One step at a time

sunshineli

seventh88 said:

Well done on your progress this month and I’m sorry to hear that you’ve had flu and that work is becoming unmanageable. I hope the honeymoon was everything you imagined it to be. It’s great that your starting a MFW pot, however small that feels at the moment, because every bit really does add up against that interest and from the comments on the forum many people have said how they wished they’d made overpayments sooner, even if it was just small amounts. So keep going and know that everyone on the forum is behind you and rooting for you! 

The honeymoon was lovely thank you. It makes returning to work all that more difficult! Thank you for your encouraging comment about starting small with overpaying the mortgage. It's hard when the mortgage is so big, but you're right it does make a difference. 

sunshineli

I had a really nice frugal weekend. On Saturday I went for a riverside walk in the sunshine which was lovely after being cooped up inside all week. I also met up with my brother and went for a wander around town and mooch in the charity shops. I didn't feel compelled to buy anything, it was just nice to have a look around. I also had a little look in the library and returned a book. The rest of the day was spent resting and listening to my audiobook (borrowed from the library).

On Sunday it was my nieces christening which was a lovely day spent with family. Other than her christening present and card (already budgeted for and purchased earlier in the month) I bought a soft drink and that was it.

Amount spent all weekend was £3.40.

I also put a few things on Vinted and have made £10 so far. I managed to do a few You Gov surveys too. I am now only a few points away from being able to finally withdraw £50 which is great. The money made from Vinted and the surveys will be added to the mortgage OP pot.

sunshineli

Today was my office day this week, and I managed to not spend much despite being out and about. Sent off the 2 things I sold on Vinted over the weekend. I took a packed lunch to work (as I always do), and got a free coffee from cafe nero. My DH gets a weekly coffee voucher through his work health insurance. He’s not a coffee drinker so I get to benefit from this.

Amount spent today-
£4.80 - train to work
£2 - parcel tape so I can sell more on Vinted! 

ladysummerisle

Well this is clearly the place to be for autoimmune / veggie chat! 😀 Mine only appeared in the last couple of years but they’ve definitely spurred me on to overpay too. Anything you overpay will get you a step closer to less stress.

sunshineli

ladysummerisle said:

Well this is clearly the place to be for autoimmune / veggie chat! 😀 Mine only appeared in the last couple of years but they’ve definitely spurred me on to overpay too. Anything you overpay will get you a step closer to less stress.

Thanks for stopping by! That’s a great way to look at it, making little steps towards reducing future stress! 

sunshineli

NSD today. Thankfully I worked from home as I am struggling with arthritis pain and fatigue. It feels like I’m wading through thick mud.

I did manage to put a couple of things on Vinted earlier and have sold a jumper making me another £10. That’s £30 in total over the past few days. Really happy with that. 

I am patiently waiting for more You Gov surveys to come through as I am 2 surveys away from withdrawing my £50. It’s gone very quiet though!

I had a mushroom and lentil stew tonight with mashed potato which was lovely. I do need to work on healthier lunch and snacks though. 

seventh88

Well done on your low and no spend days recently, the riverside walk sounds especially peaceful and nourishing. Sorry to hear you're struggling with pain today. 

Flossymuldoo

Sorry to hear you're struggling with pain today.  Hope it eases for you 

sunshineli

Oops I haven't posted on here for a while!

I'm proud of the progress I have made in the first two months of the year working towards my finance and health goals.

Finances

Through side hustling and selling things I have made £363.55 this year. This is put aside for mortgage overpayments. I have managed this by selling bits on Vinted and finally cashing out on YouGov. One great success I had was selling some collectible signed books for £270! 

I also took part in a 2 hour research interview I signed up to through work, and got a £60 Amazon voucher for it. I have decided to treat myself and buy a new Kindle with it. My current Kindle is 11 years old and hanging on by a thread. I am able to exchange my old Kindle which gives me 20% off so after the £60 voucher plus discounts it will only cost me £18.99 (instead of £105). As I love reading so much, and you can get cheap Kindle books I see this as a frugal hobby! 

I have been doing well at staying within budget for grocery spends and in Jan and Feb approx. £240 was spent each month on groceries. This is under budget by £60 each month.

Health

I have been working hard to incorporate more fruit and veg into my diet which has been going well in recent weeks. My current aim is to eat 5 portions of F&V per day which seems achievable (most of the time).

I have also been doing some daily stretching which has been helping with chronic pain.

Once a week I go for a nice riverside walk which has worked wonders for my mental health. At the moment this is the most I can manage but I must try and get out more for fresh air even if its just pottering around the garden.

Other life updates

I have made the decision to reduce my work hours, and in a few months I will be moving down to 4 days a week instead of full time. I have realised that although working hard and overpaying the mortgage is important, I really need to prioritise my health and at this current rate I am risking my health. This means I am not going to have any spare savings for mortgage overpayments, and any overpayments will have to come from side hustling and selling unwanted things.

ladysummerisle

All of that sounds great but especially reducing your working hours. I’m sure you won’t regret it and you’ve already caught onto MFW / frugality early so you’re ahead of the game. I’d love a four day week personally!