A new chapter, An empty nest, Drama school & Last year of Uni

ArtyJ931

it will be the plug in heater for sure. If it’s a 2kw heater it will be using 2kw of electricity every hour it’s switched on which will be adding significantly to your bill. If you know your price per kw hour for electricity you can work out the daily cost of putting it on. My suggestion would be to move work back into the house for sure!

Spendless

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81970571#Comment_81970571

I thought the exact same buuutt I had DH look at it since my post and the gas usage rose a lot in February before coming back down , you can see it on the chart. Its too long ago now to think why, but it can only be heating of water or gas central heating. Gas fire is broken and oven is electric (and was also broken). It was gas last time that caused the extreme price. I can only put it down to heating the house more or having more baths due to the cold weather.

I will check out how much the heater is using electricity wise though. Thank you.

badmemory

I have used a lot more in the last quarter than I did last year & nothing has changed here - except the weather.

Spendless

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81970976#Comment_81970976

That's my gut, a harsher winter. Also I worked f-time then and I'm home more now. I think I definitely need to keep a closer eye on what our appliances are costing in the colder months.

I'm awake early as dog cried to get me up. I let him out, this was repeated twice more (so I'm guessing he needed a #2 and couldn't go). Eventually he came in is now in the land of nod whilst I'm too awake to return back to sleep!

Yesterday I visited Grandcat, picked DS up from work and took him a portion of the chilli I made on Sunday. I had another portion of it for my own tea and a double portion has gone into the freezer. Grandcat has put on weight (he was underweight before) as he feels more 'chunky' and less limp when you hold him. He's decided the spare bedroom is his 'hang out space' and is becoming more feisty.

I'm not working the next BH, I really thought they were allocated according to 'luck of the drawer'. Turns out they're not, you do every other. Since I'm off and it's the last BH DD gets as a student I looked into whether we could go and see a musical. I set myself a budget of £100 and have managed to get 2 tickets to watch and a return fare home for £97.70. As it's an evening performance and I really didn't want to be crossing London in the dark trying to fathom out the way to the train station, I'm staying at DD's student digs for the night. She will have classes the following morning as I work my way home. It has wiped out by entertainment budget for the month and I am also meeting a friend for lunch today using my 40% off voucher and another tomorrow evening, so will need to take from elsewhere but that could always happen before I built up a buffer, so I will see when both me and DH get paid where I will put this back from. If I'd waited till our paydays to book, the likelihood would be that I'd have paid more.

Last year DH was invited to apply for a CC (same company as he already has one for just upgrade of card). He was accepted and it came with some freebies. 4 airport lounge passes which we will use on a hol with friends later this year and a £100 gift card for various retailers. DH messaged me to say it was now available. Unsure what we're doing with it, am contemplating an electrical appliance. I haven't quite spent the budget Dad gave us as a need from Nan's money and this would help stretch it more. I need to look through what the available retailers are, though I've been told one is Harrods hahaha. The other CC paid out on cashback for this month so we put it to reduce DH's annual subscription for his hobby. There's a monzo pot now set up for next year's subscription cos this one does have a tendency to catch us unawares. I also know that we need to cancel new CC as soon as we are back off our Autumn hol otherwise there is a hefty annual fee to pay for keeping it, it was just free for the first year.

Spendless

Well, I did return to bed yesterday after my post at around 7am and woke just before 8.30 and felt so much better for it. I dreamt (can't remember what about) and I know that means you're in a light sleep, but when I feel sleep deprived, I'm always grateful for dreaming cos at least I know I slept. Woke up to DD messaging me and the realisation I hadn't paid her rent so sent it over

Went for pub lunch with a friend. She's back from a hol to mark a special birthday but it had been an eye opener to her to realise how much of the mental load she was carrying. Felt a bit for her, her hol should have been all about her. Took the money from what's left of my wages. We then called in a charity shop, I picked up some shoes that had clearly been worn once,I am still filling gaps in my wardrobe in order to create a capsule one, a purse to go inside one of my handbags when I go out and a toiletry bag, cost £8. Moved the money over from the various pots.

