Can you do OS and work full time too?

sunset_gold

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has replied, I feel all energized by all your tips and advice, I have made a long list of things that I am going to put into practice from today, these include:
batch cooking & baking for the freezer
peeling veg and putting in fridge the night before
a chores rota for the girls
lower my standards and not try to do everything
do up a 14 day meal planner
arrange a monthly asda shopping delivery for all the big bulky items

Two of my three days at work I will be working 6 hours without a break, but the third day I will be working 6.5 hours so will be entitled to a short break, that's when I will pick up milk, fruit and veg etc. I am hoping I will get a chance to eat at my desk and will make soup/bread to bring with me.

BTW the 5.30am start is not my choice, but darling OH's alarm goes off at 5am, he brings up my hot drink (currently HM elderberry cordial to keep the colds off for the winter!) at 5.15am. I have found that if I have my hot drink and lay down for a nap, I go into such a deep sleep that I can't get myself moving at all! So I have to stick with getting up, but I do need to be in bed and asleep as early as possible before 10pm.

As for the gym! That's my me time, I love it and it seems to give me more energy and OH bought the membership for me as a present so it doesn't cost me to go.

As Desperate Housewife said "Time is money" and these tips will help me (and others) to save both. THANK YOU OLD STYLERS x

sunset_gold

Well I have spent all morning frying off 3kg of chopped lamb (from my local farm) and making casseroles, 2 already cooked and cooling before going into the chest freezer and the remaining meat just fried off and to be frozen as is (only have 2 lidded casserole dishes).

I have placed my massive Asda shopping list on line and arranged delivery for 5th December (my first day off work).

I have baked my weekly fruit cake and sliced it up and it's already in the freezer. Hoping to make the kids favorite chocolate cake today and get that sliced up and in the freezer too.

This afternoon I have 3kg of minced beef to turn into shepherds pies, bolengaise and lasagna (phew!).

I am 2/3rds of the way through putting together a 14day meal planner.

I left the house today at 8am (my work leaving time) so the girls had to finish getting themselves ready for school, clear up and lock up the house. All seemed fine when I returned from the gym an hour later. I will be putting a "chores" rota together this weekend for them to start on Monday, with the incentive of some pocket money (they don't get any from me at the moment).

Feel much better about starting work next week now, thank you again for all your tips, please keep them coming.

sunset_gold

Oh, and the table is laid for dinner (thank you for that one desperate housewife), I have been doing that every day since you posted it, great time saver for the evenings, only takes a couple of minutes in the morning while emptying the dishwasher.

freebiequennie

good luck with your new job it is hard working and managing a home and trying to save money at the same time.

batch cooking is great it saves money and time, esp saves on those extra takeways you have coz cant be bothered to cook as you can grab something out of freezer easy enough.

why not give the children some small chores, one can hang out washing, clean out chickens, load/unload dishwasher, lay dinner table, etc etc you could always give them a very small amount of pocket money for it or reward it with time with you one on one or lifts to friends house etc

purpleivy

newlywed wrote: »

I agree, always make double the dinner if you

I'm planning on introducing them to the joys of using the washing machine and iron but will have to wait for OH's backup. He does their ironing I agree that longer term, they need to know how to survive themselves.

quote]

I seem to be getting my ds trained. The week before half term I told him that if his white shirts were the wrong way out, then he would be ironing them the next time. They were as usual, sleeves all over the place. So at half term he had them all to iron. I told him that the next week it would apply too, but also if the socks were all bunched up then he would be ironing again. I don't have trouble any more!

He always hangs his bathtowel neatly on the rail after his morning shower. Unfortunately my dd not only leaves her wet bathtowel where it falls, but also leaves every stitch of clothing in the bathroom. She's living away the other side of the world for 6 months. THe bumf that came about the post said that she had to keep her room tidy with clothes put away LOL!

newlywed

I'm very gradually getting them trained with a subtle "is there anything black or dark coloured in your wash bin" - as I go to put the washing on. They have turned from dunno to actually looking and passing it to me. Small steps but at least it should sink in that washing needs to be separated! Thankfully their clothes are always in the wash bin - OH trained them well on that count - just need to train them to empty pockets too as I sometimes miss the tissues :rolleyes:

purpleivy

Any cash that turns up in pockets or in the WM is officially mine. Found a fiver in the pocket of ds's combats the other week. Just before I went to collect his trombone from having it's valve freed. If he had kept it greased it wouldn't have happened, so I put the £5 towards the repair!

exlibris

newlywed wrote: »

I'm very gradually getting them trained with a subtle "is there anything black or dark coloured in your wash bin" - as I go to put the washing on. They have turned from dunno to actually looking and passing it to me. Small steps but at least it should sink in that washing needs to be separated! Thankfully their clothes are always in the wash bin - OH trained them well on that count - just need to train them to empty pockets too as I sometimes miss the tissues :rolleyes:

When the grandchildren stay I put out 2 baskets on the landing (the folding things from the pound shop) one for lights and one for darks. I can't take credit for this as they do it at home. The stuff is ready sorted then.

sunset_gold

exlibris wrote: »

When the grandchildren stay I put out 2 baskets on the landing (the folding things from the pound shop) one for lights and one for darks. I can't take credit for this as they do it at home. The stuff is ready sorted then.

I only have one basket on the landing and that's a really good idea to have two, I will look out for another one that matches (ish) the one I already have and see if the girls notice, I will probably have to put signs on them to start with....
(Whites Only) (Everything Else)! Thanks for the tip.

Valli

floss2 wrote: »

Why not work out a rota for showers, and set the kids tasks to do to earn their pocket money (mine used to change their own beds, tidy up, drag the hoover round, and had to wash & dry up every night - as did me & my brothers from me being 7 yrs old). As you've spent 15 years bring them up, its time they started to help out now you're going back to work.

Also, don't fall into the trap of "he/she doesn't do it the way I do, so I will do it myself"....there lies the path of a martyr! You have to learn to bite your lip, and either put up with it, or gently direct them until they learn to do it the "best" (mum's!) way.

Apart from anything else, you are setting them up for a lifetime of independence & an ability to manage their own homes by teaching them basic housekeeping & chores....for which you will be thanked by future partners!

Well said poster! Mind you I am still working on a 15 yo DS 10+ years of 'lift the loo seat up before you use the loo, please...' and he STILL hasn't got it:rotfl:

re the laundry. No tissues in our house ... and I NEVER pick up unwashed clothes from their rooms (DS and DD) ... they only run out of clean uniform/PE kit once...they put it in the wash, in good time (I am at home Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun so that's when it gets done)

They make their beds 6 days a week, I do it on change day because (THIS IS MY TIP) I use duvets but I also use two sheets (above and below). This means that duvet covers can be cleaned less frequently and I give them one clean sheet a week each. The 'top' sheet becomes the sheet they lie on and the 'bottom' sheet is the one which gets washed. I get clean sheets every week because I do the laundry:D .