Wow, things are a bit different

doingitanyway

LondonLiz said:Have not ordered washing machine (still dithering) or been to launderette (too lazy). Have one more pair of clean wearable knickers left.  I’ve already gone through all the ones that lurk at the back of the undie drawer –“comfy old favourites but elastic now dodgy”, “uncomfortable lacy ones for sexy times” (that have got cobwebs on), the “I forgot these ride up and give wedgies unless worn under one specific pair of jeans” ones.  Today is the ‘slightly too small but too nice to chuck out’ version. I am not resorting to the thongs/g-strings (what was I thinking?!) that do just need to be binned.

The above made me lol. 

Good luck with the job. You may not want it very much but it is short term and will see you through to the NY as you say.

You must order a new washing machine. Life without one is so much more difficult.

Blackcats

🤣 your knicker categories made me laugh out loud!  I think many of us might recognise some of those descriptions in our own undie drawers,   I hope you find a new role soon.  Great that you have got a financial safety net, that must be reassuring.   

LondonLiz

Hi DIA & Blackcats!  Glad I made you laugh.  We need more of those these days and what better than a knicker inventory.  Feel free to add your own categories......

Yes I REALLY need to get over the analysis paralysis on the washing machine.  I think if I wasn't working from home I would have got on with it but since lockdown we've been much more 'dress down every day not just Friday'. Even the MD was in a hoody on one Teams meeting.  So I've had a wider variety or wardrobe options to choose from. Plus video calls hide a multitude of stainy sins and the 'whiff test' can be stretched a bit further than normal when one lives alone and not leaving the house for days on end.   The problem is I am replacing an integrated machine which are smaller dimensions than the freestanding ones and I am anxious about the space being big enough - it's literally millimetres width and height on most models. Also the current built in plinth thingy along the bottom has to be removed and as the new machine will probably stick out further it probably cannot be replaced unless I get someone to cut and refit it onto the remaining kitchen units. Then if the measurements are wrong I doubt  a retailer will let me return the blooming thing free of charge.  And lets not talk about whether my decision should be swayed by free installation and disposal of old one or not.  But finding a good, reliable plumber /handyperson in central London is like finding buried treasure guarded by a unicorn at the end of a rainbow. On a cloudy day.  AND did you know that thanks to unfathomable  EU regulations most machines these days have standard wash programmes so long you could read War & Peace in the time it takes for one full load? And using some sort of speed it up option for a shorter cycle means less cleaning power.  Add in that poring over Which? recommendations and Don't Buys are just making me stress even more.  See this is why I am dithering....Not usually so indecisive.

Blackcats

I've got a knicker category of "really like these knickers and ignoring the fact that the lace trimmings are not entirely attached to the rest of them anymore".
re your washing machine - that sounds complicated.  I bought a fridge freezer from A. O. Com a couple of years ago and I hadn't measured correctly and so it wouldn't fit in the space.  The driver was so helpful and took the wrong sized fridge freezer away (without complaint or making me feel even more of a fool than I already did).    A couple of hours later I then had a phone call from the sales team who gave me a list of models that would fit the space and delivered again the next day for no additional cost.  Maybe I was just lucky but it was great customer service.  On their website it says that they do offer an installation service for integrated appliances.  Hope that helps.  

I agree with you on the length of washing machine cycles now.  Mine has a button to minimise times and I use it all the time to reduce the hours and hours of cycle time.  

LondonLiz

Am I the only one that writes diary entries in their head every day but never gets around to posting them?

Last year I started this diary as I had left a job with nothing else to go to and was wondering how to manage the financial hit as well as the personal impact. Here we are 18+ months later with 4 months of unemployment and 2 temp jobs under my belt and I'm back to the job hunting and crossing of fingers.  Very much hope it won't be 4 months or more out of work this time around though the job market is even more unpredictable than last year. 

 ‘Leaving do’ last week was on Zoom and lasted nearly 4 hours as various people came and went. Just like in the pub really but with kids and partners in the background!   I was quite tipsy by the end and had a bit of of a hangover Saturday morning.   Had some lovely farewell comments in online card and emails which was good for the self esteem, especially given how hard a year it's been and how much has happened. It was tough from day one, totally chucked in deep end with huge workload, then the start of Covid and first lockdown and ending with another lockdown.  It's been so intense and exhausting for so long I'm not sure how I coped to be honest.  Adrenaline and pig-headedness probably. So it was nice to know it was noticed and appreciated.  There’s a few people I shall definitely stay in touch with too, which is a nice bonus as you can’t always expect to make friends at work.

So tomorrow is the start of the "get a job"  project. Onwards and upwards and all that.

Sarahwithlove

Good luck on the job hunt. I hope you have got your washing machine sorted out. 

