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More time and less money = life changes.

I have been reading here for a while and find it motivating - especially the daily threads. I am a bit too scared to just jump into threads though! :o

I am about to change jobs and also move in with my boyfriend within the next month. This is a bit stressful as it is two big changes all at once! My current job has been really stressful (e.g. not sleeping, worrying about deadlines, feeling queasy just thinking about going to work) for the past 8 or 9 months and, as I wanted to move in with my boyfriend, it was the ideal time to move jobs. I thought it would take months and months and months to find another job but ..... it didn't! So suddenly everything is changing all at once and I seem to have a hundred things to do.

My new job is a lower rate of pay and is also term time so I will be earning a lot less money. I am hoping for more of a work / life balance though as the pace at my current job really doesn't feel healthy.

I really need a serious declutter though as I have so much stuff. I am a bit of a clutter magnet and love books and crafts (no crafting skills though!) and ornaments.

So after all that waffling .......

This is all new to me as I have worked in my current office since I was 17 and have never lived with a partner. Embarrassingly I have never had a budget or gone food shopping with a proper plan or had any sort of cleaning schedule.

How do you do all this?! :rotfl: Maybe there was a class at school that I missed! I really like the domestic stuff and love my aprons but I don't really have the skills / knowledge to back it up.

I need to figure out cooking and meal planning too. The things I cook tend to be stews or casseroles that take hours! With my wage being significantly reduced I need to get myself sorted straight away.

I am hoping that I will save money as I will be taking packed lunches (hopefully not cheese sandwiches every day!) and I won't be walking around the shops on my lunch break or walk home.

Help please!
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Comments

  • fuddle
    fuddle Posts: 6,823 Forumite
    Hi old-fashioned-girl you would be most welcome on the OS doorstep thread :D Come on over and say hi when you fancy it. The amount I have learned from asking bizarre and random OS questions on that thread is unbelievable. I can't even say that I ever remember a question gone unanswered or at least discussed on there.

    Work/life balance is something that I am big on. I have to be to cope as I love to be with my family and need time to make sure I am organised etc.

    I think a good way to learn how to grocery shop to budget is to start small. I use a 7 day menu plan system. It just means that we have a meal on a set day. Nothing fancy, nothing too time consuming to make. What it means is I can ensure I have enough ingredients for those meals. It would mean that you could be organised and get your stocks up with ease, quickly and at minimal expense. I will say that I do change my menu plans all the time but my stores kind of allow me to get away with that now.

    Also, and this might seem a bit strange, I think that a shopping list made based on a menu plan would be a good idea but also to shop online for a home delivery. I know you have to weigh in the delivery costs but it means you can see what is on offer and what the cheapest options are for you. You can keep a tight eye on your budget this way too and less likely to be seduced by point of sale tactics, although it seems the top website banner is fair game :rotfl:

    Hope to help a bit, and if not it's nice to offer the welcoming hand of friendship. Seriously, you would be more than welcome on the doorstep ;)
  • Rummer
    Rummer Posts: 6,550 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    What an exciting adventure you are about to go on! So many things to think about about however view it as fun not a daunting task :D

    Before you start write down all your incoming money and all the fixed outgoings (bills, rent, travel etc) and then you will know what you have left for food and fun. On the Debt Free Wannabe board there is a link to a statement of affairs sheet that will help you with that.

    When I started meal planning I wrote a list of all the meals that we enjoyed and then each week made a list of the meals we would have and bought only the ingredients I needed. This let me take into account any late nights or meals out so I wasn't buying food that would not be used. I also started to build up a store cupboard with different spices, flours and picked up household essentials when they were on offer (washing powder etc)

    Cleaning is where it all goes a bit wrong :rotfl: I wash the kitchen down each day and the other rooms are fitted in when I can face it.

    If you have a lot of clutter get three boxes/bags before you start to sort it. One is for selling, one for charity shop items and the other for the bin. Set yourself a time limit and deal with it in small sections.

    I hope that gives you a start, there are so many friendly and helpful people on here who I am sure will give you more advice. Pop in and out of different threads that catch your eye and keep a not book to hand for the good ideas you read ;)
    Taking responsibility one penny at a time!
  • LameWolf
    LameWolf Posts: 11,237 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Rummer wrote: »
    Cleaning is where it all goes a bit wrong :rotfl: I wash the kitchen down each day and the other rooms are fitted in when I can face it.
    I used to struggle with the cleaning - my problem was, I'd try and do the whole bungalow in one day, fail, and then start again the next day in the same place as before so the lounge got cleaned every day, the kitchen most days, and the rest.... almost never.:eek: I now go on the weekly Flylady thread, and although I use my own lists rather than the "official" ones, I do a lot better.:o

