Feeling loopy!!!

A question about : Feeling loopy!!!

After lurking on here for a good while I've decided to start my very own diary The funny thing is, that since me & OH got together, we are the skintest we've ever been, so possibly the worst time to be a MFW but I'm determined!

We moved into our family home in May 2014 and took out a Ј90K mortgage over 20 years at a fixed rate of 3.1%. We are paying Ј505 a month. Currently, I'll be mortgage free when I'm 47 which is pretty good, however OH will be 69 So any improvement on that will be a bonus!!

We have a 1-year-old daughter, and I'm due with our last baby in about 7 weeks. My OH also has 2 sons, 1 is in his 20s & the other is 17. I'll be leaving work in a couple of weeks so my pay will drop to SMP

My OH has a car loan which ends in 2 years and a Ј388.46 balance on his credit card. I have a Ј211.12 balance on mine & will try my best to clear them both on pay day. We may need to use one of them again next month but at least we won't be charged interest, and will get some clubcard points We do have over Ј200 in savings but I'm trying not to touch them!!

The plan is to split any spare income we have after bills between savings, pensions, having a bit of a life and mortgage ops. I'm not sure on figures yet but even if it's low it's better than nothing We have already made a lot of changes this year, including:

- Switching supermarkets... Ditching TЈsco for A!di. Saving loads there!
- Changing our joint account to Santander 123 for their cashback. Our mortgage is with them & according to their online calculator we will get over Ј100 a month!!
- opening up a TSB 5% interest account for our savings
- Registering for childcare vouchers, so saving a total of around Ј130 a month. When I go onto SMP my employer won't be able to deduct anything from my pay but will still need to pay for my childcare vouchers
- Telling Sky that they're too expensive, resulting in a Ј20 a month reduction
- Accruing Ј80 worth of cashback from TCB just from purchases we would've made anyway
- Selling lots of items. I love de-cluttering!!

I have to say that while I love saving money, OH isn't as bothered. He isn't a spendaholic luckily and his luxuries are pretty simple but it's the little things he does that adds up, such as buying pre-packed sandwiches when he's feeling too lazy to make his own. I control the finances except his current account but I have to remind him to check it so that he doesn't go overdrawn. He has spent most of his adult life in debt & it's doesn't bothered him whereas I hate it with a passion!!!

I will stop waffling on now and will read some more diaries to keep me motivated I am planning a NSD, just going to see one of my best friends this afternoon for a hot chocolate round her house. If I get time I will also nip into town to get DD's feet measured, but won't be buying any new shoes until payday.

Happy Sunday!!!

Best answers:

