Pay for the future and not the past

MissRikkiC

I tend to fill the oven when it’s on as best as I can, however it’s been on a couple of times this week and it’s not done me much use for other meals as I wasn’t organised enough to plan properly fir using it. I’ve kicked myself for this as I’d got into the habit of it doing it weekly, usually twice weekly actually and it meant Monday or Tuesdays dinner was always done and so were a load of jacket potatoes, a sourdough loaf and breakfast muffins etc. 

Starting afresh this weekend and my daughter asked for a tea party with her granny and her uncle today so the oven was on. We cooked a ham, a lovely fresh herbs and olive oil loaf, lots of picky type bits from the freezer before it went off again. Tomorrow we haven’t friends over for a roast so it’ll be on plus breakfast muffins, jacket potatoes and 2 dishes which need baking. That should give us 2 dinners for this week plus leftovers from the chicken of course. 

I need to tally up where we’re at grocery’s wise, money wise but whatever has been spent now is the lot for this month. You heard it here first 🤪 I think we’ve probably only got about a tenner left 🤣 but it’ll be going into a Christmas food pot ready for the big event. 

I managed 3 hours of painting last night and 2 hours of gardening this morning before deciding I should try and get on with things that are actually on my list! So so much to do in the garden but with 2 littles it’s not that easy! That said, if I had 2 that were both v little, nothing at all would be done. 

MissRikkiC

After a weekend away and a lot of updates last week across all my bookmarked threads I’ve got a lot of catching up to do! 

We’ve had a very spendy weekend despite being somewhere where we didn’t need to spend a penny. We went away to Sussex to see friends and because of where they live and their personal preferrences we had no phone signal, no tv and very weak wifi. We stayed with them and it was a very slow paced weekend which I really enjoyed. However if prompted me to get on top of some of the life admin I’d been ignoring/couldn’t afford the time or money for and so as a result we spent a lot on ‘catching things up’

This is the first and only month for a few years we will have a full income and only one child care costs so we’ve been able to spend and save. 

At the end of April we have another weekend away planned to see friends in Torquay so needed to find somewhere to stay as with there being 4 of us and 3 of them and 2 dogs it’s tight! 

We were able to book our accommodation, buy the kitchen gadgets I’d been after (multi cooker)* get some bits for the garden that we needed (brolly cloche for the brassicas, pressure washer) buy in bulk some things for the kitchen (vegan pesto, flour) and treat our friends this weekend to a lovely trip to the cafe close by. 

I’ve realised that whilst I’ve been reluctant to spend and Inclined to cut back/make do/manage I’ve put off doing things that needed doing, simple bits to make life easier or make us happier. Quite rightly so since we’ve just been on maternity pay and had extra costs with a baby but now we’re out of that, it was nice to be able to answer a lot of needs we’ve had recently and it’s given me a bit of a boost.

Feeling a bit lighter in my pockets but happier in my heart that our family can benefit from these things now. 

*Multi cooker- I got the ninja I’ve wanted for a while (and saved £75 towards from Vinted sales, research and surveys) plus the food processor. My thought is, less oven time (air frier), one appliance for the pressure cooker and slow cooker, one of which is used often, the other I have to lend, a function for yogurt which since we’re mostly dairy free I thought would be useful and a dehydrator for less waste of fruit and veg. Also less time spent messing about for recipes which require a food processor making do and more time with the children. 

The pressure washer is because it’s just not clean and tidy outside and both children will be out there this summer, on their hands and knees and I don’t want to have to think about what they could be in! 

Brolly cloche because I don’t have much capacity to make something to do the same job with 2 smalls or the time to pick off all the eggs as I’ve done in the last. 

Flour because it keeps me out of the shops and I make a sourdough a couple of times most weeks plus cakes with my daughter; and the pesto; the value is much better due to the subscription from Amazon. 

I bought a plug for the bath (can you believe I wouldn’t buy one because I didn’t want to spend the money on a plug when we didn’t really have it?! Now you can see why I needed a break!) which was £3.99 🤣 

My husbands car finally has no orange lights and the filters and glow plugs have been replaced. 

And we treated our friends to a lovely, very expensive, but lovely cafe trip on Sunday to thank them for hosting us. I honestly ate them out of house and home (huge appetite anyway and still breast feeding!) so felt it was the least we could do. 

I’m not abstaining from being frugal or deciding I’m going to blow every penny we earn but I have to find a balance ⚖️ 

ps. This post was likely justification for me 🤣 rather than anything else. 

MissRikkiC

I have been making use of my new kitchen bits this week, lots of cooking and using up little bits of stuff which have needed it. The food processor was just brilliant for curry and sides (all the little chopping bits) and then again for soup already twice this week. The foodi has been wonderful for the air fryer, but also the pressure cooker too! I’ve had a great time. 

Bread making has been going well and I think finally I’ve found the key to my best sourdough yet. 

I’ve stayed out of the shops a lot and when I’ve been it’s only been for what I’ve needed. Today for example, a kiwi, a Tupperware tub, some dark chocolate for myself and some rice cakes for the smalls. 

Budget this month was £400 for groceries and I did 2 big shops at Sainsbury’s and Tesco last Monday. We did allocate a bulk fund this month and hope to continue doing that for a while longer in order to buy the items previously mentioned such as flour and pesto, milk (pea milk… the best I’ve found in coffee although still not great!) but it’s also allowed for a few other bits too which has been nice too. We have made quite the dent in the budget but have also committed to veg deliveries this month in another bid to keep us away from the shops. It is working …. 

