Do You Remember

...when I said that work looked like they were planning to train me some more? Well, lately I've been... running the shop floor. That's it. Which is what I was doing for them a year ago. I've asked over and over for more training and I might as well be talking to a wall. Big Boss insists that he's in the process of arranging it, but meanwhile, one of the other guys has completely finished his... and the other is half-way through. It's infuriating and annoying, but I am more disappointed than surprised. Star, at least, showed me a couple of admin-y things, but it went past me in a blur of menus and there's no way I could repeat the process myself without someone guiding me.

Also, I wore my new lovely black fitted maternity top to work (thank you eBay) and on the first day I was stopped by my manager asking if I need to order uniform? Waaaah. The last pregnant lady was somehow allowed to just wear black and several not-pregnant staff members even get away with that permanently. But me, apparently, I need to attempt a uniform order for the third time, just for the privilege of wearing a horrible green frilly thing instead. Booo. Hopefully if I keep my work jacket on over it, they'll forget to do the paperwork like usual.

I managed to give away the spare pram and car seat, my midwife found someone who needed them, so that was a feelgood moment for today. I also swung by Food Club and bought a bunch of tins I really don't need, but also some lovely pastries, fresh vegies and nice snacks. I even stayed for a piece of lemon cake, which was amazing.

Spendy: went to buy a cucumber plant but evidently it's too late as they had very little in the way of food plants left at the local nursery. I came home with a 50cm tall snack pepper plant though for a fiver 😊

Tonight: Supper club again with the other expecting ladies.

Clothing Fail

So NONE of the clothing I just bought will be at all useful. All items are too small. I am really quite annoyed as it means begging for a refund (I was so distracted by the malfunctioning self scan that I uncharacteristically forgot to keep my receipt). I'm sure they will allow me to just switch the t-shirts for larger sizes if there is no other option, but the bras, well, all we ladies know that the right size on paper doesn't mean it will fit you properly.

Anyway, I de-frustrated myself somewhat by spending a similar amount on eBay for some actual dedicated maternity tops. Even if these are too small later on, they should touch-wood fit me for now.

The Guardian had an article this week on how to save money where it comes to children's toys. I decided to see whether I could learn anything, and of course there were the standards like shopping second hand and using hand-me-downs. But to my surprise the biggest money-saving tip was nowhere to be found: the one that says "buy less, because your kids don't need most of that crap". I have a couple of rattles, some building blocks, and a brand new teether (all found at minimal cost or free) and now all I want is some stacking cups and stacking rings. I am actively avoiding everything else, at least for now.

Work is... well Dunstan AKA "Duh" is continuing his rampage of duh, his utter disinterest in anything "customer" and his complete disregard for important rules, such as not selling razor blades to small children. He is no longer just a cheery halfwit, he's begun to be seen as the staffs' arch nemesis as they catch him wasting time and screwing up, and realise they'll have to fix his mistakes and pick up his slack. Meanwhile, Duh wanders around oblivious and seems genuinely baffled that people don't adore him.

Spendy: Well, I spent the ticket money months ago, but last night I went to see Kasabian in concert and they were brilliant! I did spend a bit in petrol and on a nice picnic dinner (still budget items of course) but I had a thoroughly great evening.

Wash #3 of 4

So the reusable nappies started arriving and I have very quickly learned that many of them will be far too big for a newborn. So I have had to spend a few more pounds to make up the number I will need in the first weeks. In total it's been about £140, which is less than the cost of disposables, and afterwards I should be able to recoup most of that by selling them on.

The washing machine is trundling along, getting them all fresh.

Today I popped in to Old Fave supermarket and bought myself two black t-shirts, a light blue t-shirt and two new bras. I had already bought a few looser items second hand, but the difference to new was only a pound, and black for work isn't really negotiable. I also grabbed a few food items I needed, oh and a donut I definitely needed. On the way out I saw the plant section, and since my tomato plant from last week is doing so well, I chose out some lettuce and a cucumber plant. When I got home to plant them, I realised I'm the proud owner of a courgette plant 😂 But not to worry, I've grown them before and they're a doddle.

