getting stuff done: creating my life

I just read frugal queens blog post about celebrations.  Its good to celebrate.  and sometimes with our noses to the grindstones we forget how far we have come.  I write down my dreams and goals and it is great to feel I am really moving towards them.

Back in the summer I decided to move our banking from Barclays to more ethical places.  We are now working from our coop bank account and have our savings in Triodos. 

We are avoiding supermarkets and we have an allotment.

We have reduced our rubbish by composting veg matter and buying via Abel and Cole (who recycle packaging and don't use so much in the first place anyway) and avoiding supermarkets (no plastic trays for any of our food at the moment)

I am steadily increasing the amount I am working and the amount I am earning each month.

We are debt free (OK we will have a mortgage, working on that next!)

I have taught an art workshop and i will be teaching another  already booked in, and am planning an art journalling club.

Bub is learning to swim

I am going on an art holiday and a yoga break   -me and my other final year students are going to go here for 3 days to revise, practice and study for our final exams.

I have roped Hub into running a household budget with me.  Its working.

I have an office / studio. 

these are all things that were not happening at the start of last year.  and now they are.  go me!! yaaaay

By the way.  tracking is working well.  our personal spend budget is working well.  As in, it is making a difference, bringing more awareness around what we are doing and what we are spending on.  And making a difference in this way: we stop and think, do I really need this.  Both of us do.  I have finally included my darling lovely Hub in this! its not something you can really do on your own.  Not when you run a joint household.  So am mightily pleased to have brought him into the fold. 

Our food budget is high, particularly as I follow quite a few frugal bloggers and seriously, they really work it.  One lady feeds herself and her toddler on £10 a week.  And another family made a chicken last a whole week, in various  - and still delicious looking- guises.  Not so for us, but then we are currently working an organic if possible, local only shopping policy.  And I really am pleased to have avoided the supermarket this week completely.  IN fact the last time I set foot in a supermarket was on the 1st of Jan.  Shame I didn't make it the 31st then I would have avoided them all of 2013 so far!   We have been using Abel and Cole, Museli Mountain Market, Archers Butchers, the Post Office, Andy's shop (its on Southover St, not entirely sure what is is really called) Butlers Wine Cellar and at last resort the slightly dodgy corner shop.

Our food budget is £90 per week at the moment.  And I am sure that we can bring this lower.  I am not going to be going as far as £10 a week.  I am pretty fussy around food.  But I wonder how much we can get it down by.  I am going to do a super market run soon - prices of some basics are a bit steep at the corner shop.  But am pleased to have reduced our visits so much. Of course the snow has helped too.  Can't go anywhere in a car at the moment!

So hum.  What else?  I have a very busy week.  busy busy busy. 

i do kind of LOVE snow.  the way it changes everything.  makes kids out of adults and everyone is excited and playful again.  I love building snowmen.  So many snowmen popping up around the place.  Most built by adults I think.  I love this human thing to do.  Sand gets made into castles but snow gets made into cheery figures with pointy carrot noses and wonky grins.

the weather forecast says lots of snow here tomorrow.  I hope it does snow.  Bub will be so excited.  The last time it snowed he was very little.  I hope it does snow.  snow is like magic.  creating a wonderland out of the ordinary world we live in.  making it quiet and white.  I love snow. 

I hope it comes down heavy, lasts for 2 days and then goes away again.  snow that sticks around and gets icy and slushy generally causes this country to grind to an ugly halt.  2 days of it though is like a holiday.

Looking at the forecast it looks as if its just going to be tomorrow.  that's ok.  I hope it does snow though.  sleet is just so disappointing.

am a busy lady for the next few weeks. 

ha.  have nothing else to say.  see y'all. 

Its all going very well.  Am not going to bore you with the details but I have just created an excel table which is logging everything against our budget, which Hub has seen and read.  We are on a  strict weekly personal spend allowance and I am delighted to report that food spending is currently coming in at £20 under budget despite buying organic vegetables and meat.  At least for the first 2 weeks of the year!! ha ha!

I am overspent on my personal allowance, because I bought a top, a flask and went to London.  I am unsure whether I should include all my travel as I haven't not yet spent all of my oyster card and some of it is bound to be a work expense at some point.

On the other hand, doing the budget has unearthed a whole range of expenses we hadn't really thought of before.  Namely Bub's lunches, after school clubs and clothes, vet costs and health care (dentist mainly)

But am pleased to get it all down on paper.  Only then can you start actually doing something about any of it.

