vineta.life

vineta.life 46 | Twins at 37. Third baby at 45
London rent on one income-doing the maths
Saying out loud what most mums don’t

I’ve lived in London for 17 years, so you’d think I’d be fully desensitised by now.But I’m not.Some prices I’ve complete...
26/08/2026

I’ve lived in London for 17 years, so you’d think I’d be fully desensitised by now.

But I’m not.

Some prices I’ve completely accepted because, for me, they make sense. Others are technically smaller and still annoy me every single time.

That’s probably what I find funniest — £2,050 rent can feel like a decision, while £6.80 parking feels like a personal attack.

I don’t think expensive automatically means bad value. I think I just need to understand what I’m paying for.

And clearly my line is very inconsistent 😂

I’ve realised I like family life best when it isn’t trying too hard.I don’t need a 5am routine, a perfect breakfast setu...
26/08/2026

I’ve realised I like family life best when it isn’t trying too hard.

I don’t need a 5am routine, a perfect breakfast setup, a meal plan colour-coded within an inch of its life or a new system every time something gets slightly chaotic.

Many things repeat. Many things are basic. Some things make no financial sense on paper but make complete sense to me.

And I’m increasingly fine with that.

This account is a collection of all those little choices and opinions I’d probably never have thought were interesting enough to share.

And if you’re already here following along with all this very ordinary nonsense — thank you 🫶🏻

There are still mornings I wake up and think: what am I actually doing?The night before I’ll have ten ideas — videos, th...
25/08/2026

There are still mornings I wake up and think: what am I actually doing?
The night before I’ll have ten ideas — videos, things I want to say, ways I could make this better. Then the baby wakes, breakfast needs making, somebody needs something, and my very serious content plan has to fit into a nap.
I spent years working in a structured way. If something mattered, I gave it the hours it needed. Now I’m learning to make this work while accepting that some days I get 40 minutes.
I’ve also become much less embarrassed by myself. Talking on Stories used to make me want to disappear. Now I just talk — less worried about looking silly, less sure I need to know exactly what I’m doing before I start.
I want to get better at showing our actual life without turning all of it into content. Because increasingly I think the ordinary bit is the point.
School runs. Expensive rent. Three kids. A baby on the floor. Money, motherhood, groceries and whatever I happen to be thinking about.
I haven’t replaced my old income. I haven’t changed our life yet.
But I’m starting to believe this might actually become something.
Which still sounds slightly mad written down.

I’m doing it anyway.

I’ve lived in London long enough that a lot of this barely registers anymore.I came here with one suitcase, then built a...
24/08/2026

I’ve lived in London long enough that a lot of this barely registers anymore.

I came here with one suitcase, then built a whole life around this city. Three kids later, I see London very differently now. Less landmarks, more logistics and how long everything takes. The strange little rules you stop questioning because everyone around you is doing the same.

And then every so often I see London through someone else’s eyes and remember that some of what feels completely ordinary to me probably isn’t ordinary at all.

299.24 last week. Four shops, one penalty fee I brought on myself, and I still came home without bin bags.Every time I p...
24/08/2026

299.24 last week. Four shops, one penalty fee I brought on myself, and I still came home without bin bags.

Every time I post a shop, someone tells me I buy too much branded. So this week here’s all of it — the Lidl pop-in, two Tesco shops, my husband’s deli run, the lot. I know it’s not the cheapest version.
But some weeks cost less. Some cost more. This was a more week.

We’re a family of 5 in London, and we’re currently living on one income.I’ve realised I’m much better with money when I ...
22/08/2026

We’re a family of 5 in London, and we’re currently living on one income.

I’ve realised I’m much better with money when I make spending slightly inconvenient 😂

Just a few little barriers between wanting something and actually buying it.

22/08/2026

Someone asked me how not to get bored on a small income because she misses shows, design and fashion.

We’re a family of 5 in London on one income, and I think my answer is: sometimes boredom just needs managing, not spending your way out of.

I’m Latvian and I’ve lived in Britain for 17 years.At this point Britain feels like home, but there are still little hab...
21/08/2026

I’m Latvian and I’ve lived in Britain for 17 years.

At this point Britain feels like home, but there are still little habits I notice because I didn’t grow up with them — and a few I’ve completely absorbed myself 😂

Raising three kids in London has probably made me more British than I realise

I’m 46, raising three kids in London, and I’ve realised I’m quite selective about what I’ll own multiples of.I try to ke...
21/08/2026

I’m 46, raising three kids in London, and I’ve realised I’m quite selective about what I’ll own multiples of.

I try to keep using the same thing if it already works, rather than buying another version for the sake of having options.

This post was inspired by Mia McGrath, whose version made me start mentally counting my own.

20/08/2026

I talk about money, family costs, budgeting, what things actually cost us.

But I’ve always been a spender.

In my 20s, my 30s and even into my 40s, I made a lot of bad money choices. I accumulated debt. Bought things I absolutely did not need. Had phases where I was brilliant with money and phases where I clearly was not

When I was paying off debt, I became incredibly disciplined. I tracked everything. Hardly spent. Stayed focused.

Then as I got close to the end, the spendy version of me started creeping back in.

Amazon was probably the most obvious sign.

Parcels every day. Sometimes twice. Hair stuff, beauty stuff, kids stuff, random things I’d convinced myself I needed. And the ridiculous part is I don’t even remember what most of it was now.

That’s what I’ve had to understand about myself: I can be incredibly disciplined, but that doesn’t mean the habit disappears.

So now I try to build friction into my money instead of relying on being “good”.

Separate accounts. Bills away from spending money. Less easy access. Fewer opportunities for me to casually convince myself that £18 here and £27 there doesn’t count.

Because the spender didn’t leave.
She’s just quieter when I’m paying attention 😂

I am the leak — Episode 1.
Episode 2: the drawer I’m scared to open.

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