Getting shot of the mortgage sooner than 2049!

QueenJess

My 4yo would love that puddle! In lockdown we used to go puddle jumping as there is a private road near us with lots of dips in it. Until they fixed it recently there was the world’s biggest puddle where the roads met and we used to specifically go to visit that. I even taught him silly walks from the ministry of silly walks.

Last time my parents came, they bought a present for DS, but he preferred to play in the massive box. Kids definitely don’t need lots of money spent on them 😂

Honeysucklelou2

Our best days out are walking based - can’t beat a bit of puddle jumping!!

Bluegreen143

Well, I’m a bit hungover 🤣 but had a totally free night which isn’t bad. 

One of my best friends had us round for drinks (five wonderful ladies who I’ve been friends with for many years now, and myself). She lives about a 20 minute drive away past the city boundary so taxis can be a little tricky at times but I was going to share a taxi with one of my friends who lives round the corner from me. Then another friend who lives a bit further (but our side of the city) offered to drive us there, leave her car there and share our taxi home so we’d only have to pay one fare split by 3. Then a third friend said actually her partner, who was picking her up, would be happy to drop the three of us home if we wore masks in the car and opened the windows. 

Took a bottle of Prosecco I got for a gift ages ago and shared it round and then the hosting friend opened another which I drank quite a lot of 🤣

So basically I had zero drinks or transport costs and adults don’t need to spend money to have fun either 🤣🤣🤣

themadvix

Sounds like a great and very MSE night!

Bluegreen143

Came back as forgot to say that in less happy news the boiler needed fixed again so that was £213 out of the emergency fund yesterday 🙄 there are many things we can fix ourselves but even though Red is gas trained for his work and can do certain things, his skills aren’t high enough to fix the boiler himself so a necessary expense. Need to check but think the E fund is hovering around £1,550 now. Oh well, that’s what it’s there for!

Cycled to a bicycle charity yesterday to buy a bike lock and lights for myself (£35) and ordered a cheap cable lock off Amazon (£11) for Monkey cos the woman at the shop said the pricey lock would be overkill for him given his bike was £20 off gumtree 😆 money well spent though getting the infrastructure in place so I can cycle more. Can’t wait til Bambi’s bike seat comes and then I can start taking both kids out. It will be heavy though but good for my fitness which I do need to work on. Far from losing weight this year I weighed myself the other day and have put on half a stone more 😨 haven’t checked the BMI calc but that will move me from overweight to obese so this needs to end now.

Been reading a great book called Grow Wild by a biomechanist (studies movement) Katy Bowman and it’s all about how you can bring more movement in for the whole family and get your kids off to a less sedentary start in life. Truly brilliant read. She talks about how in times past people didn’t set out to exercise but literally anything they needed to do to survive involved using lots of gross and fine motor skills whereas now we just tap tap tap with our fingers all day. The book talks about “stacking” your life to meet many needs at the same time as if you segment exercise into its own catergory you don’t have enough time. So for instance, an hour at the gym only meets your movement need, but an hour out berry foraging with your kids meets movement, nature, family, fun and providing food and is free. Really great stuff and very MSE compatible (except book cost me £15, shhhh).

themadvix

Sounds like a great book - will check it out! 😊

Bluegreen143

Win for today - absolutely gorgeous walk in a local nature reserve type park (ie it’s all forest, meadow and river rather than manicured planting or playpark) - it’s one of our favourite places to go and is only a 10 minute drive. The children found many muddy puddles and we found a good place to paddle and throw stones in the river. For some reason, the main path in this park is well used (it links through to the canal and river walkway) but people don’t seem to stray off this route as much so we hardly saw a soul once we moved into the foresty bit behind the main path. 

Money spent - erm 🙈 got a takeaway for dinner. £25 for pizza & chips for the kids and a curry meal deal for two. We have a few slices of pizza and some curry and pakora left - plenty for lunch tomorrow so at least it’s done two meals.

Also spent £42 ordering a set of wellies for each child. More than I usually spend as I tend to buy their wellies from Tesco, but I’m fed up of their wellies getting holes within a few weeks. Both their wellies are too small and Bambi has a hole in one so they do need a new pair each so thought it’s not that much more for the better quality ones.

These are thicker ones from JoJo Maman Bebe and fully lined with fluffy/furry material so like a cross between wellies and snow boots. Hoping it’ll keep them both really cosy and dry and extend the winter walks as last winter they did often complain about cold feet.

themadvix

Ooh I need new wellies, pity they don’t come in adult sizes (that fit my truly awkward feet!).

 Don’t beat yourself up about takeaway - it’s allowed! Park and walk sound lovely.

Bluegreen143

Had a lovely couple of days off with the kids but back to work today. DH is looking after Monkey today and we have put Bambi back in nursery today - her nursery is all year but I kept her off the last two days as I was off - I end up paying for so many hours of nursery I don’t use as I am such a sap and always keep her off if Monkey is off so we can have fun together 🤣 Red is going to take Monkey for a swim on his own though which is long overdue. I can’t take them both so I took Bambi on a Friday a few weeks ago but Monkey has only been twice since the start of the pandemic, both times when we went away this summer.