    Meal planning - I try and stay a week ahead of myself with the plan, and I get my DH to contribute ideas as to what he'd like (after all, he has to eat what I make). I also have an inventory, on a spreadsheet, of what we have in the cupboard and the freezer, I add to the list when we shop, and deduct what we've used when I make our meals.
    If your dog thinks you're the best, don't seek a second opinion.;)
  • Don't try to do everything at once when it comes to making changes to your lifestyle, one thing at a time until it becomes automatic is a much steadier and surer way of making changes than all at once. So, decide what is the most important priority in life, say meal planning and shopping and concentrate on just that aspect until you're happy you know what and how you're doing. Then maybe tackle saving and budgeting, or housework rota etc. You'll get there love, but it takes time to learn how and there will be things that do and things that don't work. Ask us anything you like, we'll always try to come up with answers and solutions, good luck, Lyn xxx.
  • Doveling
    Doveling Posts: 705 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 500 Posts Photogenic Combo Breaker
    Hi, old fashioned girl,
    Before anything else, I'd discuss money ( joint pot for bills etc. ) and expectations within the home. For instance, does your boyfriend like to cook more than you or would you take it in turns? By sorting these things at the beginning, resentment and disharmony can be avoided!
    Good luck with your new job and I hope you have a brilliant life together. x
    Not dim ;) .....just living in soft focus :p
  • maman
    maman Posts: 29,341 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    If you're going to work term time only then you'll get a break every 6-8 weeks. If you do a proper clean then and you'll get away with a lick and a promise on the weeks in between except for bathroom and kitchen. With those I have a clean around every time I shower/cook so that it never gets really bad.


    I'd suggest for meal planning you take a look at some of the pub menus for ideas. To keep prices down, they're having to introduce lots of cheap meals like sausage and mash, ham & chips etc. I'd also start making your own ready meals. So instead of just cooking a casserole/curry/Bolognese sauce/chilli for just one meal make it for at least 4 people and put one in the freezer for another day.


    And definitely get your boyfriend on board from day 1. This isn't going to be your budget it's for the two of you as are all the domestic chores. Start as you mean to go on!
  • My boyfriend has lived on his own for a few years now and he tends to do the majority of the cooking. It works pretty well as I like to bake (if his daughter is there she and I bake together) and I quite like washing up which he really isn't keen on. Budget wise he isn't going to take much off me at all at the start to give me chance to get used to my lower pay. The plan is that I pay the difference in CT and for food shopping. After a little while I want to have a fairer split as I am sure me being there will increase the bills.

    He cooks and enjoys trying out new recipes ..... just needs me to supply some ideas and to have a plan ahead of time especially for the days when we are both at work.

    I am attempting to have a major declutter before I move in as there isn't any point transporting "stuff" that I don't really need / want. I like the idea of having a place for everything ..... less chance of having random dumping grounds!

    One difference is that I will have an hour for my lunch break. There are some shops but they are a way off - plus I don't want to be tempted to buy random stuff. In the nice weather I can wander about but would I look like a crazy person if I sat in the staff room with a craft project? I can knit a very basic dishcloth :o but am hoping to progress at some point and I have a few plans for sewing felt and maybe making Christmas decorations. I just don't want to start a new job with new people and have everyone think I was a bit nutty. Not straight away anyway!

    I am really trying to see it as an adventure! Luckily I have spent every weekend there for the past 4 or so months plus and days off and we have had a couple of weeks with me there when I was on leave from work. Not the same as being there every day and on work days though!

    I like the idea of looking at pub menus for ideas. I tend to struggle to sort a full meal so I think ooooh stuffed chicken breast but then can't decide what to serve with it. Also a big clean each school holiday sounds like a plan! I can pick a day when my boyfriend is at work and just blitz everything! We are both pretty easy going and with his children and the pets it is never going to be a show house. I just want to make it more of a cosy home! Like the song A Woman's Touch from Calamity Jane! :p
  • Doveling
    Doveling Posts: 705 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 500 Posts Photogenic Combo Breaker
    :rotfl:If you sit in the staff room at lunchtime doing a craft project you will be flavour of the month!
    (And you will be co -erced - sorry -gently persuaded to help with all the craft stuff for Autumn Fairs/Christmas/Spring Fairs/Open Days/Wall displays.)
    Honestly, they will love you.
    You sound as though you are really thinking things through so you will have a great start. Enjoy! x
    Not dim ;) .....just living in soft focus :p
  • I think you may find people are interested in what you are doing and it could be a good point for starting conversation with new colleagues.

    Good luck. Will follow your thread with interest!
    Back on the trains again!



  • :D Probably won't want my help when they see my messy attempts! As much as I would love organising wall displays (and cutting and sticking!) I will be in the school office so will be mostly doing admin work.

    Oh I hadn't thought of it being a bit of an ice breaker! I tend to be really shy and I have worked in my current job for over 10 years (the only place I have worked) so I am pretty nervous about meeting all those new people.
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