Babies born~ September 2007 #65

[Artechim]

I am not sure where our money goes. DH is on a good salary (about 2.5x what I would be paid if I were working with the same degree!!) but we still have almost nothing left to spend once all the bills are taken care of. It doesn't help that we are spending $400 per week on food and petrol alone. We have revised the budget recently because the old petrol budget just wasn't cutting it - prices are up to nearly $2.20 per litre now which makes quite an impact when DH is driving 1/2 hour each way to work and I am going into town 4 days a week for kindy now. I was double tripping, but now I just drive for a couple of minutes until A falls asleep and park up with my study notes or have a kip lol.

Cass, the lack of family support is hard. I am really envious of those people that have family that will happily look after their kids and enjoy it. I am beginning to accept that my mum is not going to be involved with my kids. W is a smart boy and he is going to start to notice soon and I am not going to bother trying to cover for her like I have so far. He is having a birthday party this year so I will be interested to see if she can be bothered coming. Even with the new baby to meet it is unlikely - she wouldn't drive an hour out of her way last time for W's birthday and to meet A. LOL, I have mum issues! I am just bitter atm that we have this crazy thing going where neither of us mention the pregnancy so she can pretend it isn't happening or something.
DH signed a contract here that gives us a massive bonus (a years salary) if we are here in 5 years. It is too much money to pass up, so we will be here until then but after that we are thinking of heading down to the South Island a bit closer to the IL's. They are fantastic grandparents and love spending time with the kids. I really want them to grow up with extended family and they aren't getting any cousins any time soon. It isn't like we actually get to spend any time with my family anyway, we only make it down there for a weekend every 3-4 months because it costs a small fortune.

[Trillian]

Arte, that would be really tough knowing that your mum is too self absorbed to care much My Dad is like that, but then Im not worried about the loss of relationship kwim? We are pretty lucky really that DH's family are only a few km's up the road and will have the kids at short notice if we need to and when I go to melb in June they will have 3 of the kids for 2 nights for me while DH works so I can go. Even Mum would do that for me, but with her health being so bad now asking her is out of the question. I never take it for granted either because I know that other people would give their left arm for even half of the support I get. But that said, it is only maybe 3-4 times a year when I even need them to look after the kids which is good - it's one of the bonuses of the kids being older now that I can take them most places with me and know they will behave and be OK with being out.

G, it has been a real struggle for us financially the past 10 years, but it is slowly starting to pay off now. With the drought at it's worst we were living week to week nearly and had hardly anything in reserve for emergencies and DH had to work his arse off making enough money to cover all our costs. But now we're at the stage where the farm is making enough money to pay for itself so what he earns out at the mine is being used to get us ahead of things and the poor bugger is finally getting himself a brand new ute after driving this old XD falcon that was worn out when he borrowed it from his parents. But we still live pretty frugally - we 'pay' ourselves $400 per week and combined with the FTA which is only $300 p/f we have a max budget of $550 per week to spend, but then all the utilities are paid for by the farm. Its tough at times, but it really makes us think about what we buy and if it is needed kwim? But I also don't have huge costs like child care, preschool only costs $280 per term so our overall living expenses are generally cheaper. I just think though that everyone is doing it tough atm regardless of how much they earn. To cap it off interest rates will be going up again too which will put even more pressure on things.

[Artechim]

Trill, I am glad that the farm is starting to pay its own way. I was really happy for you when you posted on FB about the price you got for your lambs.
Is a mo-poke the same as the owl we call a morepork? I used to have one that lived in the trees outside my bedroom and OMG that thing invoked rage!!

[AnyDream]

I"m with you on your "I'm not sure where our money goes" sentiment. I've got a real "thing" at the moment about wanting to spend our money on what we want to spend it on, and not all the invisible expenses! I hate the money leakage - like the electricity that gets used because you didn't turn the thing off at the powerpoint, or the stupid phone plan that doesn't match your actual usage, or the rego on the car that's not being driven ().

Arte, those petrol prices are crazy! We're paying anything from $1.28 to $1.52 here. That is so sad your mum doesn't appreciate your gorgeous kids. She is missing out. I've never really had family support with the kids (except for briefly when my sister was here, ah I miss her so much). DD1 is going to spend a couple of days with the grandies on the weekend for the first time ever (she's nearly 13 ).

Cass *sigh* I want pretty things and never had them in my 20s either, but try to focus on the fact that by doing all this now you will be streets ahead of the game financially by the time you hit your 40s. Building wealth as early as you can in life really pays off later on.

Trill you guys have had it tough for so long, I do hope the turn in fortunes is more permanent. To have to work to support the farm instead of the other way around is crazy.

We don't have mo-pokes but we do have Boobooks. That's my girl guide name, btw. Boobook. hehehe.

[Cassius2]

loving all these owls lol. we are too urban to really get anything cool like that (we had one living at our old house, but we face a massive park...but he was still cute and rare enough to make his calls "quaint" rather than annoying lol).

MD: man, i am hoping that this will pay off sometime i dread to think that this is it, that my moth eaten wardrobe is as good as it gets lol.

