Beating Lifestyle Inflation and Staying Mortgage Free!

earthgirl2

Thanks!

I've been continuing with my plans to earn the rest of the money for the trip, but really then I'd like to continue like this and get to FIRE earlier. 

I had a bit of a wobble last week, as I'd done nothing from my normal to do list for a couple of weeks with working 12 hours each day, and then I wanted to spend a bit of time with the family and relax. Well when I returned to my todo list it was two sides of A4 full of hours- weeks- worth of tasks to do. Things like "clean the whole house" and "tidy the back garden" "write end of month reports" "redesign website and feedback" 😬 I started to get on with it but got pretty fed up! I wasn't doing anything that I love - I was just busy "doing". I felt really fed up!

So im going back to my usual routine, workout, walk and yoga and then just doing 3 things per day off my list. It will get done eventually!! 

Anyway back to money saving and making!

Money saving
the last two weeks I've collected a few healthy things off olio when I've been passing
i have been stretching our meal plan out with frugal meals like jacket potatoes and Mac n cheese from this blog https://www.shoestringcottage.com/extremely-frugal-food-22-ideas-that-dont-cost-much-money/

Money Making
I'm now at maximum capacity with my tutoring side hustle again 11 hours. For the speaking classes im also doing pa surveys at the same time as I don't have to think and I just take my time!

I need to look at using my end room again. 

Spending
it's been pretty good so far.

 £60 for DS1 to take on a football trip. £2.40 for a tea strainer for me. £10 for ds2 to go ice skating. 
 

Have a MS lined up for Saturday with OH. I'd also like to do something with the kids this weekend as they have a short holiday off school. 

LadyWithAPlan

Your tutoring side hustle income is v impressive and having the occassional student stay. Well done!

Those long lists of tasks I think breed .. I am tackling the year end taxes .. lovely  - taking forever

earthgirl2

Merry Christmas!
I hope everyone had a fantastic time. I really loved it - we were not hosting for the first time in a long time, and I really enjoyed the whole thing. 

November was a great month for me money wise. I stuck to my food budget and didn't spend any unbudgeted cash. I did an extra 10 hours a week tutoring, but I don't think I was very productive other than that though!

December has been the opposite! I have paid out so much money some budgeted and some unbudgeted, and doing this has made me think 'oh *@%*' and has given me a big push to get myself back into gear.

My big spends in December have been-
Christmas presents for my boys - £1500 - £500 over budget. It was the cheapest I could get for the things they wanted this year - one was a PC. 
Solar panels - £8K paid out, £5k on interest free credit card.
Food and drink - £200 over budget.
Spending on football event and attending this next year plus a holiday for a few days whilst we are there - committed to spending £2500, £1000 spent and the rest still to pay for.
I still have approx £11000 of my Australia trip to pay for by March 24.

I have all of the money for this and I know life is for living, but it was a bit of a shock to see it all written down!
I have been doing some research into my my FIRE plans again, and I'm meeting with a financial advisor in the new year. I'm happy with my financial product choice, but I'm too risk averse so I need to up my S&S percentage rather than having so much in high interest accounts. 

I need to learn how to use SIPs for my tutoring business income.

After looking into FIRE and thinking about our circumstances, I think, if we have our health, that we will do a mix of a few of them. Lean fire to some extent, probably more of this when my kids are leaving or left, mini retirements for sure, and barista fire, where we take on part time jobs to supplement our income gaps. Probably teaching online will be a good source of income for me even if I do retire from my teaching job. I still plan on retiring when I am 50 - 55 (so 7-12 years or when me kids don't need me to support them!) - or later, if I am still loving my teaching job.

So I am looking at my month in Australia as the start of my mini retirements. A trial! It will be more expensive than future ones, as I am taking the kids as well, and OH is coming for part of it.

In January, the first week I'll be away, and then I plan to get on with a few money making/ sorting life out things:
1. meet with financial advisor and make a plan for self-employed business/SIP and moving from cash to s&S investments
2. continue to work on OHs business, but at a more productive rate.
3. expand tutoring business to include group tuition
4. expand cat sitting - if this is possible.
5. set up passive income businesses that have been on the back of my mind for years!
6. no buy month. Use up what we have and be creative.
7. sell things (esp if I want to buy something else!)

