Ruby's Bought a House, Now I want to Own It! 20 January 2017 at 8:45PM in Mortgage-free wannabe 434 replies 23.2K views

ruby_eskimo

SandyShores said:

Good luck with the application.  I always think its a good time to leave when you are happy in a job (don't wait until you are unhappy in it).  

Ball cocks to bad ball cocks, but good for you starting on the decluttering anyway.  Its lovely to start seeing a bit of space, so that you can see what you have.  I would love some fancy pattern dresses and blouses.  

This will be the first time I'm applying for a job when I don't really have a reason to leave actually - all my other job changes were either that I had to move locations due to DH, a temporary contract was ending or I just needed to get out for the sake of my sanity (like the last one...)

I would say 90% of my clothes are all second hand, mainly from ebay, so I've managed to get some really lovely and almost 1 off pieces there because I'm buying things that have long since disappeared from the racks in the shops.  Oasis is a particular favourite of mine (but before they got taken over by Boohoo - the quality dramatically dropped then) alongside H&M who I've always managed to get unusual patterned things that last a very long time.  Uniqlo is also another favourite for basics and you can pick things up pretty cheaply second hand as well as some interesting patterns and colours (have a bright green dress from them that I always get compliments on at work).

Have managed to sell one thing on Vinted which was actually second hand when I bought it so it's lovely to see things getting a third or fourth time round with someone new. 

South_coast

I miss Oasis 😢 Pretty well all the shops I used to get clothes from have gone now, so I don't foresee many clothes purchases in my future 😮!

ruby_eskimo

South_coast said:

I miss Oasis 😢 Pretty well all the shops I used to get clothes from have gone now, so I don't foresee many clothes purchases in my future 😮!

Same here, I don't know where I'm going to buy things from when I need to replace them.  Guess it will just be scouring second hand sites and charity shops.  The only things that are missing from my wardrobe are a pair of black trousers and a white shirt that I can layer under and over things.  I've never been able to find trousers that fit me because I have wide hips so you end up with a gaping waist.  Ordered a pair of jersey material ones in the M&S sale and going to have to take those back because they just didn't sit right.  And with shirts, I either look like I'm drowning in them or they gape at the buttons, there is no in between 🤷‍♀️😆

ruby_eskimo

Had a busy couple of days at work; kicked off phase 1 of my main job on Wednesday and it involves A LOT of presentations / training sessions over the next few months.  Anxiety really kicked in with a lot of physical symptoms but I managed to get myself through that; now that I'm more aware of what they are I can control them better.  Got good feedback so far so 👍 but we'll see what happens later on down the line.  Was back in the office again yesterday which wasn't so bad but on the way home, thanks to another driver who was in the wrong lane and blocking my route, I had to drive 20 meters into the congestion charge zone and back out again so that was £15 I wasn't expecting to spend 😣

Managed to get my job application in last night, might get an interview if they're interested but don't think I'll get the job; I've basically done the exact same thing but on a smaller scale but who knows, stranger things have happened.  DH is still waiting to hear the outcome of his interview this week but has found another job at his current company that he's applied for and has already had a very positive conversation with the recruiting manager about it so 🤞 for some good news soon.

On the money front, we've managed to hit the target for our emergency fund now 🥳  We're also down to £247,500 on the mortgage balance so we're clearing about £500 a month on that which is fairly good progress compared to where we were last year and means that we'll be making even more progress once we get our new mortgage deal (🤞 for halving the rate!)  All the other savings pots are ticking along nicely so we should be on track to hit our savings goals this year if nothing much changes.

This weekend I want to finish the wardrobe declutter and then we have a wedding reception to attend tomorrow evening - it will be the first time DH has seen his grandma in 2 years so might be a little emotional!

ruby_eskimo

Morning all.  Not a lot happening around here on the money front until payday really.

Have managed to sell a few things on Vinted and putting the proceeds into a separate clothes pot in my Monzo account so I can dip into that when I need to replace things.  Shouldn't be for a while though.  Have finally decluttered all of my clothes and shoes over the weekend so feeling accomplished with that, and now I have space!  But I don't intend to fill it apart from a few key things that are missing from my wardrobe, but they aren't that important right now.  The next decluttering project is the kitchen, but that can wait a few weeks.

