From debt to freedom...

Spendless

Hi, was dipping in and out of this thread whilst away but wasn't posting much. Re the NI contributions for state pension,  I checked mine earlier this year it tells you how many contributing years you've made so far. I *think* it's something like 35 years needed. There's an article about it in this weeks email.

Hope DD has better news soon, glad her sisters rallied round. Does the CB backdate? Again it's only a '*I  think* but I believe it once used to upto 3 months. Fingers crossed that's still the case as both that and the electricity credit would help you with Christmas/towards last debt.

Do you work set days at Job2 or is there any capacity to not work certain days? I'm just wondering if you could keep Thursdays free from Job2 if you are already working at home on Thursday afternoons and perhaps allocate that evening to do x or just relax? I know when I worked f-time when kids were still at home, I love allocating Thursdays after work as 'my' time because it didn't matter what I did then, if it had a knock on effect I only had 1 day to get through until the weekend. Hope you're feeling better soon. 

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Lucielle, SH and Spendless.  SH - no sick pay that I know of, for Job 2, so I have drawn down some of the “holiday” fund to cover my wages for the shifts I couldn’t do in the last week.

The electricity refund hit my account this week, so have moved into a separate account so that it can be used for Christmas. The CB was back paid for DD4, which will be used for her transport costs to college and DS3’s childcare costs.

I went back to work on Wednesday in Job 1 and Thursday in Job 2. My energy levels have been getting better each day but I am listening to my body and resting so on Thursday I ended up having an hours nap between finishing Job 1 and starting Job 2. 

This weekend has been at a more relaxed pace to allow for rest. I did get outside and caught up on some seasonal jobs such as clearing up the leaves that are now soggy and slippery. The spent Cosmos plants were pulled up and the raised bed was weeded and topped up with compost before being planted up with bare root wallflowers and tulip bulbs. I found some forget-me-not seedlings that I’d sown in early September so will add those to that bed for colour in late Spring. Those seeds were gifted to me so free plants 🙂.

The area of work that I do at Job 2  now, doesn’t do tips as I received when I worked in another area. My boss, however, does give a bonus quite randomly, from time to time, so this week I was given a £10 bonus. Have started a 52 weeks saving envelope challenge so the £10 has been tucked away in the relevant envelope. Am determined to build savings as much as I can as I feel with the wedding and  needing to do some work on the house, they are very depleted.

Cherryfudge

Good to see you are feeling better: the planned rest is great.

I think our garden is still too wet to do much but you have me wanting wallflowers. I love the smell. 

lucielle

Glad you’re starting to feel better. 

L

Spendless

Glad you're feeling better too and also that you've made good plans for the electricity refund/CB backdate.

I hope you now get more pay in Job2 to take into account you no longer get tips - nice for your boss to keep giving a bonus though. When DD briefly worked in an eatery earlier this year, tips were shared across the board of the staff for exactly this reason. Not that she made much anyway, her shifts kept getting cut short due to poor visitor numbers (food place in a theme park)  because of the weather.

Can empathise with the wedding costs and needing to do work on the house - we're in the same position! 

Since you're upto DD4 (child6 - I think?) at sixth form, within a couple of years you're going to be in a position of having to just financially support 2 (even if more than 2 live with you) as the rest will have independence. (working/f-time/married etc)  Is this possibly a timeline goal for you to reach just having the mortgage to pay and dare I say it being able to quit job2 by the end of 2025? If not what about a year later at the end of 2026 which would mark a decade since you started the diary (just had a peek) feasible or not?  
 

savingholmes

Nice bonus. Glad you are feeling better 

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Cherryfudge, Lucielle, Spendless and SH.

Interesting thought to think
in terms of a timeline…thank you, a great suggestion! Within 2 years, DD4 will hopefully be on track for uni, youngest DD will be doing GCSEs and DD3 is toying with staying as a pt OU student or becoming full time, so lots of potential changes. Throw into the mix, the growing relationship with SO and our blended family weekend life and thinking in terms of timelines is really helpful. 

This week I started a course that will take about 18 months to complete but will hopefully open up different roles within the world of Job 1,  so that is something else to factor into a timeline. 

SO is concerned about the number of hours I work a week ongoing, as are my parents, so the sooner I can cut down my hours and then finish, I think the h better. 

Will ponder that more…

Back to normal this week and as we get closer to Christmas, the busier  both jobs are becoming! I had £9 left over from last week’s wages at Job 2 so have swept that off into savings.

Cherryfudge

Are you getting your energy back? I suppose it's hard to tell when everything is back to back busy.

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Cherryfudge, yes energy levels are so much better. I had a quiet weekend last weekend and have tried to listen to my body a bit more! Feeling more myself!

Cherryfudge

That's brilliant, you deserve it! And it will pay off.