Going part time at work

the26thchoice

Hi All 🙂

I used to be a very regular poster, then shut down my account for various reasons but I'm back!! And in need of the advice that I know only my trusted Old Stylers can offer!

So, after a very stressful few years of threatened redundancy, several TUPEs, employer liquidation and my own serious health issues, I have decided to take the plunge and go part time. Dropping from 37 hours to 18.5 hours. Starting in February. And I'm starting to SLIGHTLY panic. Hubby earns a fairly okay wage of £26k, and my wage will be just under £12k so we won't be broke exactly but I need some plans on how to save money!

So looking for tips and ideas really:

- I will be starting to shop at cheaper supermarkets so probably Aldi or Lidl looking to reduce my weekly food bill from £80-£100 :eek: its for three of us, although with a landscaper hubby and teenage son, they do get through some food!!
- I already do a vague meal plan but this often goes out of the window after a long day at work when I spy a take away leaflet! So will be cutting out take aways, being more on the ball with meal planning and generally stricter :rotfl:
- I will be looking to reduce our insurance bills come March/April so hopefully will reduce some costs a little there.
- I have started using a few apps such as shopmium and receipt hog to try and save whilst I spend etc I know they won't make my fortune lol but every little helps!

So - any ideas? How do you best save money? Small ideas to big ideas, everything gratefully received! Anything to relieve my anxiety really!! Have any of you also taken the plunge and gone part time - how did you find it?


(Hoping it's okay to post this here!)

timehastoldme

We both took the plunge, from well paying jobs to very part time and honestly, find budgeting way easier now there's time to think about it. Aldi and Lidl are great places to shop and much cheaper than I ever expect it'll be. We find cooking in bulk works well, we aim for something to do two nights and a portion for the freezer with every cook. Also bulking out with things like butter beans or chickpeas that can fit around recipes. Another way we find we save is if we buy in bulk, every now and then, and only top up on fresh stuff. We buy meat only when it's half price or more, and only if it's decent quality. We learned some vegetarian cooking, so buying vegetables is our only big weekly outgoing. We buy tins in trays when the £5 off a £30 spend in Lidl voucher comes through the post. Things like shower gel we get in bulk when on offer (deep discounts) ditto most toiletries. Just not going to the shop so often saves money. Less temptation. More time to read, walk the dog, watch films, bake! All the stuff I craved working full time.

Good luck!

By well paying jobs, i mean I was on £39k, I'm now on £11k, husband also went from mid twenties to about £11k in a job he absolutely adores. Just us and the dog, we have a mortgage, I tutor to pay for the shiny or fun stuff.

Islandmaid

I went PT 3 years ago, and it was the best move I ever made. You don’t drop 50% of your income, due to tax etc, if you are under the tax threshold, transfer the allowance to your OH

I have more time to meal plan and cook from scratch, I am lucky and work 3days a week, so less ‘work clothes’ to buy, less commuting etc my OH is a self employed builder and we have a teen son still at home so similar circumstances. I shop at mainly at Aldi and spend approx £70 people which includes household stuff, cat food (we have 4) and even a few bottles of wine a month

I shop at least busy times, meal plan etc I gave up my nail appointments (my treat to myself) and bought a gel nail kit, saved myself £60pm

You will get an amazing amount of support on the forum, try the grocery challenge - It’s a big step, but as long as you have planned, it will be a positive one x

Ilona

I went part time when I was in my mid fifties. I realized that if I didn't spend any money, I wouldn't have to earn it. I cut my spending to the bone, stopped it all except the essentials, mortgage, utilities, council tax, car to get to work, and food. It was like lifting a weight off my shoulders, and I enjoyed the challenge of making what little money I had stretch to the absolute limit.

I have always lived within my means so I knew I would survive. When I hit 60 I started receiving my pension, and now eight years later I have a Brilliant Life on a Pension. There is indeed Life After Money. Life is good now. Go for it, watch your spending and re jig your priorities.