Cally: oh man i forgot to mention that it is totally cool that K can swim all on her own! how proud of her you must be i wish that getting into swim lessons here wasnt so hard. so far each term i call and never any joy.

[Ginger]

cass- have you got a kingswim near you? they are usually easy to get into but exxy cos they are private. we just go to the council one now but i guess there's not as many people around here as where you are!

trill- good to hear your farm is doing so much better. we try to be frugal. idk....i feel like i don't spend any money on luxuries but then luxuries are relative aren't they? we don't have child care costs either, kinder is $230 a term, soccer is $180, swimming is $90. it's more just the bloody bills and groceries that are doing our heads in atm. don't even get me started on interest rates and the mortgage.....

cass- i have the worst wardrobe of clothes. i honeatly feel like i just have nothing nice at all and basically end up wearing kmart leggings everyday i wish i could get some pretty things

[MamaPan]

hi girls
just popping in to say hi - hope you are all well...
Congrats Arte re having another DD! Wow it is coming around fast.
Cass I take the boys to bluefin - it is at St Michaels Grammar - not too close to you (st kilda) but they are good and we got a place straight away on a sat morning.
No time for personals as quite busy here but thinking of you all. will come back and post more soon. xxx

[Cassius2]

G: i'll have to google kingswim. i have only checked the council run ones...didnt even realise there was a choice lol. gosh i am vague.
oh and tell me about the kmart specials lol. i swear that i live in my $30 bigw jeans (i mean, they are awesome and totally cool but ya'nno, they do get a bit boring day in day lol). i also still have clothes in my cupboard that i still wear that i have had since i was 14 no joke!

our money seems to also just go on mortgage, fuel and groceries. seriously, how much are groceries?? we even do the preston markets and do aldi and still we are close to $300 a week...it just blows me away how expensive life is (and we are so not buying luxury items...no ice cream or fancy razors or nice body washes in this house!). this is just what i consider bog standard essentials of pasta, cheese (omg how expensive is cheese??!!) and fruit, vegies and meat.

[AnyDream]

We get away with a bit less than that on groceries (and DH eats a LOT) but I'm such a bargain basement shopper and I know exactly when to go to the shops to get all the marked down items. Our greengrocer has a table where they put out tired F&V, but sometimes they put out fresh stuff that is just a bit blemished and I tell you I'm not too proud to snap the fresh stuff up in a hurry. But I buy whatever brand (no boycotting multinationals here) and no organic so it's not ideal.

I've got the wardrobe blahs ATM too. Everything looks a bit tired and I haven't lost any of my chemo fat. Luckily my eyebrows are still lookin good

[Cally]

Cally, have things calmed down at work now? Seemed a bit crazy and out of control there for a bit.

Ask me this time next week - if we have pooh in the pipes my stress levels will be much better!!

No owls near here, but those ****atoos at 6am can sure make a racket!

Cass - she's not fully swimming on her own, but she's confident enough to head off by herself with floaties or a back float or a noodle on. The other parents were laughing at her the other day, in her free time she was kicking up a storm and there was water going everywhere! I think she wore herself out though, by her free time at the end she was just sitting quietly on the step waiting for her next go with the instructor.

There is an emergency services open day this weekend - will go and check out some trucks and a helicopter!

[Ginger]

so i joined the gym and had my assessment today. put the boys in the creche and L was great and loved it but J was a total nightmare. he kept trying to escape and was hysterical when the lovely lady wouldn't let him out the door. they had to come and get me twice. feeling really down about it all cos i just want to do one thing for myself. one bloody thing. i only need 1/2 an hour and i can't even get that.

[Artechim]

Ginger It is f'ing frustrating when you can't even get a few minutes to yourself. I took up secret smoking last year because it was 10 minutes at the end of the day when I was entirely alone, no chance of kids, just me. Probably the opposite of joining the gym but the same sentiment.
I am finding life so much better now that my days are busy with all the drop offs and pick ups and then on the weekend I get some study time which it just an excuse really to have kid-free-I-am-still-a-real-person time.

Cass, what is cheese worth over there now? It is around $15-18 for a 1kg block here now, but I buy whichever brand is on special for $10-11. Still, it has turned cheese on toast into a reasonably costly meal!

Cally, I hope the poo flows where it should on schedule! Wow for K at swimming! We went to the pool the other day and W was brave enough to touch the bottom without clinging on for dear life - in a pool that is only his chest height! He is miles away from being confident enough to be on his own. A on the other hand pushes away from me and will only let me hold her under one arm to stop her sinking and she must be in front! I am amazed at how water confident she is.

MP, have been thinking about you, how is the rash going?

There is no bargain grocery shopping here. We only have one supermarket and it isn't full range so often there is only the choice of a couple of premium brands with no homebrand option. No brand loyalty or multinational boycotts here either. And don't get me started on the veges! We live in the NZ capital of parsnips, carrots, potatoes and brussel sprouts, yet we pay more than big supermarkets in the city! I don't know why the super doesn't cut a deal with the packshed and buy direct - it is only 3 blocks away!! It costs around $50-60 per week just for our fruit and veges.

