring to do which I have no clue about. If he can't there is a local shop near me that can do it for you but I'd rather not pay.

I also picked up my prescription so I have my medication for the next four weeks. I have another appointment with my consultant next week and I'm not sure if there will be any medication changes. I'm waiting on a referral to a specialist centre so I'm not too keen on messing things around. It's more PRN medication that I need access to should something arise. My CPN is off sick at the moment so I haven't seen anyone since the beginning of the year. I'm lucky I've got people around me who understand and are there should I need the support.

I'm yet to create the budget for February. I need to go over this months spending and average out what costs have occurred and if there is anything I've missed or not accounted for. There is always something. I think I may possibly be due some extra income but we will see if that comes in at the end of the month.

I phoned payroll at work in regards to other people having arrears and about myself not receiving any. Apparently whatever leave you take, they average out your enhancements and pay you them. Now when I spoke to the guy he said for whatever reason, this hasn't happened to me and he needs to discuss it with his manager and find out why I've never had it. This could possibly mean I'm due some extra funds however it's not guaranteed. If I am, I'll let them pay it to me in next months wage package rather then having it advanced this month. It's a bonus if I do receive something extra but I'm not counting on it. I'm also due a wage increase in April, then another in December.

I've yet to look at my course information and my plan is to go into work today and have a look at it and see what I need to do. I think I'm going to create an action plan and do a bit of it each day or where possible. I need to find evidence then reflect on it and add some references in somewhere. All this just so I can teach students.

Whilst I'm at work, I'm also going to try and book annual leave with my manager. I've worked out a rough idea of what leave I'd like to take within the summer holiday and it means I may get a good chunk of time off in order to go on our travels with the boy. Once its confirmed I'll then start researching and looking into what places we would like to go and visit. It shall be the main adventure for the boy and me this year. Our main focus shall be Italy, but if we can fit a few other places in, in between then even better. I'll sit down and discuss this with the boy and let him come up with some ideas of what he would like to do and where he would like to go. I want to involve him as much as possible.

Tonight we have an aftershow party following on from the iceskating show the boy participated in over Christmas. I think I'm going to sneak in a couple of drinks with us as they are so expensive at the venue we are going to. I'm going to withdraw £20 from our entertainment fund and once it's gone, it's gone. I'm hoping not to spend it all if I'm honest but we'll see.

I've no plans yet for tomorrow. My mum is off to Manchester for the weekend to watch strictly come dancing so it will just be the boy and me. I might take him out for a walk somewhere, maybe to a country park that is local to us. It's about a 40 minute drive away but is beautiful in whatever weather. They have a small cafe we can get a drink from but I may also take a thermal flask of hot chocolate to keep us warm. If we do something else then that's okay. I'm just not wanting to spend loads of money as I'm hoping to have some funds leftover to roll into next month or to put aside in my emergency fund.

The idea is to save £100 into my emergency fund over the next twelve months meaning at the end of the year, I should have around £1200 should I not need to dip into it. The target is £1200 but any extra is a bonus.

I'm doing well petrol wise this month and have £49 left in there in my petrol fund. I also have £22 left in the food budget and I'm hoping not to spend anymore as we are pretty well stocked up. The only other thing I may have to get is some fresh fruit.

It's my godsons birthday next week so I'm going to give £15 in a card and this can either go into his savings or go towards buying things that are beneficial to him. I already have a stash of birthday cards so I don't need to buy him a seperate one. I keep a stash of generic ones. That also reminds me, I need to send my sister one as its her birthday on Monday. We don't buy gifts for each others birthday but I'd rather show some recognition by a card.

Yesterday was a NSD but it's been a pretty expensive week. I'm not sure if I've actually hit my target of 10 NSDs this month. I'll just have to try harder next month.

Anyhow that's pretty much it for now. I should probably get on with the rest of my day and take each thing as it comes. I'm trying not to overdo things as sometimes it can be overwhelming and I do too much. I really need to learn how to pace myself.

Bye for now!