Getting the balance right

elantan

Well today is a new day, I'm up gonna have a coffee, now I tried to give coffee up recently, and just keep it for special occasions, that lasted a few weeks but I need to get back to it. Today however is not that day, didnt fall asleep till after midnight due to "hormones" I'm at that tender age sigh. 

Work today then home tonight. Dinner is going to be gigot chops with tatties turnip, carrots  and broccoli, I havnt eaten much veg recently, been in a bit if a downward spiral and food tends to turn to crap when that happens. Today though I'm gonna eat veg. 

Have a great day everyone and catch ya later 

Now wheres that coffee hmmmm

elantan

4 coffees later and 6 hours of work done with 2 left to go, I've been mulling ideas around after Kc  kindly looked at my spends. 

I'm wondering if I can talk Mr el into a takeaway once a fortnight instead of weekly, it would save 60 to put towards decent food. 

Also thinking I need adventure money, I like to go out as often as I can and usually meet up with a certain MSE'r but I havnt been budgeting for this either and its brilliant fun but the money has to come from somewhere. So I'm gonna add that in. 

This kinda came about when yesterday with my day off I spent it at home instead of where I wanted to be, traipsing round the lavender fields of fife and picking strawberries so I could dehydrate them for winter. I planned the day, looked up the mileage and went ... cant afford that. It roughly costs me 22.5p in diesel for every mile I travel, we did Pitenweem last weekend at a cost of £40 ( skinty I owe u a tonne of money) in diesel and £45  in food, so there we had £85 of unplanned spends ... and I wonder why I have no money. 

So I need a realistic affordable adventure budget, and I could sit here and say well El u cant afford adventuring so you will have to forget it, but I know that wont wash and I will just go anyway and be skint and once again not put money by for something that badly needs money put by for. 

You would think after all these years I would have it sussed by now eh ?

powerspowers

What about swapping your takeaway? We tend to have chip shop takeaway now rather than curry/Chinese or do fakeaway pizza from supermarket so spending ~£10 rather than £30 each time? 

I agree that adventures need a budget. Although Covid taught me about adventures starting at home and appreciating what I can get to by walking/cycling/bussing to from here. 

Good luck with the new diary and fire plans 

L9XSS

Nice to have you back.

Karmacat

Just referring back to your last post on the previous page - you're spot on, your health is the most important thing.  And part of that *is* adventures, you're right, even little ones.  But since you've just found yourself not doing something because of the cost of petrol, why don't you research stuff local to you?  If you do VisitScotland - Scotland's National Tourist Organisation and "Visit your county" and put google up to high magnification so that *everything* appears - this is the stuff I did when the first lockdown started easing, and we were allowed to drive a bit.  There'll be new ventures starting up, you just can't tell what might recently have opened.  

My own county (deep in Englandshire!, no good to you, sorry) has its own maps website - it shows all rights of way at a certain scale, as well as national walks and easy access trails.  It's run by the county council, so completely free.

The other thing was your description of fruit picking and foraging - are you near the coast?  Near enough, at any rate?  Because there might be foragey type environments there, and even if it isn't shellfish etc, its stones and shells and whatnot.

Just like powerspowers is saying about the takeaway/fakeaway - do the stuff you want to do, but find ways of doing it more cheaply.  Internet research is *such* a precious thing!

edinburgher

@elantan - sounds like your first step should be a good old fashioned "note down everything you spend for a couple of months"

savingholmes

Are there any to good to go options near you? Might fill the takeaway gap with something more affordable 

beanielou

So very sorry to read about Mr El.
For some reason I thought that things had got better 

elantan

powerspowers said:

What about swapping your takeaway? We tend to have chip shop takeaway now rather than curry/Chinese or do fakeaway pizza from supermarket so spending ~£10 rather than £30 each time? 

I agree that adventures need a budget. Although Covid taught me about adventures starting at home and appreciating what I can get to by walking/cycling/bussing to from here. 

Good luck with the new diary and fire plans 

Hi all , bare with me while i reply, still not got to grips with the new site yet

Hi  @powerspowers pleased to meet you, welcome to the frustrating world that is my diary, ( i sometimes wonder if i stop posting through sheer frustration of my life) 

Are you ready for this one? 

My friends from MSE that have met both Mr El and myself will be screaming at their monitors, not at you, at the frustration of my situation. To let you understand years ago i noticed Mr El took pleasure in cooking, so for his xmas many years ago i booked us onto a cookery course, Mr El is an amazing cook, he makes the most amazing Chinese, Indian, pizza, cakes etc. Honestly, his food is far superior to the restaurant or take away, and he cooks often ( my waist line is testament to that) but he likes his take away every week, i moan about it cause it aint as good, and fairly often he is heard to say i can make better. We like to eat out as well as he likes to dissect the meal and learn  how to make it at home. 

This weekend i have asked Mr El if we can have pizza, he has agreed. I am looking forward to it, I am going to try and broach the subject of cutting back on our eating out, i think i would rather have just one delicious meal out a month than the rubbish were currently buying. 

Frustrating isnt it? 

As a person that took 3 weeks to make it to the end of my drive way post covid i totally agree adventures dont need to be huge and can start from home, i went through a stage of Swedish death cleaning that was very enjoyable   

elantan

L9XSS said:

Nice to have you back.

Thanks, its great to be back, its like coming home