A moan about money & sleep (lack of)

[bourneville]

It just goes on & on and i keep waiting for it to get better but of course it won't unless i do something about it.
What I need to do but can't keep up or even get motivated to do is:

With regards to money:

1. Only shop at a big supermarket and buy the absolute cheapest & necessary items
2. Stop buying film magazines
3. Stop coming on mumsnet (i am on dial up) - in fact pref cancel my phone line altogether!
4. Stop going to cafes...in fact best if i just stay indoors all day every day!

With regards to sleep: (I am lucky because dd in bed by 7:45pm and generally stays there so i have evenings to myself. in addition, she is v chilled out & i am a sahm so get to do everything i need to during the day). I am however too tired in the evenings to do anything other than come on here or watch telly:

1. go to sleep at 8:30pm every night (giving myself only 1 hour to myself day but i would feel tons better for it! :()

if i did all of the above i would have a much better quality of life so why i do keep believing i have a better quality of life NOT doing it? I'm so sick of feeling tired and feeling like i've got no real reason for it (not working hard really am i esp compared to lots of ppl - those of you who are SAHMs AND work in the evenings i have NO idea how you do it!) and now & then i do have a week when i do very well not spending unnecessary money but it is so depressing that ridiculous things like yoghurt or tea bags become categorised as a "luxury"!

How does everyone else manage this sort of situation?

Plan what you will eat for the week and then only buy the food you need.
We have the same problem and sometimes you wonder what happened that made buying vegetables a luxury.
If you go out make sure you pack drinks, snacks or sandwiches.
Use local library for magazines, books and internet access.

I can relate to the going to bed thing. I've got three under 5 and dh works late so I do the bedtime routine. They're in bed at 8pm and I like to eat then so can have some piece. Then I just blob out in front of telly or mumsnet. I know I'd feel better if I had the lights out by ten but I sooo need that space in the evening that is just mine.
So basically I'm looking for motivation myself to go to bed early. Perhaps someone can inspire us by saying what a difference it makes?
I also waste money in cafes but it is so nice to have someone else make the coffee.

That should be peace - see I need more sleep

Mog, exactly re cafes & totally echo about space to yourself! it is so nice to have a break now & then from having to think about food & cooking etc, i don't even eat in the evenings, i eat my tea with dd and then snack when i get hungry again later on!
I used to plan my meals each week spagblog because i was anal like that and used to panic if i had to think on my feet but I got good at being spontaneous & still cheap, but this morning i did sit down and write a list of everything that is in the house and created a meals list strictly out of that !