Queen Bee fighting for her Hive!

Queen_of_the_Hive

Thanks @tunathe_cat - will take a look at the property auctions & the Police seized items.  Hoping to source some good stuff through second hand preloved stuff as much as possible but will likely have to get some stuff new. The community fridge is an interesting idea which I will look into as tbh I don't know what is available locally and I might get one of those magic bags on on of the food waste apps. 

For today I have written a smart shopping list - going to make some leek, potato and bacon soup which will be perfect for work lunches this week. By going for soup with bacon OH will entertain it a bit more. He is a meat eater and getting him to eat meals with minimum or no meat is a challenge. 

Yesterday we enjoyed our window shopping trip, ended up in the big yellow and a couple of other high street sofa shops. Looks like lead times are now 20 weeks on sofas so that's could well be an issue as OH doesn't want to buy anything until he has the keys (completely understandable) but could limit options. Spent a bit of money on lunch and travel but didn't buy anything else which is a mini win. 

Last night I roasted a cauliflower in spices and it was delicious, OH didn't like it at all. So more for me today.  We had the roasted cauli with risotto so a cheap and healthy meal. 

Queen_of_the_Hive

I'm proud to say I made soup! I know sounds really simple but home made soup is one of my go too work meals and being honest I haven't made any since the whole covid poop happened back in March 2020 so this feels good to go back to a happy activity for me Soup is cheap and healthy too so a double win. I'm now aiming to make soup every week upto Christmas. 

I'll be honest I have loved this weekend - found the show Maid on Netflix and have binge watched it all weekend and its been super nice to be able to do it without any interruptions. The bathroom didn't get cleaned however i'm sure it can wait until tomorrow after work. 

This weekend has given me a bit of time to think about the future and my on going dilemma, stay close to where my kids dad lives but it is very expensive and unaffordable to buy or move away where we can buy our home. Its been an ongoing dilemma since becoming a single mumma. At some point I'll have to get my bum off the fence and make a decision. Just what to do     

My kids popped by this evening and I'd totally forgot it was Halloween so it was a quick scramble to find some treats for them. Next week they are with me and we are hopefully going to watch some fireworks - fingers crossed for dry weather. 

Money spends today was £15.99 on fruit and vegetable box. I get this every two weeks or sometimes monthly depending on what's in the fridge. Also spent £32 on groceries. This should see us through to next weekend. I will need more bread. Milk is delivered.  

Happy Halloween

Queen_of_the_Hive

I've just taken out another significant sum from my savings to cover this months outgoings, next month is just as dire. My spends from the holiday are still being added my credit card. Eeeek, I have funds to pay it off but not nice to see negative figures every month. Defo need to live the quiet life till Christmas. It bothers me to be like this, but looking back to last year I was without a job and claiming gov support to live on. I may not be doing so rosy atm but I have gone from no job to part time job to recently full time job. I now pay a bit more into a pension each month and my debts are much more comfortable than a year ago. I may not be where I want to be right now but things are slowly getting better. Currently sitting at 71% debt paid to date - another 13 days to go an I hope to reach that point. That will mean 1% debt paid off this month even with my high credit card bill (which will be paid in full). 

This is a note to myself really, just a bit of mindless mindfullness 

Drawingaline

Well done on the debt repayment.

It must be a difficult decision re moving. How often do the kids see their dad? Would he be helpful if you moved away? Much as owning your own house is nice, if it means less time with dad and the possibility of a breakdown in that relationship I wouldn't risk it. In the future your kids will always be glad their parents made it work rather than a house.

Obviously it depends on the distance, how helpful the non resident parent is and how sharing can be adapted, it really is a tough choice.

Queen_of_the_Hive

Drawingaline said:

Well done on the debt repayment.

It must be a difficult decision re moving. How often do the kids see their dad? Would he be helpful if you moved away? Much as owning your own house is nice, if it means less time with dad and the possibility of a breakdown in that relationship I wouldn't risk it. In the future your kids will always be glad their parents made it work rather than a house.

Obviously it depends on the distance, how helpful the non resident parent is and how sharing can be adapted, it really is a tough choice.

Thanks for your opinion Drawingaline - the kids have a very good relationship with their dad and spend equal time with both parents, kids are very happy, etc. Which makes me very reluctant to do anything about it.I feel stuck if truth be told. I'd like to move but my kids being happy, balanced etc is very important too. 

Drawingaline

It really is tough. Especially the feeling stuck. If your kids are young I would do nothing to mean they still have a great relationship with both parents. As they get to teen age they may choose to spend more time with one or the other (kids sometimes need more from one parent than another, depending on lots of factors) and you may find that you will be more free to look at a bigger distance between you and your ex. 

My husband lived with his dad when his parents first split, then moved in with his mum a year or so later. His needs changed and it was his decision (he was maybe 11? His relationship with his dad ultimately broke down, but this was not due to his mum, it was due to realising what his dad was actually really like) 

I think if you can put a date in when you feel it may be easier,even if this is 10 years away it may enable you to feel a little less stuck. It may never happen, but having a bit of a future plan may help.

And well done on you and your ex enabling your kids to have this great relationship with both of you. I have seen so many people use kids as some kind of bargaining tool and the fall out that can happen. It should always be the best choice for the children. 

Queen_of_the_Hive

Thanks @Drawingaline just sharing my situation is helpful. I won't be making any immediate decisions apart from trying some different paths to grow my wealth. The kids are still quite young.

Queen_of_the_Hive

Today was quite a normal work day. Still working from home and no news of going back into the office which actually works better. Before work I was good and stretched & went for a short walk which is quite a normal morning routine. At lunch I enjoyed the home made soup with a bread roll and for dinner had a salad & stuffed mushroom. Bought the stuffed mushrooms on yellow sticker yesterday. I love them but OH can't stand them.

The money requested from the savings account yesterday arrived in my bills account so topped up the account removing the temporary overdraft. I've paid a couple of bills and paid some money into the kids JISA. It sounds dull but I am loving watching my kids JISA growing. I checked my S&S isa too, its grown a little bit today and generally my spreadsheet today is looking a bit more rosy than it did yesterday. My partner wanted to go to the cinema tomorrow but I was happy to stay at home. In reality I just could do with not spending more money and eating junk which it'll ulitmately end up happening. The washing up is calling... oh the life!

Queen_of_the_Hive

Hello beautiful Tuesday morning. 

Last night very late I finally drew up a simple revised budget which I hope will work. I've earmarked £100 actual savings from my salary. I cannot remember the last time I did this which is a positive step forward. It does however mean I have £100 less to spend on food / general spending / travel so not quite sure how this will go and I am aiming to equal income and outgoings. Again haven't had this is a very long time. So 13th Nov to 13th Dec will be a testbed. I have a seperate budget for Christmas gifts and an drink here and there. 

Drawingaline

I find once the overspending slips in, it can be very hard to get back on track without a conscious decision, so well done.