A new royal start

QueenJess

Some of these online surveys are very poorly written.  I had one asking my opinion on various brands and for some I said I had never heard of them.  So then they asked me in depth questions on the things I associated with the brands I have never heard of.  Waste of time..

South_coast

Yep, the ones from Sky are driving me most mad at the moment - making me watch ads for their shows and asking if I've seen the ads before on Instagram/Facebook etc without first asking me whether I actually use those platforms 😠! I can answer "no" straight away, yet I still have to watch the whole thing before I can continue!

And don't get me started on misspelled job ads....

QueenJess

I've been browsing online for some home decor today.  It would be nice to be able to get a few bits and pieces to make my house more homely for the winter.  Maybe I should allow myself one or two little things a month, otherwise I might just crack one day and buy lots of things!  I bought my herb windowsill planter this month, so may treat myself to some fake candles next month.  I love real ones, but they would stress me out too much with DS in the house!

Found a few viable side tables small enough for my needs, which I have been looking for for ages.  Can't afford it right now though, so will add it to the list.  Maybe they'll have a nice sale closer to xmas or something.

It feels like I'm sitting around at the moment waiting for redundancy.  It's a bit weird as there is 5% uncertainty about whether I might get some extension or possibly another job at the same place.  I dislike uncertainty.  I would rather it was black and white.  Definitely looking forward to November from that perspective, so I have clarity on what is actually going on.  Got given a bit more real work to do today, but all short little things, so still little hope of an extension at the moment.  Something until xmas would be very handy for my finances!  All seems a bit silly from an outside perspective as I am really quite experienced and have tons of skills they could use.

Anyway... I shall carry on and continue trying to ignore it and not stress about money.  I know we'll be ok, but it's easy to fall into the "what if I just saved another £X" trap.  It's probably just as well as not sue whether I would ever have had the confidence to just leave if it was left up to me.  It's going to be very weird not to have any of my own money coming in though.  I've always been independent and supported myself.

Didn't sleep well after being woken up by DS when he had a nightmare.  Took him a while to settle back to sleep (by which time I was wide awake).  He needed a mummy cuddle and then I held his hand for a while.

Not achieved much today apart from washing and changing the beds.  Dinner was spaghetti bolognese (courtesy of DH).  Amusingly he insists it is "his dish" and only he can cook it.  I like to remind him I taught him how to cook it a few years ago    Pudding is fairy cakes/ice cream/fruit and yogurt - take your pick!  I think I'll dig out a piece of plum cake and ice cream from the freezer for mine later (stuffed right now).

Very glad it is the weekend again.  Not sure what our plans are yet.  DS says "I want to play with mummy".  I will try and crowbar him out of the house at some point.

To end on a positive note, I am down to the next £50 bracket on the mortgage.  It is now £88,136.27.  Will be paid on Monday (the second to last payday!) and so I should be able to put a large amount to the mortgage then too.

rugbymadfamily

I'm with you on not liking uncertainty! But sounds like your preparation for redundancy has been right on track. I'm sure its tricky with the upcoming finances but you have to remind yourself that you will still be doing a full time job taking care of your DS and home, it just doesnt get paid from an external party.

In terms of a side table, we buy loads of our furniture from the local British Heart Foundation furniture store, have had some fantastic purchases there (ranging from brand new bits to some the needed a bit of sanding down) but can highly recommend it!

QueenJess

rugbymadfamily said:

I'm with you on not liking uncertainty! But sounds like your preparation for redundancy has been right on track. I'm sure its tricky with the upcoming finances but you have to remind yourself that you will still be doing a full time job taking care of your DS and home, it just doesnt get paid from an external party.

In terms of a side table, we buy loads of our furniture from the local British Heart Foundation furniture store, have had some fantastic purchases there (ranging from brand new bits to some the needed a bit of sanding down) but can highly recommend it!

I think it is just not earning any money or myself after 15+ years which is very strange to me.  I would happily shop around the charity shops (although our BHF shop just seems to sell sofas whenever I am in it), but I'm not low risk and I don't think DS is either.  So at the moment I am avoiding anything unnecessary and only go out for groceries (well DH does), picking up/dropping off DS and going for walks outside.

