Marginal Gains

newgirly

Just caught up with your new diary and wanted to wish you luck Cornish Mum. I love a party at home and it’s quite a novelty these days, one of my favourites was a water pistol fight on the rain for our boys’ birthdays one year, we made them all wear black sacks but they still got drenched

Sounds like you have a lot on your plate working long hours, well done for managing to achieve so much moneysaving :T

Cornish_mum

Thanks newgirly water pistol fight party is a brilliant idea- I might borrow that one for DS’s next one. Thank you

Cornish_mum

DD is completely recovered but I kept her off preschool as I had Monday off for half term with DS. We bought stamps and sent a package of hand me downs kids clothes to an old friend (~£10) then returned library books and did a little bit of reading in the kids area. Lunch was at home, then we took the bus to the Dinosaur museum and had free cake and hot chocolate at JL (using my loyalty card). Bus ticket was half price for half term (£3.90).

DS thought the cake wasn’t the best! Little rotter has been spoilt with the home made stuff. Came home and batched cooked chicken and sweet potato curry and made a chocolate loaf cake for DS packed lunches for holiday club. DD and DS had a dress up disco and quite a few arguments over the remote control while I cooked.

It was a lovely day and made me think about what we are missing out on because I am working; I can’t afford to be at home (yet) but I wish I had organised my life differently to have the choice sometimes. Oh well I can’t change the choices I made in my twenties to keep studying rather than get a well-paid job.

Cornish_mum

On Tuesday I got a free coffee but bought lunch and paid for DS afterschool club from childcare vouchers. I didn’t have much evening work so watched GBBO and chatted to DH about old times.

Wednesday split-site day, bought coffee and lunch. Had highly productive meetings so was worth it. Between sites went stocking filler shopping (£20 but £5.50 of this was on winter gloves for DS and birthday card for our niece).

I Managed to sprain my ankle on the way home and really bumped my knee when I fell over. Not major but the ankle is swollen and my knee really hurts. I had to make dinner straight after the accident, as I needed to feed the kids. It was pretty painful standing but I managed to get a home cooked meal made.

On Thursday I worked at home, I found out we have been awarded a small contract so I can add a new member to my core team, which is really great news.

I ordered online groceries £107 (including MrS 6 bottles wine offer and DH Christmas present Whisky, which also was on offer) to celebrate. This is slightly spendy but we have run out of wine and the rest of the shop was the normal amount. We only drink one bottle of wine a week between the 2 of us so hopefully this will last until early December. I will hide the Whisky in the present cupboard.

I also ordered DN birthday gift, I was a bit spendy on this but she’s so lovely I like to treat her (£20). £39 spent on the cleaner and £35 on a taxi for the holiday club and nursery pick up as I couldn’t face walking and busing the 6 miles round trip because of my swollen ankle and knee. DH had second job work so couldn’t help. I am very lucky to have the spare money for these situations.

I ended up having a 45 minute work call starting at 9pm (not a TC so I had to properly concentrate) then only had time for chores before bed.

becky170

The computer museum with coffee and cake sounds like a great day out. I'll have to pinch the idea for the next school holiday! I'm also off to check whether I have a JL voucher for free coffee and cake

Cornish_mum

Hi Becky computer museum is great (it’s called the history of computing museum and has a big display about women in computing which is really good to see)

Cornish_mum

On Saturday DH decided not to work so I ran errands, organised and wrapped DN2, DN3 and DN4 birthday presents and bought birthday cards and wrapping paper in card factory and Pound land to top up my supplies (£15 including 6 boxes of chocolate for teachers Christmas gifts). DH took kids to the woods - they came back very muddy. I batched cooked Bolognese, butternut squash and carrot soup, and made a banana cake and apple and pear crumble (last of free fruit from next door).

On Sunday DD had another friends birthday party, I was very glad of the clocks changing, as it meant we could squeeze in home work for DS before the party. While we were out DH took DS to choose pumpkins and trick or treat chocolate (at Mr T as chocolate was on offer). They went abit overboard, £25 spent.:( DH helped kids carve the pumpkins in the afternoon while I finished and ordered DH Christmas present photo-book, there was a half price sale so I wanted to make the most of that.

Monday was a normal work day but had to stay late for a teleconference so bought chocolate on my homeward commute. Monday and Tuesday lunches MrW sandwich along and free coffee.

Worked at home on Wednesday but finished early to take DS for dinner at an Italian chain restaurant, so he could attend the school disco. I used a 25% off voucher and the kitchen accidentally made him an adult sized pizza which he gladly ate, plus garlic bread plus chocolate ice cream:p. The meal was £18 with tip. I had the cheapest main on the menu and a pudding. Then spent £2.50 on party entry plus £1 on snacks for DS. He has hollow legs currently, he ate 9 weatabix yesterday in 5 minutes for breakfast:rotfl:. Last spend of the day was £1.85 on the bus home for DS, I was gifted a ticket by another passenger.

