Trying to Save

Well, we completely ran out of fruit and yogurts yesterday. I went to Aldi this morning and I spent £16.47. I bought all of the fruit that was in Aldi's super six (nectarines, figs and pears) and bananas and grapes. I also bought a three pack of peppers because SG loves them and they can be added to dishes. I bought a nine pack of yogurts for SG, and some snacks for her. I also bought frozen turkey dinosaurs which can be a quick dinner for her. I added an extra item though: diced pork for stir frying. I've got an unopened pack of stir fry veg in the freezer and hundreds of noodles and a huge pack of rice in the cupboard.

First thing this morning, after we'd all eaten, I took SG out for a walk. We went to our local cafe and I bought a mocha, and two juices for SG. Spent £2.xx. It was hubby's suggestion as we rarely get one-to-one time together.

When I came home I bagged up some of SG's old clothes and gathered some carrier bags for donation. That's one bag gone from her room, a lot more still to do though. I might try selling some on the FB selling pages.

I've decided that for the next three weeks we will just eat what we have in the cupboards - and fridge and freezer - already. I'll need to buy fruit, milk and possibly a few bits for SG's meals, but other than that, no spending. Our cupboards are jam packed so if I can get them down then it means that next month I can order from Approved Foods and fill them up again.

I'll go to Aldi for fruit and veg, try and make sure I get one of their Super 6 items. This week it's pears, nectarines, cocktail vine tomatoes, mangetout, figs and garlic. I've never bought figs before. I don't need any more meat just now.

A few days ago I cooked up a kilo of mince that I got on offer from Tesco. I made half into lasagne, which we just finished yesterday. The other half is bolognaise and that's in the freezer just now.

Tonight SG will have salmon fishcakes and we will have either pasta or baked potatoes.

We will no longer be getting help with housing. I got a letter today. I'm going to have to budget for the new amounts. I thought they would stop helping us soon.

J is sleeping on me cause SG woke him up. I had him settled in his cot too. I don't want to keep this habit up.

I'm aiming for the next few weeks to be low-spend.

Since payday, there's been a lot of spending:

- new bedding for SG
- a new travel cot for J
- a Chinese takeaway

We're also buying a pram from a friend to make it easier for me (£80) The one we bought months ago isn't suitable for a newborn.

Today was payday. Paid extra to CC1. I also paid cc2, my catalogue and Xmas savings. Only one payment left to go as far as xmas savings are concerned.

Had a rough night last night with baby J. I only manged to get a couple of hours sleep. When I finally got him settled this morning, SG woke up. I'm meeting my friend for her birthday dinner tonight but I'd rather sleep. I'm still in my pyjamas and I'm meeting her in five hours. This will be my first time going out since J was born, even longer than that actually with this friend, it's been a few years (she's childless)

I done my Tesco online shop using my coupon. £47 worth of food for £26.

This morning I paid:

- CC1
- CC2
- catalogue
- Christmas savings

I had a rough night with baby J last night. I'm going out for a meal tonight for my friend's birthday, but I'm really not in the mood for it. I'm sure I'll be fine once I'm out.

I ordered my online shopping from Tesco. £47 worth of shopping for £26.

I just wrote a long entry but it must have timed out. I'll summarise:

- I almost missed paying CC2. I checked online and noticed a payment hadn't posted so I made one this morning.
- TT Perfect Prep machine arrived without a filter. I complained to Amazon. They're refunding me 14.03 to buy that and a bottle that wasn't included either.
- We're having a few issues with MIL: expecting us to be in all the time so showing up at a moment's notice and being annoyed we're not home; wanting to take SG herself instead of just coming here to see her (last time she took her "for an hour or two" and was gone most of the afternoon) and lastly her bringing her dog here without asking us. Hubby's told her he doesn't want him here so that led to a childish Facebook status from MIL (She lost her other dog when I went in for surgery in March, so has been bringing her dog with her everywhere she goes since then)
- It's my friend's 30th this week and I suggested we go out for dinner and a few drinks. I'm stressing about that now because of money and also because I have nothing to wear. I wanted to get her a fantastic present but I haven't bought it yet, it's all about money.

CC1 finally updated. I owe 981.30. I've updated the balance on my sidebar. This is the first time in I don't know how long that it's been under 1000. Triple figures now.

Since baby J arrived just over six weeks ago, I've noticed a few things:

- I haven't tracked my outgoings.

Usually I get paid and as I pay my bills, I tick off each item in my notebook. The last time I updated my notebook was June before J was born.
I mentioned to hubby that I hadn't done this and he didn't seem concerned. I do check my bank balance when I get the chance so I know what's coming out. Also a lot of the stuff is the same every month so the dates are forever stored in my head.

- I'm spending money left, right and centre.

