A new royal start

QueenJess

Too angry today to do a proper update post.  Sick of terrible customer service.  I did an online order which was expected to be delivered yesterday.  Apparently the delivery people couldn't be bothered to find my house (or even ring me to check where it was) and so didn't deliver and cancelled my order.  I was told I just have to order again at a higher price as the voucher I used is now invalid.  I'm livid!!!  What the hell is wrong with good old fashioned customer service?

Will try and console myself with some yummy oat, apple and cranberry biscuits I made earlier and were yummy.  Will also browse the internet for some more nice recipes.  I'm thinking of seeing if I can get away with 1 veggie and 1 vegan meal a week.  I absolutely love vegetables and usually when we go out for dinner I am disappointed I have so many other things on the plate and not enough veg.  However, I have a meat obsessed DH and a picky little 3 year old.... I will however try and play the pregnancy card to try and justify that I have to eat like this as other things are difficult for me to digest.  I might get away with that!  Then by the time the baby is born they'll be used to it.  It's a plan anyway 

Need to find some new recipes though for cheap and easy things to make.  I am also missing my fortnightly veg box.  I know it is expensive, but it supports the UK farmers, a really good firm and has no packaging.  Plus the veg is tastier than the supermarket.  I think I may bring my box back and just try and find some cheaper recipes for during the week to compensate.

I'm finding work annoying at the moment.. it's taking time away from the things I would much rather be doing (food planning, playing with DS and getting the house cleaned/sorted).  I really need a holiday from work, but as they are paying my holiday, I'm trying to last until the end of Jan. 

Back later in the week once I've calmed down...  Feel free to give me toddler friendly veggie/vegan meal ideas in the meantime!

QueenJess

I can't believe almost a week of November has gone already.  It's been so busy this week and now I feel really behind on everything that needs to be done.

Work is pretty much full time at the moment, which is actually impossible to complete between the hours of 8:30 and 3:30 when I have to then pick up DS.  We set it up like that originally because I wanted more time with DS and actually we were only expecting I would have to juggle work for 2 months anyway.  Now it will be 5 months.   I think I just have to accept I just can't get everything done.  We are also having some fun with DS at the moment as he is toilet training (the very last one to do it of course..).  He hasn't quite got it worked out, so it is a continuous run to the toilet, washing, cleaning routine.  Hopefully he'll get it figured out soon.

DH took some time off this week (although didn't help me at all).  He said he was going to do x, y and z and then claimed on the day he couldn't because everything is my stuff (I don't think so somehow...) and he couldn't do it without me.  So this morning I insisted we all clear out the garage.  I sorted out my tiny two boxes of things and everything else is DH's...  Anyway, seemed to make him happy.  Whilst I was there I cleared half of the pots in the garden, half the lawn of leaves and fed the birds.

Now I'm onto my next load of continuous washing, clearing up various bits of the house and putting all the clean clothes away.  I've already made flapjacks and I have an apple and blackberry crumble in the oven for later.  To cheer myself up I then spent lots of money buying a couple of fake plants and a load of candles from 1kea.  That's all my money allowance for household things spent for this month.  Will have to plan what I want to buy next month, although I might get the bedding for DS's new bed that we'll probably get in Jan unless we see any good sales before then.

I spent lots of last week complaining to lots of companies.  I managed to get £15 back so far and am hoping for another £5 for their terrible service.  I also ploughed through lots of extra income stuff and in hindsight I have literally no idea how I managed to squeeze that in with everything else going on.  Anyway, with that effort and the much lower car insurance, I have somehow managed to save £160.91!  More than halfway through my target for the month

My target for the mortgage is actually falling £55 short for the month at the moment, but I don't want to make any more overpayments until I am paid at the end of the month now.  That will still take me over target though, so it's all good.  Just need to try and get my joint account deficit down now... will try not to spend too much on the rest of the month!

Next up is my wedding anniversary in a couple of weeks time.  I need to make a card (I always make my own ones) and find a present.  Apparently this year it is copper.  I could get a copper photo frame or possible a copper pen for DH to use at work.  However, I looked at the latter and they did all look a bit feminine for him, so I may have to fall back on the photo frame idea.  We are also toying with the idea of getting a takeaway rather than me cooking (I haven't had a takeaway for about 3 years!).  But whilst it is lockdown, the local Michelin starred restaurant is doing a reasonably priced takeaway and it is very tempting.  I'm not a fan of fast food.  Will be nice to have something special as we didn't often go out for food prior to lockdown either.  In fact we went out together for my birthday in Feb for the first time in 3 years!

I also need to buy a couple more xmas presents and sort out DH's birthday present (Jan) so I am organised.  Lots to do this month!  Nothing is selling on eBay, although I don't understand why tbh.  Other people have sold similar things recently for the same price, so not sure how that works.  Eventually I'll have to give up and get rid of it another way as I want it all cleared.  Maybe I'll reduce the price a bit and see what happens.

Right.. better go and get as much tidied up and sorted as I can before I need to lie down!

Grogged

I hope you are enough you time with all that's going on.
Amazing to have made £161so quickly!
Congratulations on the upcoming anniversary, a Michelin take away night to yourselves sounds just the job.
ATB, G.

