One income family of four - can we get ahead even after pay cuts?

MagicCat

Soup and pudding night sounds amazing!

I find it really useful to hear about everyone's children's pickiness - my eldest has so many issues with food it's hard to know what's normal for my toddler as I'm really worried she'll pick up his eating habits. She sounds much more typical though, a few real dislikes but will generally eat things if encouraged! It's funny as she loves mash but not filling of cottage pie, she doesn't like meat in sauce.

Good work with the Playmobil eBay bargain - S loves playmobil and it seems to hold its value well second hand so less than half price is great.

Bluegreen143

No spends to report the last couple of days.

Had a lovely afternoon today. Red took the kids over to visit his mum (we’re her support bubble). They were gone 2.5 hours and I didn’t sit down the whole time! I had already prepped a veg lasagne for dinner so didn’t need to cook, so used the whole time to tidy, declutter, clean and organise. Almost the whole house is spotless now so I’m very pleased with myself 😆 and I managed to declutter the kids toys which I find I can only successfully do when they are out. Most of the stuff I decluttered just put in a tub in Red’s man cave (outhouse) so that if they miss or ask for anything in the next 4-6 weeks they can get it back. After that it’s getting donated. I did throw out a few broken toys and books too. 

Was also very pleased with Bambi who came back from MIL’s in the same trousers as she went in and reportedly loved using the different potty at Grandma’s house (she has a fancy one that looks like a tiny toilet). So though there is still the odd accident especially out and about when she is distracted, it’s safe to say she is more or less potty trained 😊 yay to not buying more nappies! She still wears one at night but I have so many in the cupboard, well over 100, that I’m hoping they will last til she’s dry at night 😂 or at least I won’t have too many more packs to buy. Monkey was coincidently potty trained in the day at the exact same age then out of nappies at night about 2.5 but I know they are all different. 

Have also stopped giving her a cup of milk pre-nap and pre-bed as she was annoying me biting the straw on the cup instead of drinking it nicely, but it turns out she could not be less bothered so that saves me having a mad panic to always have milk in and being worried she won’t sleep otherwise. I’ve still been giving her a drink of milk in the afternoon instead for the calcium. Suddenly she seems extremely grown up and she’s saying quite a few words now! She’ll be two in December, where is my baby??

Bluegreen143

Managed to lose my keys today 🤦‍♀️ it was this whole thing, I’d walked to nursery, walked to Tesco, had Bambi in the pushchair for most of over 90 mins (Except the bits she walked at snails pace of course!) and she was getting antsy, it was getting on for lunch time and I knew Monkey needed picked up back at nursery after lunch - I nearly cried when I got home and realised I was locked out of both house and car! Thankfully I managed to unlock the back gate from the outside (I know the trick, it’s not padlocked, just a bar) and as if suspected, I had forgotten to lock the back door so was able to get into the house, yay! However the only other car key was in Inverness with Red so I had to walk the second nursery run too - knackered and sore now and a bit gutted I haven’t charged my Fitbit after all that walking! Red is home now so I have the other car key and his house key and I’ll nip by Tesco tomorrow and hopefully it’s been handed in.

Baileys_Babe

Good luck finding your keys.

joedenise

Hope you find your keys when you go back to Tesco's today.  Have you got a trusted neighbour who you could leave a key with?  I have always found someone when I've moved house to do this and it's been invaluable!  Obviously it usually takes time to find someone you can trust but I've always been very lucky with my neighbours.

Baileys_Babe

Or alternatively, get a key safe. I keep meaning to do this but with OH working from home, it looks like permanently, it is less pressing.

Bluegreen143

Honestly, we have been here for 5 years and it’s not that kind of place. I mean everyone is fine and we have no issues with the neighbours but we don’t have any who are in the “leave a key with them” category unfortunately. Though the house next door has just been sold so you never know, we could end up great friends with the new owners (it was rented before and the last tenants left a lot to be desired so fingers crossed this lot are better).

Sadly the keys weren’t handed in to Tesco, boo.

No spends today. As well as the Christmas presents from Tesco I did buy a kindle book yesterday at £7. I had to redo my YNAB as I couldn’t work out where an error was coming from and it was driving me nuts. I haven’t massively overspent but I’ve now lost track a bit. Will do a proper budget etc for next month and just try to stick within my overall budget to the end of November.

Baileys_Babe

Have you asked at the school about your keys?

Bluegreen143

@Baileys_Babe I had them at Tesco after dropping off Monkey - I used my club card key fob. Have retraced my steps too and as it’s not been handed in at Tesco think I’ll need to organise getting a new set cut, boo. But this is why I have an emergency fund, albeit a small one, so that’s a silver lining 🙌🏼 

Baileys_Babe

Have you tried the police? Some good citizen may have handed them in. Did you pass any other shops once you left Tesco's? It might be worth seeing if they have been handed in there.
Good luck, I hope you find them at least you have the emergency fund.