Curbing the ridiculous

[Deleted User]

DH picked up the cat food - £56.70.  Yes, you read that right.  It was £36.72 from a well known pet store (with a discount - normally more like £40) - I think that is disgraceful of the vets.  Anyway, we do need it because he is on a special food and the pet store are currently not delivering to the rock for some reason (despite having taken our order online).  Am going to ring the store when we are halfway down the bag this time and check if the issue has been resolved (they think it might be by then) and then try to get delivery from there.

Makes me so cross that we've had to pay an extra £20 for the same product.  

Courgette lasagna tonight from stores.  Might have eggs on toast for lunch or a cheese and pickle sandwich as don't think DH coming home for lunch today as he is out fo breakfast shortly.

DC2 was up at 0515 so no chance he will last until post 1pm (when DC1 getting picked up by MIL) for a nap.  So will not have any childfree time today!

Just found my headphones, charger and fitbit - so charging all of those up with the intention I will go for a run tomorrow in my lunch hour - basically going to go and start C25K again from the beginning.  Just need to find my trainers now but think I know where they are!

moving_forward

Ouch! To the rip off vets. That's bloomin awful 🤬

rdone

RE budget at end of month:

We are exactly the same, start the month so well and then we're like "oh we're so good we can afford this" and then it descends into chaos.  Well not chaos but not as good as the beginning.  We're toying with the idea of a weekly budget but it also seems like a lot of extra effort and I already feel I do too much life admin as it is!

moving_forward

We budget monthly but groceries Inc. Toiletries household pet food and fuel are budgeted weekly. 
We use YNAB which isn't cheap but I don't get on with cash envelopes and this is like a digital system.

[Deleted User]

Did a C25K run yesterday which I'm very proud of as I came up with every excuse in the book not to go but dragged myself out the door!  Def felt better for it and am going to try to force self to go again tomorrow.

Did the "big shop" last night - came to £50.96 but had several vouchers for money off which brought it down to just over £36.  So thought was doing well but then totally ruined it this morning doing an M&S run and then an ice cream/lollies run to another shop (plus other bits needed from there).  Total was still under £100 overall which is not bad for us.

Apparently DH has spent £40 on linseed oil for making his raised beds.  Not showing on card yet.  Hopefully once everything established, the garden costs will drop to minimal - just high whilst he's getting it all set up.  But it is a hobby for him and is also good for us as a family in terms of having fresh home grown produce, so I am cutting some slack.

Going to do a financial reccie shortly as just need to get a grip on exactly where we are.  Also difficult to fully budget what to put away until DH gets paid in April since this month, his increase was backdated to 1 Jan - so we don't know exactly what his monthly will be until 25 April.

Have taken monday off to sort house out as we still have A LOT of boxes which need sorting through and putting away/stuff selling/taking to charity shop.  Both DC will be in nursery monday - DH off too so hoping we can get lots done.

Going out for lunch for mother's day tomorrow (just the 4 of us) - really looking forward to it as not been out for ages.

Alchemilla

Well done on the run and enjoy Mothering Sunday. x

Blackcats

The first few weeks in a new house are always more expensive than once you have settled in.  It seems like you were all cooped up in the flat so no wonder DH is enjoying the garden. 

I hope you have a lovely Mother's Day - obviously from what we know of your children they will start the day by giving you a lovely unbroken nights sleep and a lie in 🙃

[Deleted User]

Blackcats said:

The first few weeks in a new house are always more expensive than once you have settled in.  It seems like you were all cooped up in the flat so no wonder DH is enjoying the garden. 

I hope you have a lovely Mother's Day - obviously from what we know of your children they will start the day by giving you a lovely unbroken nights sleep and a lie in 🙃

Do you know what - they ACTUALLY slept through and I got a lie in until 730 (630 in old money given the clock change) - absolutely stunned (I mean, they were up before then but DH got up).  Thank you for the happy mother's day wishes - to you too (I think I recall you have grown up children?)

Yes, it is true the first few weeks more expensive as buying stuff we've been holding off on for ages.