• Great start to your diary. I'll subscribe!
• If you get dd's feet measured, would you be happy to buy online and maybe get some cashback?
• ^^ my perfect evening right there!
• Hello, just checking in before I have to go out in the pouring rain to the dentist Can't really think of anything worse to do on a Monday afternoon!! Still, thanks to my maternity exemption card, the trip out shouldn't cost me a penny, so not all bad
  I was playing about on my spreadsheet this morning & next month is going to be pretty tight. However, I am waiting for about Ј80 to come through from TCB which will help. Plus I logged onto my BG account and saw that we're over Ј500 in credit!!! I've submitted today's meter readings so once they recalculate our bill I will request a refund of the new amount
  I have 2 items on eBay ending today. One has bids on and the other has a couple of watchers so fingers crossed that one also sells
  Hope everyone is having a good day, despite the weather!! Can't wait for the dryer, warmer days xxx
• Hello!!
  It's a beautiful sunny day here Hoping it's the first of many!! Life seems so much better when the sun is shining. Another good thing is that it's pancake day!! I love pancakes - I usually have mine with strawberry jam mmmmm.
  Pleased to say that the dentist trip yesterday went well. DD has her back molars coming through bless her, so I imagine I'll be buying a fair bit of Calpol over the next few weeks My teeth are fine but my gums are suffering, apparently common when pregnant. Not long now and they'll be back to normal Yesterday was also a NSD which is fab.
  I've just been onto the British Gas web-site to see if they've altered our balance due to the new meter readings. They have, and now we're only Ј1.50 in credit We obviously used a lot of energy over the winter!! Common I know but still annoying. Will try and not put the central heating on as much now.
  One item sold on eBay yesterday only Ј2 but every little helps!! Just waiting for the buyer to pay up & then I'll send it. Need to advertise some more things now but I'm feeling really tired & don't have the energy. I just want to chill. Will see how I feel a bit later. Lack of sleep from being pregnant, plus being at work in the mornings & looking after a toddler in the afternoons is hard work!!
  OH is popping to the supermarket after work to get a few items that we need for tonight/tomorrow morning, so sadly won't be a NSD. Just hope he doesn't go crazy - I normally like to do the food shop as I'm very careful & make sure I'm buying the best valued items. He's going to get some eggs so that we can make pancakes later Although I'm not sure I'll have any room after dinner, we're having spaghetti bolognese.
  Right, need to do a shopping list now so that I can do a proper weekly shop tomorrow after work. I usually look at what we've got in the cupboards first and work around that, but I know we don't have much left for meals. Great that we're not wasting anything but will probably mean a more expensive shopping trip.
  Enjoy the rest of your day!!
• This is why I do the food shopping... Ј2.50 for 4 cans of baked beans!!! My OH is a bit of a brand snob. I'm trying to turn him though... God loves a trier
  On a positive note, I sold the unsold eBay item today for Ј30 I decided to advertise it again on the local FB site & someone offered me Ј20, however I managed to get an extra tenner woop Seeing as DD's new shoes come to the same amount, I will use the cash to pay for them when I go to collect later in the week.
  So far I have made Ј73 this month by selling items that have been lying around. That's not bad!! And I'm loving the less cluttered house. Still a long way to go though.
  OH is now cooking our spag bol, and it smells delicious DD is tucked up in bed, so my feet are up and going to enjoy a relaxing evening of eating yummy food and watching dramatic soap operas Very rock n roll!!
• Well it's another lovely sunny day today So glad to be home and not at work. A colleague told me something this morning about her daughter, and it made me want to cry. I won't say on here as you don't know who's reading, but I couldn't wait to pick my daughter up from nursery and give her a cuddle. I don't know how to deal with my colleague now, but to be fair I've only got 7 mornings left before my maternity leave starts, so I'll just suck it up for now.
  Sold another 2 items this morning for Ј4. The buyer wanted another item too that I was selling for Ј5, she claimed she told me but I didn't get that message. Bit gutted but never mind!! Also did the food shop but only bought enough to last until Saturday as I need to look at some new recipes, so only spent Ј10
  Been looking at my money spreadsheet again, and due to the arrival of our 2nd daughter in March/April, it's going to be a tight couple of months. However if we stick to the budget we should be in a much better position in May, despite me being on SMP. My car tax & insurance is due early April which doesn't help, but these things happen!!
  Tonight I'm going to my friend's house with the girls for a pancake party Looking forward to seeing them all, and stuffing my face with yet more pancakes Hehe
• Hi loopybecs
  All about finding money from places you didn't think possible ( ebay your clutter, reducing bills, changing your supermarket ) and it all adds up.
  You seem to be doing really well ( non alcoholic obviously for a pregnant lady )
  Will definitely be keeping an eye on your diary and congratulations for March/April and the new arrival
  Enjoy your pancake party this evening with the girls