ETA, Cass, i hope you had a fantastic birthday

[Cally]

Gosh, everyone must be having a very busy weekend!

G - Please don't give up on your time at the gym. J will get used to it, can you word L up to keep an eye on him and keep him busy while they are there?

Arte - my niece is very cautious in the water too, she's never had lessons and they haven't been swimming that much. K developed heaps of confidence just playing down at the creek over summer.

Emergency services day was good - shame about the grumpy bum 3 yr old that tagged along! DH and I had a good time, he climbed through a smoky house, we checked out helicopters, fire trucks etc. She just wanted to be carried everywhere.

We've got a good grocer down the road that has lots of local stuff, usually costs more than the big supermarkets though, but it's nice knowing that my snowpeas were grown by a Year 11 boy who loves gardening.

[AnyDream]

Ginger, I abandoned the gym for that very reason. However now that E is in care I really have no excuses. I think you should persist, maybe talk J up to it and get L onside too? Maybe go and just hang around in the creche with the boys for half an hour before you sneak out?

On a similar vein to your secret smoking, I took up secret insomnia there for a while. Staying up late when the house was quiet - aaah - bliss. Terrible for my health of course. You'll swear when I tell you we can buy a kilo of Mainland tasty for about $8. Can you go to the veggie farm and buy direct from them instead?

Cally, I hope the poo flows fabulously, I'm sure it will knowing how conscientious you are! Emergency services day sounds good. Just realised we missed the annual medieval fair here - it's a fabulous day out - but the weather was pretty crummy anyway. Maybe next year.

Trill, how is your mum going? STill in Melb? And I meant to ask too how you're getting on with the mices.

[Cassius2]

oh yeah, this is going to sound weird but i was thinking about Cally and her poo this morning lol. i was like "has it been a week yet and I wonder if it's flowing"

MD: This is something DH doesnt understand...why i LOVE to be up when everyone else is asleep lol. even my Oma was of the same habit. maybe we were mice in Sherie's house in our past life hahaha.

$8 for cheese? man, now i am jealous (is this where i out myself as a cheese freak?? i love the stuff...any shape or form...).

G: i'd give it another crack and see how it goes with J. bribery is not a dirty word lol.

Cally: i think that is awesome about the grocer at your place. i too would much prefer to buy it that way and i would probably by more conciously...ie plan a better use for it and all considering that it is local and might not be there next week ITMS. we did this when we lived in canberra and we only bought meat from the griffith butcher (organic, farm killed meats). it was $$ but we just cut down our meat consumption to afford it and by gosh that meat tasty yummy! of course it meant that things like pork were a rare treat as it was rarely on the market, but we managed

Arte: i reckon that's how much our fruit and vege would cost if we had to buy at one of the big chains. thankfully we have preston markets (a local market that is quite cheap). but even still, the time it takes to get there, fight for a park etc etc i can see why the big supermarkets end up being such a hard one to beat.

BUT all this talk of exxy fruit and vegies...we need the September 07 Produce Challenge to begin!!!!

what are you guys planting this winter? we are going to go with the good ol' beans and will try some spinach as i love the stuff. and then i will just check out what the local nursery has and go from there. i was also thinking of doing my own garlic etc this year too (we have taken to buying for example the more expensive garlic as we found that we use 2/3 LESS than the bleached stuff in our cooking and turns out to actually be the cheaper option ).

[AnyDream]

MD: This is something DH doesnt understand...why i LOVE to be up when everyone else is asleep lol. even my Oma was of the same habit. maybe we were mice in Sherie's house in our past life hahaha.

There again, I did say my girl guide name is Boobook LOL.

Cass, I've got a punnet of spring onions, beetroot and spinach ready to plant out and then it rained all weekend. Home grown garlic is the best! I grew some last year, pulled it out early when it was only a single plump bulb, much easier to peel and use. The flavour is like nothing that comes in the shops. I'm having trouble finding Australian bulbs (hairy ones) for planting this year. But I would like to put successive batches in, can't see why you couldn't grow it all year round (works for carrots and beetroots) No room for any other veggies yet, we've got this massive feral vine with amazing looking pumpkins on it, impatiently waiting for them to ripen, not sure if they will actually. Would like to try some brussels again this year, the critters got them last year.

[Cassius2]

hmm we are in the similar situation where our pumpkin isnt ripening? and also we only got 2 TWO eggplants this whole year...fuming. usually we have overload...

[Trillian]

It's the wrong time of year for pumpkins really, so they wont ripen as quick.

We're not worrying about winter planting this year. The mice and other pests are just too bad this year to bother and we don't have the time to invest in growing anything really.

So yes, I'm still here. Busy as always. Mice aren't as bad anymore, but we have a dead one in the kitchen somewhere and I cannot locate it - I turned the place upside down yesterday trying to find it but no luck so we will just have to wait another few days till the smell goes LOL. Gross I know. Mum is still in hospital, but they moved her out to this place in Dandenong that specialises in diabetes and it's associated problems so she is doing well. She will be down there maybe another 2 weeks at most.