Take it to the Mattresses!

grannyx2

So sorry to hear things have been tough but glad things are now looking up.

Good luck with house sale and potter job. how many of us get to have a job doing something we love? Everything happens for a reason

Granny x

Grand_Benders

grannyx2 wrote: »

...
Good luck with house sale and potter job. how many of us get to have a job doing something we love? Everything happens for a reason

Thanks Granny! And it's true, everything does happen for a reason. And I'm reminding myself of that every time I feel a bit of a wobble during this tribunal process. And my OH reminded me when I received the company's response to my claim that, win or lose, no matter what THEY say, it can't change the fact that I'm moving on with my life and starting this exciting new chapter doing my dream job.
:j

I'll be back on here more often now hopefully, sharing my money-saving plans and challenges, with all my 'friends in the box' I'm feeling a lot more sociable than I've been in recent months.

kissjenn

Loving the plan to go mortgage free and do something you love.

Hope it goes smoothly and you get a quick sale on the house.

beanielou

kissjenn wrote: »

Loving the plan to go mortgage free and do something you love.

Hope it goes smoothly and you get a quick sale on the house.

From me too

NewLeaf_2

glad you are on the up
NL

houseimprover

Grand_Benders wrote: »

I've been all over the place and having some difficult times with this tribunal still lingering. Added to that, having to deal with ATOS assessment paperwork, that part of my life has been pretty rubbish, so I've not been on here much.

However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, work-wise. I have been nurturing some contacts within the pottery world, as this was the career I realised too late in life that I should have pursued, and I have now managed to line up a part time job working for a potter, with the possibility of applying for a part time apprenticeship with him too (funded by an external organisation, hence having to apply). It's all incredibly exciting, and I get to turn my hobby of the last decade into a new career. Earning about a third of what I was before, but doing something I love.

It means lots more money saving will be needed, and our DMP monthly payment has had to be massively reduced (from £825 a month to £70 a month and not even properly leaving provision in our budget for annual things like insurance).

The house is going on the market soon, and we're going to look for a house about 30 miles north of where we are now, closer to where my new job is, where the property is also considerably cheaper. Working to the assumption that we only get back what we paid for this house in 2007, we will have enough equity from the sale to buy a 2 bed flat outright, no mortgage. This cuts down our monthly outgoings by nearly £900, not taking into account that our council tax will also go from band F to band B or C.

So, just doing some odd jobs around the house right now to get it ready for market, and then fingers crossed it sells quickly.

That's my update for now. Back soon with more news hopefully.

I have just read the whole thread, very interesting and disappointing to hear what has happened but you seem to have reacted well.

Keep going, keep positive and appreciate the good things (such as now being able to do your hobby as a living)

Grand_Benders

Thanks everyone for the encouraging words and :hello: to new friends and old (lovely to see you NL)

I have a meeting in the morning with the mediator from ACAS. They try to help both parties reach settlement before it gets to the Tribunal court and I'm really hoping this is what happens because the thought of going through this in court makes me regress to my worst moments at the end of last year

I've started my new part time potter job and loving it (working on the pottery supplies side of things for now, which also means cheap supplies for me.. Yay!). I won't be needing a gym membership any time soon; lots of heavy lifting (clay literally weighs a ton when you're making it from scratch to sell) and the processing to get it ready to bag up for customers involves a major upper body workout. I'm trying to add in some abs and lunge movements with every pull of the handle on the pugmill to get my money's worth :rotfl:

Doing some 'babysitting' for my sister (14 yr old niece, not really a baby) during the school holidays, so I may not get much time to concentrate on my own pottery business on days off, but at least I'm getting my 'fix' at work now.

It's good to be back

grannyx2

Good luck with the meeting today

Granny x

beanielou

Hope it goes well.

Grand_Benders

The ACAS meeting went well. The mediator is a lovely man although he did paint rather a bleak picture. I took his advice and sought out an employment adviser at my local CAB, and can now add a lovely wee retired HR lady to my list of allies. I had another meeting this week, at the Tribunal office, with the judge and the lawyer for the respondent to discuss the outline of the case (not the painful details). Took my sis with me as an observer, and it went a lot better than I expected. She said I spoke very clearly and concisely and put my case forward confidently. So I'm feeling quite positive about that.

My niece gave me a full mani/pedi last night which was fab and free (although I'm going to transfer some pocket money to her bank for doing it as she's going on holiday tomorrow.

We're looking after their kitten while they're away, and our two bigger kitties are sulking. He's only been here a few hours so I hope they'll get over it quickly.

Things are fairly good right now. We're working towards selling some stuff we don't need and doing small jobs around the house so we can get it on the market soon. New P/T job is going well, still loving it, and I have a full day in my own pottery studio planned for Monday.

Hope you're all well.