I found a better pram! I had to shell out a fiver, but It's slightly smaller so it fits better in my boot, and also comes with more accessories. It still comes with an unneeded car seat 😁 but I'll give that to the baby bank along with the travel system that I don't need. The same seller also kindly gave me a baby carrier, I'd already bought one for a pound at a charity shop but we'll see which one works better.

Duh-Moments

We have a new employee, who I'll call Dunstan, or Duh for short. Duh is a handsome young chap, but he was definitely blessed with too much attitude and not enough brains. In his opening three weeks, Duh has excelled with the following Career-Limiting Moves (and far more, but I've chosen the best):

1. shown up for work in a ripped t-shirt with profanity on it, on his third day in the role, and felt this would be ok to serve customers in;
2. given out a large, bulky item for free because he couldn't be bothered hefting it up and putting it through the till (Duh got his first demerit, that is, a warning);
3. asked to go home because it was nice weather outside; when told no, suggested that he might just leave anyway.

Since Duh somehow thinks that I am ok, I suggested he be careful, considering he's on probation. It turns out that despite several warnings that he was in danger of having his probation ended, Duh didn't have a clue what probation is, that everyone starts on probation, or what happens if he gets another demerit (ie, he'd be out of a job). Cue the shocked face.

On the plus side, I've been running the floor now and then lately, and they finally seem to be vaguely thinking about giving me some additional training. Which I fully expect to get shelved/forgotten as my belly gets bigger, but for now, at least I have some variety and a bit of a challenge.

A few successful bids on eBay for more reusable nappies, for about a quarter of the retail price new. I hope they work well and that I can stick with them.

Searching

I cancelled my gym membership (again) because with my new job, I simply don't have the energy. I feel like the hoovering and scrubbing there each day keeps me a little bit in shape 😁

Road trip again yesterday, this time with boss man. It was a good day despite the early start and we made a dent in their workload. The store seems in a slightly better state than last time.

I went back to the baby bank today to spend a little bit more time and to donate some items that I don't need (tiny clothes in summer weight are the wrong season). They had some lovely romper suits so I think I'm now mostly set for baby clothes. I also popped in to a couple of charity shops and managed to get a baby bouncer chair, a carrier, another plain t-shirt and some books and DVDs. Still no luck on maternity trousers, though.

Spendy McSpenderson: 75p on a tomato plant 😁

Entitled and Greedy = Me

I managed to find a pram, kindly gifted to me by another mum. Actually, it's a Travel System™, a three-wheeled frame with two interchangeable seats (a baby capsule plus a fancy adjustable standard seat section). Plus accessories.

But... the tyres are flat so I will need to buy a pump. It is a VERY tight squeeze to get it into my boot, basically you need to force it in. And you can't even fold it up without removing the whole seat assembly every time. The other car seat I have is a better model which will last years longer, making the baby capsule seat part useless to me.

Do I bother with this Travel System™ or do I just keep looking and hope to find a boring, standard pram? I think I know the answer and am just asking myself permission to decide that I don't want this very kind gift after all. 😕

I have been running the washer non-stop this week to get on top of all the new clothes I brought home. And some of them are taking so long to dry that I'm resorting to the tumble dryer as well. £££

My plants are starting to fill out and hopefully they will be a riot of colour soon.

Fail: the interest charge on my cheapest credit card took me over limit. I have thrown enough at it to take it back under, but I'm quite annoyed at myself right now. 😠

Very Very Pleased

A kind lady gave me a bag of baby clothes - there are about a dozen items in there and they are in as-new condition. I was so, so pleased until I realised they are all summer items 😂 but that's ok, the vests will still be useful. I have also been to a clothing bank today and I am beyond happy with what I found. There were certain things I hoped might be there, but I got some nice surprises too. Three huge bags altogether. And currently sorting out the ⭐ two sleeping bags and large bag of reusable nappy bits ⭐ neither of which I actually expected to even find there and which are quite expensive to buy new. Some of the nappy wraps are too big for newborns, but it looks as though there will be about five-ish complete assemblies to start off with.

Not the set I brought home, but close.

I had a look through the toys and found a handful of board books, plus a bag of Duplo blocks which I will put aside - blocks are one of the few "colourful plastic crap" items I actually want my kiddo to get their hands on. I was pleased to find a good whack of muslins and also got hold of four small blankets.