Thursday I was working at different site, I bought a coffee on the way in (£2.05 with reusable cup discount). Lunch was £9.50 for myself and guest (hopefully I can expense it). Babysitter so DH and I could both work later today and cleaner came to £70.:eek:

Cornish_mum

DH extra AVC was taken this month and our DB contributions went up again so our take home pay was down a bit. Also we were a bit spendy especially on meals out and gifts, so I am disappointed with our totals. Silly really as we actually did almost exactly the same as last month taking into account that our after tax income was lower. Moreover DH is now putting a very respectable 18% into his pension on top of his standard contributions of 10.4% for his DB pot. Which is good for the long term.

I also sent 4K to DD savings pot of which 500 was a gift for her birthday, so our Education pot has gone down. I wanted to make sure we were fair to DD, as I transferred a similar amount of money to DS named account earlier in the year.

My ambitious goal is to make this up in the next 2 months, this will mean finding £2900 before the end of the year. This is doable if DH receives a chunky end of year payment for his second job (which is highly likely given the hours he is doing) and I can rein in our Xmas spending but probably means we can’t OP as well.

Month End Totals
Mortgage 198000 (-1188.23 off capital including MOP of 550)
EF 50000
Savings EdPot £15400, DS’s savings £12800 (+£641.92 once transfer to DD taken into account)

Cornish_mum

On Friday night DH took kids to fireworks display and potluck as his work (we contributed a large bag of Halloween candy and some wine). I stayed at home to get ahead with the chores and did an hour of work. On Saturday DH was away all day at a memorial event, DD and I had our flu jabs first thing. We went to Costa to celebrate her semi-good behaviour (£4.40 spent) plus £7.80 on the bus. The weather was awful. Came home and did homework with DS, spent a lot of time researching possible new computer games for DS, did house chores, made cupcakes and DDs fairy garden (birthday gift). I felt pretty rotten in the evening from the vaccine so went to bed as soon as I put the kids down.:(

On Sunday we had a family party, kids had a great time and we just contributed wine and beer, plus gifts for DNs. Managed to pass Christmas gifts for overseas DNs to MIL who is kindly going to put them in her luggage.

On Sunday night had to work on a side project (last minute job needed by former colleague). I am still working out how to get paid but should net me £400. . My new role is starting to bring in side projects, which as long as I declare them to my employer, I can do in my free time. Be nice if I can do a bit more of this, as was quite fun and I learnt quite a bit. I will use it to pay for stuff for my team that I usually pay out of my own pocket.

Monday trains were a total disaster, left home at 7.45am and returned at 11.30am having been stranded halfway to town because of line failure. Then the train I was on, back tracked to nearest station, where we were then turfed off then made to board another going back from where I had set off from. :mad:
Managed to get quite a bit of work done while all that was going on and spent nothing all day. But would have much preferred to have gone into work as it’s messed up my whole week,

Off to do my delay repay now.

Cornish_mum

Frugal Wins
I reclaimed £34.80 on delay repay.

Had 5 free coffees since last post.

Used online supermarket discount voucher plus meal deal and discounts on spirits to stock up for Christmas saving me £20. (spent £50 will use these things for Christmas Baking etc).

Mended 3 of DHs jumpers and debobbled one but bought debobbler (£10). Mending was a bit rubbish on 2 of the jumpers as I didn’t have the right coloured threads.

Altered a pair of school trousers for DS.

Went charity book shopping bought Christmas gift books for DM, DD, DS and DNs. Then bought second hand copies of other titles on Am@zon marketplace.

Agreed a no gift policy with DH (have already bought him a couple of things though!) and a reduced gift policy with DM and DF.

Took kids out for hot chocolate - the lovely assistant in the shop split one large into a regular and 2 small portions; which was perfect. Split a brownie into 3 to share too.

Made apple crumble and banana cake on Sunday.

Organised for MIL to look after kids on DHs birthday overnight (the next one is a big number) so we can meet friends for a meal and pub trip so we can stay overnight.

Walked and caught the bus for my turn to drop off rather then taking a cab. It was utterly freezing.

Claimed work expenses.

Good spends
Paid DD nursery fee top up £100, this will be £166/month now we have used all our credit. Organise a standing order for this 11 payments till school.

Paid DS lunch account £80.

Paid DS cubs Christmas party fee £8.

£24 on Christmas cards from school (your kids drawing ones). DS had put so much work into his design. I cried when I saw it. I can not believe how much he has progressed this term with his fine motor control. You could actual tell what he was aiming to draw for the first time ever.:D


Frugal Fails
All work lunches have been bought.

Left £100 in cash machine.:mad:.. hideously embarrassing to admit that one on here. I have notified my bank but I am not holding out much hope of recovering it.:eek:

2 flat whites and 2 croissants purchased.