Ehhh and Yay

So, the ehhh news first. Baby is gaining weight - too much weight - much too rapidly. Her length and head measurements are fine, but she is really stacking on the pounds, and there is a suspicion that I've finally lost my extremely lucky streak and might have gestational diabetes. I am waiting on the results of a glucose tolerance test to check for sure but my "last possible eviction date" has been pulled closer either way and it looks as though I'll be having her in the hospital. This is quite ok, because it's not about me, it's about her. Stay tuned.

I managed to get hold of two large knee-length skirts today for £2 because finding huge nightdresses for labour was impossible and I'm not going to keep trying over and over while time ticks over. I also went into a somewhat expensive department store today hoping to get maternity bras that fit - being a Lady Of Size™, I have already exhausted all the cheap-optioned shops attempting this so I didn't have many options left. To my relief, the very first one I tried on fit perfectly (this is a first, in my entire life, since as most larger women will know, the usual caper is trying on fifteen bras and then opting for the least-irritating one in disgust). £30 on a set of two, which is still £30 I didn't have, but it is done. We won't mention the fact that it took three different cards before I was successful and didn't get declined.

I also got an email for a free draw from Rev Comps, for no reason except it's Friday, and no, I did not win the free draw (for a PlayStation 5; well actually, it hasn't been drawn yet) but while checking out my free ticket I saw that I was down to £20 of my free £100 prize credit. So I spent £6 of it on tickets for the prize credit draws. And I won another £250 in credit 😂 so not a bad shout all round and giving me the chance to win about another 25 cars. Well, another 25 lots of cash alternatives to pay out my home loan. Gotta be positive, right?

Hospital Bag Packing in progress. I have also bought a large second-hand rug for a tenner, for the kidlet corner of my flat (had the cash in my purse already) and I'm very pleased with it, hopefully I'll be able to shampoo it in the next couple of days. This month truly is skint. But I've applied for the second council Household Support payment and I'm sure I'll make it somehow until then. There is also money left in my work rewards account which can be used on Amazon, or one of my less-favoured supermarkets, so there are still options. The house has plenty of food, the car has fuel, and I think the only things left to buy will be less than a fiver 👍 Oh! And finally settled on her name 😊 plus I also have a well-overdue haircut booked. #adulting 😂

Postscript: I initiated a new bank account with Lloyds for the £175 switch bonus and in the process I will be ditching one of my useless accounts with Totally Shit Bank. Lloyds will cost me £3 per month, but in return I'll get free Disney+ to watch, so all up I think it's a win (and I can, in theory, switch away again fairly soon, to another existing bank of mine, for another bonus and the end of the Lloyds £3 fee).

Postscript 2: Sofa taken! Goneski. Very relieved to have the space.

Loose Threads

So I went into Food Club once I'd burned through the TGTG haul. Seeing as I haven't really cooked for a week - I had just bought food when I got first the salad bag then the sandwich bag - I really didn't need tinned food from Food Club. But I wanted to make the trip anyway, to get some other cupboard staples, and see what else they had.

Well, they had a lovely array of snacks (it's been a while!) so I've come home with a mystery bag of cakes. Turns out they are double-chocolate orange muffins, croissants, and halloween donuts, and also really lovely. I also went across the road to Fave Supermarket Chain (double duty from the car!) to get some items that I need for my hospital bag. I picked up a family assortment of biscuits, a box of chocolates and some sweets (all for the midwives!) plus, of course, the kinds of snacks I might like to eat during labour. Along with the standard Fave Soft Drink (in cans, so I can take it with me) I have overall spent way too much today. But I suppose it needed doing.

The whole exercise was absolutely exhausting and I am belatedly realising that my fitness is certainly not what it once was 😂 and that's the understatement of the year! But I'm otherwise feeling good and feeling well. And finally, I am feeling organised. I have everything that I need and know where it all is. Plus, I have my final ultrasound and measurement this week to make sure everything's on track. I don't expect any surprises as things have been so terribly routine and boring at every check up for the past six months. 😊 Exactly the way it should be.

Spent: £5 of my bonus from work on Raspberry Leaf Tea from Amazon. It's awful, tastes like grass, but it's supposed to be a good idea. I still have £32 in that bonus account and I get another £20 or so in a few weeks' time. 😊

Outstanding

Thank you, Too Good To Go, and thank you, One Stop convenience store.

So as you can see, my second attempt at a convenience store was incredible. This all cost me £1.99. I have had to play a game of serious Fridge Tetris. I've given away some of the sandwiches, fruit, salad and bread. Yesterday I ate a wrap for dinner and then had another one as a late snack... today I've had one of the chicken sandwiches with my breakfast banana, and eaten the packaged salad as my lunch, and I plan to eat the pasta salad for an early dinner, while cooking the prepped vegetables for eating over the next few days. Here was I hoping to get a sandwich or two, or perhaps one ready meal for a dinner... safe to say I'll definitely be looking out for this same store in future.

Antenatal class tonight where they'll have plates of fruit and cakes... well, I suppose cake is the only thing I didn't get for free this week (and I skipped Food Club today) so I might be naughty and just eat cakes.

Received: £5 from Prolific. Spendy: way too much, on snacks for my hospital bag (including snacks etc for the midwives!).

Not Trusting My Gut

A few years back I joined Too Good To Go, an app where you can buy heavily-discounted food from nearby retailers which would otherwise go to waste. It didn't seem worth it, but lately it looks better. I ended up paying for a "surprise bag" from a convenience store, for £1.99, but sadly, it cancelled. So I then reserved one from a well-known restaurant chain known for £3.00.

Well I arrived right on time and filled three bowls of mixed salads plus got three bread rolls, and to be honest? Dinner was underwhelming. Factoring in my fuel, it wasn't really the greatest value. So I opened Olio and responded to four items, but even after two hours! the girl did not respond to my requests. Tired, grumpy, eventually I left her a one star rating.

I'm going to stick to my earlier idea and try to get a convenience store pickup and see how I go.

Achievements: Finally finished cleaning up the pram frame (scrubbed with soap and is now sat in the rain "rinsing" - see, there's always a good side to the rain). I've assembled all the clean covers on the pram's seat module too and put the belts back in place. In a moment I'm bringing in the baby car seat and will clean that up. All the baby clothes are successfully sorted too. 👍

My payment from PureProfile has landed (£10) and Swagbucks has paid me £20 for Boring Merging Game. Currently playing Irritatingly Laggy Bingo game on a different site, we'll see how this goes.

Several Mistakes Were Made

So I managed to finish washing and drying all the baby clothes, and sat down to sort them all out. At this point I realised: I had tons and tons, but almost none of them in the size I'd need when baby first comes home. This was immensely frustrating, so I took myself back to the baby bank and got a couple more bags of stuff.

Side note: I nabbed a cool baby floor playgym thing (no toys included but it has the mat and stand etc and I can add any that I like myself). I also got a cool booster seat high chair thing, can either sit on the floor with its own tray, or be attached to a dining chair. Exactly the kind I had wanted.

So after my foray into the baby bank, I made double-duty of the driving (yay adulting) and went off to the supermarket. At this point it was after 12 and I wasn't feeling great, having not really eaten breakfast and somehow convincing myself that I'm still about 30 and just fine without food until mid-afternoon. Sat in the carpark shovelling an apple... decided I was ok to go in. I was clearly not, as I bought a few things I needed, but neglected to really buy any snack food (really?!) or meals.

Except for my reduced stone-baked veggie supreme fresh pizza. Which is delicious, by the way. Anyway.

I then fought with the till trying to use a gift card before the kind attendant printed the transaction receipt for it, showing it had been used. I then fought with the too many groceries and somehow lugged them all to the car in a basket and various bags. (Why do I not just treat myself to a trolley? I've even got a token thingy for them.) Got in the car absolutely exhausted. Eventually drove home, lugged it all inside, put the cold stuff away, collapsed (exhausted). Did not move until I'd demolished a Cornish pasty and a snack bar, and had a large glass of water. I then turned and happened to look at my shelf, where I saw... two bags of baby clothes and a box of baby clothes.

Yes, dear Reader, they were, in fact, mostly items in newborn size. Collected, washed and put aside at some point, then completely forgotten.

And yes, the new bags full of newborn clothing are in the washer right now. Do I never learn?

Awareness

Another great (and very informative) antenatal class last night. One which jolted me a little bit on the things I should have already arranged or done. Mostly, the hospital bag isn't packed and really should be sorted out this week. But I also need to clean the new car seat and also the pram base.

I was determined to do so much organising today and then slept like microwaved garbage last night, so I am sitting down now with my second coffee of the day and trying to get myself more alert. The carpet is still damp in the area I had planned to do my rearranging in, meaning stuff is all over my bed instead, which is both annoying but good because it stops me trundling off for a four-hour nap 😁

Another couple of loads of washing done, mostly baby clothes. I don't just have too many, I have too many in the "spares, because I really don't need this many" pile. I did, however, manage to wash the cover and liner of the pram and also the bigger baby carrier, so that's a start.