Me being me, I timed it poorly and didn't spend as much time looking through as I would have liked, so I may visit again to search more thoroughly. There were no prams there today, but next time I might be luckier.

Cashed out: PaidViewPoint.

Best thing: I felt baby move today 😀

Blooms and Things

This week I've been to a free local supper club for expectant mums. It was so nice chatting to people! Although I felt a little awkward when they asked about my other kids' ages and then their mouths dropped. I should have paid a bit more attention to the fact that it was named a supper and not a dinner, because it was mostly dips, vegies and bread. Lovely, but essentially I feel like I've had a salad sandwich for dinner, so I've come home and am about to devour a yellow-stickered chicken pie from my freezer.

Received more payments from Testable Minds and Prolific Academic ✔

Went to Food Club today, hadn't been over in a few weeks (I think I was burned out on casserole with baked spud) but the house really didn't have a whole lot to eat, apart from fruit or cereal, so it was time. I have treated myself to lemon biscuits and a bag of crisps and am over the moon that they had fresh, normal, white bread that wasn't best before yesterday. 😍 All up, five pounds well-spent. Also popped into Fave Supermarket and spent £16 on essential fresh stuff. It feels good to have a full fridge 😀

This afternoon I have spent some time in the garden, rearranging pots (grrrrr DilEmma and your inability to arrange a gardener to remove the vines and weeds). I planted out a bunch of my little petunia plugs into my hanging baskets. I have put far more seedlings in this year and the weather is being far more cooperative, so I should be able to advertise them for sale soon. Hopefully there will be eight or ten that look good and I can make about £50 in profit. I also kept some for myself, a few lovely buckets of colour for a bit of cheer, and they are mostly doing well.

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I Got It!

Firstly, I got a call back from a reference I was offering to a former colleague, or more accurately she emailed to say she couldn't call me as it constantly cut off after one ring. To my immense disgust, an employer emailed me today with the exact same news. How many jobs have I missed out on because they couldn't call me when the phone was sat beside me and never rang nor showed a missed call? Grrr. I'm updating my phone and hoping the issue goes away...

Anyway, I got a nice reply about a job I applied for - it's 7.5h hours per week as a cleaner. The manager seems nice, it's a company I worked for in the past, he sounded very keen to meet me tonight on site and there is no problem if I do the work around my main job. I've had a tour of the workplace and I'm pleased as punch that I start on Monday. 😃

Especially since I have had to miss two days at Main Job this week. I injured my hand. I don't even know how! The x-ray is all clear but it's terribly painful and swollen and I can't take any anti-inflammatories, I just need to wait it out. 😩

Cashed out from surveys: one supermarket voucher for £5. Spent: £8 on flower plants. Planted: none yet, because although I managed to get them home, I don't feel nimble enough to plant them out. Treat: a chili con carne ready meal to celebrate my new job!

Survey Payouts

Four of them this week in fact. Two of them took a whole ten days to show up, but I suppose it's not so different to work pay which is a week delayed itself. I have slapped an extra £60 onto my most expensive card and soon the interest-bearing balance will be gone on that one, and I avalanche to the next card.

I've been pretty grumpy this week and sick to death of the repetitive work in my job. I have started looking more closely at Indeed. This is not a fun exercise in any way. I've also scraped my knuckles today while moving furniture about in my flat, grrr.

Current mood: not yet, not yet, soon. I keep seeing newborn clothes and bedding that is gendered in colour, but I really do not need to get things this early when I don't know what I'm having and I honestly do not need pink and blue crap at all. As progressive as I am, I also do not feel the desire to explain to strangers that no, my kid in a pink frilly jumpsuit is a boy, or my kid in a blue racing cars jacket is a girl. There will be appropriate clothing available when I'm ready for it.

The fix: my pay this week was lower as Good Boss sorted out the overpayment. At least it's done now.

Yes Please

I will accept the credit limit increase on that card, thank you. It isn't even the most expensive card, so I've done a money transfer and will move some cash where it is more useful in lowering my interest charges.

Road trip today to a sister store, a much bigger store than ours. We thought we'd be re-merchandising the store, but in the end, we merely worked cages of stock onto the shelves, because honestly, it's the most helpful thing we could have done. They want us to come back, but to be candid they can ask other stores - they do not need the "Best Merchandisers in the South West", they just need extra humans.

