Tuesday 25 April 2017

Are We Still Scrimping and Saving


The last few posts since my unexpected foray back into Blogland have been about growing and sowing so I thought on this bloody chilly indoor job day (Hands up who ordered arctic wind with it's cousins, hail and snow for April?) I'd just write a post to answer a few questions that have popped up quite a few times in my email inbox recently, namely ... 'are you still frugal/money saving/clearing/the clutter/setting yourself challenges', and then there is THE BIG ONE  'has Lovely Hubby retired from the day job yet?'

We've recently had some large expenditure to equip LH's workshop with the machinery he needed for his future enterprises, so the bank account went down quite a bit.  Why is the 'needed' in italics I hear you asking .... well I'm a girl.  Who really needs a lathe and a big sucky up thing for sawdust or whatever, and different types of saws on different types of stands that all weigh a bloody ton and take up so much room, surely a Vitamix would have been better  ;-)

Then to top off everything we decided to do something that is long-term sensible but immediately shock inducing ..... we bought our future retirement property.  There will be a day in the future when this hillside five acres will be too much for us to either be able to manage or to want to manage. When that day comes we now have waiting a brand newly built ground floor 'semi detached apartment' ...that's a flat to you and me ... but I love the brochure description of it.  We completed last week and it's now officially ours.  Between then and now it will be rented out long term, firstly to pay off the small mortgage that we had to take out against our house to pay for it and then to give us an income to supplement LH's pension.

In true Challenge style we've given ourselves just TWO years to pay this mortgage off. 

SO to answer the questions .... yes now our splurging is done we are back to frugal living, yes we are money saving in every possible way and boy oh boy are we clearing the clutter.  If it's not nailed down and in reasonably constant use it is going to be sold at a car boot sale this year.  We will pay off this mortgage as quickly as possible, just as we paid off the last one, so that the rent from the flat will be in our account and helping us to keep our heads above water.  Because to answer the final question, Lovely Hubby has now reduced his working hours by one day a week and will be going down to a twenty hour working from home week at the end of June. 


Okay I can hear you asking "why the pictures of pastry and pasties?" ..... well it was just one of the money saving things we did at the weekend.  I took one of the four yellow stickered packs of pastry out of the freezer on Friday to defrost, made an enormous pan of vegetable stew on Saturday, we both had some for lunch, then strained out some of the vegetables and added them to a chopped onion that had been fried with some curry powder to use as a pasty filling for that nights tea, and then whizzed up what was left of the stew for soup on Sunday.

I can see lots more meals like those coming our way, but then it's always been how we like to eat ... and if it means that we can be mortgage free 'again' in two years or less it's very good in my book.

Sue xx

26 comments:

  1. It sounds excellent. Brilliant planning.
    J x

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  2. Forward planning indeed! : )

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  3. Hope to hear more from you......always great to get updates!

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  4. I am so glad you are blogging again -- for however long you wish to!! I didn't realize this wasn't your forever home but it makes sense; that's a lot of work to keep it going based on the summers posts of lots of harvesting, canning, preserving, etc.

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    1. It was supposed to be, but we have come to realise that in our old age this will be too hard to maintain and is too far from amenities that we would need. So we had a rethink 😊

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  5. I have always made what I call 'fridge bottom soup'. When my veggie drawer in the fridge contains a few onions, carrots, perhaps a parsnip and other odds and ends, I add a cut up potato, fry gently in olive oil, add stock, simmer and then liquidise. It makes several meals with good crusty bread and perhaps a grating of parmesan - and don't you feel good when you use things up?

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    1. Yes I do this too. There's something very satisfying about heading out to the shops knowing you have used up all the food you bought (or picked) last week 😊

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    2. I chop up broccoli stalks to add to soup. It seems such a waste not to use them for something. A squirt of tomato puree too.

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  6. Brilliant I am so pleased that all your plans are coming together, well done to the both of you, your hard work is paying off xx

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  7. Hat's so awesome! I'll never own a house, sadly.

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  8. Got to always plan for when you need a house on the flat and if you will need care. It is one of my thoughts when thinking about our next home. Congrats on the apartment, it makes complete financial sense to buy now. Prices will only go up and we are at an all time low for interest rates. ;)

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    1. That's exactly what we thought. As it's a new build it's already gaining in value too 😊 Our current place when sold will then provide our final pension pot top up 😊

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  9. Congratulations on thinking ahead and anticipating the future.It will be money well spent on both the workshop and your flat. I am sure you'll meet your pay off goal as well.

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  10. Absolutely brilliant news:) You both so deserve this♥

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  11. I understand perfectly about needed tools. The same thing happens here with my Hubby.

    Good for you on planning ahead, and I know that with your thrifty and frugal ways that mortgage will be paid off in no time.

    God bless.

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  12. Wow, well done! May I ask where your retirement place is? Not specifics obviously. Good luck with your plans!

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    1. It's just up the road a few miles, nearer the sea .... but also nearer to civilisation and on the flat.

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    3. Great thinking, have been thinking along the same lines ourselves but can't afford it yet. My older brother and his wife bought a detached bungalow not far from you last year and are happily enjoying an early retirement by the sea. One day .......!

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  13. Good for you both!
    I'd love to get the tools myself!
    I'd also love to have the five acres, and the flat!
    I enjoyed all the sharing you did last year on both blogs.
    Hoping you continue to post!
    I admire you greatly!
    Working toward my own future move soon.
    Blessings!

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  14. Wow That was a shock, I'm impressed. You're an inspiration. Thank you for sharing.

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  15. Thinking ahead as always Sue - I am very impressed! Much better to make these plans now and have the additional benefit of a rental income for as long as you need rather than have to find somewhere at short notice when circumstances or inclinations change. mx

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  16. Now that sounds like a plan! Good luck. We would love to move to a bungalow eventually but must get rid of the emotional attachment first to our family house. How daft am I!!

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  17. Hopefully a long way into the future so you can enjoy where you are for a while.

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  18. Wow that's amazing, but enjoy where you are for a long while - I think what you have is wonderful.

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