Living the Good Life - mortgage free and living in line with our values

rtandon27

👋 Hey Vix - popping in to see how you have been - I'm guessing a busy time for you workwise?

EssexHebridean

Good inspiration on copper tape - I have just ordered a roll although surely the slugs/snails can't be as bad this year as last?! 

I think shaking off the feeling of being an MSE fraud is a tough one - although obviously we still have the mortgage at the moment, we do spend a solid amount on "living life" and sometimes it can feel a bit reminiscent of some of the so-called thrifty bloggers from years back who used to repeatedly post lectures on all sorts of scrimping and saving while you realised once you dug a bit deeper they weren't practicing what they were preaching! My view has always been that transparency and honesty makes all the difference - being open on diaries (or in blogs) as you are about when and where money is spent negates the need to be apologetic about that, and it is after all the MSE stuff that allows life to be lived like that in any event. That and acknowledging privilege as well - we're fortunate that between us we have a reasonably good household income and like you try to ensure that we acknowledge that. 

Baileys_Babe

Neither yourself @themadvix nor @EssexHebridean come across as MSE frauds. I feel the contribution you both make enriches the forum and will help a lot of people wanting to be D/MFW. You and others show with honesty how to live a full life, making the most of yellow stickered, cash back, stacking offers, splitting tickets, planning, combining journeys, growing your own, annual membership as a gift, shopping from home, buying better quality, taking packed lunches.... These all demonstrate small and large changes and decisions we can make which allow us to be in control of how/where/why we are spending our money. Sometimes I read about something I already do, other times something I start doing, sometimes the information is not relevant but interesting and I can direct it to people who will find it useful, at times the information is interesting but not something I can do now but it lets me work out how that can work for us.

In short, please keep posting, your knowledge is helping people far and wide.

themadvix

Afternoon all,

RT, yes work continues to be busy! That and not having much saving to report has been why I've not updated here recently... and also, spending more time at the allotment.

Thanks EH and BB. Funnily enough EH, I was reading responses to all your travels yesterday and agreed with those who say you do all the saving to enable you to these things - I guess I need to apply some of that to my life too! And BB, you're right, we all take inspiration from each other too - on the big things and the small things. Comments on Watty's diary about her friend who is being made redundant and has no savings/has cc debt etc. have also resonated - I'm still here because 'out there' people just don't get the idea of putting the hard work in to ensure the security at a later point (which is where we are now). So I'm not going anywhere and I'll try to update more frequently!

Amsterdam was expensive... I cannot admit on here how expensive! We had one fancy meal out (£75?), a pricey (but amazing) lunch and a few beers (which weren't cheap), but I still can't quite work out how we spent so much. Travel in the UK was a large chunk  - annoyingly the night before out departure (before we'd bought the tickets) they cancelled the first train of the day (4.15) to get to St Pancras, which was a) the only one that actually got us there technically on time and b) the only one that wasn't at peak times (who commutes into London for 5am - it's just a train company rip-off) - so our train tickets just to get into London were £40 instead of £25ish. I was not impressed. And then Ubers to and from the station here were £10 each way - no choice as we had a suitcase and no buses at that time of day (could have got a bus on the way home except Mr MV couldn't walk. By contrast, travel in the Netherlands was excellent value - 81 euros both of us for a 3-day travel ticket that covered the whole of Amsterdam and region (our hotel was in Zaandam - yes, it was that funky! - which wouldn't have been covered by a metrocard). It meant we also visited the beach at Zaandvoort and Haarlem.

We visited the Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum (both booked and paid for before we went) - would highly recommend both. And we ate at the Foodhallen twice - street food style place with lots of choice. We also hired bikes in Haarlem (26 euros for 2 for the day) and cycled out to the coast and through a national park. Unfortunately the cycling caused Mr MV's knee to swell spectacularly, so Monday was spent hobbling gently around before heading home. (He's been to physio and is now making use of work-provided health insurance.) Despite the costs, we had a fabulous time and really loved the country - people were so friendly, the lack of traffic in the city meant it was amazingly quiet and lovely and the water everywhere was great for the soul.

