December was yet another expensive month for us. Our kitchen was the last room in our house left to overhaul, having moved in nearly 5 years ago. The update was much needed and we’re really happy with the result. It doesn’t make the spending any easier to stomach though!
As we head into 2020 we’re looking to get back to normal and settle around our desired £2,000 per month spending level. See this post for more detail.
Continue reading “Monthly Spending – December 2019”
2019 has been a year to remember for us, with highlights including:
Clearly, 2019 has been more expensive than we would have liked!
Despite this we have still managed to achieve all of the above, as well as an unwelcome new car purchase, while saving in the region of 35% of our income. We much prefer to see a figure above 50%, but considering what has happened this year we are happy to still make significant contributions to our ‘FI funds’.
Continue reading “Happy New Year!”You’ve met Mr Way. You’ve met Miss Way. Say hello to Baby Way! Well, not just yet….
If the incredibly expensive Africa trip followed by a new car weren’t expensive enough, we’re now expecting our first child!
We recently found out that Miss Way is pregnant, with the baby due in July 2020.
Obviously, we’re absolutely delighted with this news. But at the same time, there are some severe doubts about whether we’re doing the right thing.
Continue reading “Baby Way”I had been avoiding the fact that my car was on its last legs for far too long. It had done a respectable 165,000 miles!
A couple of weeks ago I accepted it was no longer safe to drive and the repair costs far outweighed the value of the vehicle (£1,000 on repairs for a car only worth £200!) – I needed to buy a new one – and quick!
I begrudgingly rely on my car for my work. Due to the peripatetic nature of my job, it unfortunately isn’t always possible to cycle to all my work destinations. Over the last month I’ve used the train where possible, but it can be an expensive alternative. Ideally, we would love to be entirely car free, but this is not an option right now.
Continue reading “How to Buy a Car – The Frugal Way!”Not a good month for the savings rate!! In fact we’ve spent much more than we earnt this month.
This was almost entirely caused by having to buy a new car – see the Transport section below for more detail.
Ignoring the car for a second, we spent £2,040 which is very close to our target of £2,000 per month.
Continue reading “Monthly Spending – November 2019”As you probably know by now, we’re always looking to optimise in every area of our lives.
My latest obsession in this regard is with my tennis, as discussed in Tennis Mindset. I’ve decided to push myself to develop to the next level. I really want to compete with players who currently thrash me! I’m determined to be the best I can be.
“Make the most of yourself….for that is all there is of you.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
In order to make such a large improvement, my game needs some fairly fundamental changes. This won’t simply happen by playing more regularly – I need to go back to basics and change my technique.
Continue reading “Frugal Tennis Improvement”In my place of work I come across a lot of new graduates joining our company, fresh from University.
This is such an exciting time in their life, as they finally start to earn their own money and create their own lifestyle. It can really be a make or break time in their financial journey.
I’m writing this post in the hope that it helps people in this position. I wish I’d had some guidance at that stage in my life. I would have been much further ahead by now! Seeing some of the decisions made by our current graduates, I wish I could give them a helping hand with their finances!
Continue reading “6 Steps to Financial Success as a Graduate”We started our month-long adventure in Nairobi, having completed the 2-leg flight from the UK, via Dubai.
First impressions weren’t great as we stood in the immigration queue for 90 minutes. It was a warm, stuffy place and the queue was a battle! Other passengers didn’t seem to have the same ‘personal space’ values as we do!
Continue reading “A Day in Nairobi, Kenya”There has been a steady increase in the mainstream media coverage for Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE), especially here in the UK.
While it’s a really good thing that our message is being spread to more people, this also brings a lot of frustration with it. Almost every time I have seen FIRE covered in the press, there appear to be severe misunderstandings about the principles by which us ‘followers’ live.
The most recent example of this was an episode of Money Box Live, aired on 6th November 2019. Money Box Live is a radio programme on BBC Radio 4, covering all areas of money.
Continue reading “Misunderstanding the FIRE Movement”Our spending was almost spot on our target monthly amount in October! We aim for around £2,000 so this was a good result for us. A very low month in the transport category helped us balance out some big items elsewhere.
We break our main expenses down into broad categories starting with the big 3; housing, food and transport. Everything else falls into the entertainment category, with any large inclusions explained in detail.
Continue reading “Monthly Spending – October 2019”