Project Mortgage Neutral Begins

ajmoney

I ended up going for a walk yesterday rather than a bike ride.

I got up first thing and went to my favourite loch for a swim, when I arrived I realised I had forgotten my wetsuit so I had my first ever proper skins swim.  It didn't take me as long as I though to get in although I was probably in longer than I should have been.  I have planned a hard swim so had to compromise.  I stopped at the garden centre on the way back and brought loads of bulbs for spring which I will plant over the next few weeks along with some bedding plants which I still need to buy.  Just sat down to watch the formula 1 and do my meal planning and shopping list for the week ahead and any other pottering.  I might go for a bike ride when it has finished but I need to prioritise getting ready for work.

ajmoney

Spending seems to have gone a little crazy, all manageable as it stands but I need to keep an eye on it.  I have just updated my little book and will have a deeper look at the spending categories when I have more time tomorrow to see what is going on.

Work starts tomorrow, just mornings or afternoons each day so we can all be in doing something with the appropriate distancing.  I have a list of things to do which I am only going to add 3 things to on work days, 1 thing of exercise (I am really enjoying it and it is integral to my mental health and ensuring me time), 1 cleaning task and 1 thing from my to do list.

savingholmes

I was drooling over  properties for sale near lochs last night - and thought of you. I doubt it will ever materialise for us - but looking at places with trees and water lit me up. Financially because of the remoteness they were cheap but I worry about whether we could get decent jobs and if we would have to commute too much for the location to be worthwhile. At the same time I think you only live once.... We need to get on a better financial footing first anyway - so if we did do anything the earliest is likely to be next summer when DD finishes her A levels.

ajmoney

I would love this too but you are right about the practicalities.

ajmoney

First day back at work went ok yesterday although I was mentally exhausted by the time we finished our rehearsal at midday, they definitely didn't ease us in gently.  I had enough time at home for lunch and a quick clean of the living room and then I headed out for my cycle park session followed by a loch swim with some friends.  I am exhausted today and glad that it is an afternoon session at work.  Today's jobs are to clean the bedrooms, go and get a parcel from the post office which I can combine with a walk, my body certainly needs a rest from anything more strenuous.

I got my fruit and veg box yesterday, I suspect I may need to ask for a more even spread of both next time as apart from potatoes and onions it was all fruit and salad although maybe this changes as it gets colder.  It was a really good service though and I will try it again.

I am out for dinner tonight so will be able to get some downtime between work and heading out again.

savingholmes

So jealous of your loch swim and being surrounded by beauty

ajmoney

The weather here is horrible.  I drove home last night at about 9pm and couldn't see the road never mind the lines on it because of the rain.  Glad I got my gutters replaced last year as the force of the rain has meant they have been overflowing for most of the night anyway, at least they are not cracked and I know they will stay in place.  I got up just after midnight to check if I needed to close my window to find my window sill soaking wet and the other side of the blinds, glad I checked it then.  All dry this morning and open to air to check before closing them on the catch for the first time in months.

ajmoney

My budget is going to be tight for the rest of the month but so long as I stick to my budget and don't spend anything unnecessarily I should be fine as when all this has been deducted I have £6.47 left in my current account.  There should be excess in the fuel budget as a buffer but this depends on what I do over the rest of the month.  The extra costs I hadn't factored in are paying to enter a swim event and a gardening purchase, I may need to reevaluate my budget going forward, I had decided on these amounts just before lockdown but they may not be realistic. 

After a week at work I am now on leave again for 2 weeks, we will be back to the correct holiday entitlement at the end of this.  I have no idea what I am doing although a car service, replacing of the radiators and a visit to my parents will eat into this a little.  Work this week has overwhelmed me a little, Wednesday my anxiety levels were quite high so I need to find a way of working through these when we go back and I am not sure what the answer is.  I don't want to do so much away from work that I feel I don't have any time to myself (even though they are all things I want to do) but the exercise and associated socialising helps ease the tension so I hope it is just adjusting the balance.  I did my own swim last night as I knew there was a novice coaching session elsewhere in the loch so has a great swim and then went and joined them. 

Today I had planned a day out for a bike ride but after the thunder storms and rain on Tuesday and Wednesday I am unsure what my route will be like so I am going to stay locally and maybe try that out next week.  I also have a few jobs on my list that have been hanging around for a couple of weeks and I think it will do me the world of good to get them done.

savingholmes

Glad you got a swim in.

ajmoney

Anxiety levels rather high today or at least that is what I think the feeling is and I am unsure how to deal with it. 

I have heating contractors here replacing my radiators today, I have no idea how long it will take but they are certainly getting straight down to it.  I am looking forward to feeling the difference in heat and also seeing how much smaller they are.  I have taken photos of the radiators as they are now and will take more when they have finished.  It means today is a sit in and potter kind of day doing some of the little things that I don't normally do or that I have been putting off.

I need to investigate some strange smells in my house.  There are still the ones from when I moved in that I think will only disappear when each room is decorated but there is a damp/standing water kind of smell in the bathroom.  This is sometimes in the kitchen too although there was a different smell in there this morning that I am struggling to place, I suspect this is the biggest contributor to my anxiety today.  I have no idea how I will work it out but I will find a way.