I am out tonight too, with a friend I only manage to meet up with once a year, so any shortfall I will find to take from somewhere else. There's pots with plenty left in, it's just the entertainment budget that is empty and owing. Once we are past this weekend, I've been paid again and done a grocery shop to last the week, I will have a clearer view of where we're at.

This afternoon I am working following me agreeing to a shift change with a colleague. Going to use the morning to do some laundry and tidy the hallway. Started writing out a meal plan with what we have got left as will go grocery shopping tomorrow and want to spend as little as possible. Still got 3/4 pack of meatballs in and can't think what to make with them as DH isn't a pasta lover and I got put off them from the time my Mum served them with triple carbs (pasta, chips and garlic bread!) and a double helping of cheese (on top of the garlic bread and also to sprinkle on top of the meal). It was so stodgy without a veg in sight and I ended up leaving it and for the next few weeks if she invited me round to eat, asked her what she was serving before agreeing to go!

peb

You can still do them with a tomato sauce as if for pasta (I do passata, mushrooms onions, garlic) then with mash. Just the one carb then 😁.

I prefer with linguine - don't know if you could do dh mash and you pasta?

liselle

I always have a green salad with pasta

KxMx

Sometimes I cook & slice meatballs, using them as a filling for rolls or wraps along with salad.

They can also be a baked potato topping or on loaded chips which seems to be trendy at the moment.

badmemory

I squash meatballs because I am never totally convinced the middle will be cooked properly! As far as I am concerned well done is the only possible description of meat.

Spendless

Oooo Thanks for the meatball suggestions. I liked them all. I cut into a meatball to check it's cooked badmemory. A green salad with the pasta I would have welcomed over the chips and garlic bread on top liselle, I might tactfully make that suggestion to Mum next time she says they're on the menu.

From your ideas I have 2 potentials possibly for tonight's meal. I found a sauce in the cupboard that Mr S picked up in a French supermarket by accident. It is a white butter sauce with shallots, I'm thinking having that as a pour over sauce with mash (thanks for that suggestion) and tenderstem broccoli or I also have Italian style subs that I can serve with chips/ coleslaw/salad/corn on cob. I will decide which I'm going with later.

I have been paid today and I ended up last night with £2.66 in my account, but I am far more aware of where my spending has been this month. It wasn't the 4 figure sum I achieved last month but was stil high due to a 5 week pay period, i'm aware the next 2 months will be lean though. It's nice seeing a big sum sat in my account. I need to move 3x weeks student rent money to my savings account which makes sense cos I receive interet, but currently I'm enjoying seeing it 'sat there looking pretty'.

As I have had a hospital eye appt this morning and now can't drive for several hours, I ensured I did my grocery shopping yesterday after work. It came in at £57 and should be enough to last us especially since Mr S is only home 1 evening next week. I ran thru my monzo pot categories I still have money left in and hopefully still will have when DH is paid next week. In running thru I said the dog owes us £15 as I only put £20 in his pot at the beginning of the month and his groom yesterday was £35. DH asked the dog if it intended getting a job - lol.

I went out with my friend, cost around £17, we had so much to catch up on, we only managed 1 drink with our meal. Friend is a Vet and I told her the whole story about Grandcat and she was able to offer some really good advice about a surgical procedure he may need with where and especially when to take.

Friday today so £5 has gone into Xtra rent which is now at £155 and my Friday savings are at £85.

Have a good weekend everyone. I have work tomorrow morning but afterwards am meeting a friend and going to watch a film.

Forgot to say, the points on the CC that will buy us a gift voucher. I became a 2nd card holder on it, and a shed load more points went on, plus some for some more spending for our hol later this year (already have money saved to pay CC off) this means we have over £200 to spend on a gift card and I think we are going to replace our TV as I find ours too fiddly and want something more straight forward! Quite excited about getting a 'big ticket' electrical item for (in effect) free.