I even washed my car (myself!) in preparation. We won't mention the stubborn patches of bird poop on the roof, but otherwise, it's looking pretty sparkly, even if I do say so myself! (Also...I had already demanded up-front that I be paid my hourly rate for the travel time, but Blondie very kindly pointed out I can also request mileage paid. Thank you sir! This means I'll also get around £40 straight into my pocket even after my fuel cost is taken care of.)

🚗😁

Closest Scrape Yet

So earlier this week (for the second time) there were insufficient funds to pay a direct debit and I had until 2.30pm to pay in so that it wouldn't be missed. I transferred the last few pounds from my other current account so there was enough. But then I checked my bank, and the stupid "other account" money had not turned up, leaving me about one pound short.

I grumbled extensively and then drove to the bank to deposit a five-pound note. To my even greater irritation, once I deposited that, the missing transfer showed up. smacks head on wall

It's getting annoying being this close to the bone, if I'm honest. Three times this week I've had to make excuses when co-workers asked me to buy them a drink during their breaks, so I say no, but it's embarrassing that I feel selfish when I never even buy myself a drink. And that I feel judged, because I do occasionally "splash out" on a sandwich for 90p when I'm on an eight-hour shift.

On the flipside, there's something wrong with my clock in records from last weekend and it recorded the time wrong. Good Boss knows, said Head Office was fixing it, but, well, HO didn't fix it and they've overpaid me. I've mentioned that I got overpaid, but nobody seems to care. 💁 It's about 12 hours' worth or so. Anyway, I'm taking the attitude they will correct it eventually so this is just a loan.

Even so, if they think I won't use it on bills right now, they are wrong!

Hunting About

Assuming that I may not get one or both of the cleaning jobs I applied for this week, I've been checking the job ads for more. It's a bit frustrating because some of them are either too many hours or clash with my main job - and at least half of the ads don't even tell you how many hours or when they are, which is ridiculous. Ah well, I shall keep looking, and keep checking for overtime at work as well.

I have reached payout today on three more survey sites and that will be another £30 headed my way over the next few days.

Frugal: so a few months ago I bought a natural ginger cordial. It tasted of nothing but "hot" and wasn't enjoyable at all. Well, today I am drinking it, mixed with a bit of apple squash. I cannot STAND food waste! ...which is why I am eating the caramel snack bars that I don't like, and the bitter easy peelers in my fridge. Tonight I will mix a bunch of vegetables into a "minced beef and onion" tin to male it edible. Food Club has limited options for protein, so I take what I can get.

Work: To my immense irritation, I've been made to declare my career intentions after Maternity Leave. I should have been put on the trainee programme without regard to that, but, work is still making Baby Steps in regards to learning about equal rights (did you see what I did there?).

I just didn't have the guts to decline to discuss it. So I told them I do intend to progress... but also will want to reduce hours after baby is born. I don't think they've figured out just yet exactly how long that will keep me off work 😁

It's About Time.

So, finally I can talk more openly about my health issues, as I have now reached the magic number of 13 weeks pregnant 😊 It has been a bit of a rough ride, especially in the early weeks, but now I'm feeling great and have a relatively-clean bill of health. And I'm really starting to feel excited 😊

I have been fiercely resisting accumulating most baby items, especially since I was so worried about miscarriage in the first few months, but there are few items I've seen in my travels and I had to make sure I didn't miss getting my hands on them. The first item I scored for free was this:

Posed by models - but I have this exact set.

Mine hasn't got the canopy (and it has plain bedsheets) but it's in lovely condition and I'm really pleased. The same lady gave me a white baby bath as well. I then got my hands on the real score:

Again posed by models but mine looks almost as immaculate as this!

It's convertible and adjustable from birth right up to four years, which is brilliant and will save me a lot of hassle. For lots of assorted reasons I'm quite sure it's not very old and hasn't been in an accident, so I am really chuffed at getting my hands on it for free. I am now on the lookout for a pram in good condition.

