"Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it."

greenbee

So... um... it's been a while.

Builders were out on time. I went to stay with friends on Friday (had a fabulous weekend with friends and family) and when I got back the builders had tiled the kitchen & utility and put the WM, TD, DW, fridge, freezer, cooker sink and a couple of tables back in. And the cleaner had been and cleared up downstairs after them.

Started work on Monday - went into the UK office to see HR and my boss... worked from home Tuesday (mostly dealing with the social media response to the press release which surprised us - keeping quiet about my move was clearly worth it) and then got on a plane to travel with my boss to another office. Plane was delayed by a couple of hours, so we got in around 2.30am... two days in the office, then flew home. Worked from home today and did laundry as I'm off to the US on Sunday.

LOVE the new job. Love the people, the culture, the teamwork - all of it.

Was paid today by old employer - despite finishing with them on 22nd Jan I have more in than usual as they owed me holiday.

I've been spending more than I should as I've needed things for work - I will be in the office more, so need something between client-visit-suits and scruffy-work-at-home options, but the new salary kicks in next month so I should be able to start saving again.

It's going to be hard to keep on top of things for the next few months, so I need to make time to focus on getting the rest of the work on the house done and putting the necessary accounts and DDs in place to start building savings and overpaying the mortgage.

redofromstart

So pleased that you like the new place, and just reflect on how much got done during the gardening leave, rather than just on how much got spent.

greenbee

Fair point... it's a huge amount of progress.

I'm now doing laundry and about to go and get my roots done. Hopefully I'll get myself moving in time to have a quick look for a slightly bigger suitcase (my hand luggage one is about 4cm smaller than it has to be, the hold one is 4cm too big to take as hand luggage...), and something to replace my laptop bag with. It's a 4 day trip but I want to travel hand luggage only - no suits to take, and only one lot of gym kit as I can wash it while I'm there. Need to plan my wardrobe (and shoes... these are always the problem) carefully.

Managed to get the coat rack up last night with the help of a friend, so that will help to get a few more bits and pieces out of the way.

wishingthemortgaheaway

Have a look for 'capsule wardrobe ideas'
I like the 5,4,3,2,1 method when I go away. It really does cut down on the unnecessary 'just in case' extras.
I do swap some of the items though, as I think this system is designed for a beach holiday.

greenbee

Having access to a washing machine and dryer is going to cut what I need dramatically.Only one lot of running stuff, and that can involve shorts - may need to take leggings in case I decide to go spinning/to the gym as shorts are not suitable in mixed company!

I've just spent lots of money on my hair, some new jeans (seeing as work now requires jeans rather than suits), a blouse, some ankle boots and a 3 bags... I now need to unearth some summer clothes, work out what I need to wear while I'm away, including what I can wash and wear again.

Slightly nervous about who I'll be sharing an apartment with. I know they're full and have no idea how they decide who is sharing with whom. As there are no other women on this trip (at least, not that anyone has mentioned) it'll either be someone I've only met once or my boss.

greenbee

Work trip was fabulous. Had the apartment to myself I've been told that where possible I'll be in the same one every time and am likely to have it to myself unless a. there is another woman travelling or b. there's major overcrowding. Those of us who travel most get priority, and I've been told I can leave stuff there (HUGE walk-in wardrobe so plenty of room to leave clothes and anything else I need - so next trip may involve shopping).

Three weeks at home due to UK-based meetings every week (could fit in a European trip for a day or two but unlikely at this stage), and then I'm off to Brazil for 3 days.

In the meantime I need to a. pay the builders for what they've done and b. get them to come in for the odd day to sort bits and pieces out. So I need to make a list and email it to them along with the days I can offer them.

I also need to choose paint for the kitchen & utility room as that will allow some progress (most of the utility room can be done before the kitchen which will help).

Fraud on my credit card while I was away is unhelpful - but has made me get my act together and apply for a new card specifically for work. In a month or so I'll also apply for another one which I'll just use for online transactions and keep the limit low.

