Saving £100k for mortgage, living a simple life

museumworker

Yay! Welcome back eg, have missed your diary. Sounds like your head is in a fantastic place and you're balancing family life and moneysaving really well. The time off has done you well! Look forward to following eagerly.

Glad the pregnancy is going well too, have you noticed any differences compared to your first?

earthgirl

Hi all, really lovely to hear from you all. Here is a quick update:

Money:


£1700 saved this month, not a great month in the scheme of things. We had a bbq and invited 8 friends over. I sent oh to do the shopping and I have just checked the account - £150 spent on that, oh well, probably wouldn't have done much better, and we were eating bbq leftovers all week!


I have just checked the account and have identified some possible savings - sky again, and I have now cancelled the childcare vouchers, so I will only have a bill of £71 for childcare in July with what I have. After that I am in charge of childcare for the new baby due in September and my 2 year old lo as well! eek!


I can also make savings on food bill by planning a bit more.


Simple life
Great advances made here! Now that I am only completing three and a half hours of tutoring I have had loads more time.We have been enjoying baking and home cooking, picking wild flowers for a constant flower jug in the kitchen, and we have generally been enjoying gardening and walking around the farm land near our house. Bliss!!

We have not been buying stuff, and just using what we have. Trying to use up our big box of toiletries (started trying to use them up 6 years ago in July. Thats how bad I was!)

As we are having another boy, I only really need to unpack the clothes into the drawers at some point, I don't really need anything else other than maybe a sling to carry him in to leave my hands free for the lo, and I have been stock piling nappies for a while already, and I will go back to washable once his 'output' is a bit more steady!

I would like to make more, such as make elderflower cordial, and I will have a go in the holidays.

Garden

New potatos are sweet, but we have had a very poor crop. I will probably end up having to buy these this year However our salad is great. I will get rid of the pototos shortly so I have plant some late summer/ autumn veg soon.

Don't think I'll get any apples this year, this being the first year, but the strawbs look promising.

All in all a very contented household here. I have a week off coming up,I hoope to do a couple of tutorings, two parties with the lo, and visit the grandparents too.

pink_poppy

Lovely to see you back, earthgirl, you're sounding very chilled A simple life sounds like a great idea to me with lots of family time ~ perfect!!

Secret_Saving_Squirrel

Hello and welcome back. I am glad that you have settled on your life plan and are making it happen. You can't get back this time when the children are tiny. Very best wishes,

Squirrel:j

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Hi, when I was lurking I read your diary avidly. Life balance changes seems ideal and taking time to pick wild flowers with your LO as well as cook is lovely. You can't beat a walk in the fresh air for making you realise what's important along with time with the family.

Best wishes Tilly x

Courgette

Hi Earthy,

I know this might sound a bit odd, but I really missed you when you were away and am so glad you're back

Courgette x

earthgirl

Hi All,

Lovely week off and easy day back at work - I just can't seem to get myself going at work today though!


In the break, I went to the family service at the local church and heard some news that have changed our plans a little. There are houses on a hill between where we live and the primary school that I was hoping to send lo to, and the children from those houses (about 2 miles closer to the school than where we live) did not get into the school, and in fact got their 3rd choice of school, over 5 miles away.


The birth rates for the area show a rise in births in 2010, the year that the majority of lo's cohort will come from, making it even less likely that surplus places will be available.


I am just not happy to leave it to chance. So oh and I have decided to either swap houses with my mum, if she has moved down in time or buy a buy to let in the area where good schools are, and live in it for a time. Our final option is moving into our forever house, ensuring it is in a good catchment area, but neither of us feel ready for this. We will decide in early springtime next year, and would hope to complete a move by the end of summer (deadline for school applications is January 2014).


So that puts a bit of extra pressure on the money saving front, but we are still trying to progress whilst spending as much time as possible doing the things we love as a family.


Money
I have sprung into action and cut down our sky bill (saving £24/ month) I have also double checked that our gas and electric is the cheapest, and checked that better savings rates are not available.


We ate out using tesco vouchers at the weekend, and didn't buy any takeaways (bad habit of mine when I am not being strict!). I am trying to use store cupboard supplies where possible.Eating out of the garden also helps.


