Old-School Bargains

I dropped Little X at nursery during the week for her last trial session and since I knew we were running out of her vitamins, I walked around to the children's centre to pick some up. This was a dangerous move as I haven't been non-groceey shopping in a very long time and it left me in close proximity to several charity shops with 45 minutes left at my parking spot.

I went in hoping to find myself some black trainers for work. I've been needing to buy some for two years 😬 and my soles are very close to letting water in through the bottom. I actually got lucky in the second shop so my new £3.50 memory foam trainers are currently in the wash, and I am really pleased. I also picked up a singing book for Little X for 20p - we have another one in the set so this will be a winner. It needed new batteries though so £1.50 has gone to ebay on those.

Lastly I got a Fisher-Price toy phone for £1.50. I'm not entirely sure Little X will ever play with it but it was a nostalgia thing. I remember having one as a kid and it formed part of every game of "shops". One of the mums at Baby Group heard us discussing retro toys last year and she excitedly jumped onto Vinted to find one. Never mind that she was born in 2005 and has never used a house phone herself or played with the same toy as a child 😂 she just thought it would amuse her grandmother to see it! This is where we are, in three generations the home phone entered our lives and is already leaving.

It struck me just now that these are finds I would have told my mum about. It's OK though, I can be happy that she taught me how to find a bargain. 🙂

The Strides

I am pleased to recount that Boss man has approved my fixed days and hours 👏 so the countdown begins. We've done a few settling-in sessions at nursery and Little X is unconcerned when I leave - I watched her through the window today after I'd been "gone" for 15 minutes and she was toddling around with toys in hand and doing her own thing. It feels like a milestone accomplished. Although... It takes a silly amount of time to pack Little X's things the night before and to prepare her food in the morning - with everything labelled. And so far it's only one meal. I may just come undone when it's water bottle, milk, breakfast, lunch, two snacks and then I have to make my own lunch 😂

I have offered longer days to Boss and in return he is happy for me to take unpaid leave for the nursery holidays not covered by my leave entitlement. I will still be under the earnings threshold for Universal Credit so I will keep all my earnings. But I was disappointed to realise that by agreeing to the bigger-than-planned contract, I will lose lost of my council tax reduction. Honestly it's no wonder there are people who don't work for a decade... I will be working for about £8 an hour once that slap combines with my nursery fees and my transport costs. Oh well, let's call it cheaper than therapy. 

I may try to find a home child carer for holidays so that I can work those weeks too. We'll see.

I had an unexpected win this week, I picked up a handbag and heard a jingle of coins, ka-ching. I've spent far too much on "unexpected" things for the past few weeks but the coins meant that going to German Supermarket cost me only a pound from my bank account. Most of the Favourite Supermarket vouchers remain unused, but German Supermarket was on the way to where I was already driving. We did manage to get over to Food Club this week and ate a nice toastie for lunch.

Got my £100 for the food research. ✅