I posted about ordering the perfect prep machine. We seem to be at the shops more/ordering online more. I am waiting on a £20 eCoupon from Tesco though so that is my reason for doing two online shops recently. Plus it's a lot easier to shop online.
We've also had takeaways and have eaten out a few times.

- It's tough juggling a toddler, newborn and housework.

I'm feeling productive this morning because I've put a load of washing on, put some clothes on the airer and put some dishes away (SG slept late after getting up in the early hours last night) Who knows? This might be all I get done. I've managed to post here too so I'm going to include that since it's so difficult to update these days.

- My credit cards remain untouched.

I only mention this because when I was on maternity leave with SG both cards were still active. I remember using my credit card to get gas and electricity at the local shop. Cringe. CC2 has been closed for over a year now and there's no way I'm going to touch CC1. In fact they sent me a new card last year and I didn't even bother phoning to activate it.

- We're slowly building our EF.

Very, very slowly. I wiped it out a few months ago when I was off sick and both our pays were dire. When I say "wiped out" I withdrew 100 which was the most it had ever been at.Every week it's getting added to.

I think that's all.

SG is having lunch a.d JI is sleeping so I've got a few moments to update.

Last week was payday. I paid extra to CC1, so I'm anxiously awaiting for the statement updater. You'd think I was paying off the balance in full with the way I'm acting.

We paid back BIL the money that we owed him: 170. He helped a lot when we were struggling so it's nice to not have to worry about that anymore. We used the money that we got back from overpaying our rent.

I splurged and ordered a Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep machine. I compared a lot of prices at different stores and found one for 66; everywhere else wanted 99. It should save a lot of time when making bottles, and it'll be a life saver during the night. I wasn't planning on getting one until we seen our friend using hers, it was so quick and I was so tired that I decided we should get one. I will sell it next year when we no longer need it.`

Hubby went to work this morning and found out that he's not back until next week. So I've got him for an extra week. He obviously got his dates mixed up, I just hope that it works out ok pay wise.

Tomorrow is pay day. Or rather today even. I checked my bank balance and it's not updated so it obviously doesn't go in at midnight (It's 1250am here) I wonder when it will post?

I remember in school my friend's (ex) boyfriend used to go to the pub and spend a lot. Then at midnight he would withdraw money when he got paid. More spending. All I want to do is pay a few bills while JI is sleeping.

I can't wait until CC1 is under 1k... Hopefully by next month. I don't want to get my hopes up. (My sidebar isn't accurate so it's not too much to ask)

Okay I'm thinking I might just try and go to sleep now since I haven't got any financial news plus this post is all over the place.

Hubby went to work this morning and found out that he's not back until next week. So I've got him for an extra week. He obviously got his dates mixed up, I just hope that it works out ok pay wise.

Tomorrow is pay day. Or rather today even. I checked my bank balance and it's not updated so it obviously doesn't go in at midnight (It's 1250am here) I wonder when it will post?

I remember in school my friend's (ex) boyfriend used to go to the pub and spend a lot. Then at midnight he would withdraw money when he got paid. More spending. All I want to do is pay a few bills while JI is sleeping.

I can't wait until CC1 is under 1k... Hopefully by next month. I don't want to get my hopes up. (My sidebar isn't accurate so it's not too much to ask)

Okay I'm thinking I might just try and go to sleep now since I haven't got any financial news plus this post is all over the place.

I'm going to refer to Jason as JI from now on. These are his first two initials, just like I refer to SG.

JI is doing well, and SG seems to be getting used to having a little brother (I think) She likes to try and help out, we let her put nappies into the nappy disposal bin, she likes doing it. She will also shout "baby! Baby!" and come running to the kitchen if he is making noises, or crying.

Hubby is back to work on Thursday. I've had it good this time; he took his two weeks paternity leave which he was entitled to and took three weeks holiday.

We've had two takeaways since my last post, but we've not been back to the cafe. I've got an online grocery shop coming this afternoon. I managed to get a delivery slot for £1 which is the cheapest you can get; it'd cost me more to get the bus there. I'm going to attempt a meal plan for this week. If I do another online grocery shop between now and the middle of August, and spend £40 or more, I will get an ecoupon for £20 off my order of £40 or more in the middle of August. I can spend £40 on nappies and formula alone.

We've got three more payments to make on our Christmas savings vouchers. We'll get them in October I think. I need to order a Christmas stocking for JI; I ordered a personalised one for SG about this time last year because it was in the sale. I want to get it before people start their Christmas shopping and prices go up.

I'm writing this on my phone so sorry if there are typos.
its been three weeks since J was born. I'd like to say that there has been no unnecessary spending but I can't. We've ordered takeaway twice - both tines it was my idea. We had enough leftover for dinner the next day. Also we've had lunch out at our local cafe twice.
I'm finding it difficult to get simple things done around the flat, so I know I need a routine. Life is just hectic.

