The ups, downs, and occasional sideways bits of trying to be mortgage free

armchairexpert

Some months are just bonkers in terms of spending, and it makes me feel all unsettled and out of control because it's just - dribbles of money. Not even proper emergencies. I feel like I could handle one of those, but this month there's been school photo day plus three excursions, my birthday which involved entertaining a guest for four days and therefore excursions/spending/meals out, the weather changed so we've overspent on gas, the hot water service needed a new element (haven't actually paid for that yet), three dental visits amongst the family, on and on until we're overspent in basically every category. And no extra money in the holiday pot, obviously.

And I keep thinking that the answer is to make more money, but between all the tradesmen and my mother's not well at the moment and the kids' school seems to have countless assemblies and volunteer things, and I'm just not getting my feet under me. In fact, if I don't start marketing pretty aggressively I'm going to be short the next couple of months. It's all very anxiety-inducing.

Let's hope June gives us a better run. Mr E's much-delayed work trip is now schedule for late June, although I use the word 'scheduled' loosely - anything could happen, still, frankly. If he does go away, it's a fairly hefty amount of overtime and also we'll save on groceries and things for those weeks. But I won't see the benefit until July.

Solar panels are finally proceeding! Our roof is so steep that two installers refused to take it on. The third agreed fairly reluctantly, so let's hope it all goes okay. I'm very nervous about spending the money. The deposit's gone out ($1K) and I've paid it back so the mortgage hasn't gone up, but it'll take me a lot longer to pay back the other $9K. I'm very worried that it won't actually mean much of a saving, given how shady we are, but we'll see.

armchairexpert

First of June, which means a nice new attitude. Except that Eldest got a tummy bug yesterday and therefore has to be home from school today, and then Mr E went to work with my keys in his pocket alongside his own. After tearing up the house for an hour I rang him, and he ended up catching a taxi back home ($50) so I could run Little Girl to school (late) and then I drove him back into the city, all of which meant I didn't start work until almost 2 hours past my usual starting time.

NEVER MIND. I did while away some of the time in the morning by putting a beef casserole in the slow cooker, which is usually far too much effort for a Friday and will save us from a takeaway. I've already done pasta twice this week, I'm not feeling the cooking love atm.

Added up my personal spends for May, and realised that I spent $200 in cafes and restaurants. Ridiculous. Half of that was a night out with an old friend who lives overseas and whom I therefore only see once every few years. But the dribs and drabs of cash have to stop.

The issue is that I often work better in cafes, especially cafes without wifi. At home there is too much temptation. So I need a new plan that doesn't involve spending money all the time, but lets me work well. Maybe I need to turn my router off until lunchtime.

Mr E's work trip has finally been confirmed. He was originally going to be away for 2 weeks - it might now be as many as 3, because a colleague is unable to take the other half of the shift. That sounds like awfully hard work, but also...very lucrative, because it's 12 hour days, 7 day weeks, and they have to reimburse at least some of that in overtime not flexi hours. So that's cheering. For me. Less so for poor Mr E!

armchairexpert

Sent Mr E and the girls grocery shopping as I've had to work today, which means the grocery budget's blown out by about $50 for the week, and it wasn't even a week for big purchases. It's fairly amazing to me how consistently that happens. He does go to Ald! now, it used to blow out by closer to $100, but it's still mystifying, especially as it doesn't translate to a fuller pantry.

We've instituted a thing whereby the girls take turn cooking Sunday dinner. They're not really old enough to do it independently yet, but the idea is that they choose the meal and then do as much as they're able with a parent supervising and helping, and gradually they'll get to the point of doing it all themselves.

Of course they don't have any conception of what costs, so last week Little Girl chose a prawn dish, and the cheapest prawns we could find were $40/kg. $40! The fresh ones were $70. Insanity. But I think it's worth it. My Mum hated cooking, and also worked full time as a single parent so she did the minimum possible - lots of pre-sliced stir fry meat with a bought sauce and microwave rice, that sort of thing - and I never really learned to cook. I don't fault her, obviously I think she did a magnificent job in the circumstances, but I do want to make sure my girls have fairly comprehensive life skills.

This week appears to be either a roast beef or lamb shanks, because Mr E has bought both despite neither being on my shopping list. I guess it'll be a surprise!

Menu plan:
Saturday - leftover beef casserole made into pies with puff pastry
Sunday - beef roast? lamb shanks?
Monday - slow cooker veg lasagne
Tuesday - smoked fish chowder
Wednesday - prawn and cashew stir fry w/ noodles
Thursday - mulligatawny
Friday - home made burgers

armchairexpert

A delightful weekend all in all. Saturday I had to work while the others pottered around the garden and things - Mr E bought a new pot from the garden centre 'for me' (to put a chocolate mint plant in that Little Girl bought me for Mothers' Day), but it was quite cheap and very pretty.

Today Eldest had a friend over, so I took Little Girl out on some errands to let them have a free run at playing without her there. Did a Costco run, which means we've now spent $400 of the $100 grocery budget for June. I'm stocked up on enough meat for the entire month, though, as well as lunchbox snacks and things for the times when I can't be bothered baking. I should, with a bit of care, be able to get away with just fresh produce and dairy shopping for the rest of the month, but I've said that before and not managed it, so we'll see. I will definitely have to keep the shopping under my remit, not Mr E, though!

