And so it begins: The Pig Vs The Mortgage

pinkypig

Evening:wave:

Sorry I’ve been MIA but I was busy having a lovely weekend! We had such a great time and the weather was amazing. Feeling loved and lucky in equal measure
Back to reality today though and work has been good. As always, some of the adults are more challenging than the kids :rotfl: The majority of my colleagues are really nice and my closest coworker is one of my best mates so I can’t complain. Trying to view the shenanigans with amusement rather than frustration. We’ll see :eek:
In MFW terms things are ticking along. I’m trying to take a broad and balanced approach because it works for me. If it becomes all about the money it doesn’t make for the best life for me. It needs to be a balance between thrift, physical and mental health and general wellbeing. When I get this right I’m at my happiest, my most motivated and my most successful. Getting the right balance however is easier said than done:rotfl:
Now I’ve had my couple of weeks of celebrations ( and the food and drink that goes with it:eek:) I now need to get back on it!

Today’s small steps to freedom and happiness included:

Did three loads of laundry which is now on two airers in front of the wood burner.

Sorted out the recycling

Made overnight oats

Got 4 bags of posh salad leaves, a bag of bread rolls, a pack of mini tortillas and a small wholemeal loaf for 58p :money:

Cheap, healthy eats (porridge for breakfast, lo for lunch and chickpea and peach curry and brown rice from the freezer for dinner). There’s also enough curry for tomorrow’s lunches

Grated a bag of carrots and put them in the fridge for quick and easy salad assembling

Spin class done

Marking up to date and classroom tidy

Had a lovely phone chat with OH who’s working overseas this week.

Drank enough water

Had a good sleep

A nsd apart from my ys bargains

All in all a good start to the week. Hope everyone else has had a positive start too.
Happy Monday to you

PP xx

pinkypig

CathT wrote: »

Lovely to see you back, so much to catch up on.

Your 4 day week sounds brilliant - enjoy.

Hiya Cath - lovely to hear from you. I’m really enjoying my extra time at home , it’s making a huge difference already.

Hope all is good with you - I need to catch up on the diaries soon but my tablet has died and it’s a bit of a pain on my phone!
PP xx

pinkypig

Evening :wave:

What’s happened to the weather? :eek: Torrential rain for most of the day and so dark - pretty horrid really.
Other than the weather the day has been good. Work went well and I got the bulk of my marking done over break and lunch so that I could get an early finish as I had to take some documents to the bank.
While I was in town I called into £land and got 2 lots of their fake Fairy laundry gel ( which is brilliant) and a pack of two clip top lunch boxes so £3 spent.
I also couldn’t resist a peep in a couple of charity shops and I’m glad I did as I got a lovely double hanging photo frame to put some special pictures in for DD to have in her bedroom. It’s an Avon one and the colours and the hanging ribbon are perfect. It still had the tags on. I also found a lovely Hallmark kitchen sign which I’m going to spray chrome. Finally, I succumbed to a m&s botanical print blouse and a black and grey Phase Eight top which all came to a bargainous £5.
I also needed coffee, milk and salad cream so £2.83 spent in Aldi. So no NSD but it was a good value for money day
As I got home earlier than usual, I did get some extra jobs done which was good seeing as I’ve done b***er all this weekend :rotfl:

Today’s small steps to freedom and happiness included;

Hoovered downstairs
Repaired damaged bit of floor in the hallway that was making me sad! Not perfect but you’d have to go peering to find it now.
Defrosted roast dinner soup and ys rolls for tomorrow’s lunches
Batch cooked Deliciously Ella’s shepherds’s pie from the freezer for dinner, lo curry for lunch and porridge for breakfast .
Did meal plan and shopping list for next week based on what’s in the freezer.
Updated spends spreadsheets ready for totals after payday on Friday
Did a HIT class followed by spin - the fight back really has begun! Also took a free shower at the leisure centre.
Folded some dry laundry but not put it away.
Did a load of laundry and hung it on the airer
Marking up to date and classroom tidy
Put primer coat on new kitchen sign (£land primer - great value as you use less expensive chrome paint and it gives a better finish)

Happy (soggy, wet) Tuesday to you

PP xx

pinkypig

Evening:wave:

Goodness today has been a busy one - it’s flown by! Work was good but I had a lunchtime club and inset this evening so I barely found time to sit down - it was nice to get home
I had a nice, quiet dinner with DS and had a lovely chat about his future plans. Work suits him and his apprenticeship is going well. He’s like a different lad - so nice to see him happy and motivated.
Other than that I’ve not done much at all and I’m now sat watching tv with the wood burner on and some scented candles lit - bliss.:)

Today’s small steps to freedom and well-being included;

Drank enough water

Had a reasonably good sleep

Switched utility supplier as my deal is coming to an end. Went for a green 2 year fix and my £40 cash back has tracked:money:

Got £500 cash back from recent transfer of some previous money purchase pension schemes into a SIPP. This is going to go into my holiday fund as we have decided that we rather like three holidays a year:) :rotfl:

Cheap, healthy eats (porridge for breakfast, hm soup from the freezer for lunch and hm veggie burger from the freezer for dinner (DS has a ys lamb burger)

Took coffee and healthy snacks to work

Used up fridge bits and bobs in a salad for tomorrow’s lunches

Defrosted veggie moussaka for tomorrow’s dinner

Folded remaining dry laundry but still need to put it away

A NSD apart from filling the car with petrol :j

Can’t believe it’s nearly the end of my working week!

Happy Hump Day to you

PP xx

Karmacat

It all sounds *so* good PP - apart from being too busy to breathe Congratulations to DS on his apprenticeship

shopaholicnumber1

Hi Pinky! Believe it or not I've just finished reading your diary from start to finish - and wow! Just wow! You are amazing! I am wiped out at the end of each day and don't do a tiny fraction of what you manage to achieve! I'm also hanging my head in total and utter shame at my extortionate food spends (am hoping this seriously improves now I'm a shiny new MFW!). You're an inspiration and I will follow your diaries with glee (and a touch of envy!) x

Downshifterella

Hey PP
And welcome back!!
Sorry things have been so tough in the interim and sorry to hear about the loss of your dad

4 day week sounds fantastic and balance in all areas definitely something to aspire too!! Well done!

Enjoy the start of your weekend!

Ella x

pinkypig

Evening :wave:

Autumn has definitely arrived ! It’s dark, wet and windy - I was soaked just emptying the car. It was however so nice to get in, light the wood burner and make a cup of tea and thinking I don’t need to go out again until Monday morning if I don’t want to:). Loving my four day week soooo much!
As the forecast is grim for tomorrow I decided to do this week’s food shop on the way home. I’ve done another meal plan based on using up the freezer contents and so all I need was fruit, veg and salad, a few toiletries, cream cheese, coffee, oats and some potatoes. £18.79 so I was chuffed with that. As it’s pay day tomorrow my monthly total is exactly £109 which is purely down to shopping from home. My freezer is always rammed yet I tend to still buy new ingredients - no more!
My personal spends for this month are higher than usual due lots of celebrations but at £96.50 I was relieved as coming into the month I had braced myself for far worse! This also included some clothes as I got a charity shop outfits for two special outings. Love the £1 hospice shop
My fuel budget is something I’m mulling over. It always used to be petrol but as my OH lives a distance away I’m using the train when I travel there which isn’t cheap but it allows me to work (making it productive tine) and avoids a hideously busy drive which is always endless traffic jams. From now on it’s going to be a transport budget rather than a fuel budget. I’m going to set it at £240 a month. This month it was £235.97.
All in all it’s been a pretty frugal month which is just as well as I’ve had a change of tenants which meant a month with no rent and I’ve got my first reduced salary this month. Proves I can manage on less though which is great as having more tine has had a huge impact on my wellbeing:)

Today’s small steps to freedom and happiness included;

A good sleep

Drank enough water

A good day at work

Marking up to date and classroom tidy

Planning for next week done

Lovely chat with DD

A cosy night in front of the fire watching The GBBO

Easy batch cooked dinner from the freezer

Took lunch, coffee and snacks to work

Remaining laundry folded - must put it away

Food shop done within budget

Got my payslip - reduced salary is better than I thought it would be.

Off to enjoy the rest of my lazy evening:)

Happy Thursday to you:)

PP xx

pinkypig

Karmacat wrote: »

It all sounds *so* good PP - apart from being too busy to breathe Congratulations to DS on his apprenticeship

Karma it was just fabulous- I felt totally spoiled . Hope you and yours are all well xx

shopaholicnumber1 wrote: »

Hi Pinky! Believe it or not I've just finished reading your diary from start to finish - and wow! Just wow! You are amazing! I am wiped out at the end of each day and don't do a tiny fraction of what you manage to achieve! I'm also hanging my head in total and utter shame at my extortionate food spends (am hoping this seriously improves now I'm a shiny new MFW!). You're an inspiration and I will follow your diaries with glee (and a touch of envy!) x

Hiya Shopaholic :wave:

My whole diary - flipping heck! Thank you for your lovely comments and welcome to MFW the greatest support network and source of ideas there is! You’ll be amazed at what you’ll achieve - it’s addictive. So glad you’ve joined us and the very best of luck with your plans and goals, check out the Grocery Challenge on Old Style if you want to reduce your food spends- they are amazing. Loads of ideas and super cheap recipes and meal ideas xx

Downshifterella wrote: »

Hey PP
And welcome back!!
Sorry things have been so tough in the interim and sorry to hear about the loss of your dad

4 day week sounds fantastic and balance in all areas definitely something to aspire too!! Well done!

Enjoy the start of your weekend!

Ella x

Hiya Ella and thank you. It’s been a funny old time - sad but then reflective and that reflection has led to some changes that have made life so much better. Sometimes takes a major bump to make you look at what you’ve been sleep walking into .
Hope you and yours are well and that work is not too stressful and frantic xx

Karmacat

Another great post are you working on getting the train fares down as much as possible? In SE England, for instance, there's a NetWork card giving reductions to everyone, even adults of working age (as opposed to students and over 60s, I mean). Advance fares can help, but they're so rigid, not always useful.


I'm okay, thanks! Stitches out yesterday, and the healing is itchy, but I'll take healing over the alternative