our forever patch challenge

sammy70

lovely sunny morning here after a soggy weekend! got monday and tuesday to enjoy here, no work till wednesday, so im off out to enjoy our little countryside haven 
transferred a little account tidy to the overpayment account, October is going to be an organised saving month, im determined to make a good ammount of overpayments, by being frugal, no waste, mealplanning , and being organised..
Stoptober going well- so far!! 

sammy70

thought id better do a catch up!
sadly the farm shop job  ended sunday gone.. i had no choice but hand my  notice  in, the owner had turned into a boss from hell. 11 hour shifts with no breaks, constant nit picking and put downs over the most trivial things, it really got me down.. its such a shame as i loved the job/hours/money, but couldnt work under such a horrible woman, such a bully , i was treading on eggshells waiting for her next rant and putdowns..
oh well onwards and upwards. i learnt quite a lot on the catering side, so i took something positive from the experience!
ive still not heard anything regarding the permission for trading from here for my little business yet from the council, despite sending another e.mail chasing the decision, and explaining to them i need to know as part of my icome will be coming from this after my redundancy..
Yesterday was my official last day of employment with my old company. My redundancy money will be paid tommorow, and my last pay and holiday pay owed etc was paid yesterday, so this month has been a good pay month for me!!
Just need to find more employment now... mmmmm .. im trying to keep positive, we have got a financial plan and budget for the next 6 months to keep everything paid without using up all our emergency fund, we will get thorough this pandemic induced financial rollercoaster.. keeping healthy is the priority at the moment..

sammy70

what ive done so far for our 'get through the next 6 months  while keeping to the budget and healthy' plan
bought winter fuel up to end of january
bought hay to feed horse for the next few months
set a new budget- again- following unemployment
set aside money for mots for both cars which are both due in the next month or 2
set aside xmas money- we arent going mad this year, just want a nice family xmas with a few nice pressies each and a good food shop, i think we deserve a few nice xmas meals and treats after the year we have had!!
topped up p.bonds so we now have a good emergency fund to fall back on if this crisis continues longer than 6 months, though i really hope in the next 6 months im back earning a decent income and getting back to overpaying, but as 2020 has shown us all we never know whats around the corner..
We are starting walking daily with my horse, as he is now ready for exercise, but only being lead for the first 2 weeks, so fitness building for all the family 

sammy70

feeling wide awake, strangely positive..
going to check bank accounts, made a £41 payment to the loan yesterday.. As im now officially unemployed, all overpayments will be focussed on the loan, we want that cleared asap, and it currently stands at £14,058, so it need attention.
im seeing this situation as a back to basics re-set on everything, getting our bodies/finances and lives back in healthy shape. It starts fresh today, i m determined 

Jessy103

Sorry to hear about the farm shop job, sammy. I just don't understand how people can be so awful! Up until 3 months ago I had a similar boss, you never knew what mood she was going to be in that day and if you asked for help she would bite your head off! 

Hope you get a response from the council soon and glad to hear horsey is on the mend x

South_coast

Sorry you had to ditch the job, but it definitely sounds like it was the right decision. Good luck with the reset x

sammy70

Daily walks with the horse are going well, we are all 3 benefiting, i  didnt realise how unfit i had got during the lockdown!
We have made a start on the stone gateway where my icecream/refreshment stall will be, we carted stones and rubble to lay a pathway down to join the trail where- hopefully- my future customers will pass.. thats if i ever recieve permission- so frustrating.. so thats coming on, two days and we have got most of the base down, and started on the frame for the new gateway too. This coming weekend we will- hopefully- get the last of the dtones and soil in place, and be in a position to have the frame fitted, so then we can order the new gate, or make it if hubby has time 
£58 paid off loan- now £14,000, and a small o.payment off the mortgage too, though im focussing on loan at the moment until i have a new job and can re-set the budget.
It feels like ive re-done our budget every few weeks this year, uncertainty and change literally every month in 2020.
We will get through these scary times, its hard somedays but then i think of what some people have to deal with, and i thank my lucky stars for a lovely place to live, a brilliant husband and son and daughter, pets to love and care for, and an emergency fund to fall back on. We are blessed really..

South_coast

sammy70 said:

It feels like ive re-done our budget every few weeks this year, uncertainty and change literally every month in 2020.

I can completely sympathise with this! I've been in exactly the same position this year. Well done on counting your blessings, I need to do this more I think. 

sammy70

i think we all need to take time to look at what we have got in our lives,and count our blessings.. recently a young couple in the village  near us lost their baby son aged 9 months to sudden infant death syndrome.. one after noon nap on the sofa, which he didnt wake up from has shattered their lives, and made me realise more than ever that family is what really matters and we should make the best of every day we have together. my problems pale to nothing when i think about what they are going through bless them..

South_coast

Oh that's awful, I don't blame you for re-assessing things after hearing about that x