Lots more spending has been going on for work clothes, new make up etc. Need to have a thorough sort out of my wardrobe and get it all out so I know what I've got. With the way travel is going I can't really put summer stuff away in the winter as I seem to need it...

greenbee

Replacement credit card has arrived, but the work one hasn't yet. Hopefully it will appear soon.

Four days in the office this week, which will be a challenge. Car needs a new exhaust, but the part is on backorder apparently (don't understand this, it's just an exhaust) so is currently held together with some temporary welding. I also need to get them to check the tyre pressure sensors, as the pressure was down a lot (on the ones I could see the reading on when I did them - it always seems to be at the wrong angle) and the alarm hadn't gone off. I guess the wear needs checking too, and given the size of the potholes and state of the roads I suspect the tracking is probably a long way off. If I'm going to be going into the office this much on a regular basis I may well upgrade the car once the house has stopped swallowing all my money and I've managed to rebuild my savings (so could be a while).

I spent most of yesterday in bed reading books, which was probably not the most sensible idea given how much I have to do, but today has been a bit better - a quick run this morning, some laundry and swimming with the kids. Didn't get round to sorting out paint samples, but have paid the builder and emailed him - he's going to clear the rest of the rubbish from the garden sometime this week. I suspect he has the time at the moment to come back and do bits, but I'm not sure when I have the time for it to be convenient at the moment. At least it'll give me some time to save up, as rather a lot of money has been going on clothes recently...

Need to deal with some work admin and get my head round presentations. I'm hoping that being in the office a bit will help, but suspect that all 4 days will be pretty full on. I'm really enjoying the work, but it's a bit of a shock to the system, and the house being in such a state doesn't help.

The office, however, is now pretty organised, so I can get on and order the rest of my IT kit. I've started putting stuff back into the kitchen so I have things to use, and have put a boot rack back in the utility room. The sitting room, dining room and hall are starting to look a bit tidier as a result, but I need to make headway upstairs as well so that packing/unpacking are easier, and I know where all my clothes etc are.

Guess I'd better get on and sort a few things out before bedtime! I need to make some breakfast and lunch to take to work too... veg intake has been shocking recently, so maybe some kind of winter salad might be an idea for lunch. Breakfast is yogurt, oats, fruit & seeds. Oh, and I've finally got round to making some yogurt - I'll manage a couple of batches before I'm off again.

greenbee

Work has been busy - I've been away for most of the last 3 weeks, so have been focussed on that rather than the house.

Builder removed the rubbish, I have paint samples but still can't decide on colours so need to get that sorted over Easter and then book him to come back. Even if the kitchen can't be finished, the utility room could be done.

My brother has suddenly asked for the details of the large wardrobe which is currently way too big for the room that it's in. Hopefully he'll have a home for it and I can start thinking about rearranging the bedrooms and sorting out the storage upstairs. We may swap some beds around between my house and my mum's after Easter too.

I still have 5 blinds to put up and must stop being so feeble about it. I just need to measure and drill. It isn't difficult, just tedious and requires concentration. I also need to get my brother over with his chainsaw to cut down the bits of tree on the patio into lumps that I can split and stack.

Bulbs have started coming up, so hopefully once the snow has gone the garden will start looking nice - I still have work to do on it, and need to order some plants so that I can get them in while I'm home (should be in the country for 4 weeks now).

I was paid for 5 weeks in the new job at the end of February, which was nice. No pension contribution being paid at the moment, so more in the bank - hopefully this means that I can save enough to get the house finished in the next couple of months and then focus on planning my finances for the future.

It's snowing today, so the stove is lit, I have plenty of logs and coal in the house and no need to go out. I'm still jet lagged, but need to do something more than lie around reading books... I've done laundry, but there is always more tidying to do, and filing and paperwork, and possibly getting a few bits of work sorted. Or I could just lie around reading books...

redofromstart

I hope you read books in front of the fire like a sensible person.

greenbee

I'm running out of books ... But I watched trash TV and then read in the bath. Laundry is all put away, but that's about it.