So, yes, i did forget my other house.

View from my (not imaginary) balcony



Its working. If not quite still ahead of the game, we are at least not as far behind as we would expect with Fahed rushing off to a funeral overseas & needing cash for the ten days he is away.
So we have been living out of the larder and freezer, which is still looking pretty good still. Debt in the month has decreased not increased.


De-cluttering (and I need a better word for this - maybe shedding?) is going even better. Since Fahed has been away each night I have turned out a drawer in the bedroom. It does feel very much like I am being released from my baggage. It has the disadvantage of making me want to pack a few possession in a small ( but perfect) cabin bag and travel the world, but hopefully that will pass. Or more hopefully it will just wait until I can retire.

Today I had lunch with a friend of mine. Our salary and our mortgages are approximately the same. His wife is a little too keen on spending but he reigns her in quite well. It was interesting to see how similar we are (not liking waste, enjoying a bargain, keeping our money hand closed)but also how very different. He is not at all materialistic, although he does spend a fortune on books, but his wife loves everything new and just so, so none of the second hand stuff that I prefer to buy for him. He were talking about being careful and he said he hadn;t had to yet dip into his £35k savings (gulp) and he never touches the £20k that they have in their off set account (sigh). And this is a man who draws out an allowance for food and fuel. I was wondering what I did wrong and why I don't have £55,000 in saving & then I remembered. I have another house. Doh! Pretty big thing to forget but somehow I managed. I was feeling like I hadn't managed my income and assets well until that point (and lets be honest with investments in Syria & Greece, Its a fair suggestion)but now I feel a lot better. The recession and exchange rates have strippped me of a good bit of net worth but I can look at whats left and know I did the best for my fmaily by my efforts I think.