Two days ago (Thursday) I gave birth to my little boy Jason. At home. He is a healthy 7lb 10.5oz. We should be getting home today.

SG decided to wake up at 4.30am. It's been an hour since then. I'm hoping I can get her to go back to sleep within the next few hours.

I only had minimal plans for today: make hubby's Father's Day card and wrap his present. I'll be using blank paper to wrap his present, SG can paint/draw on it to add a personal touch. I also want to do spend some time getting rid of clutter. Of course, all of this depends on me having the energy to actually do this.

I finally spent my £25 Amazon gift card. I ordered a four portion George Foreman. It was on sale. It will replace the one that we have just now which only fits two portions.

I redeemed SBs for a £5 Amazon gift certificate. I'm probably just going to redeem these whenever I can. I told hubby we will use it for a new kettle from Amazon when I've got enough SBs. The one we're using just now was an engagement present - back in 2007 - and it spent years just sitting in its box while we were living with in-laws. It leaks a bit just now but I can't complain.

My mum's coming over for lunch today. The past two weeks I've given her a nice salad. Well I haven't got salad stuff in, so it will have to be pancakes. I told her this, and she's fine with it.

I spoke to the midwife at the hospital yesterday. I asked her what I've to do when I'm in labour, explained that hubby can't drive, we live out of the way. She said I can phone an ambulance and explain my situation. "People have phoned for less" she said. She also said that she checked to make sure that they are expecting me, and they are. I hope she's right.

I'm feeling a bit disheartened that I might not achieve my goals for this year. There's still six months to go so I might make an impact.

I feel like I'm spending most of my time trying to get things done, and maybe not always completing them. I'm in the habit now of spending fifteen minutes a day tidying an area. I am actually pleased with one corner of the kitchen in particular that I worked on the other day. It's nowhere near perfect but it is manageable now. We were in the habit of leaving things there but now I'm trying to nip that in the bud. If I see something that doesn't belong there, I move it.

I'm on countdown now until baby #2 arrives: twelve days to go. I'm back at the hospital tomorrow for more monitoring. I need to find out what I'm doing about transport when I'm there. A hospital taxi brought me home from my surgery so I'm hoping I can get the same when I'm in labour. When I asked the midwife on Monday what I was to do, she just said I should phone the hospital earlier than what I would phone their hospital. For the record, hubby can't drive so he can't take me.

I haven't made any extra food for the freezer yet. I've got some mince in the freezer so I think I will cook that up soon in the slow cooker and freeze the extra portions.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that we had overpaid our rent. I've requested a refund. We'll use some of the money to pay back family. I don't know how long it will take to get refunded, but I'm assuming that it won't be before baby's here. We got the form today to fill in so I'll get that sent this week.

I can't keep filling my blog with random entries, so here's an actual update:

Payday was last week and it was bad. Don't get me wrong it was better than getting sick pay from the government, but it was still pretty bad.

I'm trying to keep spending on food to a minimum. Hubby is picking up a few things when he finishes work so I hope he sticks to the list.

Less than three weeks until the baby is due. I need to narrow down some girls names just in case. If it's a boy we're sorted. I don't know about everyone else but I find it so difficult picking a girls name. Maybe I'm just too fussy.

If the time on the blog is right it's almost ten to five. Well it's afternoon here.

Good morning everyone!

I haven't been away from the blogs that long and I come back and there's more spam.

It's not a sum, it's how far along I am. I've started packing my hospital bag, it should be done within the next few days.

I also need to write a list for hubby in case I go over my due date and I am in hospital next payday. There are a few bills that need to be paid on payday so I want to make sure he will handle that. I know he will.

The weather's been nice here recently, so I haven't been cooking a lot, we've had a lot of salads and pasta. I need to make sure I start making extra soon so I can freeze it.

I'm looking forward to my fellow SA bloggers waking up so I can read some actual blogs.

What's with all of the spam blogs? I'm not even sure how to report it.

It's not been the most exciting of weeks. I was at the hospital on Monday and Tuesday. I seen my consultant. It's been decided that I won't have the baby at my local hospital because there's no surgeons there. Instead, I will be in the same hospital that I had my surgeries in, and there will be a surgeon on standby just in case. She made it clear that surgery is a last resort, they don't want to do it because I still haven't recovered internally from my last surgery.

Since I won't be in my local hospital, I'll be expecting less visitors since only my uncle lives near this hospital. Of course, I'm hoping I won't be in long enough to get visitors since it's my second.

I'm back at the hospital tomorrow. My consultant wants the baby to be monitored every week - either once or twice a week - until my due date.

