Some of the ways we save for our dream.

Our mission is to save a lot each month so that when we buy a home/land we will have a substantial deposit, get a low interest rate mortgage, be able to pay it off in 10 years then live debt free after that. Ambitious I know, but we are ambitious people and we'll make it happen :)

Shopping...
We worked out when the reduced items come out at our local supermarket (friday 7pm) and it saves us a fortune! We buy meat and just freeze it straight away, other items are usually fine for a few days. We also bulk buy, when something we use a lot of or buy regularly is on a really good deal we stock up, no point paying full price next month. The 800g mayo you see below was £1.62 usually £3.15! It's one of the few expensive brand names we do shell out for so when I saw this deal I was so excited. The meat is an amazing deal - each packet was £4 now 40p (only use by tomorrow) and lamb is my favorite too!

The big bills...

Rent - always the same but we love our home, so don't mind paying for it each month. Electricity - we are just sensible with it. Internet and phone deal - we regularly check we are getting the best deal, they change so often its really worth it (mobiles are just PAYG). Car Insurance - same as Internet we change up nearly every year and haggle down the phone! Car Tax and running - we own a small clio so tax is really cheap. It's a diesel and we share it, only having one car can be an inconvenience but its so worth it for the money we save.

The wee bills...

We write it all down, on a notepad in the kitchen, one page for each week and it really helps us. From that we can see if we are on track for our monthly targets or if we've spent a lot and need to cut back next week etc.

So those are some of the things that help us reach our savings target each month, nothing ground breaking lol but they work for us :) I will say that we are not in high wage brackets by any means and we are not scrimpers, we are savers. We do treat ourselves, we go out, we put the heat on when its cold enough and we use lights at night. We don't believe in sacrificing or struggling now for something in the future, we believe in happiness today while doing what we can to ensure a secure, comfortable future :)

If your on the same page/journey and have any tips to share I'd love to hear them 

Astra xx

Bake sale next week!

My Pre School class are doing a bake sale next week to raise money for Children in need, I can't wait, it's gonna be such a fun week! 

I love baking and cooking and so do 3yr olds so we are going all out - baking 2 different things each day. I am making some full size chocolate cakes at home (my wedding cake recipe as seen here :) I love that I made my own wedding cakes!) and Patrice's mum (Patrice works in the Pre School with me) is a professional cake maker, she is kindly donating some fancy buns too and all of it will be displayed in the entrance hall of our nursery.

Fingers crossed the parents are tempted by our tasty treats and feeling generous with their hard earned cash... We are trying to cater for the adults too, not just kiddie treats in the hope they'll buy to take home, not just to let the kids eat in the car! I think it's gonna be a massive success - chocolate popcorn, Pudsey cookies, assortment of buns, cakes and chilli chocolate brownies just to name a few! All made with love and joy :)

What are you doing for children in need? If your not up to much yourself I hope you'll be able to support a fundraising effort in your kids school/local area -

10 things that are making me happy...

1. When out of the blue one of my preschoolers says 'Astra (or Ashwaa) I love you'.
2. Getting excited with Al about our honeymoon which is next month!
3. The really strong winds we've had these last 2 weeks.
4. Crunch corners.
5. Watching Scrubs over lunch in the staff room (even though I've seen them all).
6. My job, the security, the satisfaction, the fun and the creativity.
7. Being given a lovely gift (that I didn't expect) from an appreciative parent at work.
8. Music and silly moods to wake us up in the mornings.
9. Being welcomed to the blogging world by wonderful people with inspiring blogs - Eco Footprint.
10. Writing happy lists!

Friends and fancy dress :)

On Sunday we went down to the lough to have dinner with Patrice and Stevie, new friends of ours. They live in a mobile home just up from the waters edge, its awesome, their garden literally disappears into Lough Neagh! We arrived a little late so the sun had set and we didn't take any photos until Patrice brought out the sparklers - I was like a child, so excited!

Other events of the evening were brilliant curry, seeing Stevie's baby pictures and sharing dreams of our future homes :)

Even though, due to a 'clocks changing drama' I was late out of bed I think I did OK to get ready for the Pre School Halloween Party! The day was awesome, we had tonnes of fun, 10 hours of party games, slime, sweets and chocolate, brilliant costumes, music, dancing and baking!

I tell you what, I'm glad I don't have an adult party to go to as well because I'm finished! Bath with book then bed LOL

Pre School rocks!

I love my job :)

I've had so many jobs over the years, office jobs, crew on yachts, care work, bar/club work, junk mail delivery (sorry), model, health food cafe and horse riding instructor just to name a few!  I've always believed that a job has to work for me and not the other way around. It's too much of my life to spend unhappy - for any amount of money!

Although my job as a pre school room leader is physically, mentally and sometimes emotionally draining, I can't imagine doing anything else. Every day I play, laugh, and be creative in so many ways. 3 year olds are just so much fun, they are old enough to do cool art and craft projects with, to joke with and to read good stories to. I feel very lucky to have found my calling :)

I wish I could take loads of photos to show you all my little friends and the fun we have, but obviously I can't... I will take some picture of the things we've made, Halloween has made this such a great craft month!

We had a stunning Autumn day today, I hope the weather was beautiful wherever you are too xx