Queen Bee fighting for her Hive!

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I've got a glass tea infuser mug for loose tea, it's great! You just chuck everything in and then lift out the glass infuser part once it's done. I love it. 

Queen_of_the_Hive

So its early sunday morning and this weeked I have the kids. I was really excited about this but the little one was being sick friday night so all plans for a fun packed weekend has been put on ice. So yesterday whilst the youngest one and my partner was sleeping (night worker) I took the eldest for a treat at Costa & a trip to Sainsburys. This is always dangerous as it usually means me making ad hoc purchases and blowing the budget, hence a few bits and pieces for a picnic turned into jogging pants for me and world book day outfits for the kids. Mummy gilt for the older one.    So I'm £50 down today already and this was definitely not in the budget. I'll defo have to make cut backs in alternative areas this month. 

This week I was paid in my new job which was rather exciting. With my new job my pay date jumps around a bit and I am used to getting money on the 28th of the month so I have decided to utilise an old bank account and transfer my salary to this account as a holding account until the 26th. The account pays 1% interest so I may gain a few pennies per month, not much but something. I'm really doing this to prevent me from spending and getting and getting into a muddle. Next months pay will be less sadly with pension payments & I bought a few extra days holiday. I'm happy I am finally paying a better amount into a pension after 4 years of being unable to do so - this was one of my financial goals which I am happy to give a big tick to.

The 13th of the month is my day where I 'report' my finances. So I am pleased to say I paid off 3.3% of my £10,569.02 debt peak which is a good start. This has equated to overdraft & increased payments into the two balance transfer cards and I paid my partner back a bit of money I had borrowed from him last year. The partner debt was an easy win as the money was sitting in my account anyway as emergency money.  As a bit of fun, last week I printed out one of those colouring charts to highlight my debt payment achievements. So this morning I sneaked a quick colouring session on my chart, yay 3 bits coloured in! 

This week I need to focus some time on helping my partner with his finances. When we got together we both took big money hits and now my situation is improving its time to sort him out. He has an outstanding balance on his credit card paying him interest (only just learnt this info) so i'm looking into balance transfer options. His ISA isn't great either but tackling one thing at a time.
 

Queen_of_the_Hive

So this weekend I have really been struggling with doubts in my head. Its not sever but I'm human and get like this a times. Me, partner and kids on conflicting schedules at times causes not needed stress and being in debt is rubbish. My credit card rolled on  to its new month a few days ago and because I have some essential spending im a few quid from the limit. I'm going to counteract this by taking the bus to work, make wise food shopping and embrace no spend days as much as I can throughout the month. Today I need to spend some money on entertaining the kids. Swimming or soft play i think & get some groceries. 

Queen_of_the_Hive

Since I wrote my diary entry this morning I have been thinking in more detail about what I had put. Writing stuff down can be therapy sometimes. After planning to take the kids swimming or soft play - this hasn't happened. They were quite happy to play at at home and in the garden (a first for 2020!). Inspired from watching the kids playing in the long grass I actually went and dug out the strimmer from the shed and gave the grass a long overdue cut. I really enjoy the garden so this was fun. Feeling sorry for myself about my spending I decided to make this weeks work lunches from a Jack Monroe bean chilli recipe I had and cooked some brown rice. This was yummy. So I might actually get away with today being a no spend day.   

Queen_of_the_Hive

So after my blue weekend I thought it would be good to post on here a bit more. So yesterday I took the bus to work on a round trip which was actually ok, so as I write this I'm actually on the bus day 2. The kids stayed with their dad last night so me and partner actually managed a bit of us time which was well needed. It was lovely, went for pub grub - fish & chips X2 and good talk so today I feel much better.

Queen_of_the_Hive

Good morning saturday, 

I must say I have woken up feeling a bit more invigorated having had a reasonable week at work & surviving the kids illnesses. This week was a tester to see if it was possible to take the bus to and fro work without being tooo long a journey. Initial findings good - next week will be the true acid test though with schools back. If I can keep it up thats a big saving on my travel costs £8.50 tube & bus combo down to £3. This is for 4 days a week as I need to get the train one of the days for an appointment. I allow myself £500 per month for my spending inc travel costs, food for family of 4 and any extra activities and expenditure unplanned for so my £500 gets spread quite thinly So with some planned expenditure and travel at £8.50 I only had £15 left in the kitty for food and that wasnt going to work so the bus kinda had to work for this month. Anyway I am an early riser so lets see how it goes! 