It's a bit annoying, but it just is what it is at the moment.

rugbymadfamily

Yes, I can understand that. Husband and I starting to talk about timings for starting a family and having worked for similar time to yourself, that no money part worries me too.

Thats annoying about just sofas, our one has tv units / book cabinets / coffee tables etc as well. Ah sorry missed that bit, definitely not worth risking it with the way things are. Stay safe and keep the dessert updates coming through!

QueenJess

rugbymadfamily said:

 Stay safe and keep the dessert updates coming through!

  Of course.  My parents were always big believers of dinner time being pointless without a dessert to look forward to!

With starting a family there probably never is a best time.  I was worried I would run out of time as I was in my 30's and there is a history of very early menopause in my family (40ish).  I just imagined what it would be like if I got older and had no children.  I realised I would definitely regret it and so we gave it a try!  Funnily enough I was never worried much about the money side at that point, but childcare fees are horrific!

rugbymadfamily

 

With starting a family there probably never is a best time. 

Financially the best time would be in my 50s once the mortgage is paid 😂 lol. But we are in a fairly stable position now and have a financial plan which means I feel much more comfortable with the thought of maternity leave and reduced pay etc. Plus our kittens have bought out a maternal side in me that I didn't know existed haha!

QueenJess

I've had some fun today window shopping online for all the things I would like to buy for the house.  It's mainly accessories now as we have main furniture.  It'll all be added to a list so I can select 1 or 2 things each month to get.  Might have to be some cushions first.

Washing done and all clean clothes away (took a lot longer than I thought!).  Other than that, it's been a relaxing day at home.  Gave myself the day off from earning anything online and it's been nice.  DS's stamper pens came in the post and we had some fun with those - he loved the footprint ones!  Going to have to get the thick socks out of the drawer though as it's been a bit cold today.

Dinner was fish and chips and pudding will be a pear and raspberry crumble with ice cream (when I can fit it in later).  Nice comfort food for a cold day outside.

Must write the shopping list and plan the meals for the next week soon... maybe tomorrow 

QueenJess

Decided to just go ahead and order a few cushions for the living room, partly because I'm short and I need cushions to sit comfortably on the sofa.  Remembered why I don't order things very often as I have to have a very silly conversation with DH who has zero imagination for anything and doubts everything.  It goes along the lines of him saying he doesn't care as he doesn't have a clue so I should just order it.  Then when I am about to order it, he says he wants to look first and then wants to debate whether it might be the right thing or not for weeks.  Eventually we agree that he has no idea and I manage to order said item.  When it comes he continues to express doubts and then is silent.  A few weeks later he tells me how amazing said item is and he is glad we got it.   If I could just skip to the end it would be a much quicker process.  In any case, I did just order it, so at least I saved myself a few weeks. 

Definitely no more expenditure for September on the house front.  I think the only thing left is the food shop tomorrow.  I have my eye on a couple of house things for October though.  When we bought the house, it was brand new and we had almost no furniture.  We've slowly got most the furniture, but it does look like we just dumped some furniture in the rooms and no one lives here.  We have almost no ornaments, plants, photos, pictures on the wall, candles, table lamps etc.  I think my mum would say it is like living in a hospital.  As DH is useless, it is up to me to find things to make it look like someone actually lives here.  Living room is first as we spend a lot of time in there and I find it depressing after a while!  I'm thinking cushions, an artificial plant (north facing and quite dark so plants don't fare well in there), a couple of lamps and some photo frames would do wonders for that room!

Lots of actual work to do next week, so I don't think I'll be getting much done in the week.  Washing done for today and all clean clothes away.  Meal plan done for next week and shopping list written.  I purposely am using one meal from the freezer next week in the hope I can get the list below the £89 I have left on the gift card!  Still am yet to put the slow cooker on and I'm only doing one meal where I can freeze half of it every week.  A bit of improvement to make in October there.

Found some cress seeds in the cupboard and sowed them with DS.  It'll give him something to do everyday as we can see how much they've grown.

Dinner was roast chicken.  Pudding was the pear and raspberry crumble with ice cream.