Missy’s full time working mum juggling act MF adventure

beanielou

missymoo81 said:

Have also just been told I am getting a new boss, which is not good news, he is a very grumpy man. 

Oh no.  Not a fan of grumpy men. 

missymoo81

trying to breathe through my panic. I have spent hours fudging the budget for next month and this. Trying to find every spare penny. I can, JUST, afford to pay the tax if it’s £4k. When I say afford I mean I wouldn’t have a spare penny to the world until I get paid again in Feb. I have pulled all budgets down super low. Including the fuel and the food! So cue me driving at 50mph instead of 70 for the next 5 weeks. Eating beans on toast often and scrimping on portions….. I’ve been super frugal lately anyway. Literally counting biscuits and portioning out everything to make sure it will last the week. This has included sharing tea bags, watering down the milk. And cutting the thinnest of slices of cheese for sandwiches. There’s not much marg so I’ve switched to mayo, as I have plenty. Ran out of baking powder for bagels so made bread as had yeast. I took home some left over biscuits from work and had them as a snack. I’m doing ok. It’s not easy at all, and I feel like all I do is think about food. But right now and for the next 5 weeks this is how it’s got to be.

OH got a puncture the other night, I can’t remember if I said, so I had to rescue him in my pyjamas and then take him to pick the car up from the garage later and he also had to use my car all the next day. So I’m much lower on fuel than I thought I would be. I would ask OH to put some in but he’s just had to fork out for a new tyre so I’ll figure it out. I don’t think it will last all of next week…. But I had a brain wave, I have £13.50 in clubcard vouchers. I think you can use these for fuel? Do you just go to the counter and they take them off the cost? I hope so, as I think that may be enough to get me through.

I have asked a friend to come round with her children on Saturday as they’re friends with my 2. Then realised I’d pretty much invited them for lunch without realising. As per my rationing above, I have very little to offer. We usually just do open sandwiches and fruit and veg. So she said she would bring the fruit and veg. I will bake the bread as have ingredients. But I am lacking in cheese, ham and marg and crisps…. 

I will Bake a cake, mind you I’d need eggs too…. Hmmmm. So I will get cheese and marg and maybe baking powder or eggs….. hmm I have £6.37 in cash (to be precise), oh and apparently £2.00 on nectar. So £8.37. so cheese is £4.88, marg is 0.95p hmm crisps are going to be…..??? hmmm not sure. I obv won’t have enough for eggs but I can get baking powder and make biscuits. Just going to check on the price of crisps…. Ok they’re . £1.20

so cheese 4.88
crisps 1.20
marg 0.95
baking powder 0.61

£7.64 so we’re all good. 

bu££er just remembered I need to pick up the shower screen I ordered else they’ll keep it. Need to factor that into tomorrow somehow.

anyway, going to put my big girl pants on and just manage money and life for the coming month. I have no choice but to manage so. I will accept the challenge and cope!!

fionaandphil

Olio is also supposed to be good, might be worth checking out what is in your local area as this could help stretch the budget 

Good luck 

missymoo81

Thanks @fionaandphil. I’ve had the app before but never claimed anything will look again. 

Payday is on the 31st! I can’t remember when I last got paid, it was before Christmas, so it has been the looonnngggest of months so far. But I am so pleased. I have spent so little on myself or on food or drinks, which is usually my downfall. Or little things that appear in my Amazon basket etc. 

I am so much more than tired, still I’ll have to travel for work tonight. Won’t get there til midnight and have to be up at 6. Then a full day then a 3 hour drive home through London in Friday rush hour traffic. Not the best plan, but hey ho. I am living for the weekend at this point. Can not wait to reset. OH is the same. 

Trying to stay positive.

MeandO

Sending hugs Missy x 
I'm not sure how it works, but do you have the option to spread the cost of the tax or does it all have to be paid up this month? 

missymoo81

Hi everyone, I hope you’re ok.

so my tax bill is worse than I thought apparently closer to £5k but I’m not 100% sure yet. But that’s what the accountant said roughly. She still hasn’t had chance to do it. I don’t have £5000. I just don't, I have £2190, I can get my hands on. I am currently working out when each bill goes out and when each bit of money comes in to see what I can do. I think, I can do it. I’m £200 short for the first lot of bills but I think, I should have a little money coming in from small business. I’ll have to put off paying an invoice until the end of Feb. It also means March will be tight. I feel sick. And I still don’t know how much OH’s is yet, which is a worry. But I have a plan at least.

of course half term is in the middle of all of this, and I’d have to slash the food budget, again. But there isn’t any other way around it. I’m loathe to borrow any money. As I know I’ll have another huge bill in July. I just want to cry for being so naive. 

missymoo81

Current action being taken, I have just cancelled my Sainsbugs delivery saver. I will be shopping at Lidl. I am currently writing a meal plan to try and keep food costs low. Am racking my brains to think of things I can sell. I don’t have much so not sure! I might have some boots. Maybe some good make gym tops, I could put on Vinted. I didn’t get around to picking up the shower screen, so that will be refunded, which is now a good thing! 

joedenise

Check out this website there are quite a few cheap recipes on it.  I'm planning on making the bacon and leek macaroni cheese for dinner tonight from this website.  https://gallery.mailchimp.com/02600df4636877df3fe0ca694/files/18c8a097-a841-409e-9f2d-2b425d04eb5a/4_Week_Easy_Dinners_Meal_Plan_from_Easy_Peasy_Foodie.01.pdf

It's also worth checking out the recipes at the start of each month's Grocery Challenge on the Old Style forum.

Another place for cheap recipes is Jack Monroe's webite:  https://oursouthend.wordpress.com/

I'm sure you can reduce your food costs if necessary using some of these websites.

Idreamofplants

sorry to hear about the tax bill can you have some paid next year from your personal allowance instead? 

Gym stuff seems to sell well on Vinted if it is branded - my DD has had quite a lot of success with selling hoodies and sweatshirts too.

missymoo81

Thank you @joedenise so helpful. I will have a look at those websites now. Going to put on Jamie’s £1 meals as well for ideas, although I appreciate he’s not the cheapest.

@Idreamofplants thank you I think I will try some gym stuff, it’s a good brand, never sold on Vinted only bought so we shall see!