A new royal start

QueenJess

We seem to have gone from one extreme to the other.  From shopping at the local ASDA to shopping at Waitrose 🤦‍♀️.  I know I'm going to get shot down for that on here... but earlier in the year we really did try all the local supermarkets round here and Waitrose was the only one (well plus M&S, but I can't do all my food shopping there!) that was fully stocked, was really good on the cleaning/PPE etc and I knew that DH can go there and get everything we need quickly and safely.

Eventually we will go back to ASDA, but I'm unwilling to do that whilst this craziness is ongoing and I am in the clinically vulnerable category.  As if to prove a point, I have a reasonable list of items out of stock for my ASDA delivery coming later.  At least this way I can hopefully reduce costs a bit.  At least I get a 4% discount at Waitrose through work gift cards.

rugbymadfamily

QueenJess said:

We seem to have gone from one extreme to the other.  From shopping at the local ASDA to shopping at Waitrose 🤦‍♀️.  I know I'm going to get shot down for that on here... but earlier in the year we really did try all the local supermarkets round here and Waitrose was the only one (well plus M&S, but I can't do all my food shopping there!) that was fully stocked, was really good on the cleaning/PPE etc and I knew that DH can go there and get everything we need quickly and safely.

Eventually we will go back to ASDA, but I'm unwilling to do that whilst this craziness is ongoing and I am in the clinically vulnerable category.  As if to prove a point, I have a reasonable list of items out of stock for my ASDA delivery coming later.  At least this way I can hopefully reduce costs a bit.  At least I get a 4% discount at Waitrose through work gift cards.

I'm with you on that, we had always previously shopped at Lidl, but really didnt like it in there during lockdown (no one paid attention to social distancing, too many without masks etc) so now shopping at Morrisions which is definitely more expensive, but it feels safer. Will eventually venture back to Lidl....but not yet!

QueenJess

rugbymadfamily said:

I'm with you on that, we had always previously shopped at Lidl, but really didnt like it in there during lockdown (no one paid attention to social distancing, too many without masks etc) so now shopping at Morrisions which is definitely more expensive, but it feels safer. Will eventually venture back to Lidl....but not yet!

Phew.  Thanks for that!  Glad it isn't just me 
Just played a stressful game of freezer jenga/tetris before my ASDA delivery arrives soon.  It's going to be a close thing as to whether it all fits in!

rugbymadfamily

I'm not even at any risk level and didn't feel comfortable, so I can well understand why someone at any level of risk would move for those reasons. Good luck with the jenga this afternoon - I do love a puzzle to solve 😅

QueenJess

rugbymadfamily said:

I'm not even at any risk level and didn't feel comfortable, so I can well understand why someone at any level of risk would move for those reasons. Good luck with the jenga this afternoon - I do love a puzzle to solve 😅

Thanks.. I might need the luck!  I'm not even sure what risk level I'm meant to be anymore and the guidance seems to change all the time.  I just know I'm not low risk, so I'm not taking any chances!  I have been advised to be careful.

So actually on that... I have news, news, news!  So not content this year with the topsy turvy world of Covid, plus a relative dying earlier in the year, plus redundancy, about 2 weeks before I was told I was going to be made redundant I found out I was pregnant!  It never rains, but it pours right?!  Anyway, all is well at the moment and baby is due 31 March.  This is why I'm trying to get my finances sorted before then as I'll be somewhat distracted next year!

Also, baby plus Covid Waitrose shopping is the reason my grocery bills were out of control.  Struggled for weeks/months on end with severe 22 hour a day nausea and some serious food aversions.  There was a period of about a month when DH had to plan the food, write the shopping list and do all the food shopping and cooking because if I started to think about what we needed I felt so sick I had to leave the room!  Definitely wasn't this bad last time! 

Anyway, it's all better now, although I have some lingering food aversions to work round of which the most annoying is chocolate.  I chocolate, but baby has other ideas.  My greatest pleasure was some dark chocolate of an evening or a chocolate dessert.  I keep baking, but nothing else is quite the same at the moment.  Haven't had any chocolate since about July    I keep telling DH that come April I'm going to eat my body weight in chocolate 

I spent all last night looking around for some new/old recipes for cheaper meal ideas, working around DS's foibles regarding food (generally needs to be plain and separate on the plate so each bit can be identified...) and my food aversions.  I can just about handle some chicken (but the smell and taste of a roast chicken is a definite no!) and salmon is definitely still out. *sigh* I'll get there in the end!

rugbymadfamily

CONGRATULATIONS! Thats super exciting news!!! So pleased for you :-) 

A chocolate aversion is serious, baby might be a savoury tooth rather than a sweet tooth one! You will well and truly have earned the body weight in chocolate come April (just in time for Easter eggs ;-) ). How odd that chicken is ok but roasted definitely not, pregnancy does such nuts things to the body!

QueenJess

With lots of work calls, a food delivery and a midwife appointment this morning, I've not achieved a great deal today.  I did do a load of washing and put away the clean clothes though.

After some freezer jenga I did manage to get everything in.  I'm now too scared to try and take anything out  .  I'm also glad the ice cream I ordered was out of stock as I would have really struggled to get that in.  When I sorted out the freezer it turns out DH has been "randomly" putting things in the wrong place... so I now have 3 bags of frozen broccoli.  Never mind... DS loves broccoli so we'll use that up easily.

I think I underestimated the other cupboard stuff I bought and I can't fit it all in.  I have a small pile of tins now in the corner of the kitchen!  I think some things I bought 1 months worth and others I have 2-3 months worth.  Never mind... it's all standard stuff and I'll easily use it all up in the coming months.

Dinner was Moroccan chicken with cous cous.  DS didn't like the cous cous (but he did try it) so I gave him bread and butter and DH I know doesn't like it, but I decided to ignore that .  I think I made it for me more than anyone else, but the cous cous did need using up.  Got extras going into the freezer (can only fit them in because I've taken the spaghetti bolognese out for tomorrow!).  Pudding is fruit and yogurt, raspberry muffins or chocolate chip muffins.

I'm so close to my next mortgage overpayment target, but am waiting for some surveys to clear first.  Hopefully I will be able to cash out tomorrow.

MagicCat

Ooh congratulations, very exciting times! I really feel for you with the sickness, my DD's birthday is February and I spent the Christmas before only eating dry toast and cereal. Hope you're feeling better soon.

coldcazzie

Huge congratulations to you all! My suggestion is always to get a doula but I will wholeheartedly admit to bias in that lol!

QueenJess

MagicCat said:

Ooh congratulations, very exciting times! I really feel for you with the sickness, my DD's birthday is February and I spent the Christmas before only eating dry toast and cereal. Hope you're feeling better soon.

Yikes!  It has mainly gone now, but I basically could do nothing for a long time, apart from lying down the whole day with my sickness bands on!  Just left with a few food aversions now.

coldcazzie said:

Huge congratulations to you all! My suggestion is always to get a doula but I will wholeheartedly admit to bias in that lol!

Thanks    I think the plan is to do the same as last time (just DH), although what to do with DS is going to be a problem..  Will have to think about that closer to the date.