Beating Lifestyle Inflation and Staying Mortgage Free!

earthgirl2

I hope everyone is well!
Quick update from the earthgirl household.
Money saving
I'm still just using things up, shopping was £70 this week for us plus the student. I'd like to get that down a little more. I'm not buying things that I 'want' and just making do, it feels good to be back in this mindset - good for us and good for the planet
We are spending a lot on logs, I think because we are in all the time. We are going to try and snuggle under blankets instead- we have heating on in the morning and evening. I am also thinking of ways to get free/cheap wood. Sometimes in storms we get driftwood washing up, but I'm not sure about toxins, and it's better for the environment if we use less.

Making money
I'm still teaching the homestay student (unfortunately he has to return to school on Monday) and I am teaching privately online 10.5 hours per week - the past few weeks I've taken on an extra 4 hours per week as well, but that ends this week. 

My habits are going pretty well, and I've already lost weight and feel much healthier. Need to properly get out of holiday mode and into getting things done mode though!!!
Homeschooling is going ok, and the kids here can play outside together, so I've set that up a couple of times next week so that DS1 doesn't get totally isolated.

beanielou

Will you miss your homestay student then? 

themadvix

I’m finding it particularly hard to get out of holiday mindset as there’s very little difference between holiday and lockdown! Really missing feeling productive, but struggling to motivate myself! So it’s not just you!

earthgirl2

Yes the homestay student has been really great, I can't believe it's already been almost 4 weeks! I am sad that he is going, because if he had stayed I would have been paid a fee for board, and he has been great really.
I was up and at my to do list early this morning!

twinklie

Oooh loving your new diary. I shall be happily following along.

earthgirl2

Hi twinklie and all (waves), 
So a really good week so far! Getting on great with getting a workout in every day, the other little bits are fitted in as and when, so I'd like to get things a bit more 'bam, bam, bam' (not sure what I am trying to say here!) but with homeschooling the kids, finishing lots of reports etc, and working out of the house again,  it feels a little bit like fighting fires at the moment - I'd like to get things a bit more organised. Still, it's going pretty well!
I also saw a noticeable improvement to my health just from the last 2 weeks of eating sensibly - no alcohol, vastly reduced sugar and carbs. I have planned out possible meals for a month. My shopping this week was £66, and included a beef joint, mince, chicken and fish, and loads of veggies. First time for a long time that I've looked at my haul and felt happy that this is what I want to be eating. I am conscious that there is red meat in there, which gets a bad crit for damage to the planet. As it is I have decided the beef joint is probably going to do us two meals, so I have frozen the mince for next week. I have a good bank of low carb, zero sugar meals including 2 veggie per week, so I hope to be able to look in the fridge and freezer first and plan from there.
I'd like to set some goals around saving money. Firstly, I'd like to get our budget on track and come in under budget. Secondly, I'd like to set a challenging savings goal. 

Money Saving this week
Shopping under budget £66
Haven't bought anything that I 'want' just stuck to what I 'need'.
Forced the whole family to go down to the beach with a chainsaw and a barrow. We brought up two driftwood trees in under and hour and a half, which is brilliant! Certainly got my work out in that day as I was barrowing! OH thinks it's about £75 worth of wood for the end of this winter, or more likely next year.

Money Making
I've got another big booking of ten hours tutoring in Feb from a company I work with in China.
I want to do surveys more regularly so I need to get into the habit of doing it - maybe straight after workout?

Homeschooling is going OK, but the teachers won't be marking anything, so I will have to I guess. Because it is a rainy afternoon, we watch a nature documentary instead of walking, but now I'm  sat on the sofa thinking it's nice and cosy here, I don't want to get up and get moving! I'll make and set a timer for each task - it's the only way!

earthgirl2

So I've been an done some banking, finished off tea which is beef in the SC.
I wanted to challenge myself with the budget and saving money this year and I have a goal of saving £10,000 this year again. I've decided to try to cut £300 off my weekly budget, and try to earn an extra £833 per month. I'll be running at a savings deficit until the summer where I hope to be able to host students again this may earn me between £2,000 - 3,000 but totally depends on the virus!
Any tutoring money I will post here with tax already removed.
So far I have been working really hard, and I have been paid £553.5 so far after tax.

apple_muncher

Can't quite believe work is being set for your children but not marked... Seems pointless doing it, if they don't know if they've got it right or not... Seems a cop out on the teachers' part... I say that as one who sets, teaches and marks the work!!

Great goals there. Glad you feel better re what you're eating. I've been upping my fibre intake by having hm coleslaw of cabbage, onion, cauli/broc, carrot, sultana, evoo, acc for lunch, along with a tin of fish. My f1tb1t food log tells me how much fibre I've had and I'm aiming for 30 -40g daily. Basically, I'm ensuring a solid intake of fresh veg!

beanielou

Also see no point in setting work & it not being marked.

earthgirl2

I know, the boys school provides a pretty poor service in comparison to others- nothing online just emailed photos of text books! I will mark it tomorrow and send it in.
So today I've been working hard. I managed to get our budgets to balance especially because we are in lockdown, and I can cut out eating out (£50/ month) haircuts, reducing wine budget (I don't drink it anymore), gym, and taking away our budget for Easter break. This is a really interesting one, as I don't think much will be open but we have 2 free options if it is - visiting my mum or going to my SILs caravan nearby. If it's a staycation I have a few ideas too!

Today I did 3 hours of tuition and reports, did homeschool and work, and took the kids to play sport outside with a relative - allowed up here. Whilst they were doing that, I brought up another load of wood from the beach, maybe about £15 worth. I did my surveys this morning too, so a few pounds in there too - it all adds up!

Tomorrow I've got a few hours of teaching out of the house, more online, and one hour of tuition. I also need to do my work admin and get on with my to do list. I've decided to try to do my weekly cleaning on a Friday instead of the weekend, so that I can have a bit of a weekend break - cleaning seems to bookend everything I do at the weekend!