Missy’s full time working mum juggling act MF adventure

fionaandphil

Hi @missymoo81 and welcome back. Life gets in the way sometimes so don't worry about not posting, real life needs more attention.

Looking forward to hearing your new goals for the year. Enjoy your time off 

jwil

Nice to hear from you Missy, glad all is ok. 

missymoo81

Ah thanks @jwil and @fionaandphil it’s so nice to be welcomed back. Had the busiest Christmas Eve and still need to wrap EVERYTHING! But that’s what Christmas Eve night is all about right?

feeling strangely anxious, just wanting everything to be perfect. Also the reality that it’s tomorrow and then will all be over, ridiculous I know! But I’ve had such a lovely time in the lead up to Christmas! 

I think I was a bit optimistic that I’d have time to write my aspirations for the new year down today. But I’ll have time on Boxing Day, as that’s just a lazy day.

OH is hoovering and I’m just having a minute before I pick the children up. The excitement will be crazy! I can’t wait!!!!

jwil

Have a lovely Christmas!

beanielou

Have a happy Christmas. 

Elisheba

Happy Christmas, Missy. Hope it went well 😁

missymoo81

Thanks so much @jwil, @beanielou and @Elisheba.
i hope you all had an amazing Christmas. I very much need to catch up on your diaries @jwil and @beanielou.

As I said I’ve been doing lots of thinking and budgeting and getting things straight. So I spent a lot of time before Christmas clearing cupboards etc. I still have some drawers to sort. But I did manage to sort through the kitchen and throw away/recycle/charity shop old and unwanted things. So I feel more organised.

I really need to get a hold of my shopping budget. I’ve also been buying food at work and having the odd coffee out which is so much more expensive
than eating at home, pointlessly wasting money! So I’m going to try and live more frugally but sensibly, without making my life more difficult.

I think that’s more my realisation, and you lovely people have pointed out to me before that my life is busy enough without making it harder. So what I do needs to work around everything I do.

So I am going to meal plan on a Friday afternoon (I finish work at lunchtime) and get my grocery delivery on a Sunday. As I will know weekly plans and can plan for easy meals on certain days etc. I would also like to make some hm bagels and I have a wonderful fab dangled bread maker that makes bread and yogurt etc. which I haven’t used yet so would like to try my hand at that over the next week or so, as much like many of you I’m trying hard to lessen my UPF intake. 

I’ve also been watching what I eat, I often snack on things that I’ve saved for meals or lunches for the children, then have to go out to buy more to make the meal or lunch etc. when I can quite easily have something else. And also thinking ahead and portioning things out so I know I have enough for certain meals. I’ve also noticed I just order the same things online as think I’ve already picked the cheapest, but quite often when I do actually look the branded item or finest will be on offer so less than I would normally pay for the unbranded! 

I do love cooking but need to find the time and not stress about it. I’m going to try and use the oven less, but I have the bread maker and slow cooker and air fryer for most things. 

Energy bills are a worry, so am going to have a look at the smart meter. I have got lazy and stopped turning things off at the wall etc and keep flicking the heating on instead of getting a jumper. 

As I said we have bought a car (need to also change the other one) so savings are non existent. I also need to pay my tax at the end of Jan and I don’t actually know how much it will be yet. Hoping it won’t be more than last year but with now working PAYE I’m not sure what that has done to my tax allowance.

I am going to try and use my pots again, to save for birthdays/christmas and clothes and summer holidays. It works well until I spend too much on the shopping or go out for lunch and I just raid them. So I need to be more thoughtful. I have already stopped myself twice since Christmas from buying things. I was going to get a coffee in the city as I normally would when I go in (I don’t go in often) but the children were with me and would have been about £8. I also stopped myself buying a load of false nails and nail varnishes in the sale and stopped myself from buying a new notepad. And then I stopped myself buying rubbish online. It’s so easy to just buy things! 

I am going to get the children to do more, they are old enough, but I always feel bad as they leave the house at 0730 and don’t get in until nearly 4. Then they have homework, but they can set the table, do the dishwasher and make their own lunches. I think floor washing, bathroom cleaning and dusting on a weekend can also come into play. I just need to implement it. I used to do so much as a kid, I used to cook dinner most nights and we always made our own lunches, change bedding etc. I think I just do it do avoid the huffing from DS and the time it seems to take them!

I need to take care of myself more, get back in the garage gym (no cost) get my hair sorted. Actually look after my skin and nails and go to bed early. Drink more water. I did such a good job at the end of November, beginning of December when OH was away, but then it has all fallen by the wayside with Xmas etc.

jwil

Well done on the not buying things

Sounds like you've got some good achievable plans there, good luck with it

beanielou

Well done on no buying. 

Cheery_Daff

Hi Missy 😊

Hope you had a lovely Christmas with your family 😊

I've just read back a bit and can see you were asking for blogs etc to follow about smallholding and such. I thought @Bluegreen143 advice about not wishing you had a whole different life was lovely and very wise! 

Have you read the Down to Earth blog? It's lovely, and very encouraging with small steps and starting where you are. The writer is in her 70s now, and lives in Australia- a very different life to yours (and mine!) but lots to learn. Her most recent posts are about finding new ways to live after losing her husband, so some of her older ones might speak to you more. 

Here's one about starting with simple living: 

https://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/2019/03/starting-more-simple-life.html?m=0

Rhonda talks about getting your money in order being one of the very first steps, changing your attitude to keeping your home clean and well maintained, stopping spending on cafe trips (a lesson i could do with learning myself 🙈), and learning new skills, like mending and growing, starting very slowly. I find her style lovely and welcoming, and not overwhelming at all. She talks a lot about paying off debt opening doors to other kinds of life, and how that's the thing to focus on first.

You could start with her archives under the 'simple living' tab - here's another nice post:

https://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/2017/09/simple-life-isnt-product.html?m=0

Maybe you've been reading this for years, so apologies if so! I love it, it's such a tonic and always makes me feel better!