MagicCat

Your money making is always so impressive, amazing mortgage OPs last month!
Is it your 9th anniversary? It was our 9th in September which I thought was copper but DH had looked it up and found the American version which was pottery so we each got very different gifts! :   
Hope you're feeling ok, don't over do things.

QueenJess

MagicCat said:

Your money making is always so impressive, amazing mortgage OPs last month!
Is it your 9th anniversary? It was our 9th in September which I thought was copper but DH had looked it up and found the American version which was pottery so we each got very different gifts! :   
Hope you're feeling ok, don't over do things.

That's very funny to get different gifts!  I try to follow it every year, but DH hasn't bothered.  To be fair it is really hard and I definitely had to use my imagination for cotton and paper!  This year will be 7 years.  Luckily I've found a pen which isn't too expensive and DH will be able to use it for his work as opposed to the horrible cheap plastic ones he usually gets from work.

I'm trying to get done as much as I can whilst I am feeling fine.  Last weekend was a write off because I felt awful.  Just taking each day as it comes.

QueenJess

Another jam packed day today.  Went into the garden this morning and cleared what felt like billions of leaves and cut back the blackberry.  The blackberry has already sent up new shoots which are taller than the trees!  There is no space at all left now in the compost bin or the green bin and the latter isn't being emptied for almost two weeks.  I am hoping it'll all sink down a bit so I can get a bit more in next week.  There's still lots of leaves and absolutely tons ready to drop in the next week or so.

I cut DS's hair as it was getting into his eyes.  I hate cutting his hair... it isn't perfect, but it is passable.  Then we tackled the room of doom and packed up all DS's clothes he has grown out of for the loft.  I also got down some spare coat hangers and rammed them into my wardrobe so I could dig out my maternity clothes.  It was quite fun as it's a bit like getting a very small new wardrobe - I had forgotten what I had from last time.

I now have a large leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic slow cooking in the oven for dinner.  It will be served with roasted carrots, parsnips, yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes and lamb gravy.  Then for pudding we have more of the apple and blackberry crumble (blackberries from the garden - almost used up them all in the freezer) and custard.  DS will probably have banana and custard instead.

Need to do the shopping list later, although I think I already did the meal plan a few days ago.  But at the moment I just need to put my feet up and have a rest!  I'm looking forward to my candles arriving in a week's time and am continually plotting what the remaining list of items to get for the house are to make it look nice.  I'm slowly getting there!

No time for any money making activities this weekend.

QueenJess

Shopping list finally written for tomorrow.  Really didn't want to do it this week.  Completely random treats this week that I added to the list are: mince pies and cream and a whole melon.  Living the dream lol.

I wanted some chocolate the other day and so tried a KitKat given there isn't too much chocolate there.  I have to say I didn't enjoy any of it #devastated.  This baby has a lot to answer for!  Goodness knows how I'm going to get by for another 5 months like this!  Maybe I should have just gone for my usual dark chocolate instead - I did find the KitKat really sweet.

Anyway, list still looks long  However, I only have 2 meat items on there this week as I am using up things in the freezer and doing 2 veggie nights next week (will see if anyone notices..).  Hoping it isn't too expensive as we'll be spending more the week after for the wedding anniversary day.

QueenJess

Can't wait for this work week to be over.  Basically achieved nothing at all this week and failing to desperately balance work and home life.

Work has gone a bit insane and I've been working until about 10pm most nights, although I have a break to pick up DS at 15:30 ish, make dinner and put DS to bed.  I keep hoping I've killed the work, but it keeps coming sneaking back at me.  Apparently I am the one with all the answers...

Anyway, finished work at 8pm tonight, so celebrating with a mince pie and cream.  Also spent the whole of yesterday feeling really ill and ended up having to go to bed at 7:30.  Thankfully feeling better today, but really want to just relax now.  At least there's only one more day left of work this week..

I've got a load more payments through/cashed out this week and so have managed to increase my savings this month to £249.94   Only £50 left to go to meet my target, which is definitely doable.

Off to enjoy my evening and try to relax.... will have to catch up with diaries at the weekend.

QueenJess

Urgh.  What a rubbish week I've had.  Basically been working all hours to fix a problem at work because it was obvious to me how to do it and no one else seemed willing to do anything.  Just love those calls where everyone is silent...

Anyway, I did fix the problem and took me working all hours, including the weekend.  I just like to get things done properly, but for some reason I had brain amnesia and forgot the company I work for (a) won't appreciate it as they don't do things properly and (b) it was all a bit pointless since I only have 70 odd days left before I leave anyway.  Now I'm just tired and annoyed.

Not managed to do anything practical over the past week and so am behind on absolutely everything.  Also not done any saving, however, I was still getting payments in for the ridiculous amount I managed to do before this all started and so have already reached my savings target this month!  I have got to £321.77.

DH told me yesterday that he will be really busy at work in Jan, so we will have to order the baby room furniture and DS's new bed very soon to build over xmas.  We definitely won't have enough in the joint account, so we're going to have to borrow from ourselves and then pay it back over a few months.  Good job I have my mortgage "overpayments" for October 2021 sat around then.

Need to get back to everything now.  Bring on the end of Jan I say!

rugbymadfamily

Argh that's so annoying about work. The 3and is in sight though, not long now! Hope all well with bump and that chocolate is enjoyable again?!