Hey! This is our first post after procrastinating over where to start for literally months. Lockdown and a couple of days away from the day job has given me the opportunity to finally sit down and think of something to say!

I built this blog a good six months ago and have been thinking about what to write for a long time….I’ve got lists of things I’ve learnt and post ideas but got trapped in the cycle of everything had to be perfect to start, I needed a schedule of content to post, my pinterest and instagram had to be on point….I could go on. I realised I was looking at this blog as I used to look at running my business and this isn’t about that. This is our diary, our journey to a happy, free, lifestyle….so stick with me as I start my imperfect post about our imperfect journey!

We’re the Joneses…..It seems like a good place to start. We’re a 2.4 family that apparently everyone tries to keep up with (please note, you don’t need to and please don’t keep up with us). We work full time, and a bit, and both looking for that elusive better balance.

We have got to a point in life where we feel we should have our sh*t together and imagine our surprise when we got here with no more of a clue than in our 20’s, just as much (if not more) debt, working to the point of burnout and dragging two small people along for the miserable ride. We were tired (still are), frustrated and knew something had to change!

When we (ok….I) saw an allotment that had some small plots available at the start of 2019, I saw an opportunity to try something new and after much nagging at Mr J and convincing him (not too well) that this wasn’t something I’d give up after a week, when things got hard, he agreed. Having grown up with a mum who is a keen gardener, I already knew more than I’d realised but when it came to managing an allotment, it was a whole different ball game! But last year, taking on those three little plots has been the catalyst for some big changes in our mindset and our lives. Here’s just a few….

After six years as a freelance business support consultant working 60+ hours a week, I closed my business. I don’t think it’s too strong to say, I’d grown to hate and resent it and was only continuing to keep up with the income goals we thought we wanted at a serious cost to my health, my relationship with Mr J and my relationship with my kids! I now have a job that I love, working for a previous client and I’m off to start my masters in something I love, not for any other reason than I want to do it! Mr J has also had a shift in his career mindset in a way I think has surprised both of us and we’re both working hard on our relationship with our kids.

We’ve started to value experiences over stuff and are much more aware of the effect of our purchases leading to less clutter at home (although we aren’t perfect by any measure and still fall foul to the odd impulse purchase….new tent when the furthest we camp is the back garden – anyone relate?) which has helped us also reduce our debt as well as spending less time with our stuff and more time together.

Our dreams for the future have also shifted in the last year and a half from a big house with new cars and the latest gadgets to a place that sustains us and gives us more freedom. This blog is our journey, our lessons and hopefully the building blocks of our next adventure, we’re looking forward to sharing it all with you.