Had a lovely, rather impromptu day yesterday. Spent much of the morning sorting out the kids’ stored clothes (see slow). 

Then after lunch I felt bad we’d been indoors all morning so suggested a walk to the local park with Monkey on his bike. I took a ride on balance trike thing for Bambi (tbh she’s too big for it now so will use her scooter next time) as I’m trying not to use the pushchair unless essential. On an MSE note, you can buy scooter tow straps for around £10 as my friend has one, but one of DH’s belts (the fabric kind with two rings at the end) works perfectly so no expense needed to tow her up hills and help her go faster.

At the park we were surprised to see a community event running with drumming sessions and football sessions for the kids. Really for school age kids but they both enjoyed it, Bambi is very musical so got on well with the drumming and Monkey just loved the whole thing. It made me think he might actually appreciate a football class because he was so excited (not sure why as we aren’t a football family here so he’s not had much exposure to it!).

Then my friend texted to say did I fancy a spur of the moment play date so invited them up to ours which was nice. So our quiet day in turned into quite a full day in the end but totally free!

Shopping

Tesco delivery arrived yesterday which was £76 (included some cider for £4 which I’ll factor into a different budget and some household stuff so maybe £67-68 on food). 

Kids clothes

As mentioned, I got fed up of not being able to shut the cupboard door where stored clothes live as it is rammed!! Liberated some jumpers and long sleeved tops, and a hat and scarf for Monkey so that’s good. Bambi still fits age 2-3 in leggings/tops but has a long back so all the casual little dresses now look obscene on her (she has a few longer dresses but they are mainly smart ones not for nursery). But I found a couple of hand me down dresses in 3-4 in the cupboard so that saves me buying any just now. Also started a charity shop bag.

Bike seat

I can’t remember if I said but my bike seat for Bambi doesn’t fit my bike so I’ll return that this week. However it’s good as I did more research and now want a saddle for her to sit in front of me rather than a rear bike seat. She is nearly 3 (how?!) so it should suit better tbh and allow us to chat when cycling.

Nursery

Handed in Bambi’s notice to her current nursery as she finishes up on 16th Dec (Red is off that week), will be off til Jan and then start at the preschool that Monkey attended. Even though I love that preschool, it was always the plan and will save a fortune I felt SO emotional as it’s a brilliant (if expensive) nursery and we’ve had a great experience overall. Transitions are just as hard for parents I think!

Work 

I’ve been getting a little stressed at the fact that I’ve not heard if I’ll be made permanent at work. My contract is up at the end of January. I’m quite specific in the hours I can work now because Bambi’s new preschool doesn’t do extended opening - it shuts at 3.45 - and I don’t want to put Monkey in afterschool either - and ideally I still want one weekday off with Bambi rather than her going five days (though I could be flexible here). And the job pays really well, it’s FTE £30k and I can’t see myself getting anything with such family friendly hours or good salary next. 

But I had a good chat to my friend yesterday about it all and it occurred to me that as I currently pay out nearly half my salary on childcare costs (which I won’t have from Jan) I could take quite a big paycut or reduce my hours (or both) without seeing any difference in my take home and this may open up more jobs that I hadn’t considered before. 

Of course if I do get kept on here it will help a lot with our financial goals but I realised that as long as I take home at least £600-700 a month we will have enough to save. Just takes a lot of the stress and pressure off. 

My friend works two days a week/14 hours at a job a similar level to me probably, which used to be two specific days but her work have switched to full home based and she can complete her hours whenever suits her. So she was saying a lot of companies are doing more flexible/hybrid working and if I got a 2/3 day a week contract I may well be able to do that at home and spread it over four days to finish in time for school pick up.

Now I have to go into the office 1/2 days a week 26 hours is really too much for me and I’d love to reduce to 24 so even if I do get kept on that’s something I’ll discuss. We’ll see what happens! But I do feel more hopeful that something out there will work for my hours!

Bluegreen143

Spent £40 today on a pair of jeans, a pair of work trousers and 2x bralettes - all necessary as I had no work trousers to wear with my work tops to the office, my only jeans developed an unsalvageable crotch rip at the weekend and my bras are too tight. Cycled to Tesco to get them so at least saved on petrol 😆

Laughing at the headline on the BBC today warning that there will be toy shortages for Christmas including things like a “moody cow stress ball”. 

Perhaps if we do run out of utter tat like that it’s not bad thing to prevent us all going into debt to buy them! Totally plays into marketers’ hands as well because now everyone will rush out to panic buy all the must-have toys. 

Of course if you are set on buying one specific “hot toy” for your child then it may well sell out. I really don’t subscribe to getting the toy of the moment so I’m not too worried myself, eg we are probably getting Bambi a dollshouse but are open to any dollshouse (preferably not character/branded or plastic but any kind of traditional wooden one is fine), most likely second hand. 

And it’s not like anyone will die if they don’t get their moody cow stress ball surely?! 🤣