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With grateful thanks to Swirly Girl for this gift....  I am immersing myself once more in Mondo Beyondo.  I am really enjoying it.  Today we talking inner values.  I got to

1. DO IT.  = action, bravery, initiative, adventure
2. ART = creativity, design, ideas, ingenuity, making, appreciation
3. SPIRIT BEAUTY =  yoga, uplifting, appreciation of beautiful, god, love
4. WARMTH = hospitable, friendly, listening, kindness, love, relationshops, community, connection.
5. CURIOSITY = learning, engaged with, appetite for the world

Am very pleased with that list.

its not even a hangover.  I just have a head that hurts and vision that is a bit iffy and blurry.  reading hurts after a while.  I have taken some ibruprofen and eaten lots.  I hope to be on the mend soon.  yuck.  I hate being ill.  bring on wellness.

How funny is that.  I have lost track of my tracking it days. 

Before you think I am a total numnutz, I have actually been tracking. Just not blogging about it. 

Today was, as follows.  £33 after school club fee (paid for by Grannies Christmas gift - Thanks Mum)
£8 on a flask - thermal cup actually, rather nice - for taking coffee out and about with.  Idea is that I will save money with this by taking my own coffee to the park. Still to be proven.

Especially since I did spend £3.55 on coffee and a croissant today.  And £2.25 on bread and potatoes.  Oh yes we are NOT doing Low Carb in this household this week. 

Oh some work expenses = £5.25 on flyers for the Baby Stuff sale and £1.50 on putting flyers up in shops.

Yes that is it. 

Am very much enjoying the Gratitude Buddy thing.  Really helps me look on the bright side of things every day.  Its making me happy.

Bub was very brave in his swimming class today.  He has gone straight into stage 2 and it is actually a tad beyond him to be honest, but he was so game and tried really hard.  I was really worried at several points that he was going to crumble and want to get out, especially with the backstroke, and the tutors are totally matter of fact.  No preschoolish whooping, cajouling or high praise, just instructions and a curt well done.  I wasn't entirely sure how it all went either, until afterwards when he told me he loved it.  Go swimming. Go bub.  What a star!

Ah, today we went to the garden centre.  Our Christmas tree (called Shabby Davy Dexter - we seem to name everything in this house.....) is a pot grown wee beastie.  We bought him last year, then popped him in the garden til this year.  He came in again and looked a bit even more shabby than he did when we bought him.  We decided that perhaps he needed repotting into a bigger pot.  So off we went to buy a pot and some more compost for it.  That cost us £6.99.  Hub really wanted to go to the cafe and he spent  7.10.  And then, because  - well its a long story - but I didn't really have food in for Hub for dinner (Ok I will explain, he was meant to be on his diet, but he has decided to start that on Sunday, after eldest son has gone.  fair enough - so we are saving his diet food til then) So he plumped for fish and chips.....  so £6.95.  AS of next week were are doing a strict amount each for personal spending.  I guess I am a mean o frugalista, but as of next week fish and chips is not from the food budget!!

Shabby Davy Dexter does look a lot happier in his new pot.  I hope he likes it and grows big and strong.

Eldest son is arriving tonight and we are all looking forward to seeing him. 

So today we piled through £29.50.  Despite wanting to avoid the supermarkets I was lured back into Sainsburys because I had £3.49 to spend for free.  Of course I over shopped and spent a total £40 ish but I pretty much stuck to the list.  And I used my voucher and my nectar points and got away with spending only £27.  Hub's eldest son is coming over tomorrow and he eats a lot.  We are also going to buy a chicken from the butchers tomorrow.  I actually felt really crap buying sausages at the supermarket!  But it did feel tricky to make two trips out.  I am going to see how long we can manage before we have to go back there again.

I have started a project from Andrea Sher's Superhero  blog.  I have a gratitude buddy (you know who you are ;) Everyday we are to email each other at least 3 things we are grateful for. 

Post Christmas I had slipped into a rather negative spiral.  And was looking at the world inwhat was missing kind of way. Being grumpy because things are not how they 'should' be doesn't help anyone. 

Not that I am going to avoid tackling some of the issues that need tackling.   Am on that case I can assure you. 

x

We are back on the budget.  Am tracking.  So today we did really well and spent £1.64 (on milk)
I did a cupboards and freezer inventory and we are actually well stocked for foods for a while I reckon. 

I am also drinking more herbal tea and did not drink coffee.  Not that I am not drinking coffee.  But I am doing the drinking 8 glasses of water thing.  Though as it is winter am doing it through the medium of herbal tea.

I spent the day sorting and cleaning my office.  My word for the year is FOCUS.  I can get distracted easily and I have a lot to be getting on with.  Just sorting through my shelves with all the half finished projects has made me realise just how much i have on the go.  Design my new kitchen anyone?  yup, that's on the back burner as well. 

I have junked a load of stuff (recycled or charity).  Good.  Need to make way for ALL the crap that will be needing storage or otherwise coming from the emptying of my childhood home.  not looking forward to all of that.  but.  it must be done.

Well.  Not much more to say today.  I have cleared out a lot.  but still did not manage to complete my task.  And its just too late now.