Financial Freedom + Self Care

HairyHandofDartmoor

I agree great song .

Focus on your main goals Snowball but in a positive way, not a stressy way. Say to yourself "I can do this", because you can. Don't waste energy worrying or self doubting. You WILL get a job and you WILL pay off your debts, if you stay positive and do the right things.

Take time out for fun and relaxation, but stay focused on your goals and don't get distracted running down rabbit holes.

I hope you hear from your interview soon .

SnowBallBunny

Purchase

£13.74 - Fragrance oils for a haircare product. Just before my LBM I was working on starting a small haircare product business. I was working on a hair growth serum and have some positive results and literally stopped everything I was doing to focus on my job search. Although the business is on hold, I was developing a product, as I actually want to use this product for myself, I've ordered fragrance oils to add to the formulation I was working on.

I want to make a serum for myself and I have a strong feeling that it'll work.

SnowBallBunny

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

I agree great song .

Focus on your main goals Snowball but in a positive way, not a stressy way. Say to yourself "I can do this", because you can. Don't waste energy worrying or self doubting. You WILL get a job and you WILL pay off your debts, if you stay positive and do the right things.

Take time out for fun and relaxation, but stay focused on your goals and don't get distracted running down rabbit holes.

I hope you hear from your interview soon .

Thanks for being a gentle and kind voice of reason Hairy.

SnowBallBunny

Job updates:
I have another interview on Tuesday evening.
I'm also finishing off a job application which will be due on Wednesday evening.

doingitanyway

Great. Keep going.

SnowBallBunny

I was offered another interview today.

Tuesday - Interview
Wednesday - Job Application deadline
Thursday - Interview

Focussed on being as prepared as possible.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Hurrah, well done :T

HairyHandofDartmoor

SnowBallBunny wrote: »

Thanks for being a gentle and kind voice of reason Hairy.

You are very welcome Snowball . It's always easier to have perspective on someone else's situation.

SnowBallBunny

Update

Unexpected expenses:

£5.75 - Lunch: I was invited out for a group lunch at work. I haven't been chatting with people as much at work and I've only just started socialising with people again. I wanted to go, so I went, it's not a regular expense.

£3.30 - Hot chocolate and bread roll: I went to an outdoor art festival with a friend (I'll call her) Stef and her friend Fran. We walked around and saw lots of installations in the cold. We passed by one of my favourite healthy food cafes and I opted to just walk by rather than go in and buy dinner - which I would have done pre LBM. Instead, later on we went to a cafe to chat and warm up (it was freezing) so I bought a hot chocolate drink and a bread roll.

Stef is off on holiday today to Cambodia and Laos - which will be amazing. She asked me if I had travel plans and I said no, I want to save money and I'll live vicariously through you. Which is true. Part of me wishes I could tell someone other than my sister about the debt and also about this personal transition I'm going through, there's so much I want to say and ask and talk about on a personal level.

Councellor: I called the Uni Councelling service earlier this week, the councellor I wanted to speak to wasn't there so I spoke to someone else who I'd spoken to previously. She suggested that I maintained a sense of humour about things and tried to look at things differently. For example, as I'm not spending money on much other than essentials so I have a lower carbon footprint. That made me laugh.

Unexpected news

My sister has said that she might move out earlier than she planned. Initially she thought she would find a place in March/April and move out in May. Yesterday she said she wanted to make an offer on the first place she finds and likes and she'll keep me updated.

She started flat hunting two weeks ago and initially wanted to look once a month, now she's decided to view weekly. I was going to accompany/support her today but after our conversation yesterday, I decided to stay home and jobhunt instead. She understood and said "It's OK, do what you need to do". Rather than just panicing and being anxious (which is how I've been feeling about things) I want to be proactive by drawing up a budget which includes what I'm earning now and jobhunting.

I realised that when I had my LBM I put all the projects and dreams I had on hold, along with a lot of my self care practises too. And instead I went into panic mode, which is why I'm having such trouble sleeping - still only 3 hours a night.

My sister doesn't know but my Mum suggested that I invite relatives to move in with me to help to cover the cost. That would mean living with my inlaws, a couple and their 6 year child. We haven't approached them about it and although I love them, it's not something I'd opt for but I'll do what's best. Otherwise, I had considered speaking to my friend Stef because although she enjoys where she lives now, she has a long commute and it limits where she can work and she's considering looking for a new job.

Jobhunting update

Tuesday - Interview - I didn't get this job
Wednesday - Job Application deadline - Application submitted, awaiting an update.
Thursday - Interview - The role is a well paid but short contract role and I think I need something more stable/long term. Also the role itself sounds pretty extreme. They recruited someone who they thought "would have a breakdown" if he stayed due to the pressure, volume of work and technical challenges that department is dealing with.

Good News: Emergency Fund
I have £749.47 in my bank account right now. That's more than I've had in my account in a long time.
2nd Feb - Baby Step 1 will be complete, I'll have a £1000 Emergency Fund.
9th Feb - Baby Step 2 will have started. I'll start paying off debts

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend everyone.

SnowBallBunny

My sister's put an offer in on a house. At the earliest, she'd move in March.