However, with another holiday coming up in less than 3 weeks (and a night away the night before too because it's Mr MV's woodworking course - birthday present), we are firmly back in MSE mode - which will extend to the holiday  - to some extent. 

Unfortunately (not that it won't be nice to see them), we've got friends coming for a BBQ on Sunday, so food shopping has had to be done. I've probably over-catered (it's mostly vegetarian - from Rukmini Iyer's Green Barbecue, which is an amazing book), but to some extent intentionally as we'll happily eat the leftovers for a few days afterwards. I'm glad I have a small food-budget savings pot from previous months - we won't need all of it, but we will dip into it. We're also out on Friday night (tapas for SIL's birthday) and Saturday (in London - ticket paid for but drinks and some sort of food needed) - personal spends will be tight (also waiting for Sunday friends to pay me back their share of a France day trip ferry cost that I booked earlier in the week - will be chasing on Sunday!). Next week, I have Niece on the Friday, but I've come up with free entertainment - cycling around town, with a picnic and stops at various play parks and to enjoy the street art. So I'm hoping to eke out personal spends until the end of the month.

Looking ahead to the holiday, I'm already considering how to reduce meal costs. We're in Ireland, mixing camping with cheap (i.e. mostly no breakfast) hotel stays. We have two hotels with breakfasts provided, so that's a start. We're sailing from Liverpool on the Monday evening, so we might eat a main meal before we leave and just have something light before setting sail (might work better for Mr MV's stomach too). Giant's Causeway - I'm planning to order some NT vouchers from S&S, so we can get lunch there. Also checking out supermarkets local to hotels so we can get cheap breakfasts/lunches. Self-catering whilst camping, of course - with possible exception of a lunch from the tea room, if it looks worth our money! Galway and Dublin will be unavoidably expensive though - and partly through choice as food is something we enjoy and exploring local food (and drink) options is part of going on holiday! Activities will be mostly walking (exploring), walking (in nature) and kayaking (we're on Lough Erne for first camping session and near the Suir Blueway for our second). We've booked the Guinness Experience in Dublin already and will book for Giant's Causeway too (free).

There has been lots of progress at the allotment. Nearly all my beans are in now - just waiting on French beans to get a bit bigger before planting out (and I sowed a second batch as germination wasn't great). I have broad beans (nearly ready), field beans, Jacob's cattle bush beans, borlottis and coco Sophie. Also peas are growing - soup and carlin (both for drying). Potatoes are all coming up, onions and garlic are looking good, perennial kale and saltbush are settling in, oca have also been planted. Fruit bushes have all been netted. Squash and courgettes will go in on Friday after tomorrow's chilly night. Have first flowers coming out on tomatoes (early Latah variety). So all good (assuming gentle rain this morning hasn't brought the slugs out in force).

I think that's enough of an update for now - you'll be wanting me to disappear again! Have a good afternoon all!

ladysummerisle

I need to explore more Rukmini Iyer books. Just working my way through the green roasting tin one.

Are you actually travelling from Liverpool or the other side of the water? I once had an old lady hit my car (and run) in her haste to catch the ferry!

themadvix

I've had a couple of nice recipes from the Green Roasting Tin @ladysummerisle (I won the set of her books a few years ago - another MSE win!), but I have to say, I find she often misses the need for protein in them. Her Green Barbecue is amazing though - I keep inflicting 'veggie barbecues' on friends and family, but no one has complained yet. Sadly we've got small (fussy) children coming at the weekend, so some sausages in buns will make an appearance, but one each is all for those who eat them - and we'll be trying to convince meat-loving friend of the many things that can be barbecued that aren't meat (we go to theirs and I get an UP veggie sausage and lots of salad options, but that's about it; and we've recently discovered that his wife doesn't really like barbecued food (he has a Green Egg!), so hoping to open their eyes to the wonders of flavour from veg!)

