108 spiders are a girl's best friends

Whitefeather8

Thanks Sassy, I’m back from a lovely break! I managed to sleep with one of my new best friends on our first night. He crawled out from under the covers at day break and gave me the mother of all frights.

DS rescued us and rehomed ‘Big Daddy’ who was a comparable size to our homegrown spiders but he was endowed with the added delights of a large pair of fangs. DH said we were lucky not to have been bitten. My luck is extraordinary!!

I managed an hours worth of exercise each day, which is actually difficult not to do at Centre P*rcs, and I have been madly doodling, so today’s task is ………..

Step 6 - Wolf Spider.

Construct a vision board. I am doing this on Powerpoint and translating my doodles into images to focus on, as the mood takes me.

I am a conscious dreamer.

“All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible."

— T.E. Lawrence
Seven Pillars of Wisdom

supersaver1000

Hello Whitefeather8

Hope you don't mind me popping by? I was reading your lovely new thread and you sound very positive, I wish you very good luck.

I've just started a 3rd year degree course and have amazingly been given a student loan for the £3000! I'm amazed as I didn't know a part-time distance learning course for someone my age existed. There's also the 24+ loans for level 3 and level 4 qualifications. You've probably looked at these already and they may not be suitable but I hate not to mention them just in case.

BTW I'm loving the studying and also looking to get something fulltime and very similar to what you are describing. Very good luck. I'll subscribe and follow in the background if you don't mind

Whitefeather8

Hi Supersaver, it is lovely to have company, thank you for popping by.

I have not heard of the 24+ loans TBH. I have done a degree in the past, had student loans and post graduate funding too, so I assumed that I would not be entitled to any further monies. That was 25 years ago though :eek:

I did enquire about funding from ILA but they said that I was not eligible, due to having a degree already, but I am grateful for any suggestions, and will follow them up. Could you attach a link to further information?

What course are you doing, if you don't mind me asking? You sound very upbeat too.

I was chatting to my two sisters at C Parc and they think I am nuts, wanting to start over again in a career, when they are both looking forward to early retirement.

I feel like I have been stagnating in boring, low paid jobs, since taking redundancy from a senior management position in 2008, and now I am raring to go. There is nought as queer as folk .

I will follow your journey too, if you don't mind.

supersaver1000

Hi Whitefeather8, went to post you the link earlier and my iPad gave up the ghost. We've been out to the shops and docs appointment, and now recharged, so I thought I'd add it while I'm waiting for the yeast to froth up.

I didn't do a degree when I was younger - secretarial college and then left for a life of admin. A few years back I did some financial training, and got 2.5 years through a 4 year course - then got married and had DD and never picked it back up again. So, I'm back to finish my studies and will have a degree at the end in Business. I've ummed and ahhed so much, that I need to get on and do it now before I run out of steam.

Money and time have always held me back before but I've found a course that fits in with me, and have been approved a student loan so it won't hit me financially too hard until I start earning loads of money :rotfl:

Here's the link to the 24+ loans - I have a feeling it may not suit you, and yes you are right the student loans are for those who haven't done a degree before - although can't you top up with a postgraduate certificate or Masters (I"m not sure).

Advanced Learning Loans

National Careers Service 24+ Loans

Money Advice Service

I'm not lucky enough to be able to give up work, but to be honest I find it really enjoyable most of the time. Besides its very good for your brain to keep it active

Look forward to popping in again.

SS1K

ps I'm afraid I have been evicting spiders today - my dusting stick and the hoover have been very active (even my cobwebs had dust on, so they had to go I'm afraid - hopefully they will make it over to your house later as you seem much more spider friendly :-))

Nintud

Just popping over to catch up.

Spider in the bed :eek: that's an intrusion too far!

Love the vision board idea.

Donuts for donations :rotfl: sounds like a fine ds.

Keep on spinning that web

Whitefeather8

Thanks Supersaver, those links are really informative, I am particularly impressed with the National Careers Service link, there is so much useful information on there.

I have visions of your evicted housemates, shimmying their butts over this way, with a knapsack on their backs, and you are right Nintud, sleeping with ones' best friends is a step too far!! I can see that I am going to have to set some VERY strict boundaries.

I got completely carried away with my vision board, it was great fun, but it highlighted a blockage ....

Step 7 - MONEY SPIDER FAMILY - Linyphiidae!!

I am very grateful to MSE. I have dropped in, on and off, since 2008, and it has saved our bacon on a number of occasions.

It struck me, yesterday, that I have transformed from being a money making expert into a money saving expert, but what I really need to do is strike a balance between the two!!

BALANCE – That is a theme that has been recurring throughout 2014. What does a money saving/money making expert look like??? I picture it as a woman with two heads, each facing in a different direction and a splitting headache. I need to resolve this dichotomy, and find an image that works for me for my board!

Today, I am going to lie in my bath, burn my gold candle, and work out what a money saving/money making expert looks like.

Any suggestions??

supersaver1000

Oh WF8

Here I am about to tackle the mould on the back door with washing powder and tea tree oil and there you are about to lie in the bath all day while burning your GOLD candle. I don't think there's much I can teach you :rotfl: Will the hand maidens be bringing asses milk?

Hmm money making, money saving - for me, the busier I am at work, the less money saving I am. So a lesser paid but less stressful job means more energy for money saving. It also means more energy to develop strategies for stopping DHs money spending.

Its definitely a balance, my image would be me calmly above two mini me's - one going off to work, the other balancing the books. But who does the cooking and cleaning? :rotfl:

Whitefeather8

Lol Supersaver - I thought two heads were bad enough, but you've created a three headed beast, about to grow a fourth one.
:eek:.

Now .... the image of the hand maidens and asses milk really appealed; though toned, bronzed man servants ticked even more boxes.

Off to bathe x

Whitefeather8

Thank Supersaver,

I was thinking about your post, and it was interesting that we both chose images of ourselves as ‘money saving/making experts’. You have got your heads sorted, and mine are starting to talk to each other!!

It occurred to me that in 2008 I was successfully managing a large budget for a major financial institution and consistently hitting income targets, so I have a track record as a money saving/making expert, but my foundation and confidence seemed to collapse around the time of my employers! I probably had too much invested in the job at that time, I loved it and redundancy, along with the credit crunch, hit me very hard.

I have found a fairly recent picture of me, looking confident and determined, so I have posted that on my Vision Board, along with a picture of a goose laying a golden egg. The other picture is a reminder to take very good care of myself. I am the means of production, and laying one golden egg a day (spider step), is just dandy!

Spider Step 8 – South American Goliath Bird Eater (Theraphosa Blondi)

I have enrolled, and paid for two training courses at a local training provider (£670.00), and I start studying 3 days a week from Monday 27th October. Today I am going to print off an A4 sheet with a calendar month on it, and start filling in the boxes with what I am committed to already, so I don’t feel overwhelmed.

I am going to ensure that regular treats and recreation time with the family, are given equal precedence, so that the journey is as enjoyable as the destination!!

sassychick2014

Morning hon

Glad to see you're forging ahead and still focused. I was never a calendar type of girl thinking it very anal but last year I bought a family planner calendar (because I liked the picture on the front, clearly before my LBM!) and it's been a lifesaver. Although there's only 2 of us and there's 6 columns we keep them all filled. We have one each, one for my folks, one for any extra jobs I may have got, one for school/other and finally one for extras. This is where we put all the good stuff, like a day out or our once a month dinner treat. It's been a God send this year and I've already bought next year's AND filled it out! Seriously, I have no idea what's wrong with me but I clearly need to get a life!

Having your calendar will definitely help you along and keep your head clear, and that's the main thing.

Have a great day xx