A new royal start

QueenJess

South_coast said:

QueenJess said:
I believe if you sign up now you can't do that, but I'm sure @South_coast would know all about that.

Ha, I'm loving the confidence, but I'm afraid not! I'm with Sky Mobile, so they won't have me!

I'm sure there was a conversation about this on your diary a while back and it was you who had all the answers.  Maybe I'm confusing people/diaries!  The answer is definitely on MSE somewhere!

QueenJess

Been a while, but I finally got to the end of my 3 months notice period and started the new job on Thursday! Going ok at the moment, but it’s been 9 years since I moved company and I’m trying to get my head round everything. It’s draining when you can’t do the simplest admin thing as you don’t know how things work yet! Excited though and talked to a few people there quite a bit who are really nice (essential with a tiny firm).

If you remember, I had a deficit on 5 of my categories in my budget. This is now down to 3 of them for this month. Generally everything is going in the right direction with the exception of food which is way over budget 😬. I’m trying to keep a very close eye on it this month which will either go very well or very badly whilst I’m distracted with work! I did tweak my budget so I’ve allocated more to entertainment each month as part of wanting to do more stuff with the kids generally. It will also need to fund all the activities we will do whilst on holiday and so I need to start saving in there. Holiday is finally positive this month (it held the whole budget deficit for prior months from 2023) and so I can start saving for that now. Not sure what we are doing yet though.

One good thing is that DD’s childcare becomes slightly cheaper once she’s 3 (in a few weeks) and on top of that we will get the free hours. I did factor it into my budget for the year, but hoping it’ll take the edge off the usual hefty council tax increase.

My personal account looks very sad at the moment for various reasons including needing to get new prescription glasses and sunglasses. So I think any payment to the mortgage on Monday will be pretty minimal. I will try and round to the nearest £100 and reassess next month. Most important thing is to do well at work as there are loads of opportunities there and is the best way to make money in the longer term!

DH’s parents are visiting today and we are out for lunch with them. No plans yet for tomorrow, but I think we’ll go out for the day with the kids and pick something from my list of days out I have on my phone. Some need money and others are cheap and cheerful. Will check the weather before I decide!

Dinner today may be cancelled as last time we went to the pub for lunch I couldn’t fit dinner in. We can always do beans on toast for the kids as they will definitely want dinner!

Need to start planning Easter soon as the holiday clubs will start getting booked up. That will require DH to work out which day his day off will be and whether he’s taking any more days off. I have 1 day of credit saved to pay for it and hopefully I can cancel more after school clubs for more credit now I’ve agreed the same non working day at work (Weds).

Better go as DS is due out of gymnastics soon and we’ve got to go and get petrol, drive home and get the kids out of the door and to the pub in time for 12.

themadvix

Glad to hear that the new job is going well Jess! You sound more positive than you have in ages 😊

QueenJess

Just a quick update for this morning.  I paid a grand total of £49.24 to the mortgage to round it down to £128,700.  First month of the new interest rate, which was always going to be scary given my previous 1.14% rate!

Also cancelled after school club on Weds, so that's another £12.95 in the pot for any Easter holiday childcare needed.

QueenJess

I went ahead and booked Easter childcare now DH has his days off worked out. We need 3 days, which isn’t too bad and we got 1/3 off as we already had that in credit. Did some food shopping earlier and did just get what was in the list, but still managed to spend £40 😬. Hoping I will need nothing next week though.

Absolutely knackered and this is the first time I’m sitting down all day (whilst waiting for DS to finish his swimming lesson). I had a massive to do list and completed the whole thing! Even I didn’t think it was possible. Too many things to list here, but cooking was a big part and I made hm bread, shortbread, flapjacks, vanilla ice cream, pizza dough and a pear and blackberry crumble. I also started off some tomato and cucumber seeds indoors (trying not to do too much this year on the garden given I have a new job to concentrate on).

Lunch today was poached eggs with beans and sourdough bread. Dinner will be pizza with sundried tomatoes (DH is addicted to them), mushrooms and goats cheese and possibly anything else I find in the fridge to throw on it! I’ve decided to divide the pizza dough into the same sizes now and make the same size pizza for myself and DH as well as for DS. Then we will have leftovers we can feed DD when she comes back from nursery as she’s always hungry and I would prefer she ate proper food. We got rid of the expensive shop bought snack habit, but she’s eating too much cereal to be healthy and so I’m looking for different ideas. She already has sandwiches at nursery and so I need to branch out. Am considering making a batch of tomato pasta we can reheat for her as another option.

