Sorting out my life - Part 2!

copperjar

Hi iwantahome - agree its daft to go miles out of your way for £2.50, so far I've just completed a review when I've been meaning to go to the shop anyway or if I've literally just been pasisng.

Not too much to update today. Apart from I realised that I've taken a packed lunch to work every single day this month (apart from the 1st - ironically my LBM day!), which I've never managed before. Its not only saved me money, but has also been much healthier - and I'm eating plenty of fruit when I would have had a chocolate bar or cake for pudding instead! I'm probably spending more on packed lunches than I need to, but I don't want to get fed up and end up popping to the shop for a pasty when I'm bored of the same thing!

Had another NSD today as well - that's 2 in a row. Want to make the change in my purse last until Friday - have a couple of bits to buy tomorrow which will hopefully be enough.

Had a visit tonight from the ex which was actually really nice. I've missed just talking to her and having a catch up. We hadn't spoken or had any contact for 2 weeks until we drove past each other last Friday and waved :rotfl: A couple of texts followed and then a coffee tonight. Hopefully the space has done us both some good and we can try to be friends again. I think we've both realised that we can't be best friends anymore (even though she still is my best friend...if you know what I mean), but we can definitely still have something. Still figuring out exactly what that will be though.

Onwards and upwards.

jwil

Well done on the NSDs!

Glad you and your ex were able to catch up, hope it's the start of a new friendship for you both.

copperjar

Just had my formal letter (by email) from work informing me that my job will be directly affected by the restructure and inviting me to a meeting next week. News on the grapevine is that my post will be scrapped. This is officially the start of "consultation"

Sea78

Good luck with the meeting next week Perhaps you could start looking round and seeing what else is available for your skills? xx

copperjar

Well what an unbelievably awful day. We've known its been coming, but I guess when you don't formally know, you can still hope it will all be okay. This Government is going to destroy hard working people and change the lives of those in society who are most vulnerable for ever - you simply can't cut budgets by 30% and expect the same levels of support. LAs have been hit the hardest by the Spending Review - not only have they had their budgets cut by 28% over 4 years, but the savings are being front loaded, meaning 50% of the savings need to be found in the next year and 75% in 2 years. This means cuts. Not efficicencies, not eliminating waste, bit big, hard hitting cuts.

I'll know next Thursday what all this means for me - will get my consultation pack at a meeting then. Colleagues have already been told unofficially that their posts are being scrapped. They're reducing overall numbers so its not going to be simply a case of redeployment into another position; we were told today that there would be compulsary redundancies. I really don't know what I'll do. My debts are too high to be without a job.

So, I need to refocus and not panic. Didn't buy the ciggies I was swooning at in the garage this evening - can't afford them and they won't make this go away. I need to get my credit cards paid off as soon as physically possible. If that means living on practically nothing for the next 6 months, so be it. I'm going to have to be frugal at Christmas and reduce the number of presents I buy. Sell, sell, sell on eBay to make a few extra pounds, do whatever it takes. I guess at least this will focus me.

Typically, after showing off yesterday about not buying lunch for the last 2 weeks, I forgot to take my pack up today because I was running late (even though I'd already made the bloody thing!). £4 for lunch!!! How did I used to do that every day?! So then I had to get money out of the bank - NSD run broken! Sums up the day really! _pale_ Will be back later with a list of things to do. Must stay focussed!!

cazmcf

I'm sorry to read your news copperjar and I hope things turn out well for you. Well done for not buying cigarettes when your under so much stress.

I'm sure someone with more knowledge about la and jobs will be along soon to help you.

Don't give up

caz xx

copperjar

Thanks Caz
Have felt anxious all day, worrying about my job. Nothing formal is coming out until next Thursday, but its looking more and more likely that my job will be one that is scrapped. The added worry is that its looking pretty likely that there won't be any other jobs for me to be redeployed in to at my current level.