So the first 'no buy' ideas I have 
- make thank you cards and hand out 
- do a toiletries trawl and use what I have - my skin always seems dryer in winter
- get the kids to use up the chocolates in their packed lunches etc instead of buying biscuits
- be creative with all the random things in the cupboards and freezer!
- go to the seed library and get organised for spring planting for free

earthgirl2

Wow I've not been here for such a long time! A previous member of the forum that I'm still in contact with got in touch and asked me if I was updating here. I hadn't really thought about it but it put the idea back in my mind. Many happy hours spent -and a lot of accountability -on this board. So I thought nostalgically, why not?

so I'm still doing the same job and I still love it. I No longer do any online tutoring and now make money from passive income but it's not really passive as I have to continuously work on it ! I might go back to online teaching, but I wanted to give this a chance. 

I didn't get to go to Australia Fiji due to a family illness. I got the money back via insurance. My kids are 14 and 12 and pretty happy, fairly good citizens and doing pretty well at school. They are very expensive!

Me and my husband are getting along really well and divide up tasks quite differently now to previously - to allow me to work and rest and relax. I have a Few holidays booked this year. 2 summer ones that are already Paid for. We normally go away after Christmas but the prices are so high that I'm thinking we will give it a miss this year. I'm doing the West Highland Way in October with friends. Still love hiking and yoga and still live in the same house by the beach.

with my friend from here getting in touch it's really made me think about how I'm spending my money and time because they are intertwined. I have to work to make the money. I have to spend my time working so I need to make sure that I'm making the best of both.

I'm struggling with allergies at the moment and I'm up quite early in the morning so I've been using the time to think about how I'm managing money and moving forward with it. 

some things I'd like to do quite soon
1. Go through my current savings and investing accounts and work out exactly how my money is working for me And adjust to get the best deals or returns
2. Overhaul our finances check that We are getting the best Prices for our services etc and get rid of any unnecessary spending
3. firm up spending and saving goals
4. sell loads of stuff 
5. do my tax return and pay Pension
6 up my income with short-term medium term and long-term income tasks 

this morning I listed 30 things on vint3d. I have cancelled our shopping delivery pass which was a necessity when I had a bad back but should now be okay to go back to one of the cheapest supermarkets. I still do olio. 

Tonight I am Cat Sitting and it's more like babysitting really as I have to stay there the whole evening but I'm getting paid £40 I can work when I am there as well. 

On my to do list

Marking
clear out my wardrobe
sell 2 toy items
Plant my veg garden

beanielou

Good to hear from you. 

earthgirl2

Thanks for the welcome Beanie! It's been years!
I'm at cat sitting - I really should pay to be here it's so relaxing. The owner gave me £60 for 4 hours of cat sitting when I'd only charged £40, she's so lovely. 

Also getting some marking completed. 

earthgirl2

Cut my own hair into a Bob. Looks and feels much better! 

I'm Much more organised with money now.

supermarket delivery cancelled - going to try cheap one tomorrow 

gym was going to become chargeable on Thursday so I cancelled. I am outside a lot more exercising now and also won a free gym membership further away and I'm in that area there 3 times per week. 

sorted out tax for this year and don't need to add more to pension just now, will add it April 6th. 

Checked through banking and all of my previous bank choices look good. Going to apply for an ama20n credit card to get the £50 voucher. Still some jobs to do - cancel some credit cards

Yoga and Showered at gym, walked to garage and
posted 4 V1nted parcels, two more to post

organised another bag to list, probably tomorrow.



todays jobs
List 2 toy items
sh and scan 
Make Spag bol, soup and breakfasts 
make a shopping list
 

Tomorrow's jobs 
post remaining parcels 
list more items
Remaining banking jobs 

teapot2

Welcome back, what a lovely cat sitting job too 😻 

earthgirl2

Thank you for the welcome teapot 2!
I'm feeling the benefit of thinking and writing about money saving and making already!

earthgirl2

I have really enjoyed catching up on some diaries, which I did with the idea of trying to see what goals people are setting and how they are  tracking and achieving them. I know my goals will be different but wanted to get some ideas. Wow, there are some really inspirational people here! 

In money news-

Money making
i have booked a lot of cat sitting in which is great. Some of this is overnights and full days so I need to work out how much to charge as I've only had a per per visit fee before. 

I have dusted off some side hustle work that I've started and need to get on with now. It's connected to a YouTube channel I have that has just started earning about £70 per month. It's a good start. 

Need to get in with it!

money saving
shopped at a cheap supermarket and didn't notice a huge decrease in price, but will keep trying it.

Spending
DS lost an item that isn't insured so has borrowed £140 from me to be "earned back" to replace it. In fairness it was lost during a search at school for vapes (he doesn't vape but was with a big group of boys who do). Im ok with school as they did try to look for it and it is his responsibility if he takes things in to school. I am going to get him to sell shoes clothes etc he isn't using , wash cats etc so he learns a lesson from this. No more "mum will pay for it". Also switch to get insurance with packaged bank account.