Anyway, dessert later will be pear and blackberry crumble with custard and I’m looking forward to sitting down for the evening!

Edit: I just received £5 from Ziffit for sending them some books and randomly got a £3 credit when I questioned something on my phone bill and they decided to just take it off although it was legitimate. Every bit helps!

South_coast

Could you persuade DD that home-made muesli is a suitable substitute for cereal?

QueenJess

South_coast said:

Could you persuade DD that home-made muesli is a suitable substitute for cereal?

I doubt it. I tried her on hm granola, but she managed to choke on it and now refuses to eat that. I think she’d view muesli in the same light.  DS loves it though. I’m sure she would happily have yogurt and “seeds” (sunflower seeds) as she loves that, although tonight she ate hm bread and jam and a banana which is better!

She has leftover pizza for tomorrow night and I’ll continue thinking what to give her. All options gratefully received! 

QueenJess

Spent quite a bit of money this weekend somehow.  I've been combing through the kids wardrobes, coat cupboard and kids shoes/accessories and slowly been making lists of things to check still and what stuff they need.  Already felt like I've spent quite a bit buying sunglasses, a smart shirt for DS, a raincoat and DD a hoodie.  All needed as they have nothing that fits and they will wear them, but they start adding up.  Everything bar the sunglasses were bought 2nd hand though (couldn't find the sunglasses DD would actually wear 2nd hand).  Need to go back to the joint account and reconcile where I've got to post this weekend as there's still 2/3rds of the month left!  I may reconcile this evening with a glass of wine.

Still finding my feet with work and not yet worked it all out or formed a final opinion on it all.  Amusingly ex-work are forcing people back to the office 5 days a week now (it's what I heard on the grapevine already).  Definitely a good time to get out of there!

Feeling quite squeezed budget wise from all sides at the moment.  Glad electricity costs will be dropping and warmer weather soon (hopefully!) will mean my bills drop off a cliff at least.  DD's nursery bills should also be cheaper with some free hours post Easter.  On the other hand DS's swimming lessons are increasing in price and my council tax is going up.

Right, off to drink my glass of wine now and will be delivered some pear, apple and blackberry crumble with custard by DH   Dinner was spag bol earlier (with lots in the freezer for another day), so the wine was already broken open then!

QueenJess

Not much happening here as been stupidly busy at work.  Looking forward to a 3 day week next week and the week after.  Just posting this whilst DD is asleep and then she'll be opening some presents for her birthday.  Knackered her out already by taking her out to a bus museum (she loves buses).

For some reason my finances always look ok halfway through the month and then the third week is where it all goes wrong.  I've been notified that DS's swimming classes and DD's childcare are both increasing in price.  Also, when I was busy with work I've slightly overspent on food shopping, although I don't think it's too awful considering.  I have finally and sadly cancelled my milkman delivery which will save money.  However, the main reason was that I kept getting milk that had already gone off on the day and apart from it being irritating and buying some anyway, they stopped crediting me and just gave me vouchers to buy something not on my regular list (which I never do).  I just want milk.  I am putting DH in charge of milk buying as I never use any myself and so don't notice when it is getting low.  It's sad that I'll now be buying plastic ones, but it was getting silly.

DS also outgrew his shoes and needed school shoes, trainers and wellies.  He then needed new sunglasses as well and I had to pay for a school trip, so tons of money spent there and the child fund is very much in the red right now.  I am hoping it gets better the next few months now that birthdays are done for this year.

Dinner tonight is tomato pasta with garlic bread (DD's favourite), followed by a sponge cake I iced in the shape of a duck (DD is duck obsessed).  Need to catch up with baking some more goodies, so will probably throw together a quick ice cream later for the freezer and make some flapjacks tomorrow lunchtime.  Probably need to start planning as DS has a day off on Weds (I know... it's silly as he is only back in school until lunchtime the next day) and then we have the long 4 day weekend with all of us.  Will go out some of those days so I am not continually trying to feed everyone all the time!

Edit: Obviously made 2x the amount of tomato pasta for dinner so we have lunches or DD snacks after she comes back from nursery.  Never waste a cooking effort

LadyWithAPlan

Your food sounds lovely as always - especially those scones. How did the yogurt turn out

Glad you are finally at new place and not needing to go in 5 days a week - what a relief 

1.24% interest rate -  what a dream .,.. When I nearly bought 2 years ago it was a 1,49 - now I am looking 4.3% or so - ouch ..