A new royal start

daisy_1571

I hope your cold is improving.   I was listening to something recently, cant remember what now and it said vit c had mixed results in proper testing but zinc can reliability knock 2 and a quarter days off a cold.  I always try to get vitamin c/zinc combined tablets/fizzy tablets as I know the zinc helps the body absorb the c but its interesting to know zinc on uts own is so useful 

Hope tomorrow goes well

Dxxx

QueenJess

Still feels weird to be going to work and it already feels like Friday even though it's only Tuesday!  I think I might count down to the summer lol!  Definitely want to keep a close eye on expenses as the less I spend, the less I have to work in the future!

Trying to make sure I am using my time wisely at the moment and getting little things done in my lunch time and after work so I don't get too far behind.  My lunch hour today consisted of making fudge for the party bags for DS's birthday and party on Sat, so that's now ticked off the list.  Whilst DH picked the kids up, I put on the dinner (hm fish and chips), a load of washing and sorted some tidying.  Then spent time with the kids and when DD went to bed, I also got into bed as I'm knackered (still trying to get rid of the last of my cold).  Now I have more things rammed into my head I'm back to making little to do lists so I don't have to try and remember to do everything.  Tomorrow's list includes bread making (first thing and then it'll prove whilst I'm working so I can bake it at lunch time) and then I might dig out some seed packets and see what I should be thinking about sowing this year.

Hoping for no food purchases this week bar top up shops for milk and my Riverford delivery and then I will likely get a supermarket delivery next week.  I am hoping my washing powder (zero waste shop) will last another 1.5 weeks before I need to get anything as that will require me to go in, but I'm not sure whether it will last..  I think the plan is to get sm deliveries in the week with the exception of the week I need to go to the zero waste shop and then I'll have to do it early morning Sat before I take DS to gymnastics.  Hoping I only need to go in person once every 3-4 weeks as I am not really a morning person.

MissRikkiC

I resonate with a lot of your juggling QJ. I too work from home, usually 4 days a week and have 2 smalls (4 and 2) and do more than the fair share of the ‘chores’.  I also dream of the days I don’t have to work, which if you’d have told me that 10 years ago, actually maybe even 5, I’d have laughed you out of the room. 

Keep it going, you’re doing a great job. 

QueenJess

Thanks @MissRikkiC I'm the same - I lived to work for a while, but now I just want to live a slow peaceful life with no work!

Well it's the first week done at work and it was all fine, although I did try to squeeze a bit too much home stuff in that stressed me out a bit.  Still waiting for the work to start ramping up (probably next week), so not been too bad this week.  I did have a request from two other people for interviews this week and had to tell them I had already been contracted.  Must be like buses

Joint account isn't in great shape, but there were lots of one off or yearly expenses coming out this month.  The new food budget of £135 a week I went over by about £7 a week, but considering I did two big stock ups for my £15 off £150 vouchers, bulk bought hot chocolate (could have delayed to Feb in hindsight), toothbrushes (don't ask... I need specific ones so cheaper to buy a few years worth in one go) and bought all DS's party food I'm not going to beat myself up too much.  There is a big negative amount in the food budget though (brought over from 2024), so I will need a very low spend in Feb.  Given I do have a fair amount in stock, I am hoping this is doable.

The rest of the budget whilst not in great shape from 2024 is slowly improving, but like debt, it will take a bit of time to recover and then I can hopefully get ahead and actually save extra up in certain areas rather than always being on the back foot.  There are some areas that are incredibly healthy (leisure and holidays) as I've spent far less than expected.  Because of this and that I have a job until the end of June, we've put a deposit down on a holiday in July to Wales.  There is another deposit due March/April, but there should be plenty in the holiday account by then.

