The Beginning of the End

River.Bee

Work today was just as I expected, an hour and a half of watching training videos and listening to presentations, so i didn't really have anything to get nervous about after all
Getting paid for it as well but my first pay day won't be until the 21st of this month I believe they said.
Also I'm very confused as to whether I will be getting shifts this semester or if I have to wait until September to start properly. Two people said conflicting things so I'm definitely going to follow this up with an email to clarify.
I need to starting earning this semester otherwise I'm bummed :eek:

Got my first trial shift on April 26th as a shadower.
The lady who asked and wrote down the shifts on the sheet put someone elses chosen trial shift date in my box, so she wrote mine in her box and just put an arrow indicating to swap them. But my anxiety is going in overdrive as to whether whoever logs them into the system notices the arrow and puts my correct shift date :eek: don't want to get fired for not turning up to my first shift if they log me down as the wrong date. Will have to clarify this in the email as well I think.

This is turning into a long post but I need to jot all these things down before I forget them :rotfl:

Will be getting paid every two weeks :j
The extra £1.08ph holiday pay gets accumulated and is released to us at the end of each semester, so three times a year. That means it'll be a nice pot of money that I won't be tempted to spend in the meantime
They offer the auto enrolment for the pension scheme. The auto requirements are age 22+ and to be earning 10k a year, but I dont think I'll be earning anywhere near that. I still want to opt-in to the pension scheme though, so I will have to remember to get that sorted.

Oh, I'm gonna have to budget to buy a plain black top for my trial shift as I dont have any already. Should be able to pick one up for a couple of quid at Primark or somewhere hopefully.

Think that's all the exciting stuff that I can remember anyway. Never been so excited to actually start working before in my life :rotfl: I would never have believed it if someone told me that I'd be this impatient and excited to go back into retail work haha *oh god what have I let myself in for again*

Cherryfudge

Glad you've broken the ice with work. It seems a bit odd that they'd let you shadow now but not start you properly till September. I mean, if that were me I'd have forgotten everything! Best to check as you say.
Hope you can get the repeat year finances sorted out. DS is still waiting for part of his.
I know this is totally the wrong time of year to mention it but you might get extra hours for Christmas (which you know as you've already done retail ). DD worked for a big name shop as a Saturday job, doing relief as well and, before Christmas, night shifts. So there may be some more positives on the horizon eventually.

River.Bee

Cherryfudge wrote: »

Glad you've broken the ice with work. It seems a bit odd that they'd let you shadow now but not start you properly till September. I mean, if that were me I'd have forgotten everything! Best to check as you say.
Hope you can get the repeat year finances sorted out. DS is still waiting for part of his.
I know this is totally the wrong time of year to mention it but you might get extra hours for Christmas (which you know as you've already done retail ). DD worked for a big name shop as a Saturday job, doing relief as well and, before Christmas, night shifts. So there may be some more positives on the horizon eventually.

Thank you Cherryfudge. I hadn't thought about the extra earning potential around Christmas time, so I'll look into that thank you If that's the case it could edge me closer to my debt free date so that's exciting

Cherryfudge

River.Bee wrote: »

Thank you Cherryfudge. I hadn't thought about the extra earning potential around Christmas time, so I'll look into that thank you If that's the case it could edge me closer to my debt free date so that's exciting

It also gives you an excuse/reason not to be drawn into overspending before Christmas!

If your job doesn't do extra hours, Argos and the Post Office and probably many other places will have seasonal work, and they fill up from about September so it's worth knowing in advance.

River.Bee

Had to use my Tesco credit card yesterday for a hair cut, heat protection spray and an eyeliner. I could just not wait another 2 weeks to get my hair cut, it was driving me mad with its rats tails
Totalled £46.40 so now my balance is £75.40 - will be paid off on the 24th though

Also did a quick shop which came to £10.75. Have £12.75 left to last me until payday, might just srape by on that challenge.

And I lowered my fixed monthly amount to Barclaycard from £80 to £60 to spare up some contingency money.

