A new royal start

Mrs_Money_Penny

How sweet. Shows what a good job your doing xx

QueenJess

Almost at the end of half term already.  How did that happen?!  Not looking forward to work as I am having to do what is my "main" job and it is dull and uninteresting.  Trying still to decide what to do in April re: asking for part time.  Ironically whilst the cost of living crisis continues, they won't be able to sell the business and my job is relatively safe.  As soon as they can sell, I'll be made redundant with everyone else left.  Therefore, if I got 3 days, I have zero chance of going back up to 4 or 5 days as they will have saved cash and so I need to be really sure about it.  I am thinking of requesting 4 days as it is 95% likely to be agreed to (3 days is pretty unlikely) and then I can see how it goes for 6 months and then request another drop down if needed.  DH has put in his official request for 4 days and since everyone has agreed already, it should just be a rubber stamping exercise now.  We've also penciled in how holidays would work for us in the year if we both work 4 days.

Been clearing up the house and decluttering so I feel a bit more under control (at least before my parents descend tomorrow and probably bring a car load of junk with them!).  They tend to play with the kids and ignore me, get them all excited, give them presents and then leave with us trying to calm them down and get them to bed.

Been a bit ill with a nasty cold, but managed to spend some time resting and time with DS this week.  Won't have so much holiday in future for all this time off (I will have zero holiday left, whereas this year I've been using up all my maternity extra days plus days I had previously carried over).  I need to get some time to look after myself shoe horned into the schedule somewhere.  I have gone back to gym once a week as some me time, but it doesn't feel like enough and I always feel guilty doing anything for myself (I know that's silly).  I also need to sort out some boring health stuff for myself that I keep putting off and always have a list of things I never get round to.  Will try and tackle some of these in work breaks during the week.

Not spend loads this month and although I did a small top up yesterday of food (£12), I've not shopped since the monthly shops I did.  We still have so much food that I'm hoping March will be cheap as we are going through using it all up.  Freezer is full and I have 3 (small) overflow cupboards of stuff to use up I haven't totted it up as I'm sure we are over due to the party food stuff, but will get round to that before the end of the month.

Breakfast today was a weekend treat of croissants, bananas and OJ.  Lunch was omelette with peppers, sweetcorn, mushrooms and cheese to use up the eggs.  DD and DS had yogurt for after.  Dinner will be sausage and mash with carrots and greens, followed by a hm pear and blackberry crumble with custard (uses up fridge veg and also pears which are all ripe at the same time!).  I've already cut leeks up for the leek, pea and cheese orzotto for tomorrow's lunch and I've got the mince out for a spag bol for dinner.  I used up a load of dried fruit from the overflow cupboard by making DH some flapjacks with apricot, raisins and cranberries.

Lots of overflow baking food to use up, so lots of baking will have to occur over the next few months.  I'm sure no one will complain!

QueenJess

At the end of the week already, but feels like I’ve done 2 weeks of work in one already! Sadly work is busy at the moment, which is annoying. I guess I could start counting down to the end of April when I’m going to request dropping down days..

Yesterday I managed to successfully juggle doing all the house stuff and tons of work, slightly aided by working with a slow system at work so every time I knew it would take a few minutes to refresh I ran around the house doing stuff! Somehow I managed to slot in changing all the beds, doing and hanging out 3 loads of washing in the day. I took exactly 60 mins for lunch and in that time I did all the cooking. I don’t usually cook under time pressure and it felt like I was on an episode of Bake Off or Masterchef or something (although obviously not at that quality!) 😂

At lunch I made 5 things at the same time.. so compote for my breakfasts (although DH keeps stealing it to mix with yogurt as snacks), jelly for the kids puddings at the weekend, a raspberry crumble bar type thing to use for puddings for us (also uses up some of the huge stash of desiccated coconut and ground almonds) and a batch of vegan ice cream to go with it. Actually the ice cream turned out so creamy and smooth.. it’s delicious. I still have vegan condensed milk left over, so I think I’m going to “have” to make some more 😂. I’m thinking of stirring some compote or something through to make a berry flavoured one. Maybe I shall make two different ones and pout chocolate chips in one of them as well. It makes two pots of ice cream so I will have loads to get through now!

At the same time as all that I made fish finger sandwiches with salad and sweet potato chips for lunch.

It was great getting everything done yesterday, but I don’t think living my life like that is a sustainable thing everyday! So today after gym for DS my sister is over to play with and wear out the kids. Lunch is crumpets, fried mushrooms, beans and poached eggs, followed by yogurt for the kids. Dinner is spag Bol cooked last week in a batch and rescued from the freezer followed by the raspberry crumble bar things and ice cream, but jelly for the kids. Just one load of washing planned for today and possibly another tomorrow as well. It’s never ending at this age when DD really does have to change all her clothes daily (and often more than that) and is still in nappies. More than half the washes is her stuff!

Need to look at the bank account before the end of the month, but I don’t want to as I know it won’t be good given that we paid the whole of the next term’s after school club for DS and I’m pretty sure we are over on food due to DS’s birthday. Hoping to catch up with myself next month, although another large electric bill coming up, our water bill is going up £10, our boiler is being fixed next week and I need to save a bit for Easter hols and hopefully a Legoland day in May. Feels a bit relentless at the moment.

Also need to set up my monthly Aldi pick up for end of next week. I like to do it early so I can make sure I haven’t forgotten anything and tailor it carefully to try and stay in budget for the month. I am maximising what I get from there, but will be looking through cupboards and the freezer carefully as we still have tons of food. I am also ditching ASDA as I hate our local shop and now Sainsburys sell some of the other bits I used to have to get in Waitrose, this should hopefully mean I can stick to just 2 shops now (plus veg and milk deliveries).

QueenJess

Oh - and just seen our council tax is going up by the maximum 4.99% and I think it was already one of the most expensive in the country 😢

QueenJess

I'm going to do a bit of an experiment.  I've booked my Aldi order in for late next week and as a starter, added in everything I could think of.  This has come to £153.63.  I then spend the next few days refining it by comparing the list to the cupboard/freezer stock and then adding in the things I've inevitably forgotten and need to go on.  Let's see how much the total changes and I can see the effect a list has.

£153 is a silly amount... I don't want to make it too low and end up topping up elsewhere as that is silly and not time/money savings, but it feels like a lot when I have a 60% full freezer and cupboards.  Something closer to £100 would be much better.

Edit: Already reduced it by £5 by checking a few things with DH.

QueenJess

Been having a bit of a tough week and struggling to motivate myself at work.  Had a check in for part way through the year with work and it just reminded me that the main bit of the job "they" think I should be doing I hate as I learn zero and without learning there is nothing for me (I have a low boredom threshold) .  Plus I am basically trapped as I know I can work flexibly and hopefully part time which I can't walk into anywhere else upfront realistically since the world is not a fair place for working parents.  Anyway.. I am quietly plotting as I've always had quite a bit of freedom to do what I want (to a point) and I am working out what I could do where I would be interested/can learn more and how to fill my time with that so I don't have much time for the things I don't. Wish me luck with that!

Decided I am juggling quite a bit of stuff at the moment and to give myself a break.  So the Aldi order will be way over.  However, this month my single aim for food will be to maximise Aldi and to minimise the top up shops as this is where things can go awry.  I am getting better at not buying too much food, but there is more work to do.  At least zero of it gets wasted, I just end up with a very full freezer!  Slow changes are the way forward and more likely to stick anyway I guess.  It is still better than it was a few months ago, so it is all progress.

DS is in school as usual today, but world book day is tomorrow.  DD is in nursery and was so excited to be wearing a duck costume this morning as she is obsessed with ducks!  I might never be able to get her out of it if her duck dress is anything to go by (we actually have to hide it from her!).  I still rail against the fact that a day about books only seems to be about dressing up.  Bah humbug.

Still need to find time for myself.  Will start by going to gym this evening.  I still need to follow up on a number of health things for myself that always get pushed to the back of the queue *hangs head in shame*.  Also need to follow up on final Feb numbers.  As always I'm trying to fit at least 2 lives into one .  Might catch up with myself eventually.  As I'm out later, DH is going to freezer dive for his and DS's dinner.  I am having jacket pot with beans and cheese for lunch, then sandwiches and grapes as a very early dinner.  Pudding later will be the tropical muffins which are still in the freezer(!) with some hm mango vegan ice cream I am excited to try.  I've made ice cream before, but not tried mango and it used up a pile of mango from the freezer that's been there an age as I'm the only person that likes it in the house!

QueenJess

I'm so tired at the moment.  On Thursday evening I got back from gym at 10:45pm, then was wired for a while, plus both kids I was checking on as they were coughing.  Then DS got up at 6:30am asking if he could put his world book day costume on 🤦. Last night was more coughing and at one point I had to cuddle DD as she was annoyed she coughed herself awake.

Today DS went to gym this morning and DH went out with DD to a farm to meet a friend and his daughter.  They are on their way back now whilst DD has her sleep in the car.  In the meantime I've done a load of washing, did some stretching with DS (gym said he needed to work on flexibility, so looks like I'll be getting my splits back!), put another one away, changed my bed (ran out of time yesterday), prepared an apple and blackberry crumble to cook at the same time as dinner, cut up all the veg/pots for dinner, cut up leeks for tomorrow's lunch and made jelly for the kids.  I'm now very cheekily having a small glass of wine and putting my feet up!  Tomorrow we plan to take the kids to soft play and let them wear themselves out in the morning.

Breakfast today included croissants as a weekend treat.  Lunch today was split as DS wanted cheese sandwiches and a banana.  He won't eat salad and I'd run out of cucumber, so not the healthiest lunch.  I had a wholemeal wrap with pickled beetroot (any excuse as I love the stuff!), feta cheese, red onion and kale.  Then 2 satsumas for afters.  Dinner will be sausages, mash and veg.  I couldn't decide on the veg, so I ended up with the last of the greens, 1 small leek, carrots and cauliflower.  I also cut up celeriac to mash up with the potatoes.  I do love it when my veg/fruit box arrives every week.  I think I'll be sneaking a kiwi later as a snack... I love fruit and veg   Sadly everyone else in the house is picky 🙄.  I just know I would eat differently if I was cooking for me.  Pudding will be apple and blackberry crumble (yep - still got picked blackberries left in the freezer!) with custard.  Kids have an option of crumble, hm ice cream, yogurt, jelly or banana and custard.

Tomorrow's lunch will be the favourite leek, pea and cheese orzotto (not sure what is going to happen when we stop getting leeks in the veg box!).  Dinner is a treat of roasted beef with roast potatoes, hm yorkshire puddings and as much veg as I can throw at it (probably including carrots, parsnips, onion).  Puddings are the same as today.

Looks like I need to order some more of the kids snacks later.  I would do it in store since we are about to run out of bran flakes anyway 😱 , but it is slightly cheaper online as I can get a discount through work.  I try to restrict the snacks and offer other things like cereal/fruit etc, but we still need some.  Still not looked at the state of the joint account.. I mean I haven't gone crazy or anything - I think the only extra thing I bought was a school bag for DS who needed a larger one to fit his books in and I got that second hand, oh and a workshop for DS in the Easter hols.  However, childcare paid for next term and Easter hols, plus expensive electric bills plus, plus etc.  I picked up my Aldi order yesterday and looked sadly at it all wondering how on earth that was £150 worth of food.  It's all getting a bit silly out there and I bet I'll get a terrible payrise again this year.

Anyway... on the plus side I have a glass of wine to enjoy, a free puzzle from my mum to do later and a few things recorded in the week I can watch later.  Have a good weekend everyone.

QueenJess

Bit of a change for this month on the food front.  I was getting sick of pandering to everyone's whims and particularly DS who seems to moan about everything and changes his mind on things he likes/dislikes at the drop of a hat.  The balance has gone a bit too far and so I am bringing it back to eat much more how I prefer to eat (more veg, less meat, littler snacking for me and as ethical as I can afford).  This means more veg from Riverford (which does mean it'll be more expensive), but hopefully means I can sneakily cut back on meat to compensate for some of that.

So to start the day I had organic porridge oats with added flax and sunflower seeds, oat milk from the milkman with the last organic apple and some raisins.  I also had some orange juice (also from the milkman), which is a forgivable weakness of mine.  To be fair, I only have a little so use 1 pint a week with a couple of days without anyway.

