Monthly Household Duties

I hate shopping. I hate it with a passion. I hate spending money on useless crap that gathers dust but you can't chuck it out because you only just bought it. Ugh. I also hate shopping for food. I resent the fact that someone has to do it. I don't mind someone else doing it. I don't resent my family,or my DH or anything, I resent our society in which the SAHP ends up doing all the menial crap as well as raising the children.

Ok, so the short explanation is: shopping makes me whiney.

To have less whiney days of me wandering around shopping markets making god-awful faces at things, I shop monthly, and for months when I really, really, can not stomach the idea of shopping, or else when everything has gone to pot and I can't devote a few hours to the basic necessities, I get someone else to do it. It costs - and often your product or brand isn't there, but sometimes I feel like I need it. Cost versus convenience. Cost versus sanity. Cost versus time likely to actually get to a shop... I am sure we all get the idea.

Today counted as the beginning of the new month because the credit card is now paid out. We have one credit card as part of the house loan, and a couple of accounts with nothing in them, and the mortgage. So, flush with money for a couple of days, I like to do my monthly shop.

Today went pretty well. I am loving the list on the front of the freezer, wrote up a few more meals that can be whipped up using the ingredients there, checked out the pantry and did the same, and then looked through the refrigerator. From this I crafted a rough list of meals, a rough list of missing things, and then checked the toiletries for refreshing as well. It didn't take me long, but I think I should do a Master List again.

I've been doing monthly shopping now for a few years, and the biggest problem we have is planning. Sometimes things happen you can't plan around, but often I just find I don't have the mental energy to think ahead. So, the inevitable trip down the supermarket comes up, and the inevitable $30 bunch of spaghetti issue arises, and we lose money hand over fist. I need to lock down on that, have a few things for instant meals. I've been really good with milk, but since DS1 is now onto milk, we're going through about 12 litres a week. That's a lot of milk! Especially when milk can be as expensive as $2 a litre! Or more! DS1 is probably teething too, so we're using more than we will later, but it does mean that we have to go to Woollies more often than I would prefer.

So, I am going to try a different method of tallying my supermarket expenses. We'll see if it makes any difference, but mostly I just have to work harder at being more organized. With DS3 cutting down to one day of daycare a week next year, I won't have his spare days to recoup any misses I make. I have to get it all right the first time. It's an awesome responsibility, sometimes, making sure that every one gets fed, and every one gets milk, and the bills get paid and everything words in a solid and reliable fashion. God it's exhausting!

So... Monthly Duties...
I like to prepay some bills.
- Electrickery
- Water
- Mobile Phone (this one is new. I figure if I just prepay, then I won't get behind, and I don't trust them to debit my CC in a timely and acceptable fashion)

Meal Plan for the Month
- Rough ideas mostly
- Monthly Shocking List
- Monthly Shocking (Meat and Groceries)
- Print Monthly Meal Plan and attach to Fridge

Transport Costs
- Fill vehicles
- Top up trains cards if possible.

Banking (Automatic)
- Rates Payment
- Mortgage Payment

I have started to use Google Calendars to keep track of when things come out of the credit card. The different colours lets me know instantly if there is a regular bill coming out of the card, and in theory I should be able to budget all the other expenses to fit within the monthly payment. Unfortunately, it never quite seems to work that way.

Anyway, I have a few monetary goals I want to attain over the next few years. The mortgage keeps getting pushed back further and further, but we're happy here with me being a SAHM, and don't feel the need for me to be working for reasons other than mental health. This means it's time for me to start watching even more closely, or rather to do so in a successful manner rather than a hopeful manner! Lots of food for thought coming this way!

Anyway, hugs and kisses for now,

Sarah P