So the kids have been ill this week, first the little one and then the older one and me and my partner got our own milder versions. I was so fearful it would impact on my work but by luck we managed it and my partner although would have benefited from not working this weekend he is doing ok and in work too. 

Yesterday evening was mini date with my partner we met up for coffee date in between our shifts ending and starting (ah the joys of working conflicting shifts!) anyway we enjoyed a free drink as we had vouchers and then I took the bus home. I found a lovely debt free diary that kept me entertained for the journey and enjoyed it that much that I had to finish it this morning and have got some more MS ideas to look into that I'd not considered before so thanks!

I have had a lazy morning so far although I was awake early (5am! yes i know yuk!) but always more of a morning person. So after reading the diary, I read a couple of chapters of my current book club book (I am loving my current book club book, its a book i'd never have picked myself but I find myself laughing out loud at what the main character gets up to) & then finally got around to converting my expiring Clubcard vouchers into this years friends and family railcard. This particular railcard is a life saver as a non driver mum who does regular train travel in the summer months these have saved me big cash and so exciting that I don't have to buy this years card! 
 
Today's main job is food shopping before the next deluge of poop weather hits tomorrow. I managed to get away with not doing a food shop last week which is good for budget but now we are pretty low on some of the essentials, so big bag of pasta, tinned tomatoes etc and need to get stuff for home made soup. i normally have lots of veggies in but have done a good job of using most of them up. 

Baileys_Babe

Like you I have exchanged my expiring Clubcard points for a friends and family railcard😃 I hope it  arrives soon as we would like to use it next weekend.

Drawingaline

Glad you are feeling better. And the new job is going well. 

Queen_of_the_Hive

Hello sunday, 

I am confessing the being a complete procrastinator this weekend. Going into the weekend I had high hopes for getting off my bum and getting outside for either swimming or jogging session and its 2.40pm on a sunday afternoon and i have done neither. Saying that I have enjoyed my weekend so far and think im finally getting into the swing of weekends. Sounds daft but having not worked weekends for 2+ years and had kids running around demanding my attention on a by second basis it has taken quite an adjustment. At first I  really wasn't sure about the quietness but i think I am acclimatising to it, certainly with the spring on its way Im looking forward to getting out into the garden and getting my veggie patch up and running. For the next three weeks though I am broke and need to keep activities fairly quiet. 

So yesterday I went food shopping and spent £35. Was a bit more than I wanted it to be but managed to get a good amount of goods. Shopping for a family of 4 part of the week and family of 2 for the other part of the week has its advantages and disadvantages. I bought blue cheese, courgette and broccoli and made lovely soup for work this week. Should last me for 3 or 4 days. My partner regularly brings home nice bread for soup from his work, we dont always get the chance to eat it so I freeze it and will have some of this defrosted with my soup. yum & cheap.

Last night I decided to pay my bills seeing as I had no distractions (and had the money) so that was exciting. My current debt spreadsheet looks glowing - it shows I have now paid 9% of my debt off but this is just the timings of it. To keep my reporting figures consistent on a month by month basis I review my finances on the 13th of the month so I expect this figure to change. 

I turn 40 at the end of the year and although I have not put pen to paper and written it down I have a small list of things I would like to achieve or experience  - kinda bucket list. Well passing my driving test is a big one for me as this has hung over my head since I was 17. To be fair living in London I don't currently need it but would have a big wish to be able to take my kids camping and to do this I need to be able to drive. Anyhow first steps is to get the address changed on my provisional licence (online application submitted just waiting for licence to be posted - job done tick) and then I can start investigating local driving instructors. I'm going on holiday (hopefully) in May and I need to get a new passport so I have been looking into passport photos for that too.

My kids get here in a few hours so I better get cracking as I need to take books back to library and fit in that bit of exercise. I am pleased I did the cleaning yesterday, at least its one less thing to do today. 

Queen_of_the_Hive

Hello monday, 

Nothing much to say today, took the bus return journey to work again - wasn't too bad but a bit slower now schools back. Haven't spent anything apart from the £3 travel costs. At lunch I opened a Monzo account so now excitedly awaiting the arrival of my card.