£67,031.92 is a frightening number indeed....

earthgirl · 5 October 2017 at 6:46PM

Lovely posts. I know these ideas might not suit you (at all!) but maybe one will!

I also spend a little bit on kids clubs, but I found a free football class and it's good. Also teach my boys swimming myself, they can both swim and are really confident. The swimming is then an activity and part of my entertainment budget. Budget is £10 per weekend including swimming (£5) but I only have two kids.

Thought audible was going and you were using the library? My library does art and crafts for free for kids too one night a week.

I use supermarkets for kids coats, wellies etc

You could try going through your budget and asking do I need it, how can I get it for free? How can I get it cheaper. It's hard but it can be fun, honest!!

Treadingonplaymobil · 5 October 2017 at 7:53PM

wishingthemortgaheaway wrote: »

I like your homemade advent calendar idea what about making that free?

I'll have a think about some ideas if you are interested.

Free probably isn't going to happen, but I do try to do it for (mostly) fairly minimal cost. Always open to new activity suggestions! We do a lot of crafts, colouring, reading books under the tree etc, as well as the usual christmas activities of tree decorating and santa letters within there.

earthgirl wrote: »

Lovely posts. I know these ideas might not suit you (at all!) but maybe one will!

I also spend a little bit on kids clubs, but I found a free football class and it's good. Also teach my boys swimming myself, they can both swim and are really confident. The swimming is then an activity and part of my entertainment budget. Budget is £10 per weekend including swimming (£5) but I only have two kids.

Thought audible was going and you were using the library? My library does art and crafts for free for kids too one night a week.

I use supermarkets for kids coats, wellies etc

You could try going through your budget and asking do I need it, how can I get it for free? How can I get it cheaper. It's hard but it can be fun, honest!!

I have really poor circulation, so I find swimming with the DC really unpleasant (I'm not so bad with normal swimming where I am working hard myself, but the standing still is really hard). I could talk to DH about doing it every weekend, but I can see it being one of those things that would fall by the wayside at the slightest cause, which seems a shame. Thinking about moving the eldest onto swim club in the new year, which is much cheaper. Will only save us money for six months or so until DC3 starts, of course, but every little helps.

DH has got the pin codes etc from the library but I haven't actually had time to try downloading audiobooks from there yet. Also I'm not sure if I will lose my audible library if I cancel my membership, so I need to download everything first. It's on the list for the weekend!

I've found that supermarket waterproofs just don't last as well for us. We are quite heavy on clothes as they don't have many (only one coat at a time). The DCs have Didriksons coats, and the youngest's has been through both the older ones and is still fully waterproof. Not sure whether DC2's (handed down from DC1) will survive transitioning to DC3 this year though, as it's already four years old and well used. Less fussy on waterproof trousers as they only get very occasional wear.

Have gone through the budget repeatedly to try to cut more out, it usually comes down to a time vs money problem, and we currently have neither! Always open to any suggestions for cuts though.

Treadingonplaymobil · 5 October 2017 at 7:56PM

Back to nonstop busy busy today. Going to try to have a sit down with DH this evening and work out a fairer chore allocation - I used to keep on top of the house during the day with DC3, but now she is at preschool and I am trying to work for those hours, it's just not happening. I'm not working 2/3 of the hours that DH does and continuing to do 90% of the housework!

New website is launched and slowly getting some hits. No payoff yet in terms of more business, it's going to be a much longer term thing than that, but I'm pleased to be working with it and starting to drive traffic towards it.

To do today
1. catch up with laundry. Done. Just the ironing to catch up with now.
2. text relative re visiting when we're in London. Done, they're away annoyingly. Going to try someone else.
3. return kindle (have had a replacement sent as the screen went faulty, thankfully within warranty). Done.
4. batch baking - flapjack and cake to use up various fruit and veg. Done.
5. start sourdough for baking in the morning (my current favourite recipe includes an overnight rise). Done.
6. email mortgage broker the facts and figures she needs. Done.
7. start to plan our advent calendar - we do a homemade one, it's a huge part of Christmas for us, a mixture of activities and little gifts. Not done.
8. clear work list. Mostly done, really good headway made.
9. plan homemade Christmas gifts. Not done.

To do this week
1. social media for website launch. Done.
2. redo SOA based on DH's current salary (he is still being promised pay rise next month). Done.
3. October YNAB prep. Done.
4. start to plan advent calendars and Christmas presents so I can get a handle on spending.
5. plan working time for October.
6. check total spend for last month. This is all weird on YNAB because I moved the partnership card from a budget to a tracked account and it's sent my spending sums all screwy, so I'm not certain. Under £3,750, probably not under £3,500 is my best guess.

To do this month
1. keep the total spend for the month below £3,500.
2. work a sensible number of hours, even if it means slower progress on the work and debt front. September was rubbish.
3. make any homemade Christmas gifts.

Suffolk_lass · 5 October 2017 at 8:04PM

Has your mortgage broker come up with any options yet? It is nearly a fortnight since you emailed her. I am conscious that the BoE are threatening to increase base rate this month and I would like to see you getting a mortgage offer so you can switch as soon as you are at the no-penalty for switching point. You don't want to miss out on a lower interest rate than the deal you are on now. Then at last you can do something about combining some of that CC debt where you are paying nearly 20% on top into a zero% interest card! You really do need to look at these big things that are just draining away the money you work so hard for.

Maybe you should consider switching to interest only on your mortgage for a few months to let you pay down those high interest cards - if your repayment portion is about £300 a month it would have those two 18% loans clear in under a year - imagine paying an extra £300 a month - they would be gone in just over 8 months

Honeysucklelou2 · 5 October 2017 at 8:50PM

Don't know if you have an agricultural/country store near you, but our local one is very good for wellies and waterproofs.

Re Christmas, are homemade gifts an option? When money has been very tight in the past I've made meringue topped mince pies, Christmas cakes (small sizes or baked in a Christmas tree shaped silicone mound, which makes the mixture go round a little more. Silicone mounds are quite reasonable.), truffles etc.

I have a large family so Christmas is always interesting! I've always tended to make a bigger thing of presents at Birthday times and keep Christmas quite simple. I can't afford to spend enormous amounts on them, even though I'd love to be able to. Nonetheless my children know they will usually receive a book to read, perhaps a DVD of a film they are interested in and other small gifts that will either be practical or amuse. What I'm trying to say in a roundabout way is that you can have a wonderful Christmas and still be frugal. That's not meant to sound preachy, forgive me if it does, but just wanted to encourage you that Christmas can be done on less. I understand why the cc looks to be the likely option but it will be carrying this Christmas into next year.

EssexHebridean · 5 October 2017 at 9:14PM

Treadingonplaymobil wrote: »

I'm not expecting the figure to be enough to cover Christmas, but you've got me thinking that if it seems even vaguely achievable (along with Oct/Nov/Dec Christmas budgeting) maybe I could challenge myself to stick within that as the Christmas budget. I'm not making any promises till I've seen how much it is though .

I think you've found yourself a challenge then - no pressure!

Hiddenidenity · 5 October 2017 at 9:21PM

I'm a bit tight when it comes to christmas

Mine get "something they want, something they need and something to read" and I do small stockings which is usually toothpaste/bubble bath/a small colouring book and crayons and some chocolate coins and fruit

I can't afford to spend a fortune and even if I could I wouldn't choose to spend it at Xmas. Mine have never felt like they don't get enough and always feel like its a wonderful time.

What sort of advent calendars do you make? I've never thought of this before and don't usually bother as mine can't have chocolate but this sounds like a good idea!

wishingthemortgaheaway · 5 October 2017 at 9:41PM

The need, want, read, wear thing is what we do too.
It stops me going crazy, but doesn't prevent us buying a big thing if wanted/needed or can be afforded.

Treadingonplaymobil · 6 October 2017 at 5:11AM

Week 34: Day 6

Had a really good chat with DH about how to tackle the housework stuff that's getting on top of me. I think we have a solution, just need to see how it goes. I think it was a combination of me suddenly working far more hours and him having a stressful month at work so being completely useless at home. Fingers crossed.

Suffolk lass we did a big shuffle round a month or two back and moved the interest bearing portion of the MBNA onto a 0% deal on the barclaycard, so the highest interest debt at the moment is actually the Tesco loan (10.3%). The mortgage broker (who has all the numbers now) has suggested looking at rolling that into the mortgage, as stupidly we may actually get a better rate as our monthly repayments for that are quite high (thus affecting affordability). She doesn't work Fridays and I only got the final info over to her yesterday so I'm not expecting any more info until next Monday, but I'm also very aware of the potential base rate rises! It's not something I'm attracted towards (turning unsecured into secured) but we are actually spending a fair chunk on interest there, and given our close-to-the-bone finances and the fact that we want to keep our credit score intact and therefore aren't considering a DMP, it might be something we think about.

Honeysucklelou I always do HM Christmas gifts for adults outside of DH and my sister, but the DCs we buy for are harder (only 4x close relatives and friends children, but at £15ish each even that isn't insignificant). Last year I made candles which was lovely, might go back to foodie things this year. Even HM stuff starts to add up when it's for the number of people we need to give to though - all our parents are divorced and remarried, plus our siblings and a couple of very close friends (I couldn't do nothing for any of these people, they are all very generous to us and the DC, both at Christmas and through the year).

