Batten down the hatches.....

redofromstart

Oh that is brilliant news on the increments. I know we used to have arguments about top of increment redeployments, research bids would cost grant funding at the lowest point of the grade and then argue they couldn't offer the post any higher then first stage which got a 'tough' response from HR.

beanielou

Good news.i don’t think that they have any choice though.
Relax and enjoy.

doingitanyway

So pleased about your higher increment. Fortune favours the brave :T

Orange_Ena

Ah thanks very much ladies, still buzzing

Monday 8th January
* 0nepoll survey
* Youg0v survey
* 6p roadkill found

Today
* NSD
* £6.87 received from TCB and transferred to my overpayments account
* 0nepoll survey
* Youg0v survey


As you probably know, for the last couple of years I've really been focusing on reducing my debt as I felt it was trapping me in my job. Along with that I was finishing off my house jobs and decorating ready to sell it so I could move back to my hometown and get a new job. Now I can tick all that off, I need a new focus

The debt still needs paying and that will bubble away, then I'll probably switch to paying off my mortgage as and when I can. However, my main focus will be...............ME!!! The year of the orange:D

I want to look after myself more
Floss my teeth regularly
Take my own make up off at night instead of letting the pillow do it
Get a "skincare routine"
Read more
Craft more
Eat well
Lose weight
Walk more
Use up my nice products
Burn candles
Do deep breathing exercises
Practice mindfulness

Obviously my diary won't be a record of how many times a week I managed to take my make up off :rotfl:.....no-one wants to read that But whereas a year or two ago, all I could really think about was paying off my debt, this year, I'm going to take care of myself first. I won't be wildly spending money as all of the above things are minimal costs so win win :T

So, off to a great start, I've joined Slimm1ng W0rld. Which is a cost, I know, but I'm seeing it as more of an investment. I'm feeling quite motivated at the moment which is great. My overnight oats are doing their thing in the fridge, along with my salad for lunch tomorrow. No need to buy any food, any crap or spend any money tomorrow. Rinse and repeat until I am fitter and healthier

doingitanyway

Don't forget face pack Fridays
It's great that you are looking after yourself.
I used to be a bit sneery about breathing exercises but I do them now and find then very useful...

beanielou

Yah for the year of the orange

BettyBones

So happy to see you in a much better place now. The future's bright... the future's Orange's!

Orange_Ena

It's been about 6 months since I was last here. I didn't really mean for it to be this long

I've been drawn back to MSE as I'm now very close to being debt free officially, apart from the mortgage obviously. I've been debt neutral for quite a while, which totally passed me by and it was another poster who pointed this out to me :rotfl:

My debt repayments have pretty much just rolled along, apart from the odd extra payment that I've made when I've sold something. So I'm very pleased to report my debt now stands at

£199

I owe £140 to my CC and £59 for my sofa loan :T

I knew it would be but it's a bit of an anticlimax :cool: I think partly knowing I was debt neutral and partly just paying the debt from wages as I'd diverted all my survey profits into my CHEFS (Cruise Holiday Entirely Funded by Surveys) account. It's just limped along.....;)

But I am still really happy that about to be debt free for the first time in my adult life, that's over 20 years :eek:

Talking of my CHEFS challenge, I'd sort of taken my foot off the pedal a bit with surveys but I'm still up to £685.79. I always said I'd book a cruise when I got to £1000 but after an horrendous work shift a couple of weeks ago, I caved in and booked one :D It's not until November 2019 and I don't need to pay the balance until July 2019 so I've got precisely 1 year to earn £313.21 in survey money. Suddenly, there is renewed vigour and I will be filling in every survey I can get :rotfl:

I've been in my new job 7 months now. I do quite enjoy it, still learning, there's loads I don't know yet, there's a lot of pressure and moral is a bit low as were short staffed. This is unfortunately the reason I'm looking to leave. As were short staffed, the shifts I've got coming up are terrible. I'd normally get alternate weeks of lates and earlies with 1, maybe 2 weekends in a month. But in September, there are 5 weekends and I'm in for 4 of them.

And I don't see it get any better when the new staff start as they don't do lates or weekends for 2 or 3 months and they've not even started yet. I know plenty of people do shifts, and I really do take my hat off, but they're not for me. I'm constantly tired, I don't eat properly when I'm on lates, I feel quite miserable missing out on things too. I can't commit to evening courses and even Sl1mming W0rld has gone by the wayside as it's a Saturday morning and I'm probably at work!!! I'm a bit gutted it's not worked out, nothing to do with the job, just the shifts, but I'm still happy to not be doing my old job so it could be worse! At least this job doesn't make me want to break my arm :eek::D


I haven't given up my "old" life to feel like this, although I'm pretty happy in myself, I want my evenings and weekends back and I want to pursue my hobbies and look after myself like I listed in my last post. I still don't have a skincare routine and my pillow is still my makeup remover :rotfl: I've been reminded again recently that life is too short and if something isn't right, I need to change it.

So here we are. The Life Improvement Project (LIP) is being fine tuned but the money side of it needs work so that I can get my flat improved, hence coming back. I need that buzz of saving and making money

beanielou

Debt total is awesome.
Good news on the cruise being booked :j :j
Hope you find another job soon.
The shifts sound just dire.

crazy_cat_lady

Hey Ena
Welcome back - lovely to 'see' you again. So close to being completely debt free, and I'm shocked (in a really good way) that you have indeed funded a holiday entirely from survey money. Go you!
Sorry that the job hasn't worked out - you're right though, life is too short to get stuck.