• Thanks Vinny The pancake party was good, I ate 4 of them!! What a piggy!! Couldn't resist though, they were delicious. Was nice to see my friends. Seeing most of them this afternoon after work too, as one of their sons is 5 today and he's having a birthday party. So I imagine more naughty food will be had
  I'm a bit worried about my Santander 123 account. They still haven't done the switch over. Think I'm going to have to call them later, as they said they'd do it straight away on 11th Feb. So it's been 8 days now. Or am I just being impatient? I'll see what they say anyway.
  Should be a NSD today
  Have a good day everyone x
• Wow, I forgot how exhausting kids parties are!! My poor friend's house is trashed!! The birthday boy seemed to enjoy himself though, and DD had a great time. I just sat and watched near the buffet
  OH has run out of his favourite cereal It's like the world has ended, and god forbid he eats any of the other cereals we have in the cupboard As a result today won't be a NSD as he's picking up a new box after work. Never mind!!
  On the plus side, the Santander switch happened today I was about to call them, but thought I'd best check again, and it had been done. Exciting times Can't wait to see the cashback rolling in.
  I'm knackered so tonight I'm just going to chill in front of the TV and eat a yummy dinner that OH will cook for us. Almost the weekend, and then just one more week left at work Hooray!!!
• Haha Pushkin, very true!! He decided he couldn't be bothered to go to the supermarket though, so back to being a NSD I'm sure he'll have a tantrum in the morning when he remembers that he's run out haha
• It's the weekend!!!!
  Good job really, as I'm so tired... Was nearly falling asleep at my desk earlier!!
  We went to collect DD's shoes after work, and got some fuel, so just under Ј50 spent but needs must. DD had a meltdown in the shop as she wanted to wear her old shoes instead of her new ones lol, hopefully she will grow to love them, they cost enough!!
  I keep getting e-mails from my favourite stores trying to lure me in to buy their products. It wasn't that long ago when I would've thought nothing of spending the day in the shopping centre and blowing Ј500 on clothes, shoes, and stuff. A lot of it would then sit in my wardrobe, with the tags on, gathering dust, and then I'd sell them. What a waste The shops have had so much money out of me over the years. I'm loving my new attitude towards it all. I ask myself if I need it, and 9 times out of 10 it's no, so I don't buy it
  Tonight is another quiet one. I need to meal plan for the week, but struggling to think of meals I fancy. I'm lacking inspiration, so need to try and get my brain in gear! x
• Amazing how much stuff we don't need when we think about it isn't it LB!
  I wish I'd have realised it sooner too but no use crying over split milk etc. at least we're on the money saving path now!
  SR
• Indeed SR Better late than never!
  Well it's not even 9am and I have got up, sorted breakfast for me & DD, cleaned up the kitchen, cleaned the fridge, and made a start on some more decluttering. I've put some of DD's old clothes in a bag for the charity shop. Sadly she was a very sicky baby & a lot of her clothes are only ok for the rubbish, so have had to throw away a fair few items. They didn't smell too fresh, despite washing them!!
  I've managed to delay doing the weekly food shop until tomorrow OH has had to go to work for a bit, and he's going to get a couple of ingredients for dinner on the way home, as well as some snacks for my trip to the cinema tonight Me & my friends are going to watch the 50 Shades film, and I refuse to buy snacks there as its so expensive. My brother works at the cinema, so we are going for free!!
  Right, gonna do some more decluttering now, and will hopefully sell some more unwanted stuff Have a good day!!
• Good morning!! Sat here watching Jamie's 15 minute meals and wondering how much it would cost to buy all the ingredients!! His meals may be quick and healthy, but not very cheap. I'm about to do the weekly food shop which will hopefully mean I don't need to go again until March, and sadly my meals aren't nearly as exciting as his!! Still, money is more important right now.
  Had a lovely time at the cinema last night. The night cost Ј2 in total as the tickets were free and OH bought some snacks for me from Mr T. My friends bought snacks at the cinema and I couldn't believe how much they paid!! A large drink was Ј5.10 Crazy!!
  We have DSS2 coming round today for dinner. OH is going to do a cottage pie Other than that it's just going to be a day of catching up with the laundry, cleaning the kitchen, and ebaying more items 5 days til pay day, can't wait!!
  Have a lovely Sunday everyone x
• Change of plan... DSS2 is not feeling well, so isn't coming round today. The weather is miserable so looks like a chilled afternoon at home for us. DD is about to go down for a nap and OH is reading his book, so I've just put some items on my local FB selling site and made myself a hot chocolate Laundry is done so my feet are up!
  The food shop went well, I bought loads including treats and it only came to Ј50 We've spent Ј203.03 this month on food. We used to spend Ј450-Ј500!!! It does mean I have to go to Aldi first and then go to Tesco for items that Aldi didn't have, so a bit of a hassle, plus I don't really enjoy the whole shopping experience at Aldi for a number of reasons, but it is SO worth it!! It's only once a week, I can put up with it
• massive saving on shopping well done
  do you OP with the saving you have made or ?