Mortgage free in Forever Home :-)

KajiKita

I have had a busy week in a new (hectic!) job and I haven't had the head-space for posting in here, but you have been on my mind. 

Did some conscious spending this week as Hubby needed new sweatshirts and I needed new night dresses so I took advantage of the Landsend sale for both - Hubby delighted at his late 'Christmas present'   and I am chuffed as I got what we needed for c. 50% of standard cost. Landsend stuff lasts for years - Hubby's previous sweatshirts he's had for c. 6+ years we think? The only downside was that I forgot to look for a cashback option - bah! I will start remembering this habit again some time soon ....

However, I have been more aware this week and used up the last of some smoked tofu in a sandwich for lunch yesterday rather than buying from the garage, which was £2.75 saved and we are still coming under budget on grocery spends. Need to update all my budget trackers this weekend and am really enjoying adding to my decluttering log ... it's like that gives me the hit that spending used to .....  

More conscious spending happening this morning - for seed potatoes (the local garden centre sells them loose like a pick & mix so you can get exactly what you want), sweet pea seeds and hopefully snowdrops 

KK 

redofromstart

I am on my weekend catch up, lots to read here.

Funnily enough I did chick peas yesterday as the one who doesn't eat loves them raw and needs the protein.  

Hadn't thought of picking some christmas box for the house, it self seeds nicely here so I have a few patches.  Also have two lovely white scented winter honeysuckles that smell amazing.  I am also rubbish for buying plants and not actually putting them in.  Snowdrops I am good at though as my Dad gave me some when we first moved here and I split more out every year, ideally you need to find someone who has some and get them to dig you up a trowel full. They will soon spread if you split them every couple of years.

savingholmes

Glad it isn't just me who had failed to plant things

Cheery_Daff

Good work all round here! Are you keeping a spreadsheet as your decluttering log? Good to see it's giving you that hit. I'd be scared of looking back and seeing the things I'd thrown away and getting sad about them, even though I would have instantly forgotten them if I hadn't written them on the spreadsheet 😂😂

KajiKita

Cheery_Daff said:

Good work all round here! Are you keeping a spreadsheet as your decluttering log? Good to see it's giving you that hit. I'd be scared of looking back and seeing the things I'd thrown away and getting sad about them, even though I would have instantly forgotten them if I hadn't written them on the spreadsheet 😂😂

Yes, @Cheery I am tracking my decluttering in a spreadsheet, along with *everything* else I can think of!  
It actually gives me great pleasure and offsets the anxiety and stress that comes from looking at the rest of the numbers …. 

I haven’t found myself felling sad about any of it yet - as I am letting things go, clearing sorting etc. each time I am saying to myself how it is improving my quality of life (tidier, cleaner, more focused on what really matters to me etc.) and that seems to reinforce the decision, iyswim. 

@redofromstart I have one of those winter honeysuckles too. I reminds me of my childhood as my mum had one in the garden where I grew up - it was always so special in those bleak months before spring starts

KajiKita

Small doings:
- Tracked down and added current (start point) end date for our mortgage to my signature so I have visibility of it
- Set up a basic Excel calculator for paying down my credit card debt
- Tilly-Tidied 75p to my savings account
- More decluttering - now up to 26 entries 
- Mung beans soaking for sprouts for next week's consumption along with green lentils and another batch soaking to cook for this week's lunches
- Found a £25 Amazonian voucher from a survey I did back in 2020 which I have converted into a 15Kg sack of sunflower hearts for the Boids - Hubby pleased with this    
- Hubby and I updated the freezer stock lists, removing what we'd used in the week
- Grocery spends on target for month - still have £496 left to spend of the budget
- Updated my project book for all these financial tasks etc

Actions to do:
- Add Hubby's butcher purchases from yesterday to freezer stock lists 
- Toiletries stock list so I know what I've got
- Cook mung beans ands portion for fridge for week and freezer for later
- Decant, declutter and tidy cupboard to left of sink
- Weed new flower bed that came from clearing and pruning half dead shrubs, if I get time, mulch as well
- Finish last row and cast off lap-blanket for my Dad's next Christmas present

KK  

savingholmes

Sounds super organised

KajiKita

Well I got some of it done:
- Freezer list updated
- Bed weeded but not mulched - I got too cold!
- Cooked mung beans but they're a bit mushy - I have left them to drain for ages so I will have to see if they are edible or if I should chuck them .... 
- Sorted cupboard to left of sink - found 2 x washing powders and 3 x firelighters! So they'll save buying these items for a bit. Hubby pleased as I found his thermos flask 'delousing powder' (< his description not mine!  )
- Finished blanket and sowed the ends in It needs blocking out but I'm pleased with how it has come out.

Didn't get to the toiletries list but maybe I might get chance in the week.

Our water is off atm - I've just popped round to the neighbours with 2 x 2 litre water bottles that I got by mistake on a supermarket delivery yonks ago - flipping useful now! Neighbours pleased, as like us, they can cook dinner with them now  

savingholmes

Hope your water comes back on soon

KajiKita

Still no water and not due on until midnight! Not entirely surprised - the Dwr Cyrmu website says it’s affecting 3 different villages! 

Had a strip wash and brushed my teeth with the bottled water and we washed up by using water from the water butt next to the garage heated on the hob! Still have water left for a brew tomorrow, but if there is no water back on by then then I’d better pick some up on the way home after work ….

Really makes you appreciate how much we take having clean mains water for granted. I am remembering a young bloke I saw on the news in Palestine who had to fill bottles every day to put into his roof tank …. A hard way to live. 

KK