Ilona

the26thchoice

Thanks guys! So relieved and happy to hear positive tales!! I'm only 35years old and lots of people I know are suggesting that I'm too young to be part time... but I have polycystic kidney disease and high blood pressure (linked directly to the PKD) so going part time from a job in Children's services is a necessary evil to be honest - I figured relieve stress naturally = less medication required = less strain from medication on my kidneys :beer:

I do feel bad for my hubby though... he isn't happy in his job (pay is okay but they treat him like cr*p) and I worry about him ending up resenting me a bit for being part time etc

timehastoldme

we're similar ages (37). Talk it out with your husband, it might be that if you can work together on the budget well he can follow suit and decrease hours or take a change. My husband quit his job to do a PhD when I was earning well. But my job sucked, so I took redundancy when it was offered. We settled in the end on him working half time, and half study. I work 0.3 of a full time job, and we still save to pay his fees, run a car...

jackyann

hello 26th! Here's my 'take it or leave it' advice:
Make sure that you make those hours at home work for you, hubby's less likely to resent it then.
Keep your eyes peeled for what goes on in your neighbourhood. I find that adapting to your locality saves money - from 'entertainment' to say, buying from a market., or joining a co-op venture.
As soon as you get home, change out of work clothes and into older ones - that way you'll get more wear out of good clothes.

VfM4meplse

the26thchoice wrote: »

lots of people I know are suggesting that I'm too young to be part time... but I have polycystic kidney disease and high blood pressure (linked directly to the PKD) so going part time from a job in Children's services is a necessary evil to be honest - I figured relieve stress naturally = less medication required = less strain from medication on my kidneys :beer:

This is just dreadful. If you work for a NHS organisation the CE should be ashamed that their staff have to reduced their hours for the sake of their own health.

You will feel less stressed out for going part time, and it can be beneficial in many ways, but it’s wrong that your work environment is worsening your condition.

suki1964

I went pt at the same age back in '99

Best thing I ever done tbh

And tbh, our standard of living hasn't really changed

Being at home means real cooking happens. No need for take aways or ready meals or expensive cuts for fast cooking. Shopping is also a lot easier and cheaper because I have the time to search out the best prices, I'm not reliant on the nearest shop on the way home from work

Lidl is my number one shop, I also use B&M, home bargains, £1land etc as well as local butchers and Tesco and Sainsburys to get the few items I can't get in the aforementioned

House work is done during the week which leaves weekends free to enjoy, not going shopping and then over spending. We go out and enjoy ourselves maybe just a walk along the beach or the forest ( ESP when we had the dog). Or we go to community days, there's always something happening that's free

I have time to shop around for best deals on the expensive things like insurance. It's not worth me looking at utilities as there's so few companies here there's very very little to be saved, but I did in London, always checked I was getting the best deal

I do my own nails and general beauty care cos I'm home alone. I use an epilator which has saved me a small fortune over the years. My only beauty expenses are eyebrow waxing every couple of months and two hair cuts a year. There was a time when I used to use the local beauty college for hair cuts and colouring but I'm a bit older now and can't be bothered with the long drive to it

I do online surveys and Royal Mail postings. Don't earn a lot, but what I do goes towards Christmas

We have vegetable beds and hens. Veg can be hit and miss, but it all helps. The hens supply so many eggs that I sell the excess that pays for the feed and bedding. Eggs are used in baking as well as meals

Biggest savings have been on holidays. Yes we still have them, but now they are cheap as chips. Because I have the time to sit online and find the cheapest flights and accomadation, two years ago for example we had 12 nights self catering in Portugal in a beautiful private apartment for just under £400 including flights, year before a week full board in Spain for just over £300 including flights and a night in London

We manage so well that last year DH cut his days down to 3 as well. We save even more now as we now take advantage of Tuesday afternoon cinema £3 each, and also take advantage of lunchtime specials - two courses and a glass of wine - if we want a meal out

Best thing I ever done was giving up full time work

Techno

We both went part time from stressful jobs in September last year and I agree with Islandmaid, because we pay less tax, NI and pension we aren’t as ‘poor’ as we expected.
Get yourself a slow cooker if you haven’t got one - the cheaper cuts of meat melt in the mouth; go through all of your bills - phone, gas, electric, Insurance’s etc and make sure you are on the best possible deals; do yellow sticker shopping as well as Aldi and Lidl.
Never buy anything until you check whether you can get cash back from quidco, top cash back etc and always look for a voucher code.
Be a bank tart and move your bank accounts around regularly to get the welcome bonuses.
Make extra money by decluttering and selling things you don’t need or want anymore, doing surveys, mystery shopping etc.
And finally, as my granny always used to say, there are no pockets in shrouds - your health is more important than lots of money.

VfM4meplse

suki1964 wrote: »

We manage so well that last year DH cut his days down to 3 as well.

I think this is doable for many if there are two of you and no mortgage to pay.