NST: May the odds be ever in your favour!

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for the big oak tree I pass on the way to and from work, for the sound of rain on the car roof, for a yummy tea, for chats with dd, for grapes.

academiablues

Me again! Going to try the "don't give up your day job," as I've been thinking about it for a while now.

1. Make a note of your passions, hobbies and new activities you would like to try.
I love baking and cooking - I've always wanted to own a little coffee shop, or a travelling cupcake van (like an ice-cream truck, but for cake!), but this is a pipe dream. I like dancing, and need to get back into salsa dancing with my friend, as she is getting far better than me! I've always wanted to learn another language, and I'm noticing that I'm not picking up bits of lingo, when we go on holiday to counties where I don't speak the language, as quickly as I used to, so I think I'd better get onto that as well.

2 Imagine your life 5 years from now.
This is hard. Five years ago I was in the middle of my doctorate, and now I'm 27 (finished it three years ago) I have literally no idea what to do with the rest of my life! I'm married, with a mortgage, and no huge desire to have kids any time soon, my job is a very good one and one that I enjoy - what more is there?! I feel like there are these social "milestones" that we're all supposed to pass, but what happens once you pass them? All my friends are having kids or getting married at the moment, which is a little odd for me (did one in 2013, not interested in the other!).

3a. Job/work - I really like my job - I moved in February to a new team with a different outlook on the work, and have enjoyed carving out a space for myself. Even though the money is good, I don't know if I can do this forever, but it's a really specialist job and I'm not qualified to do anything else! Would still like that cupcake van though...!

b Money/wealth - I'm from a family that is quite debt-averse: if we couldn't afford it, we didn't get it. OH is not like that, and had quite a bit of credit card debt when we got married (that he didn't tell me about, oh the fun!). I just want to be able to go on holiday once a year, and to pay the mortgage off a bit sooner. OH is now on board with the mortgage thing, and finds it amusing when I get excited about saving money, so hopefully he'll start saving some himself soon(!)

c Home - we moved into our own home last May (has it been a year already?!) and I'm already looking at other houses! I LOVE it here, but I'm a restless soul, whereas OH is a homebird - if we could move back to our hometown he would happily go, even though there is nothing there any more. I do get annoyed about the noisy neighbour we have (he's a bit deaf, bless him, and as I'm typing his TV is blaring through the wall) but I suppose earplugs would sort that for me!

d Health - I'm lucky that I still have most of my health - I have a pretty rough time once a month (days off work, almost OD-ing on cocodamol-type bad) but I'm hoping the GP will help me with that soon. I need to work on being fitter, so that I can keep my health for as long as possible.

e Spare time/play/fun - this is one area that does annoy me. We moved to a suburb of a small northern town, and all of our friends live scattered across the country. It's often quite expensive to visit them, plus they're not always free as they have friends in their cities (they've all lived where they live for 5+ years). I struggle to make friends in the "real world" as I don't really know where to start - how DO you make friends when you move house?! I love my OH but it gets me down sometimes that he's the only person I see socially during the week.

Sorry for the long post! I *think* that's everything it's been really interesting reading other people's posts on this topic - I love how different everyone is here

Bobarella

Bob, are we gonna have a dance off on the beach?

Yes we are!! And it will be a white sandy beach in the Bahamas not sinking up to our bottties in the mud at Weston Supermare :rotfl:

Fmess

Bobarella wrote: »

Bob, are we gonna have a dance off on the beach?

Yes we are!! And it will be a white sandy beach in the Bahamas not sinking up to our bottties in the mud at Weston Supermare :rotfl:

I'm dreaming of the beach already!

Calling and Bob congratulations on being under 5k :j

Academia I'm the same re. children. I've never really had that desire and currently OH isn't in a rush to get married and I'm too busy to organise a wedding so I think we'll stay as we are.

Today was a SFD thanks to 12 hours in work. LTW but less than 10000 steps as there is no chance of movement during parent's evening. Tomorrow is another spend day as I'm going to a leaving do but I've said I'll drive so will just buy the odd soft drink.

Off to bed now as knackered after today, night all

The_Only_Girl

Good evening turtles!

Some good news from me. Phoned the insurers this afternoon and explained my situation. It looks like they have auto-renewed my policy and when I told them about the new insurers they thought I was cancelling my insurance with them (esure) mid policy hence the £108. But they said, and I hope it's true, if I send them an email with the proof that the new policy started on the 5th of April and not on the 28th of April when I phoned, I don't need to pay anything at all. Whew, what a relief. I will scan my original policy document with the starting date and I will be fine. I have to wait for at least 7 days though til I am 100% sure that that is indeed the case. I can now breathe.... :j

I lost another NSD . It's my sister-in-law's birthday today and she wanted to have a family meal. It would have been a meal out but I kindly suggested potluck style, I got 3 packs of salmon Wellington from 4ldi as my contribution and turned out to be more than 50% cheaper than a restaurant meal.

Still at my SIL's house so will catch up with all your posts tomorrow. Good night and sweet dreams.

wishus

Awesome news, The Only Girl - well done!

The_Only_Girl

:j:jBobarella , I finally have a womble! I found a penny on the hand washing sink at work and I swiped it straight away! I hope this is the first of many. One can dream. :j:j

Fmess

That's great news the only girl

Bobarella

Fmess -thank you for the cheer on for under 5k.

The Only Girl - well done on your insurer success! And the penny of course. Now I always think if you found the penny first does that explain your good luck with the insurer?

The_Only_Girl

Bobarella wrote: »

Fmess -thank you for the cheer on for under 5k.

The Only Girl - well done on your insurer success! And the penny of course. Now I always think if you found the penny first does that explain your good luck with the insurer?

I would like to say I found the penny first coz I could call it the lucky penny but the reality is I phoned the insurers first before I found the penny.

Went to HR today to drop off my DBS certificate and it's OFFICIAL. I am starting on my new job on the 1st of June. Got my temporary park and ride ticket from the trust and my programme for the induction. It will be a big change for the whole family financially but hopefully a better and more secure future it will bring us.