Spendy McSpenderson: well this month I realised there was too much due and not enough in the bank (surprise/as usual) so I've been pushing the odd pounds around. Today I walked up the post office and exchanged my leftover Australian dollars, then went to the bank to deposit the cash. I also stopped in at a couple of charity shops and found two plain t-shirts which will fit me as I get bigger - but so far, no luck finding maternity trousers or reusable nappies. I also stopped in at Favourite Supermarket and spent eight whole pounds on essentials. No, on actual essentials this time, no pizza went into my basket and I actually behaved. 😁

Applied: for two part-time cleaning jobs. One is in the morning, and the other is keyholder at any time over the weekend. I am hopeful.

Saving: coins and £5 notes, as I would like to do a car boot sale while I'm still able to lift and carry all my unwanted stuff in and out of my car!

Summer Treats

So my gardening efforts in the black freebie flower tubs (from last year) are now looking very sad, dead and tired. Today I successfully chose £10 worth of plants, which gave me six decent-sized pots of colour. I then went to the DIY store, located a really big plastic pot for £13 and brought it home, thinking I'd get to bin two of my black buckets.

Turns out that it took the soil of FOUR of my dead black buckets. Which is even better. I now have a respectable-looking flower pot in the shared backyard and in a few weeks the colours will look amazing. Very pleased.

I also spent my £10 voucher at Old Favourite Supermarket. Then accidentally went to the wrong branch for my eye test. Oh well, I remain blind a little bit longer. Doctor's appointment coming up on Friday, which will hopefully be a clean bill of health. 👌

Currently eating a 90p pepperoni pizza which was in no way part of my shopping list but somehow jumped out of the freezers and into my basket. #noregrets

Vehicular Protest

So on my first day of work I climbed into my trusty Pronto, turned the key, stepped on the accelerator, and... nothing. The engine whirred, I felt the car trying to move, but it wasn't going anywhere. When I forced it, the car dragged one tyre across the driveaway instead of the wheel, you know, spinning, like a wheel is supposed to spin 😔 So I sadly called work and told them I'd be late. When I finally arrived after catching the bus, Blondie said my car was jealous that I went on holidays without it and was just getting its revenge 😂

Turns out the back wheel's brake was seized into place which is apparently common after sitting still for ten days. It also turns out that my stupid insurance's breakdown service does not cover me within 1/4 mile of home. SEAT were quite helpful in giving me tips to try to free it myself, but none of my home attempts were successful. And joining the AA on the spot would have cost me £150 for today plus signing up for road service for a year for another £200, which the dipsy phone rep did not seem to understand was very expensive for what was probably going to be a 30 minute single call-out. So after many phone calls I found a very nice local mechanic who came out and freed it for me, for the divine price of £119.

Which of course is money I can't afford to be spending, but here we are.

Lately I've just really wanted sandwiches for lunch, so I went into Fave Supermarket yesterday because it was beside the bus stop, and bought tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, pickles, sliced cheese and ham. (I made an INCREDIBLE sandwich for lunch today and was very pleased with my shopping effort.) I successfully resisted all ready meals, snacks and junk food ✔ mainly because I was conscious of spending money at all, and that I have a voucher for Old Favourite. Since Mr Nice Mechanic told me I should give it a good drive to get the brakes nice and hot, I am considering driving down today and spending part of that voucher.

Also in work news we will be switched over to four-weekly pay instead of weekly. I am really displeased about this development. There is no date set for it just yet but it's a matter of time. Blondie could see how worried I am about this, and tried to tell me I should opt in now so that I get a choice on when it starts... and he is right in theory, but it really won't make a difference, because no matter what day they start it, I will have three weeks of not being able to pay bills at all. I simply don't have the cash cushion there to cover bills for a month while my pay is not coming in. The best I can hope is that it's not for a few months and I can possibly do a money transfer off a credit card to tide me over (£££).

In the mean time I'm doing surveys...

Bleeding Wallet

I have now returned from my trip to Australia - apologies for the lack of updates but it's been quite a busy time. My poor wallet has taken a hammering. I am now very close to my limit-limit on credit cards, that is, they are all almost maxed out. Since one of the cards decided to stop functioning right before I left, I had to spend on my most expensive card, so the game is back in play where I pay that one off asap and use a cheaper one for my day-to-day expenses.

