I can’t believe we’re over halfway through February. This year is simultaneously going incredibly fast and incredibly slowly. It’s been a while since I gave a more personal update, so here is one on my lockdown spending and work.

Given the Covid-19 situation, I’m aware I’m very lucky with my current situation. But, I also talk a lot about being transparent and talking about money – so that’s what I’m going to (try!) to do.

I’m also really interested to hear how you’re all finding lockdown. Are you spending more or less than normal? Let me know if there’s any finance topics that you’d like me to cover in a future post.

In this post I will cover:

1. Lockdown spending and work – how is it going?
2. Daily routine
3. Lockdown Spending
4. Lockdown Work
5. What’s Next

Lockdown spending and work – how is it going?

Overall, my lockdown spending and work is going pretty well. Although, like most people, I do find myself struggling for motivation more days than not.

The new normal – or is it the old normal by now? – has it’s challenges, but there are also opportunities (for some of us). I’m fortunate enough not to have children that need home schooling or other dependents, meaning I do have a bit more time than normal on my hands.

For me, staying on track with lockdown spending and work all comes down to having a solid routine. It’s so tempting to stay in bed a bit longer or sit in front of Netflix all day at the weekends, but I know this doesn’t help my mental state at all.

Daily routine

My daily routine really isn’t very exciting – much like everyone else, it revolves around work and sleep at the moment!

It varies day to day, but essentially always involves work, dog walks, some form of exercise (usually running), cooking and sleep.

Work starts promptly at 6:30, so I try and be up and out of bed by 6:15. As I still suffer from the after effects of chronic fatigue, this means I have to be very strict on my bedtime and try where possible to be in bed by 10:30 each night.

Having a puppy is such a blessing, as it forces me to get out the house and exercise, which helps my mental state, my physical health, and my productivity. All of which are so important.

Lockdown Spending

I’m in the fortunate position where I’m spending far less due to lockdown. As a result, I’m trying to capitalise on this and put more into savings and investments. I know, if I leave the money sitting in my current account, I’ll be tempted to spend more when restrictions allow!

Like most people, the temptation of online shopping keeps dragging me in. So far, I’ve managed to avoid any completely frivolous expenses, but have probably bought one or two more things than I normally would have.

However, I do think it’s important to support small businesses at the moment, so I’ve been making an effort to make any purchases through them.

At the moment, due to personal reasons, I’m fortunate enough to be living with my parents. This allows me to save far more than I otherwise would be able to and I feel very lucky and grateful to be in this position. It’s also nice to be around family given the current circumstances!

Lockdown Work

You might have noticed I’ve been posting a bit less than usual. This isn’t because I’ve lost interest or can’t be bothered any more – I’ve just been very busy!

My day job has become very busy. 10 to 12 hour days are the norm, even if they’re not meant to be! I really enjoy the work and it’s great experience for me, but it is tiring.

On top of that, I’ve taken on a freelance personal finance writing gig – where I write around 3 articles a week.

The site I’m writing for is Money Magpie, which is a great experience. So far, I’ve been able to explore topics ranging from how to make money online to how to stop yourself falling for deepfake scams.

This is all great experience for me and it feels nice to be busy, when there is very little else to do. The only problem is, I feel I’m not giving as much time as I would like to this blog. Hopefully, this will change as I settle down into more of a routine again and get used to the increased work load.

What’s Next

For now, my plan is to keep going as I am.

Although, I want to get back into publishing two blog posts a week and expand my writing to more publications. If I achieve this, it looks like it’s going to be a busy year for me!

While work and finances are inherently linked, I am currently at the stage of my career where I try and separate the two.

I have both career goals and financial goals, which, although they don’t always compliment each other, are not mutually exclusive.

In terms of my career, writing as much as possible for as wide a range of publications as possible is key. (Let me know if you hear of any opportunities please!) In this regard, I’m going to keep plugging away as I am for now.

More personally, I hope to buy a house within the next year or two. This is going to be a big challenge and I may not get there just yet. But, I’m going to keep saving and investing as much as possible each month and see how close I can get.

I know a lot of my followers also hope to buy a property within the next five years. So I’ll try and keep you updated on this journey and share any helpful tips or advice I come across.

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If you found this post interesting, please like it and share across social media or send it to your friends. I’d also love to hear your thoughts and experiences. How are you finding lockdown? What’s your lockdown spending and work looking like? Do you have any tips to make lockdown spending and work easier? Share your thoughts below!

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