Lunch is currently cooking and is celeriac soup to use the whole celeriac, some onions and all the leeks.  I will add a swirl of vegan pesto (just because) and some pumpkin seeds at the end and eat with some sourdough bread.  Yummy.  I should have loads left for tomorrow and might freeze some of it.  I have plenty of organic yogurt and some bananas if I get hungry later and I've also got some lentil and pea cakes to try.

Dinner will be fish and chips as it is easily split-able with DH coming home later (and I can bung it in the oven for him when he gets his train).  I am planning on fish fingers so I can have less than usual, and will pair with freezer veg (broccoli and peas).  Might even swap out my chips for sweet potato ones (won't cut it with DH/DS).  Pudding is the very last of the apple and blackberry crumble with custard, then it'll be back to the tropical muffins in the freezer with my hm vegan mango ice cream until I make something else for the weekend.  DH won't be impressed, but I'm just putting on compote from a pack of mixed berries for my porridge that he'll happily have with yogurt.

Well if I wasn't hungry before I am now after typing all that! This month will be expensive food wise as I already got lots for the month before this change, but will see how things pan out in April.  Will also be making doubly sure I'm not wasting anything, so back to freezing all my veg peelings/scraps so I can make them into a soup in the week.  I've made Mondays into chicken thigh stew days as it is chaotic with DS out and needing dinner the second we pick him up (the same time DD is going to bed) and I can throw it in the slow cooker at lunch time. So I throw all my random other scraps in that day to use up fridge veg like the stems/leaves of cauliflower etc.

QueenJess

DH is basically just another child.  Got my veg/fruit box order today with a "treat" for everyone of some hot cross buns.  DH asked me "How many of those can I eat?  Can I have one now?".

I think I spoil everyone...

QueenJess

Yay, it's Friday at last and I've no plans for the weekend.  Need to think up something to do.  The park or National Trust (we have membership) are cheap options if we can work round the weather.  Hopefully nothing where DD needs carrying as my arms are killing me after I pulled a muscle in my leg last night at gym and then spent loads of time on the bars (no... not that type!) and more conditioning so I can actually be able to do the skills I want on the bars.

Friday seems to have morphed into housework days, so I change the beds, do 3 loads of washing (including one of nappies) and make dessert for the weekend in my lunchtime,  I'm thinking of making a lime drizzle cake for this weekend, although tbh it is mainly for me because I love a drizzle cake but the kids won't eat it and DH isn't fussed!  May make the kids some more jelly up for the fridge.

Next week I need to shift some money around.  The plan is to ram as much as I think I can afford into my SIPP.  Then given I have so many unknowns next year with job stuff, DH is a law unto himself  and my mortgage is lower than savings rates (until March next year), the plan from April will be to save as much as I can in cash and then decide later in the year on a split of emergency cash fund v mortgage overpayments v extra pension contributions v ISA.

Food today will be the last of the celeriac soup for lunch (yum!), then a cheat kedgeree for dinner with smoked mackerel, a microwave pack of veg rice that's been hanging around at the back of the cupboard for ages with frozen sweetcorn, frozen peas, onion, red pepper and boiled eggs.  I love a 5 min. cook at the end of the week!  Dessert will be cake of course!

The weekend will be easy cooking as DD is pretty much full on still and likes to be clingy with me.  Sat lunch may as well be the favourite leek, pea and cheese orzotto and dinner will be sausage, mash, carrots and kale (and beetroot for me as I need to use it up!).  Sun lunch I might do beans, crumpets, mushrooms, kale and poached eggs.  Dinner needs to be reheat-able because DS is going out to help at the local food bank with the Beavers, so we will feed DD and then we will all eat later.  I will make tomato pasta with hidden carrots, garlic bread and a side salad for me/DH with lettuce, cucumber, maybe sweetcorn, probably beetroot for me and red onion.  There you go... no one will starve and plenty of veg.  We also have a pile of apples, satsumas, bananas, red grapes and frozen raspberries and 3 hot cross buns for snacking.  The kids have ice cream, jelly and a ton of yogurt for their desserts. 

Better run and do some actual work now!

Edit: the cake smells lovely and is cooling. I added raspberries to it, as DH is addicted to them and so he will now be happy with the pudding selection!