Hiddenidentity The homemade advent calendars are little drawstring cotton bags, about 4"x6", that I bought off ebay about five years ago and potato stamped with the numbers of advent. Each day has a chocolate coin or small chocolate (from a box of celebrations or similar - whatever's on offer when I'm stocking up for it!) for each DC and either an activity (e.g. homemade white 'snow' slime with glitter in it) or a small gift (lego minifig, mechanical pencils etc). Plus a 'big' gift under the tree on Christmas eve - usually a lego set for us to do together as a family.

I wouldn't say we go to town completely at Christmas - there are never massive piles of stuff under the tree, but because I hate buying tat for the sake of it the stockings always end up adding up to as much as their main present (£75 each for stocking and another £75 for main gift last year, plus one shared present of £50), which by the time you do that for three DC, plus a Christmas eve hamper (new PJs all round, dvd, book etc) plus the advent calendar, plus the price of ingredients for HM gifts, plus festive food, it all starts to add up.

Hmmm. Lots to muse on re Christmas. Thinking about it now can only help, as at least I can keep an eye out for cashback and offers etc on the things we do buy, and can start adding ingredients for HM stuff to the shopping list.

Anyway, back to today. Going for a little trip to local nice (free) country house and gardens with a friend. Will probably end up paying for coffee as she is driving us, but that's not too bad. The bad bit is that DH has a works night out tonight which no doubt will cost more than the £15 he has in his kitty. After saying he never goes out, he's now doing so twice in a fortnight! Rock 'n' roll. I don't think we're going to go to his work Christmas dinner though, which saves a bit.

To do today
1. catch up with the ironing.
2. email the other relative re visiting when we're in London.
3. create chores list as discussed with DH last night.
4. cook sourdough.
5. book hygienist appointment.
6. plan advent calendar
7. plan homemade gifts.

To do this week
1. social media for website launch. Done.
2. redo SOA based on DH's current salary (he is still being promised pay rise next month). Done.
3. October YNAB prep. Done.
4. start to plan advent calendars and Christmas presents so I can get a handle on spending.
5. plan working time for October. Done.
6. check total spend for last month. This is all weird on YNAB because I moved the partnership card from a budget to a tracked account and it's sent my spending sums all screwy, so I'm not certain. Under £3,750, probably not under £3,500 is my best guess.

To do this month
1. keep the total spend for the month below £3,500.
2. work a sensible number of hours, even if it means slower progress on the work and debt front. September was rubbish. This is going well so far.
3. make any homemade Christmas gifts.

armchairexpert · 6 October 2017 at 6:26AM

I wouldn't say we go to town completely at Christmas - there are never massive piles of stuff under the tree, but because I hate buying tat for the sake of it the stockings always end up adding up to as much as their main present (£75 each for stocking and another £75 for main gift last year, plus one shared present of £50), which by the time you do that for three DC, plus a Christmas eve hamper (new PJs all round, dvd, book etc) plus the advent calendar, plus the price of ingredients for HM gifts, plus festive food, it all starts to add up.

TOPM, you are a brave woman. Brace yourself! I can hear the opinions being formed now. You're spending around £200 per child on presents alone, which. Goodness. Your Christmas budget must run to, what, £1500 once you've counted in adults, non-offspring children and food? Darling, that's going to wipe out half the debt you've paid off so far.

This is another of those areas where you can't afford the lifestyle you're choosing, but I'm sure you already know that. You may feel that it's worth it, and we all make that judgement about how we prioritise our money, but maths isn't magical: no matter how good your intentions, the numbers don't go down just because your expenditure is peer-group normal.

If it's at all helpful, and it probably isn't, this is what I spend:

Stockings are super minimal here: one craft kit or similar activity designed to keep them happy for a while before we get to presents (opened at lunchtime), bag of chocolate coins, maybe one more thing (I like the bubble bath idea, hiddenidentity!), I spend about £5. We do fancy hot chocolates (we buy a little tub of Lindt hot chocolate or something) and a family movie on Christmas Eve, costs us £10 (less, if there's something on Netflix we agree on). Gifts run us about £40-50 per child, which buys two or three decent things. This year, e.g., Big Girl is getting a National Geographic Kids subscription and an iPod nano, which will add up to about £50, and Little Girl wants a scooter, a beanie boo and some costume jewellery. They're definitely middle class kids with no sense of deprivation! Once you add in grandparent gifts, they've plenty to open.

£67,031.92 is a frightening number indeed....

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