Oops! I've fallen off the OS wagon.....

Horasio

It happens

It is winter, Christmas season - very tempting

Get back on the wagon and try not to get too upset

tiptoes

Thank everyone all your advise has been really helpful. I think I'll start as Melt17 has suggested by meal planning and go from there as we've got builders in at the moment so getting the house work sorted is a thankless task.

CCstar wish it was just a christmas thing but this has been a decline over about 5 month. since going full time at work and my OH started working night on a three week rota. Both my DS and my DD are fussy eaters and by the time I get in at 7 I just want to preprae something quick so that I can have a bit of time with them before bed. Think I need to start using my slow cooker more maybe preparing the meal the night before and then putting it in the slowcooker in the morning.

dixie06

Hi, I'm struggling to get on the OS wagon!! Keep promising myself to do it and reading up on everyones tips and took on a few i.e. don't buy anyother cleaning products other than stardrops and bleach which saves you a fortune on all the other rubbish you buy!! Started doing menu planning but tend to find myself in the supermarket midweek for milk and usually end up spending an extra £30 on "bargains" (as i did today) so will start a fresh next week got stuff in the cupboards and freezer and will plan my menu around that so wish me luck again for next week. Hopefully as the weeks go on it will get easier and I will notice a difference in my bank balance!!

halia

Had a VERY expensive fortnight - and probably another week coming up.
I was away for a week with friends, and the combination of my beer budget and the fact that OH did all the shopping at home means we are waaaaaaaaaay over budget.
Nest week we're visiting family - and I know we'll spend more thna we would at home on trips out etc.

Also with pouring rain I admit I've 'treated' my toddler a couple of times.

Encouragement needed!

MrsTinks

Maybe try the "jam Jar" system? Take your budget after bills have been paid etc and seprate into 4 weeks and a 5th jar for "treats" Anything left from any week can be added to the "treat" jar I found that very helpful when sticking to a strict budget some months... how much you wanna add to the treat jar is obviously up to you and I would also decide on what constitutes a "treat" Depending on your budget then it could include take away's and if you have enough then you could have other jars for "days out" "presents" (for kids parties etc) and you can review the amounts each month and adjust according to upcoming events. Then your target is to pay for as much as possible by alternative means! That includes pigsback, quidco, nectar, tesco vouchers etc etc Even freebies! everything you save from your jars by not spending then goes into the treat jar - if it reaches x amount place into holiday fund

boo81

Great idea with the jam jars!

I dug out an old white board about a month back and ive been a hundred times better with OS and sticking to it. I use it for shopping lists and random things but mainly for meal planning. I write roughly what I have planned down but switch around the days depending on what I fancy when I get up in the morning. So far very effective!

As for treats for the toddler depends whether you mean things to do, or things to eat!

How about some mini muffins or cupcakes, they can help mix and decorate if nothing else. Or for ultra easy try cornflake cakes!

Things to do-
HM play dough
Hand/foot painting
Make a tent out of old sheets over a laundry airer
Indoor picnic, invite all the teddies too!
Make meals more interesting by having a theme, make pictures using the ingredients or make things different colours - ketchup to mash to make red etc
Get some old catalogues or freebie mags and cut out lots of pictures, get them to stick the ones they like in a scrapbook
Find some colouring in pictures to print out off the net
Dressing up - you can get cheap materials at a haberdashers, or pound shop or try getting out your old clothes.


Hopefully that might help, nigella lawson has great ideas for getting kids to help with cooking, cakes seem to be the favorite though

angelavdavis

Why not sign up to the August Grocery challenge? Starts next week?!

Lillibet_2

Hello All

I haven't been around the OS board for a while now, I used to visit daily but lately things seem to have changed. Once upon a time I was proud to be able to offer others OS advice, now I can't even think of any to give myself.

A bit of background for eveyone who doesn't know me : I am 32, used to be a legal exec. and (happily) gave up work when my son (Spud) was born. 2 months ago I got the chance for a nice little part time local job which I really am enjoying but the rest of my life seems to have fallen apart...well, that's a bit over-dramatic but everything OS seems to have fallen apart!

It's all been compounded by having a very busy few weeks lately and that isn't going to get any better for another month at least, it seems I have something on everyday, whether it be woking, family arrangements, birthdays, toddler activites, just silly things which all take up time & effort, neither of which I seem to have to give. Tomorrow is my husbands birthday & I haven't even thought about what we are going to have for dinner even though I usually do a nice birthday dinner, let alone any other birthday stuff. The following weekend is Spuds 2nd birthday party (I know 2 year olds don't need a birthday party but I have been preassurised into it by my Mum,another example of things getting on top of me as I would normally never allow myself to be pushed into something like this), then the following weekend is my Mums 60th birthday & we are taking her to Paris for the weekend. After that Hubby is going away for a week and I am half hoping to use this opportuity to ge ton top if things but expecting things to get on top of me!
Despite formally being very self discipilined in money management, now I can't seem to stay within a budget to save my life. Meal planning is a distant memory, as is tidying & cleaning. Hubby, who looks after Spud 3 evenings a week when I am at work, seems to be doing more than I do and that's really saying something, plus since he has started having lots of one to one time with Spud their relationship has blossemed, which is great, but it seems to be at the expense of my relationship with him (Spud). I have recently had a re-occurance fo my age-old problem of insomnia & I am totally totally shattered. As soon as Spud goes to sleep in the afternoon I am doing the same so no chance fo getting anything done then. Coupled to this is a near 2 year old with a propensity for climbing onto everything (and promptly falling off, I am sure if we have to take him to casualty one more time they will put him on the "at risk" register!) and his constant unplugging of things which , in addition to the safety aspect means things like the phone or alarm clock are randomly off & we are missing important calls/waking up etc.

Hubby is sympathetic but not pragmatic.

I feel like if I could just get to grips with the day to day aspects of my life : living in a tidy house, knowing what we're going to eat, knowing I'm not going to go overdrawn, clearing the HUGE pile of stuff I have collated to ebay so that we could use our dining table again, I would be much much happier. But I don't know where to start. Or how to stay awake and have enough energy to do it.

Re-reading this it all seems very innane, and it's silly to get myself so wound up about having a hetic child-orientated social life instead of writing a shopping list, but living a OS life has been the cornerstone of my life for so long that I feel totally miserable and unhappy and I don't know how to change it. The time I've spent writing this I could have channeled in to putting a load of washing on but it'll make so little difference that I can't see that it is worth it.

Please can someone give me a gentle kick up the back side & tell me where to start?

Sunny_Angel

Oh Lillibet,
I first joined this site under a different name in 2005, and you were one of the regular wise ones on os for me.

Back then you said to me, "just start with something small, do it and you have achieved something", or something along those lines.

So get up off the chair, go put a wash in the machine and come back.....;)

boo81

Sounds like you need to do 2 things to me:

Let yourself have a day or 2 completely off, talk with your OH and say you need time to catch up with yourself. Go out on your own, have a lay in, long baths... whatever makes you feel even slightly better.

Secondly put a day or 2 aside for really getting things done, write a list of things you need to do and again warn the hubby ahead of time. It sounds like maybe someone looking after the toddler may be an idea for this task.

Everyone gets stressed and down and the OS way of life can be a big effort when you dont feel up to it. Forgive yourself for the lack of effort as we all have bad days (or weeks or months)!