A new royal start

QueenJess

Spent some of today thinking about all the things I could do/could do actually properly if I didn't have to work and rush around all the time.  Work definitely gets in the way of my life!

I rescued a large plastic digger on buy nothing last night.  DD loved it so much that she cuddled it all the way to the nursery door!  It is perfectly fine to play with as is, but the buttons on it weren't working.  As I had time without work, I had a look and one of the batteries had previously leaked over one of the connections.  I gave it a clean out, sanded the connection a bit and hey presto it works good as new.  DD is going to be so excited when she comes back!

I also wrapped up presents for the 2 parties (3 birthdays) that DS is going to in Jan/Feb.  It was very organised of me!  I reused packaging by flattening it out, giving it a quick trim where necessary and using some stampers I already had from card making to jazz it up.  No sellotape was used in the wrapping of these presents I instead reused some ties from the end of a balloon one of the kids got from a birthday party they went to and another one was from a parcel I was sent.  The tags I made from my card making supplies.  Just to prove you don't need to buy wrapping paper (I do also reuse gift bags and wrapping paper) and it doesn't look naff or cheap, I have a nice picture for you

Now I just need to work out how to reduce my rammed shelf of packaging, gift bags and wrapping paper down to one single box....  I am already trying to be very conscious of not buying online unless I need to (and instead being more organised and getting things whilst I am already out and about).  I even emailed the mail survey people to ask them if they would consider using paper envelopes and ditch the plastic bag the stuff comes in.  No harm in asking..

Got some time to play with DS before DD needs to be picked up now.  Lunch was the last of the leek and cheese pastries and I had a cheeky chocolate biscuit for afters.  Dinner will be the leftover beef stir fried with whatever veg I can find (kale, mushrooms, sweetcorn maybe?), with whatever sauce/flavouring I can find in the cupboard and wrapped in an omlette.  Pudding will be banana and chocolate chip flapjacks from the freezer, although I have my eye on another mince pie and vegan cream.  Still tons of food in the house.  I have noticed I eat badly when I am working, but as soon as I am on holiday I stop snacking and eat well.  Need to find another way to relieve the stress!

Mrs_Money_Penny

Love the wrapping. So pretty xx

themadvix

Wrapping looks great Jess

I didn't realise you were a mail survey person too. I'd email and pile the pressure on, but I happen to know that the survey operator is changing - my mum has already been switched to the new scheme, so I think I'll wait until then to complain about the packaging (which really irritates me, especially when it's just got an envelope inside it with the survey items - can't they just send the envelope?!)

QueenJess

themadvix said:

Wrapping looks great Jess

I didn't realise you were a mail survey person too. I'd email and pile the pressure on, but I happen to know that the survey operator is changing - my mum has already been switched to the new scheme, so I think I'll wait until then to complain about the packaging (which really irritates me, especially when it's just got an envelope inside it with the survey items - can't they just send the envelope?!)

That’s interesting.. I haven’t actually mentioned it anywhere before, so no reason you would know! I sent the same query… why send effectively two envelopes? It drives me mad. I end up storing all the envelopes up and then donating them to DS’s school. The plastic bit annoys me and I try to reuse them, but there are too many and they are too small for most things.

QueenJess

Back to work today and I’be been dreading it. Got about 30 mins in and am already bored! I wish I didn’t have to work at all, but given DH is going part time and my job is decidedly insecure and going in a couple of years, it is neither practical nor sensible. We need to eat!

I asked if DH wanted his favourite meal from M&S for his birthday (he did), so I went early this morning to get it. I also got a couple of ready meals for him as I expect this month to be a nightmare work wise for him, plus I hope to be back doing exercise one evening a week. I did use my £19 voucher and so after buying a large yogurt, it cost me the princely sum of 90p. I’m still shocked at the price of ready meals (I never buy them usually) and yes I know M&S is expensive, but £9 for his favourite meal?! Definitely just for a one off treat!

For the first time in about 10 years I’ve been a customer, Riverford failed to deliver something due to quality. We will make do without and we have £2.65 credit for next week.

Will try and get some non-work things done in breaks today. I need to do a load of washing, order some party bags for DS’s party, add labels to a couple of charity bags and list a couple of things on buy nothing. I guess I should bring out the to do list again, but I’m not sure it works well. Over the break I didn’t even need one as I remembered everything easily. Another reminder that work is just in the way of my actual life 😂

I mentioned getting DH to help with mending DS’s school trousers with the iron on patches as I am allergic to ironing 😉. Went out yesterday with DS to a science museum (which was fab - taking our own lunch of course) and when we got back DH had done it! Was there a blue moon yesterday? Did anyone see any flying pigs? 😂 Maybe DH actually listened to my rant at him in the Xmas holidays… wonders never cease!

Lunch today is sandwiches and grapes (one lot with cheese and pickle, one lot with beef and mustard to use up some fridge stuff). Dinner is pizza for us and DS will probably have cheese on toast with some leftover beans that need using up. Pudding is ice cream or vegan mince pies with cream (although DH is masterfully eating his way through the banana and chocolate chip flapjacks in the freezer!). May break out the blackberries and make an apple and blackberry crumble tomorrow ready for the weekend.