Spendy McSpenderson: a pregnancy ball off Amazon (£9) and (gasp) a ticket to see Suede and The Manic Street Preachers next year at Eden (£72) - this one's my treat to myself and I can take kiddo with me, who I'm sure will cope ok in ear defenders and a portable bassinet. I might be living in cloud cuckoo land on whether she'll be chill about it all, but there are plenty of small kids at Eden Sessions gigs, it's not an especially loud venue to begin with, and we'll hopefully be able to use the "relaxed viewing area" for people with sensory needs, meaning I can sit with her and there's room for her to sit and sleep safely 😊

PostScript: Got two tickets into the "Relaxed Viewing Area" (at no charge and without even asking for two slots, or mentioning kiddo). Thank you, Eden!

The Concoction

One broccoli & cheese pasta sauce packet from Food Club, two spoonfuls of expired-but-free tinned pinto beans, a third of a tin of corn kernels, a third of a tin of peas, all also from Food Club. Result? Yummy. I sorted the daily protein out with some eggy bread for dinner. Again, an all-Food-Club meal.

I was very slack and skipped the Pregnancy Supper Club last night. Just wasn't in the mood for it, having had a bit of a stressful few days. The last couple of meetups have been ok but I've not made any friends or really been in contact with anyone from them, and there was no "activity" planned except for a "swap meet" which I had nothing to contribute to, anyway. I missed out on fruit, dips, and bread, but I had food here anyway.

I have had a really good day so far, went into Food Club and managed to get a free pack of falafel and a prepped salad to go with it for dinner tonight. I also nabbed some pears, pastries, mini pizzas, and who can resist a strawberry donut with sprinkles? 😊 There are more changes in the shop part... the chili con carne tins are back 😁 but they're now restricting tins 😑 so instead of buying a chicken curry tin like I'd wanted to, I was forced to choose a pack of fish fingers instead. I don't really understand their reasoning unless someone was abusing things, but it is what it is and I still went home with a good option anyway.

I also had a great antenatal appointment with my midwife, she really is brilliant, except she's now thinking the birth centre might not be a good choice - get this - because my last birth was so fast/easy. I told her I might just arrive waaaay early and then walk around the carpark for hours before going in, if they're that insistent on people not turning up in early labour. She laughed, and said, well, if you turn up really early there's nothing they can do about that!

I didn't make level 20 on that game, but I did make the last checkpoint of level 18, which pays decently and should go into my account in the next few days. I've installed a new bingo game (there seems to be a never-ending stream of these) so we'll see how this goes.

I've used more site credit and now have a ticket to win a Jaguar...

Bodybuilding

That was me, yesterday, moving heavy stuff around. Let's pretend that I actually want to win the Mr Universe title. 💪 There was a lot of huffing and puffing, I was definitely blowing like a marathon runner! I definitely did more heavy lifting than was probably a good idea for a certified lazy couch potato. The flat rearrangement is now about half done (and today's hefting took care of the hardest part). Most of what's left is literally bags and random boxes of stuff which needs going through (my clothes, baby's clothes, random junk). Not too strenuous 😊 I also managed to hoover all the floor space which was free (not a great deal) and shampoo one tiny section of carpet - I can only do a small patch at a time as it will need to dry before I move furniture onto it, then repeat with each new section. The flat smells nice and fragrant from the shampoo 😊

Another item I don't need has been discovered today - I will take it back for store credit soon. It's from a supermarket I detest, but hey, if they say yes then it's still free money to spend on some kind of shopping essentials.

Bills all paid for the week ✔

My hip/bum muscles are sore, from, you know, actually doing productive housework but I feel pretty pleased that finally I'm at least getting a few things done.

Enlightenment

I went along to the antenatal class, and what a breath of fresh air it was. It's really opened my eyes as to how lacking the online course provided by the NHS actually is, and I am sad for all the women for whom that's all there is. Why is this brilliant in-person course the responsibility of a charity? It's inhuman. There are women going into labour who don't understand what's going on. We deserve better.

