Monthly Spending – April 2020

On By A Way to LessIn Coronavirus, Finances, FIRE, Monthly Spending2 Comments

Summary 

Our first full month of lockdown has had a huge impact on our April spending.

Our total spend for the month was £1,559. This is well within our £2,000 target. It’s actually our second lowest month since we started tracking. Beaten only by August 2019 when we were in Africa and most of our accommodation and food was pre-paid!!

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.  

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Frugal Food – Grow Your Own

On By Miss WayIn Coronavirus, Frugality, Optimisation2 Comments

Our Coronavirus Journey – Part 3

There has never been a better time to begin simulating The Good Life and ‘grow your own’!

The current Coronavirus lockdown has given us all the opportunity to spend more time in our gardens. We’re using this time to rediscover our green fingers!

With many supermarkets low on lots of fruit and veg, having your own supply has become more important than ever.

All you need is some decent compost that is not at an exorbitant price! We found B&Q particularly useful as they’re offering a very efficient collection service, with social distancing thrown in!

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Monthly Spending – March 2020

On By A Way to LessIn Finances, FIRE, Monthly Spending2 Comments

Summary 

What a strange month!! Our March spending is slightly different to normal to reflect the current situation we find ourselves in.

As we’ve detailed in our recent posts, our lives have changed massively. We’re hoping the lockdown will help us to reduce our expenses even further, especially as our income looks more unreliable by the day! 

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Seeing Opportunity in Adversity

On By Mr WayIn Baby Way, Coronavirus, Education, Finances, OptimisationLeave a comment

Our Coronavirus Journey – Part 2 

As we discussed in Our Coronavirus Journey – Part 1, we’ve been gradually adjusting to the changes in or lives since the Coronavirus outbreak started. While many of the implications are negative, we’re seeing opportunity in the adversity.

It would be easy to become overwhelmed and give up in such challenging circumstances. But there will always be new avenues to explore in unprecedented times.

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A Way to Less – One Year Blogging

On By A Way to LessIn Finances, FIRE3 Comments

Somehow, a whole year has passed since we started blogging on A Way to Less! We’ve learnt a lot in the last 12 months and our circumstances have changed quite significantly!

Despite everything that has changed, we continue to make progress towards our FIRE numbers and keep making small improvements to our overall lifestyle.  

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Monthly Spending – February 2020

On By A Way to LessIn Finances, FIRE, Monthly SpendingLeave a comment

Summary 

Our February spending went slightly over our target of £2,000 with a total spend of £2,391 because of a few big expenses. Most of these were annual amounts so should average out through the year. See the sections below for a breakdown! 

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.  

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Reusable Nappies

On By A Way to LessIn Baby Way, Finances, Frugality, Optimisation2 Comments

We recently made our first large baby purchase, buying a bedside cot from Aldi! Shortly after that, the opportunity arose to buy some second hand reusable nappies. In this article we’ll explain why we decided to go down the frugal reusable nappies route and the potential benefits it can bring.

Preparations

As we continue to prepare for the arrival of Baby Way, we’re thinking about what we will need to buy. Our intention is to continue to live as minimalist a life as possible.

As new parents, there is severe pressure from advertisers to buy all sorts of gadgets for your baby, playing on your vulnerability and willingness to provide the best start for them.

We’re convinced most of the conventional baby purchases are unnecessary and we’ll continue to question these decisions at every stage.

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