Ongoing Journey to being a Frugalista..

hello :wave: - lovely to see you.. thanks for popping by.
Yes I knew the bungalow inheritance was not you...:) but am sure Co. Durham has far better views than Cambridgeshire (I know it has lovely countryside too, but the NE is VERY special)
It was a good article, and excellent to see FIRE written about in the mainstream press as you say. Otherwise it remains a quirky sideline rather than one that gets a regular airing. I have been replotting and replanning ever since, also encouraged by a good read of XSpender's diary

So the scores on the doors....:)

YES

We saved a whopping 25.2% in March. Go us...

And we put that 'surplus' against the debt and a bit of a refilling of pots. Wish it had been into the ISA or the EF.

BUT....(there is always a 'but' on Brizzle's diaries ) this month looks tight. Very tight if I am to repay a large card in full later this month. But I am determined to do it, so we shall. We SHALL.

I have therefore done a money shuffle, shifted everything about and made £100 payments to various cards to make sure a good payment is made each. I need to do much better on LSDs ( £20 max. and both me and OH count) and NSDs (nothing at all). Spending less and saving more is the key. I know this so need to just do it.

Last month, decluttering was woeful. About 10 things. AFDs though I aced it. I stopped counting at 20

On the spends though we do need to think carefully about our weak spots which as ever are holidays and food. We 'only' ate out twice, both cheaply, but to make ourselves feel better - mid week as we were all shattered and the kids loved it. but food was still £600 this month and thats where it generally is. Sometimes less but sometimes more. OK we buy organic meat, milk fruit and veg, but even so. Its a lot for 5 of us and 2 cats (and sadly no chooks (we will get more but Mrs Fox had a prize dinner the other night ) Work in progress and eating more veggie meals will help.

Also in the spendy category, we also brought musical tickets for everyone for a Xmas present for PIL. We had new clothes and the bill for the kids trips (as you know) is whopping. DD2 is also now entered for a dance exam...the list goes on. But in their case we are so grateful they still do exercise and love trying new things. Its an essential and makes a break from all the screen time. Things that also helped were no water bills, no CT bill etc.

So thats it. Miserable day here today. Worse than yesterday. Planning on doing some work whilst people are still sleeping. Good use of my time and raises the top line of the Brizzle household a tad Afterwards I will set my face to April and set some new goals

Hope everyone is OK. Much love from me x

Oh PWPS, so sorry to hear that I agree dusk is the worse time. I think ours were nailed at about 4:30 as OH came home to find decapitated hens at nearer 6. It was our fault that we had a hole in the door and OH insisted they would be fine...on this occasion they weren't. However I am determined that we get some more..I love the fresh eggs and using up the scraps. Just a pain as they were still laying well and each new POL standard will be about £20+ I suspect.

Duck bottom tight is the way to describe it!! With you on your journey. I have to get shot of two cards in April and May otherwise I will scream. Got up early to do some work so thats a gain at least. But I would be so so rich and nearer FIRE if I just spent less :i

Love you two SO much thanks SA and Beanie!

So today worked half day and went for a long walk and a run so 2 sessions maybe? I am aiming for 30. Also realise we did a long walk - 5 hours on Sunday so thats three already.. call it 10% complete - whoop :T

Lush tea. Omelettes for adults and HM burgers and chips for kids. All fridge and freezer stuff.

Thanks for the good wishes. We can and WILL do this