Achievement of the day: I cooked Spag Bol from scratch and even included porridge oats (which I've never done before but it worked out brilliantly). Three meals are in my freezer, and I ate one (absolutely delicious) plus two more are in my fridge. Adulting! 👍

Reached another milestone on the game. I think it's the last one I will meet before the time is up. It's £20 in my hand though, so let's see. Small item sold on Vinted (£3.50). Also spent more free credit on a raffle ticket for an Aston Martin (well, for £120,000 in cash). Fingers crossed.

Manifesting The Jeep

So I did not buy 18 more tickets on the Bentley. Instead, I bought one ticket on the Jeep, and two more raffle tickets on the lucky dip. All free, of course, using my site credit (I still have £85 in credit and I'll just wait for more interesting draws to use it up). I still don't want the car, so I'm only choosing draws where you can take the prize as cash. It will be nice to have a chunk of cash when I win. Manifesting.

I also found an item of clothing that I bought but no longer need or want, and realised it was from Old Fave supermarket, so off I went to get a refund and to spend my vouchers. I got my £7 worth of store credit, filled my basket, then promptly forgot about the vouchers and paid the other £9 by card. I realised what I'd done as I was walking to the car. Never mind, I also forgot 4 items I'd wanted, so back I went and spent some of the vouchers.

The local free antenatal class which I'd missed out on has had an opening come up - meaning I don't need to spend £100+ on driving to one six times in the next town. So I'm very pleased about that. Apparently I've only missed the "getting to know you" session which didn't much interest me in the first place. I attend the second session this week and it's a 10 minute walk. 😊

The tax office has sent me a mean letter and is evidently not happy with my self-created payment plan. I've just waited through half an hour of dog-awful waiting music... 🎵 ...but on the plus side, the advisor was lovely and has allowed me to pay less, and will put the mean letter on hold until January when they'll reassess me. Huge win.

Food club gave me free eggs, a tin of white beans, a bag of bread rolls and a mystery pastry bag - which had two lovely chocolate croissants, eagerly demolished. There's some frustrating substitution going on in the buying section, the loo roll now looks half the size it used to be and the protein options have diminished... so I just bought a small basket full, and will try to remember the price is great, and it still helps me. 😊

Platinum Linings

I feel much better after some proper self-care. 😊

And here I am in the world without internet data. Well, severely speed-throttled. To my absolute surprise, the game is still playable. And I can still read any web page I care to read, it just requires a little patience for it to load. I'll pretend I'm back in the year 2000 and dial-up was the only speed we had. And I'll enact gratefulness that I even have access to the world in this way.

Today I "cooked" chili con carne, as in, I made rice and mixed in a tin, then added mushrooms and carrots. Two meals from that tin, so one goes into my fridge as a ready meal. The other has been eaten for lunch and was absolutely delicious. I'm conscious that the weeks are ticking by so I'm trying to maintain at least a weeks' worth of instant dinners, between the fridge and the freezer. Green veg are now exhausted in my kitchen though so it's off to Food Club for me.

I did a quick check of my bank statement and I've cashed out £110 from my programmes over the past month. Not terrible, but not enough, so it's time to knuckle down. Then I realised I needed to earn eight pounds (and have it actually land in my bank account) to avoid missing my next bill. Prolific is a site that credits instantly for some surveys... a couple of surveys completed, job done! 😁

Freebie: I bought a RevComps ticket in the draw to win a Bentley, using my site credit, which I get just by visiting each day. Well, I don't really want the Bentley, but I can take it as £70,000 cash when I win (I said "when"... manifesting). I also, at the same time, used £1 of the credit on a lucky dip ticket, and I won £100 in site credit! So the important question is... do I buy 18 more tickets on the Bentley? 😂

Sluggy Slugface

I actually cancelled on a social thing with my workmates today - I am feeling seriously sluggish and slept really poorly. It's so frustrating because I know I do need to get out and be around humans on a regular basis, but cursing one's insides is not the best when it comes to being good company.

Despite my self-imposed TV ban, I expect to go over my data limit tonight or tomorrow, which means being throttled to tin can speeds for a few days. I'm not even sure that the slower connection will make life functional on the game I'm desperately trying to hit payout for before the time limit arrives. We shall see.

In my Data Diet, I've been re-reading a blog that I love, The Escape Artist. Barney Whiter is an ex-corporate financial guru who "saved himself free" from the rat race using smart financial tactics. He now works as a freelance financial advisor - but only when he wants to - and his blog is really refreshing reading.

This morning is actually chilly enough to need the heater. I've got the blower on a quick blast, because the large slow one is currently piled in some stuff. Time to do more rearranging, methinks.

