Mortgage free in Forever Home :-)

Bluegreen143

I think in fairness this is quite an expensive time in the year for gardening! You won’t spend so much every month so I wouldn’t give yourself a hard time. I know we’ve spent a lot on plants, seeds and compost this month too. 

KajiKita

Thanks @SandyShores and @Bluegreen143 😊

I think you are right, it’s all the set up costs atm; seeds, compost, mulch etc etc 😊

KK

Suffolk_lass

Maybe we should all keep a separate note of gardening spend and then at least record what we think we are saving in the SM when our produce is being used. It won't begin to cover the wellbeing and other feel-good factors from gardening, like seeing the green shoots when seeds germinate, but it's a great way to reconcile what we spend on seeds, fruit and veg plants. Personally, when I buy new propagators or a trowel, that is hobby spending. The stuff we look at and eat, that's what I record

KajiKita

Suffolk_lass said:

Maybe we should all keep a separate note of gardening spend and then at least record what we think we are saving in the SM when our produce is being used. It won't begin to cover the wellbeing and other feel-good factors from gardening, like seeing the green shoots when seeds germinate, but it's a great way to reconcile what we spend on seeds, fruit and veg plants. Personally, when I buy new propagators or a trowel, that is hobby spending. The stuff we look at and eat, that's what I record

Interesting idea …. 🤔

I did once track for a season (maybe10 years ago?) how much my produce would have cost if bought in a shop (compared to organic produce, as that’s how I garden) and it was pitiful! 😂 However, since then food has got a lot more expensive and I think it would be legitimate to include an amount for cut flowers 💐 as I often have sweet peas and other scented flowers from the garden in the house during the summer months 😊 

This could be quite fun 😊

KK

KajiKita

Starting with the leeks I lifted yesterday - £2.50 😊

I can feel a new spreadsheet coming on! 

KK

KajiKita

Question:

If I take one stem of parsley from the greenhouse for use in a salad to go alongside my curry, do I include a proportion of the packet of parsley I would buy in the supermarket, or the whole value of the packet of parsley (as in my house, being relatively time poor and disorganised still, it would probably have rotted at the top of the fridge before being used #shamefaced)? 

KK

Suffolk_lass

It really does depend on what would have happened to the rest of the cut bunch in the fridge (or the dried out pot on the windowsill...) - I would tend to include a partial amount but allowing for some to be chucked. So it it was 90p a bunch I would include 30p from my stores in the garden.

I love a good spreadsheet!

KajiKita

Suffolk_lass said:

It really does depend on what would have happened to the rest of the cut bunch in the fridge (or the dried out pot on the windowsill...) - I would tend to include a partial amount but allowing for some to be chucked. So it it was 90p a bunch I would include 30p from my stores in the garden.

I love a good spreadsheet!

Okay, so allowing for some wastage in the packet (I find that often parsley arrives quite gnarly and beaten up) I have ‘reaped’ £8.05 from my garden since the start of 2023 already. 

- Parsley as discussed x 2
- Thyme x 1 lot of sprigs for Mr KK’s last Coq au vin
- At least 2 x lots of leeks 

I think I’m going to enjoy this ….. 😉😂😊

And I will definitely include cut flowers in this tracker 😊

KK

KajiKita

I have finally got a YNAB pots sheet. Total value atm is £2,824 and I have the intention in my head that I can (will) update this with spends as they come out and top ups as my wages come in. 

This means I have £4,666 of actual emergency / new car fund - I am conflating the two. 

I want £7K in this fund and thanks to the generosity of my mum this should be ‘full’ in April. It might even top up some other savings pots that are part filled atm, such as Christmas etc. 

This means that, from May, almost all of my spare cash (apart from refilling YNAB pots when needed) will be able to start being sent to the mortgage. I have never felt so organised and secure in my life before!

It’s taken me a long time to get my head around the YNAB way of thinking, but I believe that I am getting closer to it. It’s a dynamic thing, that shifts and adapts as we need new things, but also, for the first time ever I am budgeting for things I want e.g. ‘Going out / fun days’. When I was budgeting before (when I was absolutely drowning in CC debt) I couldn’t leave any slack in my budget at all. Now I can. It’s quite a mind shift thing ….

KK

KajiKita

All the mushrooms processed into a stroganoff 😊👍💪 Go me!

KK