LondonLiz

Thanks Sarah!  I read your diary too - I'm a lurker. The washing machine arrrgggh.  It's become a 'thing' and I got paralysed by fear and indecision.  All over a stupid household appliance, so embarrassing.   Have a plan now but the order must still be made.  Another of the tasks for this week now I am freed of 'too busy working' excuses.

LondonLiz

I've been on a spending spree, most of it in the Black Friday sales, which for some retailers started nearly 2 weeks before so I've been comparison shopping for a while now.  Nearly all of it was stuff I was planning to buy anyway and none of it is frivolous so it's not too bad.

• A washing machine - FINALLY!!! - arriving in just over a week.  Cost £450 including delivery, installation & disconnecting/recycling of my old one.  Had £70 off full price.  Also did that thing Martin recommends and left it sitting in the basket and a voucher popped up for an extra £20 off so that was an extra saving. So relieved I have finally made a decision - went for an integrated one in the end so I was not fretting about it fitting in the space.
  
• A fully waterproof padded winter coat £43, total bargain, was originally £150 and even now is selling for £75 on several websites. I've been looking for a waterproof jacket for a couple of months and the one I liked the most was £80 on sale but I couldn't justify the extra cost, so I consider this a compromise.
  
• A slow cooker, the one that sautes - £37.  I also bought a soup maker about a month ago (annoyingly now £10 cheaper in the sales)  and have been using that a lot so hopefully both will save on the waste of veggies that I find hard to avoid when you live alone,  plus help with meal planning. 
  
• A new kettle - mine's been leaking from the base for ages which is slightly worrying every time I use it!.  New one was £40 which is expensive but I really wanted one with a good limescale filter as the water is so hard here, metal not plastic, and not too large or heavy and this is the best I could find that met the criteria.  Was £10 off in the sale and is still at full price elsewhere.  (Yes am justifying this to myself as can get way cheaper ones that still do fundamentally the same thing which is boil water!)
• A Christmas present of a gift box of posh wax melts £19.55 but that was 15% off full price, and it's a small family company - in fact it was mentioned on another diary (maybe Sun Addict's?) so I went for a look.  The smells sound lovely.  Is for one of my support bubble people who I will be spending Xmas Day with so wanted to get something nice but not go mad.  I got her the Christmassy scents.  Also bought myself some too which was inevitable - £16 for some gorgeous fruity scented ones, so that's my treat spending this month but they should last a fair while, its meant to be a total of 300 hours of burn time.
  
• A new running bra £41.  Which is a lot but I need a lot of 'support' and find it really had to find bras that hold me in, fit nicely and are easy to get on and off.  I only have 2 that are adequate for running at the moment and with increasing my runs I do need another. So hoping this one will do the trick.

Incredibly the coat and slow cooker arrived early this afternoon - 24 hours after ordering - I don't know how Amaz@n do that!  The coat is fab though it might be a bit too hot for London other than the depths of winter or pelting storms but will be fab for visiting friends outside Zone 6 for country walks.  When we can do that of course...not long now hopefully.  I want a pair of fleecy running leggings but am delaying that for a bit, not as urgent and I can make do for a a while with the old ones I have. 

So I'm now putting the credit card away someone hard to reach for a few days!

Onebrokelady

Hi, I thought I would pop into your diary after you commented on mine 😊 it's a good read 
Try freezing the credit card in some water then you have to wait for it to thaw out before you can use it 😀I hope you find a new job soon 😊

LondonLiz

Well the slow cooker has had 2 outings so far - beef casserole (OK but not great), and a whole roast chicken (really good).  The beef was y/s over half price for 600g and the chicken was free range from Aldi so the price per portion is pretty cheap. Now just have to batch freeze them up and I can make some stock from the chicken bones  - which I always say I will do but never get around to but I can do that in the slow cooker too.  Feel that's a success so far and have learnt a bit on how to use it for next time.

Applied for a job today, hope to at least get an interview since it's in same industry as my last contract job and I definitely have the skill set.  Money OK, nice location, easy commute if needed on site and it's perm too. 

Meaning there will probably be lots of applicants - here's hoping.

Thought about a run today but when I went to take the rubbish out to the bins,  it was so cold & dank that I chickened out  - might need to get those fleecy tights sooner than planned.  Instead I had a massive tidy up in the lounge, rearranged the furniture and turned the table back from a cluttered work desk to a dining table.  Looks so much better and more room for doing indoor workouts too which are in the cards of the weather stays this grotty.  One set of Xmas lights up, and a poinsettia on the coffee table.  More lights and another poinsettia to follow (I love both).  Probably won't bother with the tree, just make the lounge look a bit Christmassy.

Debating if I should apply for JSA.  I qualify for it and whilst it's not a huge amount,  it would pay for food and some of the bills.  I guess it would halt some of the leakage of savings if this drags on.  I didn't apply last year when I ended up out of work for 4 months and haven't in the past between interim jobs either.  So I guess there is no reason not to, other than I am not keen on government department bureaucracy and DWP is renowned for that.