Washing dried on the line these last few days which has been great, plus I’ve dealt with a few (metaphorical) garden frogs too. The shed is finally empty, well except the things we need to keep. I’ve already done a tip run with half of the rubbish. I’ve likely got another run to do tomorrow but once that’s done, the garden will too be clear. I’ve been able to move my gym gear in to the shed (it’s a big shed but not very tall!) so it’ll be good for a few certain exercises and keeps the conservatory clear as I can get my rower in there too. I had a little test tonight to make sure I could train comfortably in the space and enjoyed my view over the fields too. 

The downstairs bathroom is almost done, my very good friend came over today and fitted a splash back behind the sink, a window board and boxed in some pipes. There are a few small fixes left, a bit of touching up with the paint brush and then another good clean and a few finishing touches and it’ll look very pretty indeed. My daughter thinks it’s been renovated purely for her benefit as I’ve mentioned a few times how much easier it is having it functioning, vs running her upstairs with her and a 10 month old too so It’s now named the toddler toilet 🤣 

There is a little project going on upstairs too in my little boys room, which will hopefully be done before Tuesday. It’s not for him (as he’s still not in there …. 🙄) but instead for me so that I’ve got somewhere to work. His room is a box room with a bulk head over the stairs so my friend and I have found ideas and have come up with a way of making it into a desk, but without too much faff. It’ll mean I have a little space to work and won’t have to work out of the kitchen all day before retiring my laptop and starting dinner in there too.

With that in mind, I am back in work Tuesday. It’s a short week of course as I don’t work Fridays but a new job and a new team to meet, get to know, new routine to get used to and the children doing longer hours at nursery will all be a bit of a change. I’m quite looking forward to it!

MissRikkiC

A long day at the hospital today due to my girl having an MRI however being so little they need sedating. Not the most present experience even when it was oral medication but it’s done now and we’re all home and everyone is okay. My OH was fretting the most tbh, he really is soft 🥰 

Hopefully pork bolognese for dinner for us. A Sainsbury’s order planned for Saturday with a veg delivery Monday and a long BH weekend. Plus all my tip runs are done before the rush thank goodness.

Blackcats

You sound really energised and you've found a good balance between spending and not spending.
glad your daughter is ok.
enjoy your long weekend

MissRikkiC

Back to work this week, Tuesday after the long weekend of Easter and with not working Fridays it’s meant a very short first week back. It’s been a lovely change of routine which isn’t quite as it will be permanently yet since it’s still the Easter holidays but I’ve enjoyed grown up conversation and using my brain again. 

Spends wise, we’ve stayed out of the shops and I’ve enjoyed having deliveries from both veg supplier and supermarket. I do wish I had more food inspo though, I seem to be lacking in that. We have spent a little more but the freezer is slowly filling up with meals and we’re still accommodating allergies which isn’t helping with costs. 

I got my hair cut, first time since June last year so that was really lovely and managed to get a crown fitted on a very broken tooth before my boy turns 1 and it costs a small fortune. 

Off tomorrow so my last day of the holidays with the children, bread to bake, cake to be made and meals for next week to be prepped to make life easier. 

I think my daughter would like to visit the cafe at our local garden centre and my boy has a 2 hour session at nursery (tester for next week) so should keep us all busy all day. 

I might find another loaf recipe for the sourdough starter. The boules are great to have at breakfast but my husband is missing sliced bread I think!

KajiKita

Good call on getting the tooth done for free whilst you could! 😊

How are you finding the new role (if I remember that right? That your job has changed somewhat on your return?) 

Totally hear you on the lack of inspiration for meals / food …. I often find this on the cusp of the seasons - it’s neither warm nor cold enough for me to be easily swayed one way or the other and then I dither! 😂 Quite often it’s simple comfort foods that carry me through these periods - scrambled eggs on toast, sausage and mash etc It will be all the harder with the allergy challenges you are juggling too. 

Enjoy the garden centre and I hope the taster nursery session passes off smoothly 😊

KK

MissRikkiC

Yes thats right @kajikita i did indeed start a new role. The basis of it is the same as ive done for a number of years (for this company and prior) but a different contract within the business. I seem to have inherited a really capable team which im pleased about so it feels okay for now thank you.

I think the allergies are definitely making things harder, i feel like all we eat is pork, lamb and chicken now which doesn't sound bad and isnt at all; however i feel its a bit repetitive. In reality, its likely not that different to how we ate before which included beef and id have not minded burgers and spag in the same week, but now i do. I think i really quite enjoy beef, especially minced as its so versatile and tastes good whereas i'm not as keen on the alternatives. 
Anything good that's cheesy is out of the question too, whilst not wanting to turn the oven on, i am getting on my own nerves a bit! 

MissRikkiC

Hub went through his banking yesterday and reimbursed himself lots of bits here and there that were due. Its taken us over our grocery budget for the month with still a list of things which are needed before Tuesday. I have just looked and there will be 5 weekends in our month so likely why i feel like usually we'd be okay by now or with a few days to go still but with another week to go, we will have spent more than i planned. There is also the fact that all beer purchases have been from the groceries budget this month whereas they wont be from next and the regular veg box delivery but we have been out of the shops alot more than usual so i think it might have been worse otherwise!

Anyway, we still need some items, especially as i have a competition at the gym at the weekend where ill need a regular supply of easy to eat food bits plus the basics for home. 

Ham is currently in the oven with a loaf and hoping the bread turns out a bit more like a sandwich loaf. We will see as i have amended the method for cooking it etc so might not work out at all. 

Long day yesterday, home late as i travelled to a site for work. I saw my children for 20 minutes and 40 minutes respectively by the time i got back Gad i work from home for the majority of the time!

KajiKita

Glad the new role is working out okay but I hope you don't have too many of those long days.

Could you try turkey mince to ring the changes a bit and you didn't mention fish at all? 

KK