Courgette's 'Frugality gives us options' diary

earthgirl

Love the quote, and your aims for 2016 are immense!

Think you are right - 2016 is the year for you and yours.

Courgette

Thanks!

Had a very busy and sociable few days. Been great but my introverted self now needs a few days peace and quiet. If someone could let me children know, that would be great!

Despite Christmas and socialising, we are now £610.33 closer to MF than we were a month ago. Some of this is regular mortgage payment, some OP, some interest on savings, some new savings.

Mortgage £82,999.26
Family loan £5500
Savings 5056.36
Total owed: £83,442.90

We are now £443.64 away from having as much in savings as we owe family. Obviously paying it all off in one go and leaving us with no emergency fund would be daft but it will still be really great to reach the point where we could if we decided we wanted/needed to.

Aims for January:

1. Tax return
2. Save an extra £443.64
3. Minimum 5 blog posts
4. One unit of TEFL minimum

Courgette

Oh dear, not a great start. Lovely DS2 has come down with chicken pox again. Not that unusual to have it twice I hear but I had been celebrating what I thought would be our last case of CP in our family. Poor little boy is absolutely covered in spots too, they're in his ears, the rims of his eyes, nostrils, tongue and carry on like that right to the tips of his toes.

Have managed to spend some time sorting out back of house things on the blog but it's taken a long time. It's starting to look how I want it to though so that's good.

I'm privately feeling quite frustrated by everything really. I've got ideas racing round my brain but I'm finding it almost impossible to carve the space I need to take action. DS3 is beyond clingy and I'm finding it quite tough going. I know he won't be a baby for long but I'm a much better mother when I've had some space to do the things I need/want to do. I was attempting a live chat with an online blog support dude earlier and DS3 was literally tearing at my clothes. I was finger typing with my left hand whilst he screamed in my ear. DH seems to have this habit of suddenly needing to do something else when I really need him.

Tomorrow I'm going to go to the library and work from there and see how that goes

earthgirl

That's great re the blog getting sorted.

I know what you mean about dh disappearing - how do they do that?

It'l all come together soon.

Secret_Saving_Squirrel

Look forward to you getting the blog off the ground. Will ds3 be off to preschool this year? Hopefully then you should get a few hours to yourself!

Courgette

Well would you look at that....exactly ONE YEAR since the last post on this thread!

I'd love to reel off a great long list of amazing achievements but in reality very little has changed. We're all a year older and I've managed to pass the big 4-0 without imploding.

I'm going to start posting regularly again I've decided. I've had my liitle hiatus but this place with all you lovely people is my real home :grouphug: Besides, nowhere else has quite such good smilies! :D:D

Still tutoring, still enjoying it but it's not working as well as it once was in that I'm out most evenings and my kids really need me to be home. I've decided to start winding it down in the evenings but actively look at increasing the work I do with adults who are generally more flexible and available daytimes and after bedtimes.

We've also been working hard on the eBay business and we now have a contact in China and are buying high street current season stock directly from the factory. Profits have been starting to get quite interesting too and I'll be pulling back on evening tuition alongside having a massive push on eBay. I've set myself a crazy target of reaching £3k pm profit this year and am very motivated to achieve it.

The mortgage still exists, sadly, and it's really not been that much of a priority in itself. I've finally opened a Vanguard S&S ISA and have been squirreling little bits into there but most of our money has gone on eBay stock which is fine as it's just another way of investing and reaching financial independence.

We had yet another bloody car stolen this year, a real downside of city living. It was in the (mechanics) garage for routine service and the building was broken into and the keys stolen. Upside was a £1800 insurance payout that went on eBay stock but I do miss the car in some ways. I've bought an electric bike to cope with the ridiculous hills, my heavy preschooler on the back and my aging body but I missed being able to easily get into the woods over Christmas.

Going to London next weekend for a long weekend - I'm very excited! I've realsied increasingly that I really want to 'do' more and weekends away are definitely part of this. Of course, Martin would have approved, tickets bought ages ago for hardly anything, hotel came with a 26% off voucher, I've booked use some free activities down there and of course it all came with cashback! :money:

CathT

Great to see you back courgette. Sounds like your business is going well, hope it continues to grow.

newgirly

Welcome back courgette, I'm glad all is going well for you and what great success you have achieved with your eBay business , congratulations

Pooky

Welcome back Courgette - glad to hear the bay of e is doing so well for you.

earthgirl

Hello!

Massive smile on my face at the news you'll be posting again!

Really exciting with the ebay business. I agree about the evening tutoring and its great you can be flexible and push to earn more elsewhere.

Really exciting times, Good luck and have a great weekend in London.