Preparing for the biggest move of our life

bellevie

Busy couple of days at work. Time is dragging now though, I just want to get stuck into the new roles!

I spent £7.99 on a perfume in newlook - I actually went in to look work tops and was distracted by the new display. Its amazing, it reminds me of 'promesse' by cacharel which is one of my favourites but insanely expensive. I've never been more impressed by a cheap perfume - it lasts all day too! They had others which were all nice but this one was my favourite. I thought I might pick up one of the others in small purse spray form over the next few weeks.

We have loved the sunshine this week, it's made it so easy to wake up each morning - though it has started my hayfever off at the same time!

Nothing else to report, the focus is really on wrapping up my job well and being prepared for new challenges coming up

MuffinTops

Hello bellevie,

How's the new job going? I assume there must be a bit of a learning curve if you've been quiet here? I hope it's everything you wanted it to be and that you're busy being happy!

Would be lovely to hear how it's all going. MTxx

bellevie

Hi MT,

I didn't realise how long it had been since I posted! Work has been insanely busy. I should be less busy theoretically but it hasn't been that way at all, its been in at the deep end but thankfully I am swimming along nicely!

Its been challenging but enjoyable and Im very glad I made the choice to move across.

Money has been very hard this month. Payroll deducted double my pension amount - almost £400! I knew it would happen as its happened before so I contacted them before hand to check it would all be OK they were insistant it was fine.

I will get it back next pay day, but the past few weeks have been a real test! I've had a couple of long distance trips for courses arranged, I will get mileage back payday, but the extra fuel has of course been harder to put together. Im going to have to make a lump sum payment for the august holiday this payday, so I wont actually notice being 'better off'

The long distance trips have however got my mind whirling once more re relocation. The 'middle' office isn't as high up as Yorkshire, but is still in a very cheap area. My brother has moved within an hour of the middle office, and visiting him this weekend for the course I fell in love with the surrounding villages!

No immediate plans as I am truly enjoying both my roles, I like my managers and work with fantastic people but within the next 3 ish years I think I may be keeping an eye out for jobs that come up in that office, as well as being closer to my brother its a cheaper area so I could buy without shared ownership - and within the same company, its only the uplift that will drop which isn't a huge amount.
I would want to be 100% in both my current roles to stand a better chance of the move as moving to a new area in terms of not knowing the local area will stand against me, so I need to shine in every other way possible, and I think in time I will.

No further updates, I hope to be back on sooner than last time - I just spend so much time on the work laptop, at my desk, in my car, on visits I look forward to a 'technology free' evening - to the extent that I havent watched a single soap for as long as I havent posted - unheard of for me

catriona79

Hello Bellevie.

I'm Late to the party, but want to say well done on your new job!!!

Hope you are well x

RosaBernicia

Fab news Bellevie, well done you!


Rosa xx

bellevie

The past few weeks since my last post has flown. I'm loosing track of time far too easily!

It's now the summer holidays. DD is booked into holiday club for the next 3 weeks, then we have a week off with no plans. Back at holiday club for a week then we are off, this time to the holiday park we booked earlier on this year.

I'm not doing well with my saving at all, well I had started to make more progress until my car went in for its annual service £150, then I get a call with 3 urgent things and 3 advisories to be done very soon, total additional cost £510! I could have cried. Faced with the choice of more debt for new car, or pay it in the hope of it going on for longer I paid up. The jobs were all fairly small, and mostly age related - though one of the issues I realised was there from when I first got the car - I just didn't know it was an issue!

My lunch spending at work became a little erratic. I had been taking lunch with me, but as I'm mobile working most of the time and not really close enough to pop home, the odd lunch I took with me turned to mush in the heat so I started popping into supermarkets as I passed one. When I do get the chance to be in the office during lunch, I always do as I keep bread in the fridge for toast & tins of soup in my drawer that generally happens thursdays / fridays.

On the plus side, DD's holiday club has been taken over, the cooked lunch previously provided is now optional, with a £2 daily discount if they bring packed lunch. So we opted for this, which saved us a little compared to last year. I need to get back into packed lunches for DD anyway as her free school meals will come to an end now she is moving into KS2, its surprising how much money the KS1 initiative saved us!

When the car bill came in on Friday, I started freaking out a little, going through all my bills to try to recoup the money asap. I cancelled NOW TV entertainment package - I only got it for the kids channel which have now separated into their own cheaper package, so from £5.99 pm down to £2.99. I also went to reluctantly cancel the movie package - I say reluctantly as its the most expensive at £9.99 per month, but we use it loads. I went through the options, and it offered a reduction down to £5.99 for the next 4 months! I accepted, a small saving is fine.

My plan for September is to drop DD down from 4 sessions at breakfast club to 3 sessions, that will be £3.50 per week saved.

I submitted my readings and my gas / elect dd is dropping from £68 per month to £52 per month! This happened the day after my huge bill, I felt it was a little sign from the universe that all is not lost!

I haven't used YNAB for well it must be at least 2 months. So I am going to restart my settings and try to get back into the swing of things!