Have been talking to a colleague about maybe setting up on our own if the worse comes to the worse. One minute I'm really excited by the idea, the next I don't want to do it. I'll do some research tonight, but if we did go for it, I'd be living on a massively reduced wage. Would probably need to get a job alongside it as well - just to pay the essential bills. There's so much to think about. My life really has completely changed in the last 2 months. Its scary just how much can change in such a small amount of time.

eBay sale this week apparently arrived damaged so I'll have to refund. Put £40 in my car today and need to scrape some pennies together for a PAD. Funnily enough, the one thing I do feel I have some control over is my debts. Its actually the one thing keeping me sane at the moment! Never thought I'd say that! :rotfl:

copperjar

I've given myself a good talking to tonight, there's nothing I can do until Thursday, have to just try and get through until then without obsessing and then see what I'm told. I'm trying to work out how much I an realistically pay off my debts between now and the end of May when we think the new structures will come into place at work. To be honest, I need to pay off the credit cards by then - so that's 6 pay days.

I've done pretty well this month. Looking forward to updating my totals next Sunday but I think I should have got the OD paid off, the loan repayments which just go out anyway and £130 off my credit cards. I've also paid off £95 from the Barclaycard used for the car service and paid for the MoT. Not sure how I've done all that! I'm particularly pleased with the Barclaycard because that money has all be raised after I'd been panicking that I wouldn't even get through to the end of the month with the money I had left!

So, to get all the CCs paid off by the end of May, I need to raise about £3500 :eek: That's £583 a month! I don't think I'll be able to do anything near that in Dec because of Christmas, so more pressure on the other 5 months. Most of this will be done by drastic cutbacks in my food shopping and personal spends pot! The rest I'll have to raise in addition to my salary.

Things to do this weekend:
- ring nPower and ask for my gas/electric balance.
- search for cheaper energy provider
- list 5 items on eBay
- make Christmas present list - limit to £200 spend.
- sort out books in spare room
- don't spend any money! :rotfl:

copperjar

Aaarghhh - can't get motivated today!

copperjar

Well I haven't done many of my jobs yet, but have spent an awful lot of time looking at my spreadsheet, ringing up my credit cards and sorting out a plan! I didn't really know when the 0% rates were going to finish on my credit cards so was just basing my plans to pay them off on guess work! I had wanted to pay the Virgin card off first, just so one was paid off and it is the smallest one, but it has a slightly longer 0% rate left on it, so its silly to throw all my money at that one for 3 months, when the other one would be left not going down much. So I've got to split the payments more equally.
Virgin 0% finishes in May
Santander 0% finishes in April.

Not much between the two, but instead of aiming to get one paid off then getting charged to move the other to another low interest card, I'm going to pay them both off at once.

The amounts make for scary reading, but I need to pay £465 off Santander and £165 off Virgin until April, then £365 off Virgin in May. Sounds easy :rotfl:
At least I have targets now though and something to aim for.

Phoned nPower and got a nice surprise when I asked for my account balance...which quickly faded when I realised the £200+ credit didn't take into account any useage since June! I think I should be about all square when my offical bill comes which means I can switch to another provider and get cashback as well as a better deal. Just need to find the best rate now.

FieldAgent have updated - there was a nice £5 available for a MS in Asda - but for the first time since I got the app, the "job" was taken almost immediately so I missed out It must be gaining in popularity, I think I'll have to be quick off the mark in future.

Looked at some free clicks yesterday because I think that could be one of my 10 lots of £15 targets - but I'm not sure how often the better payers can be done. Probably not every week. But I do think I could get to £15 a month if I stick at it. Ebay, I just have 2 items currently (re)listed - just a couple of watchers and I don't hold out too much hope. Need to get the other bits and bobs I've got lined up listed this weekend. Find it all a bit monotonous, but needs must!

Spent £1.79 frivilously today on an iPhone app which I didn't need and isn't really very good! Got my eye on a sexy budget one but its £5.99 :eek: Which in my current uber tight frame of mind I'm not sure I should get! But I want it!! The other budget apps don't do quite what I want - this one looks like it will. Might have to wait until payday though!

Think I have enough food to get me through the month now, although for some bizarre reason, I really want egg and chips for my tea. This is unfortunate because i) I have no eggs, ii) its not exactly diet food and iii) I haven't had egg and chips since I was about 12. Think the insanity is starting to hit again! :rotfl: