Making money make sense

Franalamadingdong

Another crazy day at work. It's so manic at the moment.

No spends and when I got home I found my mum at mine doing the washing up. It was a surprise. Dad had brought over the dog's things as he's staying from tomorrow until the end of March. Then dad picked the boy up from school so I could have a cup of tea and chat with mum. She opened her birthday present from me early and was so surprised, told me off for spending too much and laughed when I said it was her mother's Day gift too. Ahahaha.

Found out that the cookery club is already full and on a waiting list. The boy will not be happy, I'll see what else he might like to do. I helped him with his homework (when I realised what he was meant to do) but I went through them on a separate piece of paper and chucked the paper out so he couldn't copy it. Muahaha I'm so evil. I've cleaned the stairs and hallway and I played roblo& with the boy for a little bit. He loves it when I play too, mostly because I haven't a clue and he gets to tell me what to do.

Had a client at work tell me that I'm so lovely and she'd love to go for coffee with me. And then someone else told my mum (small town) that I'm amazing and everyone must love me and I'm too funny. Was a nice boost after a full on day.

No surveys on PA or OP today.

Blackcats

What lovely feedback from your client.

Franalamadingdong

Thanks. It means a lot. I work in funeral care and her dad has passed away and her mum passed away in May, so they've had a time of it, bless them. It's nice to know we've helped.

Franalamadingdong

Another crazy work day! A colleague was surprised and impressed by my telephone manner. He's based in another office so not used to my phone voice which is obviously different for clients than it is for colleagues.

Today was so close to being a no spend day but the boy responded to no cookery club by signing up to music (free) and dodgeball (£20 for the whole term) and wolf club (free) as well as the football club. His dad apparently only has £5 so can't pay for anything. Such a joke. He asked if they can't wait until the 26th when he gets paid. I paid for football as I don't want my son to miss out because of his dad and I'm glad I do not speak to him so my son can see exactly who does what. I just need to fill out the online form. So £36 spent today on clubs for the boy. Given that he's missing out on swimming and I won't need to pay for the next half term for that as I already paid for the half term he's having to skip it'll all balance out.

Food shopping is arriving tomorrow so I'll go through my online basket tonight and that will be a spend for tomorrow. I'm expecting the boy will being home a cello lesson bill tomorrow too and expecting the childcare bill to appear next week as well as the TV/phone/internet bill.

I've been keeping up using my face skincare and moisturiser for my body. My skin is absolutely drinking it in. it's so silly that the products were just sitting there.

Right cuppa drunk, made by my lovely boy, on to cleaning the kitchen and preparing tea so I can quickly cook it/leave it simmering while the parents come to drop off the dog and the rest of his things.

Blackcats

Hi Fran. I think the money you invest in your son's activities are exactly that - an investment in his future. Sorry that his dad doesn't contribute in time or money but you are doing very well without.
Good for you pampering your skin.

Franalamadingdong

Thanks Blackcats. He enjoys it and it's something positive so I'm happy to do it. His dad didn't have anything to do with him or contribute financial for years, and we did absolutely fine without him. It still hurts my son when his dad flakes out on him, but he has a lot of love and positivity surrounding him and he knows it's not his fault or responsibility that his dad is the way he is.

I will be making yogurt tonight, but forgot to get some starter, so I'll pick that up in a bit. Planning on using the whey to make pizza dough tomorrow

Franalamadingdong

Ok so £3 household, £2 beauty and £42.27 on food and drink spends today.

£104.34 spent on food and drink so far this month.... Oops. My budget is £200, that said I've been restocking.

Today is pasta and nanny sauce
Saturday, homemade pizza
Sunday, stew
Monday sausage risotto
Tuesday sausage pasta
Wednesday fish pie
Thursday leftovers
Friday chicken curry

I'm hoping to have leftovers from the pasta sauce, stew and fish pie for the following week. Just need to plan next weekend and see if I can push the shopping back a few extra days.

I know I've overspent on household category this month. The cello invoice hasn't come in yet. So waiting on that and the childcare bill. I budgeted £200 and £100 respectively, but think they'll be £180 and £52 max. So there's space in the budget overall.

Franalamadingdong

Ap surveys are at £2.40 confirmed. Waiting for a £1.17 one to be confirmed and it's a 3-part one, which pays at each part. So should bring me close to the £5 threshold even if other surveys are thin on the ground. OP surveys is at £7.10, but that pays out at £30. I've just been doing a couple as and when they show up, it's a nice little thing that seems to be adding up, it doesn't take long and they're usually kind of interesting.

The boyfriend might not be able to make it this weekend if he doesn't we will pop to mum and dad's to clean up their house a little bit. And I need to cut the grass at my house.

Blackcats

Hi Fran, I read the newspaper at my parents' house yesterday and there was an article about women who spend more on their skin care each month than they do on their mortgage!!! Some of them are spending nearly £1000 a month. Ridiculous (in my opinion). I was just pleased to find a face mask in my stash

Franalamadingdong

That's insane Blackcats! I'm fortunate and look 10 years younger than my age. It is a little funny at times, in a professional setting people are a little bemused as to why they're talking to a child about something so serious and in a personal setting they often try to work out if my son is mine (young teenage pregnancy) or my mum's (menopause baby). We do laugh at the second one. I'm quite used to people asking my age. My dad still looks much younger than his years, and mum does when she's not doing her bag lady impersonation! And they both used to get mistaken for much younger than their years when they were my age. It does mean I've been terrible at having a skincare routine!

The boyfriend couldn't come this weekend. I've told him he needs to take care of himself first and we're not going anywhere. Wednesday is a year to the day when I first started torturing him! Hahaha.

The back garden is like a swamp, so we're having to skip doing anything back there still. I might do some sewing and some bullet journaling.

The yogurt is straining. I'm disappointed that it's so loose this time round, normally it's much better, but as the milk was about to go out of date and we're using the whey I'm straining off I feel we're not really loosing out on anything, and we will have some lovely strained yogurt at the end of it. Just not as much as usual.

I've also potted up and frozen leftover pasta sauce. Got a tub for when it's just my son and I and another for when it's all three of us. Pleased to get 3 meals from 500g of mince (7 portions).

Child tax credit and working tax credit came in last night, so I swished over the last category for my sinking funds.

My son's dad has offered to pay back for one of my son's clubs. My son then said he should pay for both and his dad said "no, because you have two parents so we'll each pay for one." I'm thinking that if that's his thinking he might contribute towards the cello.... Probably not in reality. Anyway, he'll either send £116 or £120 at the end of the month. I don't count it until it's come in. He has been consistent at sending over £100 a month since November 2017, but he has asked my son to remind him at pay day to send the extra.