Well, February is over! I always find February a tougher month, although I’m not entirely sure why. We had a fantastic mini getaway in the middle of the month which left both of us feeling much more refreshed and relaxed. It is amazing what a break from routine can do, and catching up on sleep. We’ve been lucky enough to catch up with family members and have been for some lovely meals out during the month. We still have come in under budget though, which is always pleasing. It means our plan is working!
February marks the ninth month of blogging and I love it; it feels like this is almost like a journal for me to mark our process along the way. I like reading financial blogs and I’m also enjoying the process of coming up with blog posts and then writing and posting them. I also find that the more I write about living the simple life and how being frugal in our lifestyle choices will help us in the long run, the more I am convinced we are making the right decision and shouldn’t necessary worry about what other people think about it. I have spent too many years of my life so far worrying about what other people think!
Our Financial aims for February were:
– Have 18 No Spend Days (or NSDs)
– Overpay our mortgage by the interest added on only
– Put £700 into savings
Another month where I’ve hit my NSD target; I have managed bang on at 18 NSDs. I have found this easy again this month, so maybe I need to up my game a bit! By being organised and taking lunch to work during the week, the need to spend money is greatly reduced. The interest added to the mortgage for February was £293.10 so that’s what we overpaid this month. And lastly, mainly due lower spending and hitting our NSD target, we’ve managed to put £931.74 into savings, which is absolutely fantastic. Most of our savings this year are going to go towards a “new to us” car so we’re well on the way to our target for that.
My Personal Aims for February were:
– bake something
– eat healthily
– research new sofas for the living room
I have finally baked something! This definitely needs an exclamation mark, as I cannot remember the last time I baked something. It’s been a personal aim for ages! I made a Victoria sandwich cake with strawberry jam and freshly whipped cream; it’s my husband’s favourite cake and as I had a bit more time for me this month, I made sure I did it. When it was baking in the oven, making our house smell delicious, I did wonder why I don’t bake more often. It really is down to a time/motivation thing. I seem to have slipped a bit with healthy eating this month – maybe the cake didn’t help here? – so it’s something to focus on again in March. Finally, we have looked at some sofas, but are nowhere near making any kind of decision. Who knew that new sofas were so expensive? Not us! We might leave that for a couple of months to see where we stand then.
How was your February? Have you hit your aims? I would love to hear about it!
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Massive congratulations!! I am always amazed by how much you save each month and over your target every month!!!
Congrats on the baking too!! I love baking – always needs a kick to get me started then once you start weighing out the ingredients I feel the rest of the time flies by!!
Happy February and massive congratulations on your achievements this month.
DDLG xx
Thank you! 2015 has been a fantastic start to our savings, but I’m not sure how long it will continue 🙂
Nice job with such high savings!
I’ve never heard of that cake before, but it sounds really yummy. We’ve been doing some baking here, but nothing exciting. We’re with you on the new sofas being really expensive. I know a good one will last a lifetime, but it’s still a lot of money!
Thank you! It is just a vanilla sponge sandwiched together with jam and cream – it’s really simple but very tasty. You should try it!
Kudos Nicola! My February is great as well. I was able to pay my car loan and continued my Paleo diet. My favorite recipe is the mango avocado spiced chicken salad. You could also try it out. Good luck on our March! Yay!
Have you got a recipe for that salad? It sounds lovely 🙂 and thank you – here’s to March being just as awesome!