Project Mortgage Neutral Begins

Watty1

ajmoney said:

Do you have a nice Spanish omelette recipe @Watty1

Not particularly fancy but what I do is dice up some potatoes and boil for about 10 mins then drain.  Then fry an onion and the potatoes then add some frozen peas and the eggs with a teaspoon of mixed herbs then give it all a quick stir and finish under the grill when the bottom has set.  I usually make it with about 6 eggs at a time.  If I have anything else that needs using up I might add but I've been using that basic mix for years now. It is quick filling and tastes (to me) great.  I sometimes add a side salad if I have the ingredients to do that.

ajmoney

The targeted approach, plus asking for some help, meant I turned my laptop off at about 1.30 today. I nearly brought it away with me for the weekend but I have a reply message set up and those who might need to get in touch have my phone number and know to get in touch. I managed to tick off everything that was actually possible and a list to work through for next week.

I have a few house jobs I need to start tackling as well as getting the garden ready for winter. Both are getting me down a little but I will get there.

I have been tracking my daily spending and am doing ok. I still don't have much motivation to cook but have enjoyed what I have eaten this week. Helpfully I didn't need to do much!

I have been trying to limit cakes etc and just have them occasionally. It has been going well and I haven't really missed them until today. I think it is a comfort thing as I succumbed while in town and it didn't get rid of the craving which suggests it wasn't that. I have no idea what I will try next time!

ajmoney

A little bored so I have done some basic calculations to work out when I might hit mortgage neutral; the target was July next year. I have used lower figures in case my savings in the S&S ISA take a dip but happy to say that if I don't need to access my savings for house stuff I should make it in mid February. Yay 

Watty1

now mortgage neutral is a great place to be

ajmoney

My stress levels currently feel off the scale. I started to notice it on Wednesday night or Thursday morning, given that I had a massage on Wednesday this should have been the last thing. I had some long days at work and have a pretty hectic couple of weeks coming up so it might be that. I am taking note though because I feel that I can't continue as I currently am, something has to give so I can relax.

I don't really feel like I get a day off as my weekends are so busy with my hobbies. I normally enjoy them but feel like taking the occasional step back might be the only option. I don't want to do this so I hope I can find an alternative.

I normally manage to find time to exercise at the start of the day, I like prioritising me before anything else and on week's like the last one, it ensures I do something. I had a night off swimming this week in favour of staying in the house and doing nothing which was the right thing to do.

I hope that my stress levels will naturally subside after the work tempo eases but know I will need a day off somewhere around then to help that. I am definitely going to try a different approach with my work emails and to do list from this week to see if it helps.

I haven't even thought about ringing the tradespeople needed to come and do the work in the house, clean the house or step into the garden this week.

I don't know what I want to get out of typing this but just wanted to put something down. I normally get like this in about 2 months time, not earlier. Maybe it is the nights drawing in, who knows!

ajmoney

After a stressful couple of weeks I am at home and aiming to regain some balance in my life. I don't think the workload should be too much for the rest of the month which should help.

After not much time at home I have deliberately come home from a friend's early today to get some shopping for the week and cook myself a roast that I can eat off for the next few days. I would also like to do some chores to help how I feel about the house but that is not the priority. I might see what I can get done while the dinner is in the oven and stop after that.

I want to have a quick look over my finances tonight too as it has been a spendy few days. I can claim a lot of it back but not all of it so I want to check what there is left to spend and keep an eye on that.

I booked a 3 night city break for just before Christmas earlier, something to look forward to. I am planning on a much easier Christmas day and already have my meat in the freezer. I love duck but rather than roasting a joint with all the trimmings I have some breast portions in the freezer now and will see if I can make my roasties etc ahead of time so I can enjoy the other things I have planned once I am back from my mini holiday.

ajmoney

I thought tiredness would hit over the weekend after my busy and stressful few weeks but it turns out today is the day. I wanted to go swimming tonight but I think it will be better to have an evening relaxing, especially as I didn't sleep well last night. I also have more control over my work day tomorrow than I had expected so I am going to come up with a list of essential tasks, if I finsh those I will move onto some others but I am not putting any pressure on myself. I might even get some time in the garden if I can get away early.

ajmoney

Even though I am shattered, I promised myself I would have a roast dinner yesterday. I have enough food for three nights, I have something easy to cook later in the week and am starting to top up my freezer meals by putting a stew in the slow cooker tomorrow. I have a few midweek days off coming up so I am going to try and cook some more dishes for the freezer.

Watty1

Go you cooking a roast. That always seems such a big deal to me.  The slow cooker has been a wonderful help to me getting dinners and budgets under control.

ajmoney

Watty1 said:

Go you cooking a roast. That always seems such a big deal to me.  The slow cooker has been a wonderful help to me getting dinners and budgets under control.

I used to love cooking them but don't really see the point just for me. It was kind of inexpensive though and I wanted to make sure I eat well to help manage my energy and stress levels.

I need some inspiration for new slow cooker dishes as I always go back to the same ones. I might have a look online this evening while I'm not doing much else.