Health this week is utter rubbish.  Went for a pointless hospital appointment to conclude there was no issue there (which I already knew).  I only went because the GP can no longer claim it is something else and will be forced to conclude peri-menopause.  Doesn't help though as I am on a waiting list for a fix (or I should say a potential fix since we don't know whether it will work), but they cannot tell me how long it is... 1 month, 12 months, 15 years?!  I have a weird interim fix which I don't like as it messes around with my hormones a bit much and makes me feel odd.  It also doesn't get rid of any of the other issues and I am currently in bed with a headache that I now get every month for days on end.  Feel very fed up and went to gym last night (missed last week because of a bad cold).  I was really looking forward to it, but early on I twinged my shoulder and couldn't do much.  It still hurts now and kept waking me up in the night, so not sure when that might recover.  I think my task next week will to just go private as I'm miserable and struggling day to day.  I have a job now, so it will pay for that and more important than pension savings.

Sorry, for the moan... on the plus side I've got loads done this week including some good and some not so good baking.  We have a whole tin full of jam thumbprint biscuits and another one full of not chelsea buns.  I tried to make chelsea buns, but the mixture was too slack and wasn't right.  However, it was just like brioche texture, so I instead made chelsea brioche buns as obviously I wasn't going to waste all those ingredients.  They taste fine and DS loves them, so small crisis averted.  I also made fudge for DS's party bags, although I ran out of time and had to enlist DH to finish them off!  I made DS's cake today - chocolate cake with cream and raspberry jam filling and covered in chocolate ganache.  I found it very stressful as I don't do decorating... I'm more of a throw it together person and as long as it tastes fine, I don't care what it looks like.  But obviously it's his birthday so I do care and I spent longer making that bloomin' ganache and covering the cake than actually baking the cake!  Got there eventually after it split (never made ganache before ), but refused to admit defeat and after some research it was rescued and all looks absolutely fine.  It's setting in the fridge and then I bought a cake topper for the top to finish it off tomorrow.

I am now in bed hoping this headache goes away before I have a house full of 7/8 year old boys tomorrow!  DH has taken pity on me and is cooking dinner (tofu stir fry) to deliver to me.  Everything is prepped for tomorrow bar cutting up veg for the birthday tea, so we are relatively prepared.  Hopefully DS won't be up too early for his birthday!

MissRikkiC

Hope your son has a lovely birthday party. Great job mum! 

themadvix

I am totally with you on baking being about taste not looks - probably comes from baking for need not novelty.

 Hope headache has gone and party goes well.

edinburgher

Congratulations on the new job, but thanks a lot for reminding me that I still have 2 bin bags of wrapping paper from Christmas to recycle!

I always love to read about your pottering, chores and cookery projects (even if it leaves me feeling a little breathless). Try and take a few minutes for yourself, you are going at 100 miles an hour.

QueenJess

Gosh - no time now I'm working full time.  I've settled on making one thing a day either before work or at lunch (or a combination where bread is concerned) and make a list of things to do the night before so I can keep on top of things.  Still knackered though as I am just not used to it!

Ordered my supermarket food to be delivered and then remembered why I don't do it... there was no milk, butter or chopped tomatoes, so I had to go out and buy something anyway.  Utterly useless round here.  I have reassessed my budget now that January has passed and I've reallocated £25 away from the home/garden fund to top up groceries and DS's activities.  Both of the latter I think I was underestimating the actual spend and I am trying hard to spend nothing in the home/garden fund until I need more furniture for DD.  This means I now have £140 a week to spend on food, although I have a massive deficit to work through at the moment on that account, so may take me all year to get it under control depending on spend in other areas.  Trying to make small changes though and don't want to put money into the account to start again as I'll never learn.  Although it is negative, it is more than offset by other categories that build up over the year like holidays, insurance etc.

Today's tasks were washing (done) and I made 24 bread rolls for DS's lunches.  Tomorrow I shall be making myself a lemon drizzle cake for my birthday on Saturday (although we are now sick of birthday cakes with this being the fourth week in a row of birthdays!).  The cake I made for DS was really good, but incredibly rich and filling.  We struggled through eating that though   Better run as my lunchtime is nearly over!

Edit: Almost forgot - lunch and dinner is all leftovers.  Lunch is leftover potato and leek soup, dinner is leftover tomato pasta and salad from Monday or leftover pizza from yesterday.  I try to have enough for a whole day of leftovers for a break!