Then into town to get my mobile phone fixed - free, still under warranty - and a little splurge on a new cookbook that's suitable for the kids to learn from. I mostly cook from heart now, so only have speciality cookbooks - we needed a good basic all rounder. Not sure what pot that's going to come from, to be honest, but I'm sure I'll find one.

Came back to a roast beef dinner so generously portioned that it'll do for a full second dinner tomorrow. Tuesday is lamb shanks in the slow cooker - bit extravagant, but this is what happens when you let Mr E shop - and then it's back to my usual cheaper weekday fare of baked potatoes with tuna and the like.

Tomorrow I'm taking the day off to accompany my Mum to hospital and staying at her place overnight. Means getting up at stupid o'clock Tuesday to get home in time to get the kids sorted for school, but needs must.

armchairexpert

So tired! Spent the day at the hospital with my lovely Mum yesterday - she was having a minor op but needed to have someone with her and also spending the night at hers, which meant getting up before dawn to get back home in time to take the girls to school this morning.

Brought snacks and things to minimise hospital cafe spends, so pleased with that.

Have finally totted up the eye watering grocery spends over the weekend. $453 of $1000! Goodness. Mr E is going away in the third week of June, though, and the girls are less likely to complain about me eking out the groceries, so it's a good month to try and be strict about doing so. So this is the challenge: fresh produce and dairy ONLY for the rest of the month. If I want snacks I'll bake them. Exceptions only if we run out of bread flour or coffee beans - I'm not living without those!

mfmaybe

I think we can safely class coffee beans as essentials!!

armchairexpert

Well, quite. Those suckers do add up, though.

Solar panels STILL not installed. Solar guys are like 'oh, just waiting on the installer' every time I ask, and on the one hand I'm not that bothered but on the other hand, maybe don't promise installation within a week if you'll still be lining up contractors 6 weeks later.

What else. Am fatter than usual and have been spiralling a bit about it and then self medicating with food, which is obviously not ideal. Have started turning things around: went for a run this morning, have instituted a No Snacking After 8pm rule, am trying to work towards a 16:8 fasting thing (where you only eat in an 8 hour window, which for me would be 12-8 or 11-7. This week I'm just trying to delay breakfast half an hour longer each day. Baby steps.

Relatedly, am trying to decide whether to sell some clothes I bought last year, which were on the verge of too small then and I have put on weight since. I would happily wear them again if I lost weight, but on the other hand they're barely worn, and very good brands, and I could sell for a decent amount of money. I mean like $50, not hundreds or anything, but still not nothing.

armchairexpert

Cheap day today, although not quite a NSD. Had to pick up some milk, and the girls' school wanted $15 from me for an incursion. That's for both of them, so pretty cheap, except that it'll be the third event I've paid for for Eldest Girl already and we're only 6 weeks into the term. Add in photo day ($80), the cupcake stall someone was running yesterday and a gold coin donation, and YNAB is not happy with me at all. And lets not even talk about the ballet fees. I've blown the kids' budget line by over $100 three months running now and I keep having to dump money from savings back into that 'pot'. I should just increase it permanently but I keep thinking, surely next month will be cheaper.

Ah well. Made tofu stir fry for dinner, with mixed reception (Little Girl poked around in it for ages before asking with despair whether there was ANY meat), and then a batch of rice pudding that the girls can bring as part of their lunch tomorrow or have for afternoon tea.

Also went for a run, so pleased with that. Forecast is for rain the next two days, so lucky I got in when I did!

armchairexpert

Feeling a bit smug this morning because I have Cuban black beans in the slow cooker and chicken thigh fillet strips in a marinade in the fridge, all ready for a decent burrito bowl dinner - I'll do it with some grilled corn that needs using up and diced avocado on top. Fridays are a huge rush in the evenings, we don't get home until almost 6pm so it's nice to feel prepared for one.

(Plus, Mr E does the weekend cooking, and because he has no time constraints and fewer budget constraints (he does try, he's not cooking sirloin and lobster, but it'll be a meat-heavy dish or fresh fish or something) his meals are met with enthusiasm all round. And then I come along during the week with my pasta or baked potatoes or tuna patties or tofu stir fry, and they're all polite enough, but it's a bit dispiriting!)

armchairexpert

Nearing the end of a chilly weekend - I managed to get out for a run with the dog earlier, but my sneakers are squelching now, thanks to a couple of short sharp downpours!
My Mum wanted the girls for a few hours yesterday so Mr E and I went to see a movie, which we very rarely do. And then we discovered that our favourite antique shop was closing down and bought a vintage Tiffany lampshade for the hallway, which we 'needed' in the sense that the one we have at the moment is cheap and nasty and inherited from the previous owners, but was still $120 I hadn't budgeted for.

Still. Grocery budget is on track, and no other spends this weekend. Today was a NSD for the whole family. I let DD1 walk to the library on her own, with me following ten minutes later, and then we came home and made apple crumble. Which I should go and eat soon.