Fitter, Fundraising and Financially sound by 40 (ish!)

Changemylife

Hi,
The title says it all really - I want to change my life massively in the next 13 months to get on the right track before I hit 40.
A bit about me - I live with OH, three smalls, five cats and a hound in a slightly chaotic (who am I trying to fool - chaos!) house, which remains half finished despite OH being a fantastic DIYer.
I work four days a week in a big corporate and although I love what I do I've finally faced the fact that I want to go and work in the charity sector and if I don't do it now I never will.
Added to which, my job is coming to an end this year so I need to take the opportunity.
However, slap bang in the middle of this is a whopping great big debt - which has come from a selection of sources - some more predictable than others (more on that later!)
And then there is the big 40 on the horizon - which accompanied by a few family health scares has brought into focus my need to loose some - OK lots of weight in the next few years.
So the quest is:
Tackle the debt - one chunk at a time - starting with my Barclaycard - which currently stands at £3700 and is closed - so seems a good place to start.
Get the job of my dreams - not sure it's going to be as straightforward as I first expected but one step at a time.
Lose the belly - to stop using food as a comfort - and to get off my !!! and get active.
So please join me if you wish - you would be most welcome!

Changemylife

OK here goes - my debt comes from the fact that I didn't think credit cards were somebody else's money and that anyone would ever want them back.
So if I wanted something and it had to go on the never never then that was fine. In fact I also used to find things to buy - yes really - that I was sure that we needed.
Added to that having three children (and maternity leaves) in quick succession - plus my lovely OH going self employed and you see where it's all come from.
The icing on the cake was the first big client he had going bump on him owing £8000+ (and thanks to them owing the tax man more than £150,000 with assets of less than £5,000 there is little change of getting it back).
So at the moment we:
Cook from scratch
Ebay
Bzzz
Pulse
P**econe
Market research
Survey
Coupon
And generally do anything else we can to earn a few extra pounds. What I have struggled to do to date is budget properly. Every bill is a surprise - actually a horrible shock, so I need to tackle that sooner rather than later.
I'd also like a reserve account to cover the what ifs - particularly as all our credit cards are at the limit - so when the washing machine blows up I know I can replace it - only £500 - but that's money I don't have.
Anyway - I'll see if the diary can keep me on the straight and narrow - not on the never never!

Changemylife

Day two of the diary and the job of my dreams. Problem is I don't know exactly what it is and how to get it yet. But I have an idea....
I want to work for a charity raising it's profile and fundraising if possible. The profile raising bit is what I've been doing for the last 17 years so that should be fairly straightforward - but the fundraising bit is new. And that scares me a bit - especially as I have been told several times this week that it's a competitive industry to get into - but hey, competition is healthy!
The problem is I need experience and that means volunteering for free - at this point refer to point 1 of the quest!
So I need to tackle the mahoosive debt and get the job of my dreams.
I have got a small cushion of cash which will help me to do both for a while - but if I don't get myself in gear and motivated it won't happen.
So lots of contact with lots of charities - mental health, children, animals and homelessness are at the top of my list - if you work for one - get in touch!
More on fat fighting tomorrow - one challenge at a time!

Changemylife

PS £30 to the dreaded Barclaycard today - it used to be £7000 so it's going down but it needs to go a lot faster.
Spends today on petrol and big spend on Sunday to stock up at the farm shop on meat, chicken etc, but the cupboards are bare. Thank heavens for parents and weekend breaks!

Changemylife

So I've decided to tackle the job and the debt - the weight needs to be next. I've managed to add several stone over the last few years and I need to start dealing with it.
I've started taking the dog out for some very long walks - the poor thing is shattered - but I also need to plan a bit and get my meals sorted in advance.
Oh and stop reaching for the fridge when I am shattered on an evening. OH can eat anything and not put an ounce on whereas I have an underactive thyroid and am far less active than he is - so I need to remember that!
However, life has gone just a bit pear shaped in the last week as I've been floored by an ear infection and generally being in pain - which sadly means I have forgotten to give a monkeys about the calories!

Changemylife

Just a quick PS - the big news is the Barclaycard may well be toast in the next week - OH just got a PPI claim which would let us tackle the lot!

Ladybird.

Great news about the PPI!!

Changemylife

Thanks Ladybird - yes fantastic news - and I've now found out I might be able to reclaim too - so we'll be able to pay off a chunk of debt - including Barclaycard and a couple of overdrafts as well as paying for a few essentials - like the car servicing.
The cheque arrived today so I'm off to pay it in - and to start planning for Christmas.
Still a long way to go though - particularly if my salary is about to drop.
One step at a time...

Changemylife

Haven't posted for a few weeks - been a bad time, my dad has cancer and I am struggling to juggle. He's doing OK after an op but tomorrow we get the results to see if it has spread and what happens next.
My plans for the future are on hold a bit at the moment - the PPI claim has meant I can not worry about money for a while - along with a bonus from work - but it's incredibly hard to keep thinking about my work life when all my thoughts and energy are focused on my family. I also want to be flexible enough to be around if and when he has to have chemotherapy.
It's shaken my foundations really - we are a very close family and the last few weeks have been the worst of my life...

Changemylife

So the news isn't great - more tests to follow plus a programme of chemotherapy. So I've got to look at how I can balance the books to let me work flexibly to manage the next few months, so I can be around. Freelancing here we come.
On the plus side (which seems very small today) I have paid off Barclaycard plus a couple of overdrafts - so Virgin Credit Card - it's over to you!

elantan

Really sorry to her that CML I hope he gets the right treatment for himself.

Can I ask why in particular the charity sector ?

Congrats on the future ppi as well ... Hope it clears things for you