It's my mum's birthday on pay day as well so I said I'll go back home (for once) to visit her. So I've put £12.50 aside for petrol for that. But I've been quite savvy/ cheap for her present. I've recycled a small present I had leftover from Christmas which was intended for someone else. However, I bought everyone in my family a present and THEN remembered that we were doing secret santa :eek: so I over spent majorly, and it would have cost me more time/ hassle/ money to get all the refunds. So I've kept them wrapped still under my bed for this year's :rotfl:
But as I seriously don't have much money I'm using one of them for mum's birthday, plus I'll buy a cheap box of malteasers as well.

Feeling a bit burnt from the sun yesterday
:beer:

River.Bee

Sigh.
Keep thinking about all the money I'm throwing at my debts; it could be used for a deposit for my house if I never got myself into this mess could've had a nice, sizable pot by the time I graduate.
At the moment it feels like I have a very long way to go, I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel yet.

Ah well. The only way is up from here on out, I guess

Cherryfudge

I was so sure I'd replied to your earlier post saying the haircut will be great for feeling confident and that I kept unused presents for the next Christmas once then couldn't remember what was in them... but now I can't see that post...

Perhaps you could set yourself milestones in your debt repayment and reward yourself at each with a temporary reduction in repayments and put a little into savings towards the deposit instead? Even if it's only a tiny amount, it's still something.

Remember too that the hard work of debt repayment is giving you skills that will eventually help you save up in minimal time for your own place - and if that's after you graduate, it has the added advantage of not tying you down when you're looking for post-grad work.

River.Bee

Cherryfudge wrote: »

I was so sure I'd replied to your earlier post saying the haircut will be great for feeling confident and that I kept unused presents for the next Christmas once then couldn't remember what was in them... but now I can't see that post...

Perhaps you could set yourself milestones in your debt repayment and reward yourself at each with a temporary reduction in repayments and put a little into savings towards the deposit instead? Even if it's only a tiny amount, it's still something.

Remember too that the hard work of debt repayment is giving you skills that will eventually help you save up in minimal time for your own place - and if that's after you graduate, it has the added advantage of not tying you down when you're looking for post-grad work.

Sound advice Cherryfudge :T the milestone thing is a great idea. I might calculate the percentages of how much I've paid off and reward myself every 20% of whatever. Strange that your post has disappeared, I don't know whats happened there.

And yeah I'm liking my new hair cut. Got it cut the shortest I've ever had it ( its just below my ears) and I dont have to do anything to it in the mornings now so I can get ready quicker

I have £10 so far savings specifally for my deposit :rotfl: but like you said, it's something. My target by the end of 2019 is AT LEAST £2500. I know it doesnt sound much but my OH has some savings (I'm not sure how much but I'm pretty sure it's around 3 grand.) Hoping to take advantage of a 5% deposit mortgage scheme to help us get on the ladder. We talk about not wanting to rent because we really want to own our own place instead of feeling like we're just throwing money away with no long term out come.

I haven't told him about how much debt I'm in. He knows that I am in debt, but I just haven't got the courage to tell him its in the thousands although he's a smart cookie and has probably guessed it's quite high. He knows I've been trying to pay it off since before we first met a year and a half ago. Ugh I just want it gone :mad:

Cherryfudge

River.Bee wrote: »

I have £10 so far savings specifally for my deposit :rotfl: but like you said, it's something. My target by the end of 2019 is AT LEAST £2500.

I think it's so much easier when there are two of you working on a target.

Here's a motivator for you: I googled the price of a brick and apparently you can buy one for 48p. You therefore have saved enough for 20 bricks towards your house! I suppose you might eventually want to add a roof, floors etc. but 20 bricks is actually a very solid start.

Keep chipping away at that debt and it will shrink to nothing and be replaced by nice healthy savings!

River.Bee

Cherryfudge wrote: »

I think it's so much easier when there are two of you working on a target.

Here's a motivator for you: I googled the price of a brick and apparently you can buy one for 48p. You therefore have saved enough for 20 bricks towards your house! I suppose you might eventually want to add a roof, floors etc. but 20 bricks is actually a very solid start.

Keep chipping away at that debt and it will shrink to nothing and be replaced by nice healthy savings!

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
I really laughed at that! haha
Putting it that way, it kinda feels good. I have a very small wall of my future house already saved for :beer: