£1,200 a month

£1,200 per month is our new budget.

Breakdown as follows:-

Fixed outgoings:-

Rent £470
Council Tax £115.00
Water £53.00
Electricity, say £70.00
Gas, say £70.00
Car insurance £16.00
Internet £15.00
Total £809.00

This leaves £391.00 for everything such as food, petrol and other.

This is a tight budget, but it does work. I have had to estimate the gas and electricity because we have not received bills yet. I may have to adjust the budget for higher bills this winter. DH and I don't need much and we don't buy much apart from food, we are very frugal. In general I dislike eating out, I find restaurants over priced and the portions are too small. I am also at the age where I now see the futility of sitting in pubs and bars spending money on booze. Now sometimes DH and I do enjoy a pint and a burger at Weatherspoons for £6.00 each, particularly on a Monday :) I am not into clothes or shoes and I HATE shopping! Not a typical woman eh? I have had plenty of practice on living on a restricted budget as I have been saving for The Escape for several years.

Obviously if we want to go abroad on holiday or to travel then the budget needs adjusting. But to be honest I wonder lately if travel is all its cracked up to be and whether in fact travel has become the new form of consumerism?

We do plan to get some part time work to bring in a little extra income. But we value our freedom over money. I would rather figure out a way of spending less.

How does this compare to your outgoings every month?

Society, your a crazy breed

Since The Escape I have had a lot of time to think and reflect.

I feel myself moving further and further away from the other world. I have a strong desire to spend more and more time in rural settings. I want to plan a road trip taking me to the west of the united states. I want big skies, isolation, scenery, no tourists. My ideal trip would be Idaho, Montana, Washington State, Oregon and maybe North California.

The more time I have for thought and reflection, the more my eyes open. We are ruled by banks and corporations, we have to suffer to politicians telling us that "we are all in this together" while their fellow fat cat politician cronies do their utmost to avoid taxes. No Mr Cameron we certainly are not all in this together so stop insulting our intelligence by telling us that we are.

I read somewhere that living as an iconoclast comes at great expense. There is a great cost for not conforming to group rules, and it makes sense that when a person is ostracized that she would be more likely to be depressed, anxious, or both.

I still feel the need to Escape Britain, I don't just want a holiday or a break, I want a somewhere and something sustainable. Am I searching for utopia?

Society, your a crazy breed
I hope your not lonely without me

You cant beat a bit of Eddie Vedder.

Lost

I am feeling rather down at the moment.

I am not sure why I feel this way but something is missing. It feels like a hole or a void.

I feel overwhelmed. I am tired of feeling this way.

I don't know what to do to fix this. I just want some equilibrium.

It feels like I am descending into darkness again.

I wanted a new start, a new me, a new place. The old records again are playing in my head.

This just feels wrong.

Perhaps I need some counselling again.