Bluegreen143

I get your thinking with the deficit (or I kind of do, though it’s not how I work things). But if your budget isn’t realistic doesn’t that mean you will just build a giant, demoralising deficit forever?!

£140 a week is not enough for us with the same size family/similar age kids and we don’t do baking or any desserts like you do, nor do we use local milk, veg boxes, zero waste shop, anything organic or free range etc. With the amazing way you cook and try to ethically shop I would fully expect you to be spending £160-175 a week. It’s amazing if you can bring it down a little lower, but I’d be surprised if you can ever bring your deficit down if you’re only adding £140 a week into the pot. I would either budget more into groceries to catch back up or wipe the deficit clean and start again. 

Just my thoughts and obviously you know your budget best. 

QueenJess

Bluegreen143 said:

I get your thinking with the deficit (or I kind of do, though it’s not how I work things). But if your budget isn’t realistic doesn’t that mean you will just build a giant, demoralising deficit forever?!

£140 a week is not enough for us with the same size family/similar age kids and we don’t do baking or any desserts like you do, nor do we use local milk, veg boxes, zero waste shop, anything organic or free range etc. With the amazing way you cook and try to ethically shop I would fully expect you to be spending £160-175 a week. It’s amazing if you can bring it down a little lower, but I’d be surprised if you can ever bring your deficit down if you’re only adding £140 a week into the pot. I would either budget more into groceries to catch back up or wipe the deficit clean and start again. 

Just my thoughts and obviously you know your budget best. 

What happened was that the gift vouchers I had from work last year and all the spend £150 for £15 off deals meant I stocked up loads last year and my actual spend became really confusing.  I have a rammed freezer still and plan on emptying it out pretty much completely so I can defrost it eventually.  I definitely don't spend anything like that usually and since then the deficit has been decreasing every week.  I think £150 might be more realistic, but I am keeping £140 for now and seeing how it goes.  This is the amount I spent last month and that was with stocking up with two more of those vouchers and DS's party.  I'm trying to get the budget correct so the deficit goes away in time and I've already cracked having the right amount in there before the deficit goes.  A bit of a lesson in budgeting a bit more accurately I guess!

I do have lots of mitigating factors which means my bill isn't as expensive as you might think.  Yes, we are 90ish % organic, but I cook everything from scratch and there are zero snacks in my house.   No crisps (not bought those for 5 years - not missed by anyone), no chocolate except for the odd treat (we buy the bars though and have a couple of squares), no packaged anything - no bread products.... nothing.  Also I gave up local milk a while ago as it was unrealiable and very expensive (we do get organic milk though).  DD is also at nursery full time so she doesn't eat a full dinner every night.  Sometimes she has a bit of what we are eating, but other times more of a snack (beans on toast, yogurt and fruit etc).  I often eat leftovers for lunch or soup and DS sometimes does the same.  DH is often out 1x a week (twice at the moment) with work and decides to spend his own money buying his lunch.  The kids will currently only eat porridge for breakfast everyday and Aldi does some really good cheap organic oats.  I also don't drink tea or coffee that probably saves me a fortune   (I'm not stingy, I just don't like it).  The zero waste shop is sometimes more expensive, but for the key things I buy it is actually a cheaper.  My most expensive purchases are olive oil, DH's nuts/raisins, local honey and meat/fish (the latter we have 3x a week and the rest is vegetarian).

We also have a separate budget for going out and doing stuff and that also covers any food we have when we go out.  That one is looking very healthy as we've not been out that much this year, but I am trying to save lots up for the summer anyway.

This week I've spent £107: £15 on a big Aldi stock up of the few things we get in there (about 5+ weeks worth), £58 in sm and on milk, and £34 on Riverford which included a zero waste bag (a surprise basically!) as an extra treat for myself (don't often get them).  It's all a work in progress, but the deficit has come down a huge amount this year already.  I have put an equal amount of grocery spend in each month, although previously I did it per week based on the number of Weds I had.  But now I am shopping at different times and days so I've split it equally.  I guess I'll see if that's giving me false hope in a month or two!