Spendy McSpenderson: £17 on a fabric and upholstery steamer. I have quite a few preloved things that can't really be washed, so here we are.

Crankypants

For the first time in forever I'm coming close to my data limit for internet... I know it's all the tv-bingeing I've been at lately. So for the next four days I need to behave, and lay off the documentaries. 😁 I foresee a few days of playing my old games!

Spendy McSpenderson: I have ordered a new mouse for £6 from eBay, as the one I have is dying.

Cashed out: Nielsen £5 supermarket card.

Free: another baby car seat, from the baby bank. This one doesn't fit on my pram base, but it IS isofix standard, so will be simple to take in and out of the car to go shopping, and fit snugly into the car. I also got some bits and pieces which should be useful, like a stacking ring toy, a couple of kitchen items and some more tiny clothes.

Grateful for: Poppet, who chatted to me for hours, was a brilliant distraction, AND also made me laugh.

Finally, Payment Received

I would not call it easy to get myself verified... but it is done now and I have been paid for the first time by ySense, which PayPal greedily chomped into via their poor exchange rate, of course. But all up I have received £40 and will add them to my Surveys list soon.

I had planned to go to the baby bank today but they've changed their opening days. My day is now discombobulated. I should be appreciating the free time, but I'm sat here not wanting to do any of the things that I really should be doing 😁 I did go and get my other two new tyres, though.

I've officially transitioned onto my maternity pay. First week of this (even alongside a £200 pay from second job) I have had to delay one of my repayments to avoid going negative in my current account. I bought fuel this week and also paid my electric bill, both on my cheapest credit cards. Unfortunately, the two new tyres had to go onto my poison-ivy (highest interest rate) card, as it was the only one with room, and my spreadsheet is now shouting at me in red. 😒 So here it is, my wake-up call to get busier earning the extra cash, and properly get more surveys done.

Cashed out: £10 from Swagbucks (thank you, boring merge game) and £40 from ySense.

I've Been Selected

to test some kind of home laundry product. This was through a survey site that I'm a member of. I can't say which one (or what I'm testing - mainly because I don't know yet) but right now I'm just pleased to get some kind of freebie coming in the mail AND that they'll pay me fairly well for my feedback on it. Winner!

Today: actually managed to finally pull the sofa apart and attach new legs. Tomorrow I perform the reinforcement and cosmetic tidy-up. On removing the throws which have adorned it, I realised it has some grubby marks, which is annoying, but I'll attempt to give it a clean up and see how I go. Currently exhausted from the exertion of lifting one side about 3729 times to line the new legs up underneath. (I even did it while sitting on the floor. I think most of the exhaustion was simply getting myself up off the floor! 😂)

When you want to slap someone: our neighbour has been using our backyard (very little proof so we let it go) but this week I see that she is gardening in there and cutting back our ivy (!!!!). I am furious, as are two other owners, and an anonymous polite version of "could you please fuck off" note is going into her letterbox this morning.

Still playing: the ridiculously time-sucking merging game. It's crediting me every few days, but the targets are taking longer and longer to reach...

Cashed out: £5 from Crowdology, 74p from Qmee

Twelve Down

...eight to go. The pin arrived in the nick of time and all 20 transactions need to be done by today. I'm sure the till operator was concerned when I did 12 individual transactions through the self-scan yesterday but to his credit he didn't say a word. All 12 of them are showing as "pending" with yesterday's date in my internet banking and I'll go back and do 8 more today. Hopefully the bank counts them all as on time.

I've been for an antenatal scan and appointment and four separate concerns were cleared during the scan, which is amazing news. Everything looks like it will now have a good chance at going to plan. I get two more jabs this coming week and it's time to really knuckle down and rearrange the things I will need (and rearrange my flat).

I did manage to fit the car seat and I am somewhat unimpressed. It took me more than half an hour and was physically very difficult (my hands are still shaking from the effort required to snap the seat belt retainer into place, and my whole body is now in a state of exhaustion). Not to mention, the seat does not feel at all secure and online reviews echo my sentiments. I'll try to pick up a capsule seat from the baby bank, and who knows maybe the one I donated is still there...

I have done an electric meter reading, since the tariffs change again tomorrow. ⚡

Amazing: after only 24 days, work's IT help desk finally fixed my (broken) training sign-off. 24 days. Seriously. Worst customer service ever.

Cashed out: £5 from Swagbucks. Currently in another help-desk limbo: about £45 from the new programme I joined, which for some reason is doing a second identity check on me first.