Saving £100k for mortgage, living a simple life

financialbliss

Well this is a bit embarrassing...

A no-show by me for a number of weeks.

I'm absurdly busy right now and having a few issues too which isn't helping. Washing machine, car and broadband to name a few.

Most relevant here is my home broadband. My download speed has dropped to roughly 200Kb - so bad that my upload speed is faster. I've logged a ticket with my ISP, but I've had nothing back for a few days. Makes browsing the web painfully slow!

So, back to this challenge. I've not abandoned it. Hoping to get the registrations up to speed over the course of this weekend.

If anyone is looking to join just now, the challenge is still open and you're more than welcome to join.

Thanks,
FB.

earthgirl

Very quick update from me as I have five mins. We are on a family weekend away paid for by oh business. Hotel is lovely and we are having a lovely time.

Our open fire is up and running and I have been collecting wood and paper to heat our front room for free. Initial outlay of 90 pounds of which fifty is from my mum for my birthday . I was going to wait for vouchers but we needed the fire on it was so cold.
The school we are hoping for ds1 was inspected with a good result which I am very happy anout.

Work have said I must return a min of three days per week which I am not happy about but will do for the short term so I don't have to pay back mat pay

Secret_Saving_Squirrel

Hello,

Sounds like the plan is coming together. How long will you go back for? It won't seem so bad with the end in sight,

Squirrel:j

earthgirl

Hi all, I don't know where the time goes!! Things are so busy, but we have been firmly on the money saving track.

I popped in and a read a thread one day about '5 a day' and now I can't find it! It was about doing 5 things a day to pay down your debt. Anyway I have been trying to do 5 extra things a day to pay off my next mortgage debt.

A big one this week has been moving ohs office into the attic conversion. This means we have so much more usable space down stairs, and can stay in our cosy cottage for the foreseeable. I have also been really busy with tutoring, and I know this will all drop off soon, so I have been promoting my tutoring website too to see if I can get some more clients.

I have not been as good at foraging for wood for the open fire as its been so cold - too cold to take the baby out for really long periods, oh has bought a big pile of a farmer for £40 but I will get the pile replenished for next winter - we are averaging about 6 logs per night on a cold night - eeek!

I have also been inventive in order to keep my weekly shop weekly rather than nipping out for things that turn into a fiver here or there.. so I have made bread, chutney and loads of baby food this week.

I have done loads of work on ohs website, and plan to keep this up. I made just over £100 on my last ebay clutter purge, and plan to put this in my new isa in April.

I have also been chatting to a friend who was worried financially about going part time next year as it would mean their household income would dip to just below £100,00 per year. I thought she was crazy, but then we discussed the long long term future of wanting to provide uni study, cars, safe and comfortable travel opportunities and experiences, and perhaps even house deposits for the children. I had to admit I hadn't really thought about much other than the uni stuff, so whilst I ponder my thoughts on all of this, I am now quite happy I have only cut down to 3 days from September, as at least I am earning enough for us to still keep saving.

I want to go through the overhaul savings guide so have got rid of dormant cards, hopefully this will improve my credit score before I apply for new ones.

OK focus for the week:

Making money:
- work on ohs business
- ebay another load of stuff.

Saving money:
-overhaul your finances guide and apply for new current accounts etc.
- cancel [EMAIL="oc@do"]oc@do[/EMAIL] free delivery pass incase it gets charged.
-collect logs and flowers.

MuffinTops

Here you go for the 5 a day thread

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4484691

earthgirl

Thanks for that!

Yesterday didn't go so well on the money saving front.
I had an expensive for us shop at @ldi £44, and I had already spend £15 at butchers, and an extra £6 on nappies and a tooth brush for ds1, so this only leaves £25 for next week if I am to stick to my budget.

I can do this as I am only here until Friday then off to mums. I need to leave lots of heat up food for dh though as he is staying here.

Nappies are so expensive, with the reusables on the go now we only use 2 per day (at night) for the baby and 1 for ds1, so I need to keep this up.

Today I have
- been to church (kind of money saving as we are sending ds1 to church school hopefully)
- worked on oh business
-not used disposable wipes or nappies

I plan to:

make an Easter gift of a woolly lamb for my niece
make hot cross buns rather than buying (not sure how mse this is as they are so cheap!)
make pizza for tea so oh can't request takeaway!!

earthgirl

Trying to have nsdays as grocery budget for the two weeks is so depleted. I had to buy eggs yesterday and spent 3 pounds so 22 left for next week.

Focusing on the little things definitely makes me more proactive about dating money.
Yesterday I cleared car of junk, made baby food, organised fifty pounds worth of large and extra large nappy wrappers for free from a local gov't scheme to make my washables go further. I switched tv etc off standby (need to do this eceryday)
I also cleaned the house which may not seem ms but if I didnt oh would organise a cleaner quick smart!!

Today my five things will be:
1 tutoring later
2 finding free ways to charge phone (would in car be free as I was given a charger)
3 work on oh business
4 some foraging for
5 switching things off instead of syandytandby

earthgirl

Well all done on the list except foraging for wood for out wood pile - yet again it's been far too cold. I need to get some potatoes in the garden as well and sort out my spring planting but I just can t contemplate an afternoon in the garden as its so cold.
Tomorrow I plan to:
1 do the weekly shop early aiming for twenty pounds
2 make facewash out of soap nuts (not tried before but have lots of doap nuts to use)
3 organise spring planting on paper
4 do some phonics work with ds1 (starting early so that he doesn't feel behind he will be one of the youngest in his class and I don't want to pay for extra lessons when I can do it)
5 switch every thing off standby and moan at oh about it !!!



4

earthgirl

Hi all

All that was done except for planning my planting. I also rescued some wood from a nearby skip. Bit annoyed as oh would only let me get one bit and there was loads could have done us a long time. Anyway this afternoon i have sawed it into manageable chunks. I need to get a log maul really.

The soap nut wash is great and leaves my skin really soft. I have made about 3 weeks worth.
Oh being moody and unpleasant again he says he wants me to work on his business to bring in customers and they gets stressed out and horrible when he us busy!

Anyway todayI plan to
Plan spring veg garden
Do phonics with ds
Continue spring clean and put washing away

Tomorrow I have a day at home and it is hopefully nit going to snow s9 I can

Sort garden and plant potatoes

Chop more wood

Alchemilla

Earthie is your OH well?