DH was unsuccessful in his first interview, apparently was a good second candidate but they had someone internal who had basically been groomed for the role which was a shame.  I found out yesterday I got an interview for this big scary job I applied for 😳🤢  I don't really want it, but a part of me does, and I don't want to leave my current place (if I was successful) and I don't know if I'd be able to handle the stress that this job would inevitably have - I mean I walked away from all of that 18 months ago because I couldn't cope.  Going to have a chat with my manager when we're in the office later on in the week to tell him about it, as a) he's the one who told me about it so it's his fault and b) he's quite wise so I could do with some advice really.  Trying to not get too worked up about it but can't help it.  Feeling very anxious, why do I do these things to myself?!? Have to prepare a 20 minute presentation so that's my weekend sorted 😆

Fortune_Smiles

Remember that you don't have to accept the new job even if it is offered to you.  You could use the interview process to find out as much as possible about the role - and if you don't like what you find, you could turn it down.  You have control over your decision.

Would you have applied for the role if your boss hadn't mentioned it?  What is it that attracts you to the new role?  Which role best meets your life goals?  What would you do if you weren't afraid?  What is the most important thing in your life right now?  Will the new role help or hinder this?

I'm sure you'll make the right decision - the one which is best for you at this moment in your life.

Best of luck

Fortune x

powerspowers

Well done on the OPs Ruby and congrats on getting the interview. It’s a cliche but remember you are interviewing them as well, hopefully your gut will tell you whether to proceed or not 

SandyShores

I second what Fortune says, I'm sure you will make the right decision for you.  Try and work out what you are afraid of - is it being afraid of failing or is there something else - and if its something else can it be managed.  I took on a job which was a bit beyond me a few years ago without really looking into it properly and it really dented my confidence when I bailed.  I didn't think I would ever get my confidence back, but all jobs are different and I slowly built my confidence back up again.  I have a higher paid job now, but I have more support around me, so I can cope through the stressful times.  Good luck, whatever you decide, don't forget that its up to you whether you take it or not. 

ruby_eskimo

Thank you all @Fortune_Smiles , @powerspowers and @SandyShores for your wise advice and giving me a lot to think about.  I ended up having a total meltdown later on in the afternoon yesterday which was just my anxiety rearing its very ugly head.  It didn't help that DH was in the office so I couldn't talk to him until he got home, but we had a productive discussion where I literally came to the realisation that I don't have to put myself through this - this is of my own making in a way and it's just stupid.  I've never applied for a job without a need to, the only way I found out about this one is because my manager sent it to me and I'm under no obligation to go for it.  I think I applied in the first place because I wanted to prove to myself that I still have those skills and that the 5 years of pain I went through gaining those skills was worth it.  The role I'm in now is VERY different - I have no management responsibilities, I don't have projects to really lead and I'm more of a resource to utilise.  I have no real career plan and I guess I didn't want something like what I'm doing now to derail me from a more "hands on" role that I'm used to.  I think I'm 99% sure that I'm going to withdraw, but have arranged to have a catch up with my manager tomorrow - I'd appreciate his view as someone in the industry but think he'll tell me to do what I feel is best.  The job I'm in now is great for me; I have no stress or real responsibilities and it's a breath of fresh air after the toxic environment I was in before.  I think I feel that I won't be able to cope with it as I'm still working through the issues that I was left with from the last place, so wouldn't be able to do the job to the best of my abilities anyway.  I think I was also so conflicted because the person who is currently in that post, I actually know them, used to work with them (not at the same organisation though) and know that they have the same skills and experience I do (if not a little less), so if they can get the job then I know I stood a very good chance of getting it and when I didn't really want it, then it would just be a waste of everyone's time.

Sorry for the rambling, thank you for listening to me vent, normal service will resume momentarily!

ruby_eskimo

Right now that's covered, back to MSE and namely the mortgage.  

Turns out that the deals we were previously offered, we can't actually have because we're on a Help To Buy mortgage 🙄  Ours was just the guarantee version not the loan so fingers crossed its not going to impact us too much.  We're both earning more than we were 5 years ago and our credit ratings are a lot better as we have no outstanding loans apart from the mortgage which should put us in a good position.  So now we have the fun of trying to pin down a mortgage advisor to have a chat with them before November and apparently they're all busy because everyone want's to get in before 1st October when the stamp duty rules go back to normal 🤞