With all of that time spent at the hospital, I was beginning to think that my aim to declutter was a lost cause. I'm feeling more hopeful now. This morning I set a timer for twenty minutes and me and hubby got to work. We kept on working after the timer went off, hubby more than me, and the living room is looking so much better.

No financial news, although it is payday this week. However since I only worked half my hours it won't be much. Also, my automatic savings transfers should start back up (I skipped the last four weeks because of money)

Based on my new definition of productive, which is: spending at least twenty minutes getting rid of clutter.

Yesterday morning I sorted out one of the shelves in the cabinet/display unit in the livingroom. Today I tackled the other two. Some of the things I had to do to tidy up/declutter were so simple: put the camcorder back in its case (I'm not sure when it was last used), throw away old receipts and bus tickets, put medicine in the bathroom.

It's not even 10am yet and I've got a beef casserole cooking in the slow cooker for tonight's dinner. I'm feeling really organised today.

I'm not sure how much I'll get done tomorrow; I've got a scan tomorrow morning so I will be out of the house for a few hours. At this point though - almost 36 weeks into my pregnancy - I'll be pleased if I am able to spend more than ten minutes getting rid of clutter.

Acting on the advice of others on my previous post, this morning I set the timer for thirty minutes and began to tackle the livingroom. There's one area in particular that is really bad. It's weeks of mail, toys and clothes that need putting away etc piling up. I attempted that area this morning. I was doing well until SG wanted my attention, so I probably only really spent twenty mins doing it. I was so tired afterwards that I went for a nap when SG went for hers and I slept for the whole time (an hour). I might tackle the rest of it today, or let hubby do it.

I completely underestimated how exhausted I would be, although I do like the idea of setting a timer.Tomorrow I will do the same; I'll let hubby know today when he comes home.

Baby #2 due in five weeks. I have an appointment to see the midwife today. Next week I've got three appointments at the hospital, although two of them are scans.

I borrowed thirty pounds from my mum. Payday is over a week away and I had less than five pounds in my account. I'm consoling myself with the fact that it was only thirty pounds, and not more.

I finished up at work yesterday. I'm taking holidays first then starting my maternity leave.

I found out that we have been overpaying our rent. It's my fault because I didn't understand the benefit letter that we got so I just kept paying the same amount. I really should have phoned them then but I didn't. The woman I spoke to said we could have a refund, or the council will just take our rent balance each month off the amount. I agreed to the latter then thought should I have re-considered? I will need to phone them soon anyway when my maternity pay starts because my circumstances have changed.

I want to start doing two things now that I've finished up at work: decluttering and freezing meals for when baby is here. Although I want to get a lot done I'm going to take things slowly. I can see myself writing lists, with small tasks to complete each day. I know for sure that I don't want to spend all day sorting out clutter because I can't manage to do that, so maybe a set amount of time each day? We'll see.

I started back at work on Tuesday. No-one seems to know what to do with me, so they sent me back to my old department. I've only been working five hour shifts but I am coming home exhausted as though I've worked a full day. My other problem is that I'm hungry when I finish so I'm tempted to buy stuff. I finish at lunch time. When I finished yesterday I bought some milk and fruit. I was so hungry I started eating the fruit on the bus on the way home. I will probably start taking something with me to eat when I finish, other wise I'm going to end up spending money I don't have.

I still haven't officially worked out my maternity leave because the people manager is off, but I'm thinking in a few weeks I will finish up.

I paid CC1 this morning, just over the minimum. I look forward to the day when I'm back to paying loads extra.

Well, I phoned work yesterday to find out the reason for my low pay. The company only pays twelve weeks of sick pay; I've used all mine. My pay was government sick pay.

Hubby came home from work and checked his balance. His pay was worse than mine!! We worked it out and it's because he took sick days when I was first out of hospital. It was at that moment that I decided to withdraw one hundred pounds from the EF. Does this qualify as an emergency? To us at this point yes. I just want to make sure we can pay everything. I didn't want to withdraw the money but I can't see any other option. We've already borrowed money from family before so i don't want to do that again - although I suspect my mum might offer if I mentioned it but that would be 20-30 pounds and we need more. Goodbye goal of even reaching 200 pounds this year.

I'm trying to spend as little as possible on food shopping. I ordered from a website called Approved Foods to fill up our cupboards. They sell food that is close to or past its sell by date. It's all dry foods though. That was almost forty pounds but I ordered a lot. We should only need to buy some fresh meat and bread and milk. We go through a lot of milk, especially since I try to make sure that I drink a pint a day.

I also decided yesterday that I need to claim for my first hospital visit in December. I need to do it before next month when it's been six months. I can fill in the form today and get it sent. Hopefully they will process it this month.