List of aims for the rest of 2015

Lala2015

Happy Monday everyone!

Feel absolutely exhausted! Yesterday's boat ride was absolutely lovely but walking around all day from 10:00am until 5:00pm left me ready for bed! Haha. Was a really nice day though.. Here is me hoping today is slow-paced at work!
Still managed to drag myself out of work and do some early-morning exercise at 6:00am though - Must lost some pounds!!

So on Friday night I enrolled on the V2L Business Administration Level 2 qualification - Another project! The one thing I must do is not take on too much thinking I can do it all - That is my downfall!

List of jobs to do today:
Go to work:rotfl:
Post dress - sold on EBay
Swagbuck/Gifthulk (only 100SB's off another £5 Amazon voucher)
Begin the first assessment on my V2L course
15-30 mins of pole exercise
Prep & make breakfast & lunch for tomorrow.
Clean bathroom & bedroom.

Tonight is going to be a long night!:rotfl:

Lala2015

Morning everyone!

I hope everyone had a not-too-bad start to the week!

So last night, I had a long think about my current situation & I'm not sure what to do...
My tenancy for my lovely maisonette ends in January. I keep thinking I'm still in January 2015 so I have a lot longer (where is this year going?!) :eek:

As I've mentioned before, I'm looking for another job.
The company I am waiting to hear from will either keep me on the same salary (£28k) or it will actually be lower (£27,500k).
I am keen to get this job because:
A) The company is HUGE. Global. It has a lot of opportunities and is very employee focused (i.e. pay reviews & benefits - source - a distant relative works in another location for said company as has done for 20+ years).
It is in the area I want to buy in.
C) It is relatively near my family and friends.

To be sensible, I am also interviewing for other jobs, all of which are paying more (in the early - mid £30's) but they are nearer to where I live now which is a more expensive area (so I would get a lot less for my money if I buy in one of these areas).

My dilemma is: Do I stay renting where I am for another year come January (all jobs I have applied for are within an hour commute), and pay off my car loan (due in March 2017) and continue to try & save towards my deposit (every month after bills, rent etc, I'm left with less than £100.00)
OR
Come January, do I look for somewhere to buy with what I have and avoid the £895.00 rent I am paying now.
I am registered with every EA around :rotfl:
BUT - I have yet to see something that I would be willing to put my hard-earned deposit into!

An important bit of information I must add:
I went to see several mortgage advisors. On the basis I can get my deposit up to £40k, I will be able to buy a property for £180k.
The mortgage for a property of this amount was somewhere in the (late) £500's a month... obviously clearly less than what I am paying in rent... but at the risk of a tiny property?

Any advice/opinions/constructive criticism is welcome!

Thank you all

Lala2015

Update on the job front:

The company finally called me this morning, saying that "in the past 10 days, there have been 'changes to the company' which means the role has been put on hold for 1-2 months".

They did provide me with feedback saying the interviewer thought I was really strong, had strong skills and he was really impressed with my enthusiasm and want for learning.

The HR lady did say she will keep my contact details and if the role becomes available or similar roles in the same location become available, the interviewer would like me to re-apply and they will contact me.
Positive, but unsure if the 'changes to the company' bit was just a fob off?

Ahhhhh back to square one, oh well. Silver lining: at least i have a job

savingwannabe

Oh dear I am sorry. You definitely left them with a positive impression. Keep doing exactly what you are doing it will work out and you will walk into a wonderful job. You must stay positive you never know what good news is round the corner. :grouphug:

Lala2015

Afternoon everyone!
So glad it's nearly the weekend! :j

Things are slowly looking up on the job front - had a few calls so waiting for next week to see if I get any interviews.
Had the week from hell work-wise so really itching to start somewhere new..!

Won another £5 Amazon voucher from Swagbucks the other day - thats £10.00 in the Christmas fund... (better than nothing!)
I signed up to Juvela (gluten intolerant) and received a hugeeeeeee starter pack in the post yesterday - just what I needed as the kitchen cupboards were looking a bit bare!

I was meant to be going to a friend's birthday on Saturday, but I'm very proud - I'm being sensible & told her I cannot afford to A) drink, get a cab to and from home (£30.00 each way!:eek:) SO as a compromise, I will go, pick her up (so she can leave her present at home) and drive us to the venue and I'll have some lime & sodas (only usually £1 per drink) and leave early.
Saving my wallet and my waistline! :rotfl: I think she appreciates that I'm actually making an appearance, as usually when I have no money, I tend to stay in to avoid temptation!
Other than that, Saturday will be a NSD and Sunday I just have a friend coming over to keep me company and watch movies, so another NSD! Yay! :T

Halifax have just completed my switch to their Reward current account with no issues, so need to wait 3 WD for the cash back then I'll start getting my £5 monthly reward - That'll go straight towards the car loan (on top of what I'm saving every month); when I have enough, I'll make a bulk payment.

