Pay for the future and not the past

MissRikkiC

I think that’s what we shall do, great idea both. Big blanket on the floor and a snack table close by. We aren’t going to hire anything in case it does rain so bringing the sandpit and water table from my MILs, tents outside, there is a play area in our garden already with a slide and a playhouse. There is a climbing frame and a ladder as well as balls and bikes so I do hope everyone is happy enough. I always worry about these things. 

Utility not finished. When the old radiator pipes were cut and capped, not enough was taken off so now the washing machine won’t go back far enough and so tomorrow an extra inch needs cutting off. A bit frustrating for everyone involved as it requires 2 hour’s work to just cut an inch of pipe. Then doors on shelf in and it’ll be done. 

Money wise, the vet is due a check up Wednesday as something is going on with his belly so hoping that it’s nothing serious. 

MissRikkiC

We had a party yesterday for my daughters 3rd birthday which was very lovely. My daughter had such a lovely morning with her friends and despite the rain everyone seemed to have a nice time. My sister and husband were over as well as my MIL and BIL. A few lovely mums who I really hope to remain friends with over the years, really nice people and both with older girls and younger boys. 

Finally the utility is finished. It took a whole week longer than it should have done which caused stress but I’m really pleased with it and already it’s been put to use. I’ll add a picture next. 

We are a couple of days before pay day but with money in the groceries pot I think we will be okay. I took advantage of dairy free cheese and cheese spread on offer at Tesco today and paid for it using the bulk fund but didn’t really need to. I still haven’t found a balance between going to the shops and not going at all! 

We’ve been harvesting so much from the garden which has been great. Today we had our first broccoli head. Unfortunately I did have to absolutely tear it apart as it was riddled with caterpillars but I was pleased it had been grown by us. I did think that once the head had been harvested, smaller ones would grow but given the crator it’s left I’m not so sure!! Courgettes still a plenty and spring onions still coming. We have chard and spinach in pots which have worked better than in the ground due to naughty birds pinching seedlings but still no red tomatoes yet! 

MissRikkiC

Miss Broccoli head and the new utility behind me. 

Debsnewbudget

thats a lovely utility room

KajiKita

That utility room looks amazing! 🤩
Shame about the broccoli head - it looks okay from first inspection …. 🐛

KK

Floss

It's amazing how tasty homegrown food is, sounds like a good harvest do far.

WinterWarrior

The utility looks really lovely. I hope you can keep it tidy, I always seem to fail at that 🤭

MissRikkiC

Thanks all. It’s been on my list for a long time so I’m just glad I’ve finally been able to get it done. It’s certainly going to help with my peace of mind knowing the laundry is all able to be dealt with away from the kitchen floor! 

@WinterWarrior as the dog will traipse through mud and have soggy wet fur which will be lovely against the white! 🤪

We didn’t try the broccoli yesterday as there are too many courgettes still to eat! But I just know I’ll notice a difference vs shop bought. 

MissRikkiC

Good evening to everyone reading along. 

It’s been payday over here and I also asked for the bill for the utility. All in all there wasn’t enough to pay for the labour and materials plus replace the funds used from the Christmas pot for the units etc all from this months savings. That’s not a huge deal on account of there being more money left over each month now than before however the cost did strike me as a lot. Never mind, I’ve got a beautiful utility room and pleased that I can draw out the funds this weekend and be paid up with my friend for the work. 

All other pots have been emptied of change (including the grocery budget) and they’ve been used to reimburse the credit card OP pot as we had to take from there this week to pay for a routine check up for the dog at the vets. That wasn’t all of it but the rest has gone into the Christmas pot for food etc when we get into the festive period. 

I added the OP amount to my tracker today and recalculated what I need to clear the Santander card off by the end of December. This also included recalculating the nursery fees as I think I’d assumed an additional 20% on what it costs for my son however it was only an estimation. Now that I have a better gauge of those costs I can plan for what will be left over as disposable income in order to pay off the credit card as soon as possible. 

When recalculating that today it’s not changed the date it will all be clear but essentially took a bit of pressure off at some point during the next 12 months which is good. 

We’ve stopped using our reusable nappies as my boy just will not keep still long enough to get a disposable on him let alone a 2 parter or poppers. The resale market on them has died a death so I’ve gifted them to my friend whose baby is due any day now and she can make use of them instead. The cost is about £20 a month I think for nappies but there is just no way I can keep him still for long enough to use anything else so it’s a needs must situation. We are using cloth wipes and doing so definitely helps but we back up with disposable wipes as there aren’t often enough washes going on to keep the cloth wipes clean. 

I need to figure a better system as the wipes are 65p a packet and don’t last more than a couple of days. 

We aren’t living as tight as we could do at the moment which feels nice. We are being mindful of waste and of spends but equally trying to ensure everyone is happy. We’re moving into the summer holidays now so I have allocated extra for the children’s pot for days out etc and also a bit for a weekend visit to Sussex in a couple of weeks time. 

I’ve felt all of the money emotions today. Frustration at the cost of the utility being more than planned, to the realisation it will only take next month to correct that, further annoyance at having to find money for the vet unexpectedly but also again be able to cover than off plus the replan for paying off the credit cards has spun me all over! 

We are in a fortunate position to not be really struggling right now but in being smarter these last few years have meant that this is possible. I’m grateful for this forum, I really am. 

KajiKita

I can totally relate to both the oscillations of emotions about monies and the not being able to be as disciplined as we absolutely could in order to have some quality of life 😊
It’s good feeling some sense of control though, isn’t it? So different to where I was just two years ago! 

KK