I have bought a sling for the new baby £25 but apparently does until they are 2-3 years old! I thought it might make a good present off my dad, so I suggested it to him, but he preferred to send us some money - he transferred £2,000 into our account as an impending baby present! I hope I can be that generous when I am older!


Garden/ foraging
We are having lots of salad, potatos and rhubarb, and the strawbs look great. I am not too hopeful about the winter veg I have planted - lo likes digging but I will try to plant more in propogators, to transplant.


I have made elderflower cordial (dead easy!!) and I am going to go and strain it now - hopefully it will be tasty and it will save me money on buying juice. I also need to pick some more wild flowers.


Living simply
We have been enjoying relaxing (perhaps a bit too much?) in the holidays. I used a free swim voucher, and I will go again at the weekend - lo loved it. I am trying to see if I can really slowly teach him to swim via the lesson on uswim.com


To do:
I need to put a bit more effort into school work, so that it doesn't stress me out, and I also need to do some work on oh's business, and I also want to try and finish a tefl course in case I need it in the future.

CathT

Just found your new diary EG and it's great to have you back. You definitely sound a lot more positive and relaxed.

Congratulations on your pregnancy, hope you are feeling well. I enjoyed a year of buying no nappies and wipes for DD then had DS so this takes up a chunk of the grocery budget!

School catchment is a worry isn't it, DD has just got into our first choice nursery but we need to apply again for reception. Children at another local school were denied a reception place after spending a year at the nursery which is just awful. Good secondaries are few and far between here so I do worry about that in the future even though my eldest isn't four yet!

Anyway, it's great to have you back. You're a massive inspiration.

nomcat

Glad to see you back! Your old diaries were a massive source of inspiration to me, and I finally took the plunge and started on the MFW path Good luck to you!

earthgirl

Hi All,

I have taken a little detour off track this week nothing bad, only I have been house hunting and we have seen one property.


I have spent hours searching through the ofsted reports and speaking to people who know local schools, and I now have a colour coded map which clearly shows the areas we should be looking to get good or excellent schools. I know things can change, but at least we have somewhere to start!
However, this and the house search has taken lots of time. I have spent days on rightmove, and we have been to see one house which wasn’t suitable. We have got perhaps another 2 or 3 to see, but I don’t think OH will be happy with how far they are away from the motorway, as he does a lot of driving with his job.
Failing us finding somewhere in the next 9 months, we will buy a buy to let and live in it for a year next year. I’m sure I’ll have the next mortgage paid off in no time eek!
I don’t want to spend so much time not working ‘for us’, and I am going to tone down the obsessive house searching now. I have to see the time I have spent as investing in knowledge, as schools are so important – and around here the schools are chalk and cheese!
Anyway moving on to what this diary is about, living simply and saving money for this next mortgage.
On the negative side, oh and I went out for tea this week to our favourite restaurant as a treat and took lo. He was very out of sorts, tantrums about everything, and we kept having to eat in shifts. It was very stressful and we didn’t enjoy it, and we spent £35 L plus petrol. I suppose we have learnt our lesson now, we need to take lo to family friendly restaurants only, and save the more grown up ones for if we get a babysitter.
Other spending things – I am still trying to use up what we have in every facet of household life – toiletries and cleaning products -I am using p all the little tester bottles, food – we are having store cupboard stuff mixed with things from the farmers market – and presents – all out of the present store.
In terms of making money – I had a good week tutoring £95 made (not as much as I used to get, but just the right amount of evenings off). I really need to focus more on money making – finish my tefl course and see if I can generate income from that, and also working on OHs business – this is desperate – I haven’t done any for ages.
Should have a nice weekend despite the weather! Saturday, cleaning, farmers market and swimming with lo in the afternoon. Sunday, children’s party in the afternoon (must remember present from store), possibly some gardening too.

TO DO:
1. Focus on routine and bedtime with lo to see if it improves his disposition!
2. Shop and scan – I am still using these vouchers as presents, but now I will use them for disposable nappies.
3. OHs business work
4. TEFL course

Hope you all have a good weekend!!