The Road to Financial Security

Seanymph

It's amazing what you can live without.

I had an accident and was out of work when littlies were little, and now I'm pleased I did - recently had a year off, and went back 'part-time' (now forty bloomin hours a week!) but mostly from home.

I like to be available to the 'kids' (youngest 19) - and doing the home thing, I keep threatening to knock my hours back down. But we have plans for five years time, so I need to grind it out - if you can slow up then there is a lot to be said for it.

Pushkin

Hi Seanymph - it's very interesting to hear other perspectives. I totally agree with that - you can cut your cloth to suit your means, trouble is I worry it's easy to say that but the reality may be a lot harder. If its forced upon may work out for the best (it may not) but to actually choose to do it is a different matter.

Much as I dislike the job (and the new pervading culture) I do appreciate the salary,benefits (can buy extra days off etc) and the the flexibility I have of working from home.

That said its not great when you are constantly counting down to the weekend of the next day off and on occasion feel sick before booting up the laptop in the morning. :eek:

I have 2.5 weeks off coming up, some much needed time to reflect on things.

Even looking at the finances and reducing my salary by 40% alarmed me yesterday evening - savings are my big comfort blanket and they would have to be slashed. Also really don't want to stop the £500 OP on the mortgage each month. Then of course there's the pension.

Too much swirling round and round in my little brain right now :rotfl:

A lottery win or long lost millionaire relative dying and leaving me their fortune would be good right about now.

Seanymph

I agree with that - could you 'swap' some of what you are doing?

I found when I knocked out travel, lunches, proper clothing, convenience food, childcare......... actually I'd been paying to go to work!

Now I work from home a lot, so I do something different, but the compensation is financial, I just don't see it go into the bank (and then out again of course!).

amycool

I've worked part-time for 7 years now - initially due to ill-health, but then I just really enjoyed it. It means I can do the housework on my days off, which means weekends I can actually spend time with my OH. It has meant going for a smaller, cheaper house than we had originally hoped for, but it's still a lovely house and is bigger than the one I grew up in! We can only afford one car, but that's one more than I grew up with.

I guess you have to work out what you value. If you love expensive holidays and get loads of pleasure from really nice food, then it's probably worth working full time. Personally, I'm not fussed by "luxuries" and I feel really lucky that I can pursue hobbies, go for walks and just keep on top of things easier. I love my job, but don't think I could cope with the stress if I was there all day every day.

I should hear more about our redundancy situation tomorrow. It's horrible waiting to hear, but if you have a back up plan, it might make it easier.

I'm the same as you with savings. I feel like I need to be saving something every month, plus overpaying the mortgage. I would guess though that most people have hardly anything saved, so you're already in a much better position. You also have a pension and you're doing really well with paying off the mortgage. It's scary, but if tomorrow you had to just about pay the bills and have nothing left, you're still in a great position.

Pushkin

Lots of food for thought regarding the work/life balance and how valuable happiness/extra time is versus working long hours in a stressful job.

I have finally started to update my cv - last looked at 3 years ago, last updated properly 10 years ago! yikes yikes yikes!

A good day for incoming cash today - £138 annual interest on a cash isa I have locked away.

£40 payout from a survey site.

All dampened by an exceedingly frustrating phone call with BG which I regret to say annoyed me so much I wasn't that nice to the person in the call centre even though I know it is hardly her fault.

We have dual fuel with BG and dd payments due out yesterday - electricity one went out fine, gas one for some unknown reason hasn't gone out.

Rang BG and they told me there were 2 possible reasons - 1, the account didn't have enough money in it -can't be that one as the account has over £1k in it.

2. there was an error setting up the direct debit - can't work that one out since the dds were set up years ago and surely if there was an error it would have affected the electric payment as well - or am I missing something?

Their advice then was to 'wait until September to see if the direct debit comes out then'.

I insisted they made a note on the system to confirm I had contacted them to resolve this - don't want to end up with a penalty payment.

Feels like I am begging them to take my money :rotfl:

Why is dealing with these big companies so frustrating :mad:

Pushkin

Good news for those peeps interested, just back from the vets and he is very pleased with the progress the dog is making. She is much brighter and has even been out for 2 walks today and barked at the postman.

Steroids are making her very thirsty and the side effect of that is she is getting me up in the night to be let out in the garden - like having a baby all over again :rotfl:

Another tough day work wise brightened only by virtue of the fact its Friday.

7 more work days until I have 2.5 weeks off and I'm at that point of panic about how much there is to get done, feeling guilty for taking the time off etc. A senior manager also gave me a tough time on a review call including having a go at me for not having a backup to cover me while I'm off - surely that should be management responsibility to provide that - oh no they can't as they have made so many staff redundant!

I feel some further CV updating is on the agenda this weekend

Seanymph

Work is pants.

Pleased about the furbabe. It's always such a relief when they start improving.

Pushkin

Love getting up early before DS & DH do and having some me time with a coffee, the internet and a bit of telly.

Plans for today:

Get my toenails re done - a bit of a luxury I know but so nice to get rid of the hard skin and have hard wearing polish on. Last time it will be done this year and I think a girl has to have a few luxuries.

Cinema again this evening - tickets will be about £16 using the discount site at work ([STRIKE]if[/STRIKE] when I am made redundant I will have to order a few batches of these as they last a year). Think we'll go for some dinner afterwards and draw up a list of stuff we need to get for our up coming holiday - going shopping tomorrow.

Also have an appointment with @pple tomorrow. I dropped my 1ph0ne 5 down the loo a couple of months ago, they will replace it with a new one for £200 but due to it being an Australian model (don't ask - Christmas present from DH who ordered it from @maz0n who obviously cast their net far and wide!) it will take a few weeks for a replacement to arrive.

So in a moment of extreme un MSE behaviour I bought a new phone as I didn't want to be without one for a couple of weeks. Plan now is to pay the £200, get a new phone and then sell it on. I'm pretty confident I can make a profit on this but it sill makes me nervous as I could potentially be £200 out of pocket.

BookWorm

Glad to hear the pooch is on the mend Pushkin.

Also agree that a girl needs a few treats here and there

Pushkin

Thanks Bookworm.