It was a battering time physically, my legs ended up huge from the long hours sat in the plane and coach seats, and the ten-minute walk up the hill to get home at the end of all that was like a marathon. I've put on several kilos 😔 which given my health issues right now will be very difficult to undo. I must try to find the energy to get back to the gym.

I am back to work tomorrow and my sleep schedule is still very messed up. Fortunately I haven't been sleeping whole 8h chunks, but more like 4h then being awake for 6h, over and over. I should be ok in a couple of days though.

Frugal things that we did manage: we cooked most meals at home. When I say frugal, I should say "more frugal than eating out" because my dawg, the cost of groceries in Australia is eye-watering. I even packed us sandwiches for our trip to the zoo. We did overshoot with the food slightly and there was an entire meal's worth of supplies left over, which we gifted to my parents before we left. We did still manage to treat ourselves, eating a chicken takeaway, a lovely Chinese in the city, an amazing Oporto burger meal and a tavern lunch with all the relatives for a catch-up.

Pride: I didn't buy a single thing during my 36h of travel over, nor on the first 30h back. Then I caved and really just wanted a sandwich, so meal deal it was for my coach home (I was absolutely sick of crisps and fruit, and far too tired to behave myself and leave my wallet alone). It was possibly the nicest sandwich I've ever eaten 😁

No Mortgage For Me

Apparently there are no lenders prepared for both my circumstances and also a studio flat. Oh well, same old, same old, I'll have to try again once the debt has reduced a bit. On the plus side I did manage to give away my dressing table, which has freed up a bit of space for the chest of drawers and small table I that I have recently acquired. Next up I will try to offload my sofa, but that can wait until after my trip.

Money is actually really stressful right now and it's been a long time since it has played on my mind like this. I have just paid out another huge amount for the trip to Australia and it took some work to make it happen. I have already delayed paying my maintenance on the flat (and I give no fucks about making them wait) and have had to move money around the place to free up space in the right places. On top of missing three days of work, the timing is just awful. I think (hope) I will be ok for bills for the next two weeks, but I hadn't wanted to be a tightarse during this trip and I'm going to have to. 😔 Achievement unlocked: I only put £15 of fuel into my car instead of filling it up. I have never done this before, ever.

Summarily disgusted at the new mega-charity shop which opened up next to work because it had TWO whole pairs of trousers in a size 16, neither of which was any use to me, and no jeans at all. Very crap indeed.

Tomorrow I have sooo much to do before leaving and I am not looking forward to fitting it all in! 

The Penny Drops

I am 99% sure I've had Covid again. The coughing is gravelly (but mostly faded away now). I realised after posting my last message in here that food wasn't awful, it was... flavourless. And I'm getting out of breath just walking (although I am nowhere near as tired as the first time I had it).

I am sort of getting my taste and smell back now but pretty much all I've eaten for a week is whichever carbs looked edible. At work yesterday I decided on a chili pot noodle, which was a silly idea because the only detectable flavour was "mouth on fire" but at least I ate it. I am now making myself a fakeaway chicken burger because it might smell nice? We will see.

Swagbucks has given me the credit "as a courtesy" which leaves me slightly miffed but at least I will get the payment. My doctor has finally deigned to call me (whoa) and in even more surprising news was quite pleasant and has some FREE medication which was unexpected - but I'll take it. Especially since having needed three days off work, my finances have taken a great big slap in the face.

I am currently speaking with a mortgage broker to try to refinance my debts. I have always assumed I can't get one, but he didn't seem to see any reason why not. If he's able to find me a lender who'll take me on (most will not lend on studio flats) then it will be an incredible relief, and cut my repayments in half.

Fingers crossed.

The Timing is Awful

...for my latest challenge, that is, because I have come down with the flu. Today I drove an hour for an unrelated routine medical appointment, but apart from that I have spent the entire day sleeping and it's now 4am. So far today I have eaten one "cheesy bacon flatbread" breakfast thing from McDonalds because it was on offer for £1.19. It was awful, but I had felt like I should probably eat something before my appointment. Since I haven't otherwise eaten for the whole day, I just forced down a peperami stick for a bit of protein and really did not enjoy it in the least.

I'm now eating an apple because it felt like something I could eat.