[Deleted User]

Have managed to sell (as long as they collect tomorrow), a TENS machine (£25) and a baby back carrier (£10).  Flogging the old icandy for £50 but not much interest so far.  And no interest in the jungle gym yet (£5) but think that needs a better photo so will do that today and re-advertise.

DH had got me some absolutely gorgeous canvases and a photo frame with 8 pics in of DC2 - we realised we had no photos of him around (because we were renting when he was born I guess), absolutely lovely.  And DC1 made me a cast of his hand at nursery - absolutely the best present ever - I love it - his gorgeous little hand and a moment in time forever!

Yesterday afternoon they were, shall we say, "challenging".  In fact, we put them to bed slightly earlier as we had had enough (and both went straight down and not a peep all night) - and cracked open the beers.  DH went to bed at 815 and I finished Pieces of Her (was rather disappointed with the ending) and I went up at 9.  Needless to say I shall not be running today as all I want to do is drink (decaf) coffee and eat a hot cross bun!

DH has taken the DC off to his mothers for breakfast - so I have around 2 blissful hours to myself - going to catch up on This is Us and possibly The Holiday I started watching on C5.  I really need to find my copy of where the crawdads sing as they have made it into a movie and I'd rather read the book first but it is in a box somewhere.

Lunch out at 1230 at an italian (my fave cuisine I think).

Tomorrow we are off so will advertise lots more baby stuff/stuff generally and sort through as many boxes as possible and find homes for as many things possible.  We were going to treat ourselves to lunch out as we are off but we figured that would be around 1.5 hours out of the day when we really need as much time to sort as possible.  So instead I am going to make an open top chicken and spinach tart from stores.

Happy mother's day to all mothers - hope you have a lovely day x

[Deleted User]

Lunch was so lovely, the DC were so well behaved but we didn't make it until pudding as they were starting to get bored.  Ooof, expensive though at £87 including tip.  We had some chicetti/arancini to share (3 things) and a main each, boys had a pizza and chips to share (though they wouldn't touch the pizza, not even DC2 which is unusual as he is a total dustbin, so we brought it home and had it for tea), I had 2 wines and DH 2 pints of coke.  I do think eating out is a lot more expensive than it used to be - or perhaps I am just noticing it more now that we do it rarely, I don't know.

I just didn't sleep last night, not sure why, maybe booze (was woken by DC2 around 11 then couldn't get back to sleep).  But am off today.  Just packed the DC off to nursery so about to have some brekkie and then we will get started.  Have told DH I want to do financial reccie first as we have not done that yet.  Then we will start on boxes.  I am hopeful we can get a lot done despite lack of sleep.

TENS machine going today and hopefully pram and carrier.  If so, that would be £85 which is good.

Tonight am making courgette lasagna for tea (from stores) - was meant to make it last night but we had the pizza instead.  And chicken and spinach open top tart for lunch from stores - we can also have for lunch tomorrow as DH WFH then.

Oh and we've made what I hope isn't a silly financial decision - nursery have a place for DC2 from september on a tuesday.  DC1 already in on a tuesday (though both would be 6 hours only as opposed to a full day).  I am off tuesdays.  DC1 gets some free hours from sept which brings our nursery bill down by circa £460.  We really need a cleaner or time to get on top of things at home but w've had bad experiences with dishonest (in terms of time spent/job done, not stealing) cleaners.  So, we've decided that we will put DC2 in nursery on tuesdays from sept which will give me around 5 hours to clean/do house admin.  Cost for DC2 per month is £215.  We reckon that a cleaner would charge 4 hours a week to do this house and cost varies here from £15-20 an hour, so would be more expensive to have a cleaner plus the trust issues.  So anyway, I am going to do it from Sept for the year (as, after that, I am going back FT or almost FT in sept 2023 depending on how can fit hours round pick ups, DH will do drop offs) and see how we go.  DH joked that I should leave a sign up saying "if you are unhappy with the state of this bathroom please call this number" - ha ha.