Beating Lifestyle Inflation and Staying Mortgage Free!

savingholmes

Glad you have been able to improve DS's symptoms 

earthgirl2

Thanks for the well wishes for ds2. I think I've got the gluten sensitivity under control now. It looks like he can tolerate a little gluten but not glutinous cereal, pizza base, bread or pasta for example. So he can have normal crisps and biscuits, sometimes has some gluten in other things and it doesn't seem to upset him. 

I've managed to get out grocery budget back under control and I'm much more confident with not needing lots of GF food in the house now. We are back to spend £50 per week. 

As soon as I got this sorted out though, he broke a bone in his hand. He spends his spare time helping out in the farm, as a goalie and playing golf. So it's been a bit boring for him lately. Thankfully he's getting a bit stronger and not in much pain now. He's trying golf today. 

He broke the bone playing with his brother. I could tell they were being too rough and told them to stop it but they sneaked back to play fighting when I went out of the room and the hand was broken. 

Ds1 is driving me a little bit crazy. He is 12 almost 13 and is pretty good generally. But he is quite immature and is not very sociable. He only wants to play football and his friends have all moved on to walking around town or going to the next town and walking around, meeting girls etc. He doesn't want to do this so ends up in his own. I know I should be grateful that he doesn't want to do this but he also thinks he's too old for football camps, and so he basically plans to hang around at home on his own for Easter break 🤦‍♀️ well it's the first day and he's bored already! 

I know I'm not here to entertain him but he's at that funny age where he's too old for some things like toys or going for a walk with me but too young to spend all day playing computer games/phones/lazing in bed.

I wish he could find some like minded friends. I've messaged a mum with maybe an option to play football, we will see. 

I got him a gym membership for £15/month so I'll take him there. He has been today, plus I've done football training with him, and played chess for a few hours. 

I got a free week of a streaming service for movies. We can take him to the big furniture shop one day. I am thinking of a stone skimming competition. Swimming. Running.
visiting relatives. Playing cards. 

All of those things only take a couple of hours though! But Im remember g that I could have the opposite problem of him wandering around the streets and getting in trouble, so I'm grateful, just a bit stumped for ideas!! 

savingholmes

Sounds frustrating. Hope you find something suitable soon.

earthgirl2

Thanks! I know I shouldn't get frustrated, there are worse things than bored tweens! 

I think I've managed to get him a job as a ball boy for a local team, he gets £5 and food. 

Maybe I can see if I can get him earning money other ways somehow? 

beanielou

Tweens are hard work!!

Karmacat

Constructive boredom .... its a thing!  He'll want to do stuff soon enough  

Jellytotts

I can’t tolerate any gluten and can’t afford to keep buying gluten free foods so have learnt what I can and can’t make (bread is always a disaster and too expensive so I buy that but pastry, Yorkshire puds, cakes/scones etc I can make a passable attempt at). 

My eldest has no gluten issues at all but youngest sounds like your son, can cope with small amounts but sometimes flares up and feels naff for days.  At least she found out sooner than I did and can minimise the impact.  

If you’re on instagram then look out for Becky excell, her recipes are amazing.

earthgirl2

Thanks so much for the helpful comments and tips! 

DS1 did start to see friends and do things in the holidays and it got much better. He still needs encouragement to be sociable, and enjoys it and feels better when he does it.

I'll have a busy summer coming up, and there are 4 weeks where he will have to amuse himself or be amused. He can find something for himself to do, or do whatever I suggest, which I'm sure he will find more boring!
Thinking of - walking, playing tennis, swimming, paddleboarding, going to the gym, visiting free museums, playing chess and other board games, visiting grandma and the library, gardening. 

I have had a sheer mountain of work to get through. My manager was paying me overtime on a consultancy basis for a program development and trainer role (huge job) but then was told she couldn't but until then I got a little bit of extra pay. I was then offered time back. It means I can take time off when I want which I've used it to book a family holiday next year coming back a day later than school holidays saving £1000. I'm using the other hours to do some things I can't always fit in - hikes with friends for example. I've also taken time off to work to do extra jobs so I am bringing more money in. I'm tutoring for 7 hours per week at the moment which I find about right.

One of the extra jobs is hosting students again. I'm looking forward to the challenge, its always fun and difficult too! I'm doing it for 7 weeks this summer - the most I've ever done.

I'm enjoying the gym, its only £25/month, the yoga is excellent, and I try to go 3 times per week for gym. I tried a class but I'm not up to that level of fitness yet! I'm seeing friends regularly and getting out for lovely walks.

I did a bargain not for profit yoga retreat, it was totally amazing and only cost £75 for the weekend, not including food which we made ourselves. It was an amazing experience. Part of it was a really deep reflection on values and I loved this. Sort of avoiding setting goals, and instead designing values to live by, and then making sure your life is matching your values. 

Also looking at how you would like to be spending time in 5, 10, 20 years. Very illuminating! In all of these, and in my values I put about being fit and healthy as I get older, so I'd like to renew my effort on this. Part of this is not working too hard or too much!

I'm hoping to have a similarly great experience when I go away with a friend for a few days walking, yoga and wild swimming in May. Free accomodation in SIL caravan. The rest of our holidays this year will just be camping trips. If I keep my superhost  status on airbnb until summer, which I should do, I'll get a voucher for a stay which we can perhaps use in the October break.

So everything is going really well, earnings are good and I guess I'd like to look at the following:

- cheap easy healthy meals
- being more regular at the gym 
- ways to cut down the cost of GF things we buy
- I'm not drinking, so alternative drinks that are not unhealthy but not really expensive either!
- can I use the extra hours for setting up new ventures/ passive income? without working too hard?
AND I AM NOT GOING TO TAKE ON MORE WORK!

themadvix

Sounds like things are going really well Earthie! And I do hope you stick to your last statement! 😊

beanielou

That was a bargain yoga weekend indeed 
Glad that you enjoyed