I have no idea about the finer points of the ferry as yet - just know we've got to be up there! Hopefully no collisions for us.

- Dinner tonight is mackerel from the freezer (defrosted yesterday and then Mr MV said he'd had enough to eat at lunchtime 🙄) with either rhubarb or asparagus and some form of potato.

- Have ordered and printed NT vouchers for holiday

- Collected key for cat sitting starting Friday (and yesterday collected key from friend who I am cat sitting for next week - this came with breakfast, which was lovely, and exchange of a week's cat sitting while we're away)

- Friend is popping round for a cuppa in the morning - we'll wander to the allotment (she is a gardener too) and hopefully then sit in the garden. Rather than baking, I'm going to open one of the biscuit packs we bought in Amsterdam.

- Despite budget tightness, I've just reserved giant dominoes and a kids croquet set from the Library of Things - providing games went a long way to keeping various children (and adults) entertained last summer when we had a BBQ, so for £2 I think it will be worth it!

Have a lovely evening all - I'm off to sit in the garden!

Greying_Pilgrim

I think £2 for what will probably be a load of intergenerational fun sounds absolutely bargainacious tmv!  And better than having all those sets in your loft/garage/shed for 'just-in-case-ities'.

I'm not familiar with that cooks, recipes/books - I will have to have a look-see.  Funnily enough, I was having a convo with my hairdresser today, and she was asking if we were having a bbq this weekend.  I'm afraid I came out with the excuse that I didn't think there was much scope for veggie bbq-ing. But I'm always happy to be proved wrong! 😁

Greying X

ladysummerisle

Aha, well I suspect you might be departing from the opposite side of the river. The docks don’t look much but plenty of places to eat on either side. Two tunnels (£2.30 each way) from the city mean it’s all very accessible. If you like Mowgli then there’s two in the city but another en route off the motorway.

i confess I’m not a massive barbecue fan. Mostly because i see blue skies and think washing. Food though I could do!

Baileys_Babe

Thanks for the book recommendation, I have requested it from the library, here we all eat meat but we enjoy proper veggie meals - those that don't include fake meat or other UP ingredients.

themadvix

Afternoon all,

It looks like a few of the recipes from the book can be found here: https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/books/the-green-barbecue/. I can recommend the charred squash, the gnocchi (amazing!) and the tofu - haven't tried all of them yet though.

Have had friend here this morning for a cuppa and we wandered down to the allotment and she did some weeding for me! Am currently caught up with self-employed work (it may not last - and actually, I tell a lie, I have small piece to do), and in a gap with Cambridge reports (because I need to start the next one and I'm currently not!). About to have some lunch and then I will settle down with those two jobs. Otherwise, I'm remarkably up to date, which feels rather odd! Mum will pop round in a bit as she's popping up this way, so I don't envisage lots of work happening today. Dropped Mr MV at the station this morning as he's away for work tonight.

R'ford and supermarket delivery have both arrived - got the asparagus tray from R'ford - it was much better value than their normal asparagus, despite being two colours and in a lovely wooden tray. It's a thing of beauty. And useful for the BBQ at the weekend, as well as general dinners. We still need some sausages from the butcher for the weekend, but then that's it - I'll get these tomorrow when I'm out anyway. Dessert will be the standard chocolate bananas.

MS things:
* Used some very sprouty potatoes for dinner last night - and cooked enough that I've got some for my dinner tonight - which will also use the leftover halloumi in the fridge.
* HW - won 47p

* Might have a survey session this evening

Gratitudes:
* Lovely catch up with friend who I haven't seen since this time last year 😮
* After our chat the other week, R'ford driver now waits to hand box over and say hello rather than dropping and going
* A chance to feel caught up with work - it won't last and it's mostly in my head, but it's nice to feel caught up!

Have a good afternoon all!