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

Sarahwithlove

Seems like a good incentive to me. Does he buy the presents from the joint funds or his own money? 

missymoo81

Loving your diary. Really like your attitude toward marriage too. I’d like to take a leaf out of your book. And stop expecting my relationship to be perfect and worrying horrendously if it’s not. Love the sewing. You’ve made me want to get my sewing machine out!

Bluegreen143

@Sarahwithlove we pay for presents from a joint savings fund we save throughout the year specifically for Christmas, birthdays, wedding gifts etc. Though to be fair all the money comes from Red as I don’t work 😆 but no, it doesn’t come from his personal spends except sometimes his presents to me. The people in question are very good friends of both of us, and the unofficial godparents of our son (who isn’t christened hence unofficial) so I’m totally on board with getting a decent present as they are always generous to our children but if I can give something personal & handmade that also saves money it’s a real win win. 

@missymoo81 ah I may be asking you for sewing tips soon!! Feel a bit in over my head 😂 and my sewing machine is a cheapy from Lidl so I suspect not actually the best...

Got a bulk order of flour in today - 25kg white bread flour and 16kg malthouse flour for £37. I seem to be going through the white flour in about 10 weeks though I am usually giving 5kg to my mum (well she pays for it). This time she has suggested instead of the £7-8 she owes me for it she will give me a chicken from her freezer - it’s a free range, locally farmed one (she lives very close to the farm and buys direct) and costs her £14 so will be a rare treat for us as we usually buy cheap meat. I’ll use it for our roast we are doing on Christmas Eve when MIL comes ☺️ - we aren’t doing a big dinner on Christmas Day itself, just party food, as we both want it to be low stress and to available to play with the children instead. 

joedenise

Good luck with the sewing @Bluegreen143.  You really haven't given yourself an easy job with using stretch fabrics and PJs!  I wouldn't worry about your machine "only" been a Lidl one they are usually well made and by a decent machine maker.  I'm not sure what stitches the machine has but hopefully it has a stretch stitch as that would be best for stretch fabric - if it hasn't use a small zigzag stitch to help stop seams bursting.

Trousers are not the easiest to make either but hopefully you have got a good pattern with good instructions - just follow them to the letter and they should turn out alright.  I've been sewing for 50 years now and have only ever managed to make one pair of trousers that were wearable - and that was the very first pair I made!  Just wish I'd kept the pattern as the instructions were much clearer than more modern patterns.

My top tip is to make sure you practise sewing on scrap stretchy fabric before starting on the actual PJs!  Perhaps the offcuts from the t-shirt once you've cut the back and front out.

The fabrics both sound really lovely that you've chosen and hope the children love them.

Bluegreen143

Eek @joedenise! Fingers crossed I make something wearable out of the lovely fabric! As well as the actual pattern, there is a blogger online who has done a series of “sew-along videos” of her using the pattern and she’s videoed almost every step so that’s probably more helpful than the actual pattern instructions.

joedenise

I've never tried the "sew-along videos" but certainly sounds an easier way to follow instructions.  

As long as you practise sewing on some scrap fabric to make sure you know that it's like you'll be fine and make something wearable.  At the end of the day if they're a bit wonky it doesn't matter as they'll only been seen by the family and I'm sure the children will love them anyway just because you've made them and they're new PJs.  Children always seem to love new PJs.  Mine always looked forward to their new ones at Christmas.

Baileys_Babe

For the last few years, we have been having our Christmas roast on Christmas Eve and before that for many years we had the Christmas roast sometime between boxing day and the 30th December. Both have made Christmas day more relaxing and enabled us to spend time together. I prefer having our meal on Christmas Eve but up until recent years we were at an extended family event.

Sarahwithlove

Sounds ideal having it on Xmas eve the kids won't mind as it means they get more time with you to play. I always remember growing up my mum would be going back and forth from the kitchen to make dinner which was OK as 3 of us so we could play together but would have been nice to have more time with her. So good for you. 

Bluegreen143

Productive evening yesterday. Made raspberry jam and apple chutney. Also did lots of practise sewing and watching videos then sewed up Monkey’s PJ bottoms - not the cuffs or waistband aka the hard bits, just the leg and crotch seams, but I love that my pieces of fabric are now indisputable trouser shaped! Also bit the bullet and ordered more of the cuff/collar fabric (front Etsy this time) as I can get a refund for the old stuff from Amazon if it doesn’t arrive today apparently. 

We are coming out of tier four on Friday, yay, yay yay!

Getting there with Christmas organising though I seem to have inadvertently left it all a bit late this year.

Kids - presents all bought and almost all wrapped. Stocking fillers possibly all bought but I’ll go through them to check maybe tonight.

Red - only bought him a couple of small bits but thinking of a tool from his Amazon wish list as his main thing so will order today. And get him some tshirts, boxers and a bottle of whisky to go with.

Mum & stepdad - mum has a needle felting beginner kit, a knitting book and a decorative bowl for putting yarn in. Stepdad has a fancy kitchen knife sharpener he had on his wish list. Also making a hamper of mainly HM edible goodies which I’m almost done with.

Sister & boyfriend - Red is making them a cute wooden planter for their garden in the shape of a pony. Putting together a “book lovers” hamper for sister with charity shop paperbacks, a nice notebook, PJs, fluffy socks, hot chocolate - half done. Will probably add in some of her boyfriend’s favourite beer for him too. Finding it really really hard not to buy more for my sister as I’d normally give her the books, PJs etc and then buy her a couple of main presents on top, but I’m going to be strong as we did agree to cut back this year.

Papa - a framed photo of the children and some of the edible goodies made up into a small hamper. Oh and got an unused book of brain teaser puzzles from charity shop so will give him that.

Dad - my sister has ordered him a very expensive custom piece of art and asked if I wanted to chip in. I’m not paying half - she was totally fine with that - just adding in £20.

Secret Santa - got a £10 Secret Santa to get for a close friend so I’m pondering on it just now.

Red shops for his mum, siblings, nephews and friends and I think that’s all in hand. I’ll give him some of the jams etc I’ve made for his mum.

Got two friend’s babies we buy for and got a book for one (as we mutually tend to keep simple with books for the kids). Other as mentioned I’m knitting a cardigan and have got a couple of books too. 

Regifting a box of shortbread to the nursery teachers 😆

I’ll buy in a couple of spare bottles of wine, small boxes of chocolates and along with my stock of HM limoncello those then become “surprise” gifts if we’ve forgotten someone 😆

I already made salt dough tree decorations with the kids (some for our tree and the rest as gifts) so along with HM Christmas cards that’s what they are giving all the grandparents/aunts & uncles etc from them.

joedenise

Well done on getting the PJ trousers done, I assume it was worth the practice first?  Do you really need to use the ribbing cuffs?  It would be much easier to just turn up a small double hem.  Although as you've said you're using the cuffs I suspect you've cut the top and trousers shorter so won't be able to.

Well done of being so organised with your presents for Christmas.  We're not doing presents at all this year.  It's really difficult with not being able to see anyone.  I know we could over Christmas but being older we decided we'd rather not.