Feeling good
Hope everyone is looking forward to the weekend!

enthusiasticsaver

Impressed by your enthusiasm Lala and great you still managing to get out and about on a budget. I know what you mean about your area. I was born in Surrey and lived there until my mid 20s (30 years ago!!)when my husband accepted a job in Cornwall. We sold a 2 bed terraced cottage in Surrey and moved down to 4 bed detached in Cornwall! I guess your decision on whether to carry on renting where you are depends on your job situation. I would say that it is expensive to move so best make sure it is a property you want to stay in for a while so do not be tempted to take anything just because it is the right price. Further out you would get more space for your money but might add to commuting costs.

Lala2015

enthusiasticsaver wrote: »

Impressed by your enthusiasm Lala and great you still managing to get out and about on a budget. I know what you mean about your area. I was born in Surrey and lived there until my mid 20s (30 years ago!!)when my husband accepted a job in Cornwall. We sold a 2 bed terraced cottage in Surrey and moved down to 4 bed detached in Cornwall! I guess your decision on whether to carry on renting where you are depends on your job situation. I would say that it is expensive to move so best make sure it is a property you want to stay in for a while so do not be tempted to take anything just because it is the right price. Further out you would get more space for your money but might add to commuting costs.

Thank you enthusiasticsaver!

I really do try to have a positive mind frame about it all, but sometimes it gets frustrating.
When I was 16 and got my first 'job' (working in a clothes shop!), my dad sat me down and told me how he was worried for my generation having a future due to house prices etc... & for some strange reason, it just stuck with me and I saved thereafter since my first shift.

The only 'materialistic want' I have in life is to own my own home. All my friends have spent years going out without worry, spending money like it's going out of fashion & many of them are either carrying on, still at home or renting and effectively being in the 'same' situation as them (I mean not being able to afford to buy anywhere here), when I have spent years saving does get me down - but I try to look at the bigger picture.

I'd love to up sticks and move somewhere more remote, but I love being close to my family and friends more!

I hope you've had a lovely MS weekend!

Lala2015

Morning everyone!
I don't know how it's even Monday already... :eek:
I'm exhausted after my weekend, but ready to go for another (MS) week!

- My first assessment for my V2L course is due on the 25th, so I'm going to try and do that during my lunch hour as I have so much to do after work,
- Need to pop to the bank & deposit some cash into my house deposit account to avoid spending it on unnecessary things!
- Once i've received my cash back for switching to Halifax (should get it in a day or so), I'll pay my CC for this month & transfer my savings for my car/expenses into a basic halifax account.
The interest rate is slightly better & it will be easier to manage being with the same back.
- When I get home I need to hoover & wash my linen. Mum, dad and my nan are doing me a huge favour on Sunday and are coming over to feed my kitten as I'll be away overnight for a christening (quite far away), so I need to make sure everything is at the 'parental standard' :rotfl:
I should also be getting a call from a recruiter today (and another on Tuesday) I was e-mailing on Friday about a couple of jobs I applied for. both paying £30k> and really near to where I'm living at the moment, so fingers crossed!

Lala2015

Yay, good news on the horizon!
I have been offered an interview on Tuesday afternoon :j FINALLY.
I also got a call from a recruiter who has put my CV forward for a role I applied for & I'm waiting to hear back tomorrow about another role I have been put forward for from another recruiter!

Jobs are like buses, eh? :rotfl:

Lala2015

Morning all!

I hope everyone is well & happy
So after a few weeks of being undecided, I've decided to use a chunk of my deposit fund to completely pay off my car. I'll be sending this payment this morning. :eek:
Seriously getting separation anxiety.

I'll be saving £500.00 on interest and will continue to put away money as if I'm still paying for it, but this money will go straight back into my deposit fund. It's going to be a mission getting it back up to £32,200.00 and beyond after I've paid for this, but it's majorly stressing me out, having this 'debt' above my head.
Luckily, I've also saved £1,300.00 in preparation for my balloon payment at the end of the term, so this is going straight back into the deposit fund too.

I've worked out it will take me approx. 22 savings of £220.00 each month (which minus any additional ad-hoc income, is the most I can afford) to get me back there.
Obviously, I'll be doing everything within my power to get there sooner!

Saw a gorgeous 50% shared ownership 2 bedroom semi in Egham, Surrey online 2 days ago - no over-estimation whatsoever, (in the pictures), it was PERFECT. Exactly what I am looking for (it had a garden too!) and within my budget.. but as soon as I called the EA, it had gone under-offer.
It did spur me on though, knowing although rare, there are properties out there that I could afford.
So I've registered on the SO website now :j
Hope everyone has a lovely day :hello: