The Road to Financial Security

amycool

Sorry to hear you've been feeling a bit rubbish Pushkin, and that things at work aren't great. There is a danger with the MFW path of wishing time away so you can get to the next payment or get the next bit of cashback (I get this sometimes), but it's important to stop and take stock and make the most of each day.

We've been in this house for nearly a year now and it has felt like every month we have been haemorrhaging money whilst we have improved parts of it. It's nice though to live in a house that we know doesn't leak or have a dodgy old boiler. The car can be similar but those brake pads are very important!

I foolishly just re-read the homebuyers report (the one that totally missed the huge soaking wet patch in the bedroom) and there are still loads of things that it suggested we do soon after moving in. Oh dear. I'd quite like a few months of not doing anything and we'll deal with stuff as it becomes urgent! :rotfl:

jodles16

Hi Pushkin,

You are doing amazingly balancing everything! Love the idea of just cracking on and getting rooms done as you can. Sorry works pants, its hard when it takes up a large amount of time!!

Will pop back soon for another update on how much your doing!!

Jodles

Pushkin

Jodles, Amycool - you are lovely! Thanks for the kind words and not making me feel a fraud for moaning about ongoing work in the house and the amount we are spending when the idea of this forum is to save money and reduce the mortgage!

Hate coming on here and moaning but don't like not posting either and this blue mood is lasting a while unfortunately. Probably something to do with not having had a day off work for 6 weeks and having another 6 until my next time off - I get through work by counting down to the next day off - sad huh!

Don't like to write too much about work in case I say something inflammatory and anyone works out the company I work for. If I say it's a global IT company which is not doing too well it could be one of a few - the other threat to us in the UK is the constant drive to relocate roles to low cost off shore locations. This makes it a very insecure environment, have already lost many colleagues to redundancy which is hard from both a personal perspective and brings additional challenges professionally.

Our team headcount is lower than it was a year ago (job losses in the US) but the workload has increased, now it's the UK's turn for the next round of redundancies, announced early May and through constant delays and poor communication its still not clear if we are IN or OUT of scope.

I don't get emotional about it on the surface but I think subliminally working under such conditions does affect your mental health. I find myself getting more easily wound up by people and having a lot less patience, plus I seem to have to have a daily rant - anyone reading this blog is suffering it today

That aside I really do appreciate the comments people have made, I am committed to continuing with MSE ways and know that having done so for a year put is in a better position should the worst happen.

amycool

Looming redundancy is awful for staff morale, but when it feels like you're not being kept informed it's even worse. We know that there will be redundancies and closures at some point, but we haven't been given a timescale or any idea of how many people will go. It makes for a very jittery team of people, who, like you, are working twice as hard for the same (well, less in real terms) wage.

It's quite a depressing era for work isn't it? I feel like we've been preparing for job losses since we started working! Even jobs that historically have been secure are no longer safe. I yearn for the days when you started in a career at the bottom of the ladder and worked steadily up. I know not everyone got to enjoy this (my spectacles are only slightly rose-tinted) but it seems like nobody gets it anymore.

At least the sun is shining. :-) And you're right - you're in a much better position since overpaying.

Oh, and it's okay to complain on your own thread - it is yours after all.

Pushkin

Hi AmyCool - I totally agree with your thoughts re work. It's a tough culture work wise these days. Everyone has to have ambition and mission statements and plan for where they want to be in 5 years time - this is what i get at my annual appraisal each year :mad:

I work hard and I (think) do a good job but I'm not a workaholic and I realised a while back I'm not a high flyer and don't have the drive to go any higher than I am right now. I'd like to do my job, feel I've achieved something, added some value etc and enjoy a good work life balance - none of this is seemingly good enough any more.

I also think that the personality traits that lead to success in business are not particularly moral either. Think I read once that CEOs have so may markers in common with sociopaths - that I think is a sad reflection of the values of society. Our company has shed hundreds of jobs every year for the past 5 years but still the executives get their bonuses - how is that in any way deserved?

I'm not particularly left wing and think I understand why we have capitalism - I'm in favour of a free market economy & competition but how is it that the senior executives in any big company earn millions a year and get larger % pay rises than the workers? And when senior executives are fired/made redundant they get massive pay offs and enjoy large pensions? It makes no sense to me!

Another day another rant I'm afraid - but Amycool - I totally agree with you and unfortunately know so many people who feel the same about their jobs...

Pushkin

Had to do the bi monthly (thats every 2 months not twice each month!) C0stc0 shop this evening, bit early but we have friends round for BBQs next 2 weekends and hardly had any meat left.

Needless to say went over budget - every time!

9.30 and I'm already itching to go to bed I'm so tired - rock and roll Friday :rotfl:

BookWorm

Pushkin wrote: »

9.30 and I'm already itching to go to bed I'm so tired - rock and roll Friday :rotfl:

I've just said similar on my diary :rotfl:

Pushkin wrote: »

It's a tough culture work wise these days. Everyone has to have ambition and mission statements and plan for where they want to be in 5 years time - this is what i get at my annual appraisal each year :mad:

I work hard and I (think) do a good job but I'm not a workaholic and I realised a while back I'm not a high flyer and don't have the drive to go any higher than I am right now. I'd like to do my job, feel I've achieved something, added some value etc and enjoy a good work life balance - none of this is seemingly good enough any more.

This totally echoes my own feelings these days. It's frustrating isn't it?

Hope you have a good weekend Pushkin

Pushkin

Am having a lovely weekend and am in a very good mood. Actually feel I've unwound from the stresses of work, so I'll leave the political ranting aside and focus on cost saving and the continuing work in the house.

Worked like a whirling dervish yesterday morning to get the house clean and tidy (well the downstairs anyway - upstairs is a different story :eek:)

Friends came over for bbq and we had a lovely time, weather was great, 2 jugs of Pimms went down very nicely and the garden den served its purpose giving the kids their privacy and keeping them out of our hair.

Really lovely to be able to use the garden and be proud of it and that the weather behaved

Today I'm going over to my parents to watch the mens tennis final, DH isn't a fan so I'll leave him in peace.

Have started sorting out our remaining cds - need to burn (or is it rip) those we don't have electronic copies of to our music library and then I'll sell them on MM. One of those jobs I wish I hadn't started - piles of cds everywhere. All this effort and I'll probably only make about £20 for the lot - over a 100! Still every little helps huh....

Pushkin

Two days into the working week, am a bit of a nomad at the moment since DH was home for half a day yesterday and a full day today - when he's home he comandeers the study. Since we had the garden den built I go in there to work but when DS comes home at 3.30 I have to relocate.

I seem to have spent the last 2 days moving my laptop around.

No money news - I haven't spent any though (since buying petrol on Sunday). DH break pads booked in for Thursday and we have another bbq planned on Saturday so a fairly big food bill. I never realised before (guess I wasn't tracking it so well) but I think we spend more on food this time of year due eating meat more. Can't think of any other meal where you would cook 3 different types of meat:eek: Look away now any vegetarians reading this.

Time to go since my update is disintegrating into waffle as far too much is spilling out of my head....

Pushkin

Today is a great day money wise :j

£12 cashback received and finally reached £40 on 0nepoll - been doing it since last September! So claimed that money. Am so excited at finally being able to claim (I know small things!).

Off to the cinema tonight and will try and use the vouchers from work that I couldn't use last time we went - cheap night out although we will likely indulge in some overprice refreshments.

Welcome to the weekend