My amazon vouchers from shop & scan recently got DD's clarks summer sandals, after the dog ate her first pair!

Mr T is a real chewer, my relatively new sofa has chunks missing from it! Its just as well we don't have many visitors it really is embarrassing, I have no intention of replacing it until I know for sure he has outgrown it! Mr T was due a group on Friday, but I had to cancel as the car took longer, that would have been £57, I couldn't get him back in for 2 weeks but he has really struggled in the heat with his coat. I googled desperately and have someone coming to our house on Wednesday night for £38!! Its someone that comes in a van, if he is good I will have saved £19 every 8ish weeks!

I will hopefully be back next week with a positive progress update!

bellevie

3 days in, no spends for lunches.
I spent £42 in Matalan, 1 bed sheet and tops / leggings multipacks & socks for DD. She has been in dresses recently, so I hadn't realised how much she has grown until she wore a leggings / top set that was far too small for day 1 at the summer camp! That night we pulled out everything that no longer fits, so we now have a huge bag to hand over to her little cousins, and up until yesterday an almost empty wardrobe! In total I think she got 4 leggings, 3 long sleeve tshirts, 1 jumper, socks. We didn't need short sleeve tops as she has some that still fit and some dresses that are now short enough to be tunics

Uniform still fits so other than new tights & vests we should be fine for school in sept. We spent a little extra on food shop this week as she had a list of items to collect for the pencil case requirement in year 3! There were no 'pre-prepared' packs that had everything needed and of course everything was multipacks. Still at least she has some spares for when things go missing which I am sure they will!

Food shop is on Wednesday morning as its my time off work, it is bliss going round an almost empty supermarket!

I started my new budget on YNAB, just need to keep it updated and stick to it!

Mr T's groomer hasn't arrived, had a voicemail his van had broken down, Im sure he is going way soon though so Im not sure I will be able to take advantage of the good price as Mr T desperately needs a good cut....Im hoping for a new appointment asap.

DD desperately wants to get to the cinema to see the BFG, Im trying to hold out until my week off so that it fills one of our days, its bound to rain at least one day!!

Tinkerbelle2000

Hi Bellevie

I too hadn't realised how long I hadn't posted for but its not been to great a time. Anyway hopefully I will get my diary up to date this week.

Well done on the new job and hope you are all getting excited for your holiday.

Take care.

Tink xx

bellevie

I will catch up on diaries hopefully this week, Im sorry you havent been through a good time Tink, I hope things are getting better - I will read your diary tonight to get a full understanding.

I have 9 days off now (inc weekends) if Im truthful, I was counting down the days! Not because I dislike my job, I love it, I cant imagine doing anything else. It is just exhausting, there isn't a quiet minute where you are scratching around for work, and even when I am home Im constantly processing the days events, or trying to come up with a residents situation / dilemma. Its quite hard to switch off. As of Friday, I did switch off, phone, tablet, laptop - I refuse to be disturbed.


Im then back at work for a week before our actual holiday. I've started to panic about that, it just occurred to me that dd will miss out on a lot of the on site activities as we will have Mr T with us. I've prewarned her if she wants to go swimming it will be in the early morning, 1 hour maximum, kids clubs will have to be in the evening when its cooler again 1 hour max. The bulk of the day will have to be on the beach or dog friendly areas of the park. Mr T tires easy but Im concerned as to how hot the caravan might get, so if its a hot week I suspect we will be on the beach to get the sea breeze.

Mr T was groomed, it turned out to be a nightmare - an expensive one. The groomer nipped him on the neck - he had a matt under his ear and apparently jumped. It was quite a nasty one, but they said it hadn't bled but they took it to out of hours vet. I had a rub to put on the cut. Next day getting home from work blood all over his neck - he had been scratching at it. 1 vet visit later - luckily my vets are open until 8pm. Antibiotics, cone and anti inflammatory. The groom ended up costing me just shy of £100.

Im not sure he will be so willing to go next time after that experience, so I need to do some research on groomers, and perhaps get him in for a few gentle wash & touch ups before building up to a full groom again.

We are due to be visiting my brother Monday, a good practise run for Mr T in the car for our actual holiday. We have been doing short runs and he is no longer anxious, but he does get excitable, it can take him 10-15 minutes before he settles.

Tight budget this week, but payday thankfully on Friday!

Hopefully the weather will stay as nice as they have predicted and we can settle for free park visits!

Tinkerbelle2000

I'm so sorry to hear about Mr T's grooming experience. Is the groomer insured for such events and be able to cover what you have had to pay at the vets?

Mr D still gets excited in the car, lots of panting and nose and slobber marks all over the window but he gets so excited just to get in the car. He has been a naughty boy today though and done a houdini out of his cage. He has a fight with it every now and again and somehow managed to open it today and was bounding round the flat when I got home, only left him 10 minutes. In that time he had also managed to put a nice tear in my blanket we have on the couch. Luckily it will sew.

Hope you have a nice holiday, I don't think we could take Mr D to a caravan.

Tink xx