Wittering my way to simpler life

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Good Afternoon, I have been lurking around these parts for some time and decided to not only join MSE but to actually create a diary! The reason for this being that it might help me stay motivated in reaching my goals. I'm in the fortunate position of not being in debt. However I do not possess an emergency fund and have a very small amount in savings. I recently bought a house which has a 35 year mortgage attached to and I really do not want to be beholden to a mortgage for such a long period of time. Furthermore I don't feel that my spending habits are a reflection of my values - I don't see myself as particularly materialistic and find the more I have the more stressed I feel. However that being said I have an over stuffed wardrobe and tend to spend money when i'm stressed or anxious. I want to knock this on the head really and just be happy with what I have.
Ok so a little about my household - we are a household of two - myself and a small person - I work 30 hours a week and budget around £200 for all food and household expenses . Although I regularly surpass this by buying things on offer and sticking them in the freezer which is so over-packed its actually ridiculous.
I love cooking and try to cook as much as I can from scratch - we are vegetarians so I feel I could get this budget down a bit. We enjoy walking and going on mini adventures in the local area which is pretty much nature walks and collecting sticks, stones and duck spotting - we are big fans of that. I also want to get a bit more green fingered and grow some of my own food - mainly in containers. I planted some potatoes in grow bags and we harvested them today and I'm not ashamed to admit it felt immensely rewarding. Anyway I'm going on a bit now so will leave it there and go and make my split pea soup . Cheers
Ok so a little about my household - we are a household of two - myself and a small person - I work 30 hours a week and budget around £200 for all food and household expenses . Although I regularly surpass this by buying things on offer and sticking them in the freezer which is so over-packed its actually ridiculous.
I love cooking and try to cook as much as I can from scratch - we are vegetarians so I feel I could get this budget down a bit. We enjoy walking and going on mini adventures in the local area which is pretty much nature walks and collecting sticks, stones and duck spotting - we are big fans of that. I also want to get a bit more green fingered and grow some of my own food - mainly in containers. I planted some potatoes in grow bags and we harvested them today and I'm not ashamed to admit it felt immensely rewarding. Anyway I'm going on a bit now so will leave it there and go and make my split pea soup . Cheers
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I also love ducks and birds and flowers, etc, etc ,etc.. I don't have a garden but would love to grow my own veg. Making do with potted plants on a porch just now but it looks lovely.
Good luck with your endeavours. I'll be looking out for your diary to see how you're doing.
Hello there, yes I agree a few containers or window boxes can look splendid and you don't need a big space really. I'm a big fan of alys fowler and she very much inspires me to do what I can with my humble space.
I have also formulated a new budget whereby I spend £140 on food and household expenses rather than the £200. I will be on the hunt for veggie friendly summer recipes as I find Im more comfortable cooking winter dishes so need to expand my collection
Good luck with your runner beans, ours have been out a couple of week and are loving this warm weather! Looking forward to harvesting our potatoes in a few weeks. Enjoy your gardening.
Is the mortgage recent and are you able to make overpayments easily? I agree that 35 years is a long term but even making small regular overpayments can knock years off the term.
Re the savings I tended to treat them as a debt and put an amount aside at the beginning of the month after getting paid. Saved me being tempted to spend it.
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