QueenJess

Happy Friday everyone.  Today I decided to ditch the to do list altogether.  The problem I have with it is that I could list a huge amount of things in there, but the reality is that if 90% of it was never done, the sky isn't going to fall in.  So, instead anything actually urgent I do right away (or noted down for the next time I can do it) and the rest just pends in my head and I do it when I fancy/remember.  Definitely nothing terrible would happen if I didn't hang the map back on the wall that dropped off, but also I am unlikely to forget since it is residing on the floor in my way.  Likewise, if I never actually got around to spring cleaning the house this year, there are no consequences anyway.  I don't need to spend time administrating a list and so in line with my goals to simplify my life, the list has gone.

I had my pensions meeting earlier.  They raised a couple of points I will have a think about, but generally the meeting was very amusing since they were struggling to say anything I didn't already know, researched and put into a spreadsheet.  I don't think they knew what to do with me I mean it is my job at work to research into things, so it felt normal to me to research my personal finances as well!  In any case, it was free and they gave me some confidence about the choices I had already made.

Quiet day at work today, so will change all the beds and get a load of washing on before a busy weekend with the kids.  Already miss them horribly, so bring on April when I can request a change in my hours!  May do a bit of clearing up later and will make a crumble to go in the oven with the chips/my burger for dinner.  Dinner is burgers and sweet potato chips with sweetcorn as I have too many ys burger rolls to get through in the freezer!

Should be a low spend weekend.  I need to pay for DS's party bags, although I decided I didn't want some of the stuff that came in them and negotiated myself a discount.  Actually I do need to get myself organised and think about food and cake.  I can't yet decide whether to try and make cakes myself.  I would prefer to, but time is the issue.  Tomorrow is back to gymnastics for DS and then in the afternoon he is off to a joint birthday party.  Sunday we are popping out to an event all morning that DH paid for himself months ago - we will take a packed lunch and will have to just grab something hot for DD (she refuses to eat cold food for lunch).  Hope everyone has a good weekend.

QueenJess

Just a quick round up of food spend so far this month (only a week in!). I have a ton of food though!

Aldi £74.60/£100
Riverford £17.55
Milk £21.35
Other £0/£100

Total £114.40

The bran flake eating monsters have been at it again and so I had to order extra milk 🙄. It comes to something when I have 7 boxes in stock and I’m concerned it might not last the month 🤦‍♀️

Trying to keep out of the shops and use up what I have. I do have a lot of food. I also need to dig back into the main cupboard and use up some stuff that’s been hanging around for ages. Will do that next time I need to do some baking (when the crumble runs out).

I have already made the packed lunch for tomorrows outing, so it is only something hot to buy for DD as she won’t eat cold food for lunch. Dinner will be veggie sausages, mash, leeks and carrots. Pudding is banana and custard for the kids (or ice cream) and we have apple & blackberry crumble with custard. They don’t know what they’re missing… DS is picky and DD is what I can only describe as completely addicted to yogurt and ice cream. I can tempt her away with jelly, but nothing else seems to work!

edinburgher

It could be worse, bran flake addiction probably a pretty harmless vice

QueenJess

edinburgher said:

It could be worse, bran flake addiction probably a pretty harmless vice

Well ish, but the ones they like are £3.15 a box!  Even DD has started on them now.  At least DH has got over his love of the kiddy oaty bars that cost a fortune, so I have some hope he'll stop eating so many at some point.

Party organisation is continuing for DS... it isn't something I overly enjoy.  Invitations are out and have been chased up - only got a couple of stragglers to come back now.  I've ordered a "kit" of cutlery, plates, cups etc that you rent and send back dirty for them to wash and reuse (they are surprisingly cheap) and they even provide reusable decorations and balloons you send back.  Doesn't include napkins though, but I've got a stack of reusable napkins/paper towels here and so will just buy another bundle to get me to the right number... can then bring them home and throw them in the washing machine.

Party bags are organised (nothing plastic in them and no sweets.. I'm not a big fan of sweets).  Starting to think about food and cakes.  Time is short, so I will have a main cake, but have individual cupcakes for the party bags so I don't have to rush to cut it up for the bags.  I looked at most the supermarkets as I really don't have time to make all the food myself, but was very unimpressed with the sandwiches.  I've put a query into our local bakery instead as then I can have a bespoke order and they should be able to do everything bar a dessert.  For dessert I was going to go to the supermarket and pick up a big pile of vegetarian jellies and supplement the main order with some crisps and biscuits (DS's favourite things!).  No idea yet if I will provide drinks other than water, but I do have jugs rented, so I could make up some squash.  Also no idea if I should provide snacks for parents... I was considering having a few beers/wine and a big box of biscuits or something simple.

It's all so complicated and expensive!  I'm trying to get a balance as although I would like to do it all myself, there is no way I have time for that.  DS hasn't had a party for about 3 years, so I guess we are making up for that.  I'm doing my best at the same time to make it as zero waste as I can.  I am usually a bit horrified at the amount of waste when you have food there (paper plates, napkins, plastic tat, balloons etc).  Maybe it will inspire others?  At the minimum my conscience will be clear.

themadvix

It sounds like a lot of work, but you’re right about having a clear conscience on the waste front. I’m sure some people will take note - make sure you mention that you’re sending the crockery back dirty, that’s sure to win them over!