Resolution Thrifty

For the last two years I have been very interested in the whole Financial independence and extreme early retirement movement. With a mixture of frugality, minimalism and income generation, I hope to be able to generate enough to passive income for myself and my other half to no longer have to worry about working for money in the traditional sense. Instead we would have more time to explore other interests, hobbies and skills, and discover what is important to us! Of course we may find that we hate having more time with each other and have nothing interesting to fill it with and instead should return to a more 'normal lifestyle'. But if we don't try we won't know and I really think it is something worth aiming for!  I have been saving into an ISA stocks and shares account for many years but have never really tracked how much income it produces. I think partly this is because it has largely been reinvested so I never really noticed it. However, as I have been trackin

I have a cat who I've had now for about 3 years, my children love him, I love him and my husband despite loving cats only puts up with him. He isn't a very nice cat. He doesn't like sitting on laps or being picked up. In fact most of the time I wonder why we keep him. If he was a friend I would stop replying to his texts and ignore his posts. But he isn't, he's a white and ginger ball of fur who often wears a face that is either plain stupid or is in a constant state of disbelief that we are crazy enough to put up with his shenanigans - its hard to be sure which it is. He is incredibly fussy about his food and I have wasted tonnes of money pandering to his tastes which are of course expensive so he certainly does not do thrifty. What do you with a problem like Merlin? Nothing as when his highness does come close for a tickle and a lick, all is forgiven. I am pathetic and he knows it! Damn cat!

I guess its a bit of a cliche that you hit midlife and start reevaluating your life. I am sitting here by my dining table surrounded by lots and lots of clutter that over the years I have accumulated. Although I am not unhappy with life, I also don't think I am particularly happy with it. I am basically in a rut. Since the start of 2016 I have embarked on a mission to become more frugal and make money online with some modest success. However, I still feel slightly adrift and know that I need to reset or recharge my inner self. I recently watched a documentary about minimalism and I believe there is something of value in what they were saying. The mountains of stuff that sits on tables, in drawers and wardrobes is mind boggling but also feels like a burden. Most of it doesn't particularly bring any joy or even utility into my life, and maybe it is time to get rid of all this stuff and lead a simpler life. I don't think I am ready to only own enough possessions to fit into tw

My transition towards a more frugal life is going well and so far much easier than I thought it would be. Sky TV has now gone and we are enjoying a free trial of Netflix and using our Amazon Prime membership more than we did before. So far the withdrawal symptoms are manageable especially for me as I am a bit of a podcast addict which doesn't cost me a thing. However, the new and final series of Game of Thrones is yet to be aired and that may prove to be much more painful for the household! I now cook most of my meals from scratch. I already cooked probably about 65% but now its up to about 90%. This means no more weekly take out meals which is a saving about £50 a week. Added to this I have been reading a lot about sugar and decided that as a family we really need to cut back on it, realistically this means buying no biscuits or other snacks as frankly if its in the cupboard we will eat it! Doesn't save us much money but our health will thank us. There will still be ice crea

I have been listening and reading lots of material by personal finance and FIRE gurus to find ideas and inspiration on how to be more frugal and channel this extra money into investments and savings. I don't live in a rural area and have no plans to move to the countryside so living off the land and using firewood for heat will not work for me. Instead I think I will work on small steps which eventually will become ingrained habits. So here are some of my ideas: - Get rid of Sky! This should save about £40 a month although it is likely we will be subscribing to Netflix for £7.99. - Cook more meals from scratch and plan meals over the week. This will hopefully mean less waste and a lower grocery bill. - Go to Lidl to buy things like pasta, tins and biscuits. Again this should shave some money off the grocery bill. - Change mobile contracts. Saving will be about £20 a month - Stop mindless spending on things like clothes, shoes, snacks, drinks, books, magazines and other pointl

I have been away from blogging of late as life just got in the way, sometimes positively and sometimes less so. Before I knew it, 2016 has been consigned to the pages of history and 2017 has arrived and is speeding away. Brexit, terrorism and the possibility of a second Scottish referendum are dominating the headlines. I am trying to ignore the newspapers and focus on my goals for this year. I am now in my 40s and frankly my thoughts have strayed to the fact I am not going to get younger and so need to actually take health more seriously, this in practical terms means I have to do some exercise and eat better. With frugality at the forefront of my mind, I am not wasting money on gyms or dance classes so I have taken up jogging, twice a week in the local park! I am not very good and my stamina is rubbish, the same guy laps me every week! However, after a month it is definitely improving, my aim is to be able to run for half an hour without stopping. I have to say that doing exercise doe