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QueenJess

Jessy103 said:

In all honesty, this week got worse. On Tuesday my engineer's van broke down, I had to call the customer who was very understanding but when I rang a colleague for help with which garage I needed to call and what I needed to do to get a courtesy van, she was extremely rude. She is well known for her bad moods but it got to me. When my engineer made it back to the office he threw an absolute tantrum because I hadn't been able to get a courtesy van yet and stormed out. I broke down, had a panic attack and told my boss I was quitting and going home. Another colleague managed to talk me down and I ended up staying. My engineer profusely apologised for his behaviour after a telling off from my boss and my boss bought me box of chocolates the next day to make me feel better. It has got to the point now where leaving is the best thing to do for my mental health. Unfortunately, I'm not having much luck with getting another job yet, but I'm trying and will keep trying.

That's terrible    I know it's a horrible decision between money/finances/security for the short term versus your sanity/mental health.  I've been having the same arguments with myself for 2 years re: quitting.  I do think though that in the end there are more important things than money and so if you don't think you can carry on, seriously think about quitting before another job (finances allowing).

It's lovely though that your boss and colleagues seem to be nice/normal and are supportive.  Often that kind of thing is enough to keep you going in the shorter term.

Whatever you decide I hope you have a better week next week    You are doing brilliantly on the food shopping and congratulations on the switch.  I really need to rein in my food spending 

Jessy103

Thanks Jess, your kind words are much appreciated. ❤
it's the treats for us! We live a 2min walk from the local Co Op so it's very easy just to pop in for bits and end up spending £10! 

I'm looking to build my EF up to £5k which, with BFs contributions, will last me a good 6 months if I do decide to quit. I'm halfway there at the moment so in a few months with some money self discipline it's doable. 

Jessy103

Thanks Jess, your kind words are much appreciated. ❤
it's the treats for us! We live a 2min walk from the local Co Op so it's very easy just to pop in for bits and end up spending £10! 

I'm looking to build my EF up to £5k which, with BFs contributions, will last me a good 6 months if I do decide to quit. I'm halfway there at the moment so in a few months with some money self discipline it's doable. 

Cheery_Daff

Aw, sorry work is so rubbish Can you hit pause on the mortgage OPs for now and get that emergency fund up to £5k asap? Or at least work out how soon you'd be able to quit if you did that?? The mortgage would still be there to OP when you got your shiny new job xx

As for the electricity, they really are demons We used electric heaters when we first moved in as we had no radiators in several rooms, and even after we'd stopped they projected we'd use that much all year Slowly inched the DD down and we're at £46 now, and £300 in credit (not surprising we we were paying over £100 a month at one point!) Fiends. I suppose they reason it's easier for THEM if you build up credit rather than them having to claim a debt off you. At least my old supplier used to pay 3% on credit balances - better than the bank!! Sadly they don't do that any more..

Jessy103

Thanks cheery. ❤
I won't be over paying any large amounts from the mortgage anymore until I get sorted work wise, only small amounts to round down to the nearest 10.

They really are menaces! The thing is, the water company were absolutely brilliant when I told them about the leak we had and why our usage had shot up and once fixed, they estimated how much the leak had cost us and took that off the amount we owed. When I explained the situation with the awful electric boiler to the electric company they just didn't care, and I know they don't have to but to then offer £150 to try and makes us stay was unbelievable! If they had just offered me that when I had told them about our situation, I would have stayed! 

Glad you were able to get yours under control, but they really do take the mickey keeping people in a ridiculous amount of credit for no reason 😡

QueenJess

I hate the ridiculous system where you have to pay an amount each month because the companies apparently decide I can't budget for myself (I definitely can!). Until recently I was with a supplier where you just paid for what you used and it was brilliant. That should be an option everywhere...

I moved now because they got too expensive to keep and am now on a silly standard direct debit system. However, I don't mind too much as I can change my direct debit online/get it reassessed and they are paying me 3% for my credit. Probably the same company as Cheery was with!

themadvix

So sorry to hear about your rubbish day Jessy! Glad your colleagues/friends talked you down from walking out - much better and more satisfying to go out in a blaze of glory at the right time. I'd seriously consider whether you could forego the rounding down mortgage payments and switch those to the emergency fund. Could you set up a separate account for the 'walking out' fund (which obviously would be added to the EF for accounting purposes) so that you can see the effect of your little rounding downs? Psychologically it might help - I totally get that all the money going into one pot isn't as satisfying as seeing the mortgage go down!

Great news on the fuel DD though and I don't blame you for switching regardless!

newgirly

Sorry you had such an awful time at work, at least it’s helped make the decision that you do want to leave and can work towards that. It’s easy to get bogged down with the oping and the feeling you don’t want to stop or go backwards,  but life gets in the way sometimes and you have to prioritise being happy 🙂

Jessy103

Thanks ladies ❤

I've had an ok week which has helped. We got paid on Friday and the EF pot is nearly up to 3k, if I can stick to a tight shopping budget this month, I should get there! 

We went to my parents for tea last night and after watching BoJos announcement together, it will be the last time for a month. I gave my mum and dad a hug when we left, something I haven't done since March but God knows when I'll be able to do it again so I thought sod it! 

They're keeping the construction sector going this time so me and BF should keep working instead of being furloughed. We are a bit worried about redundancies again as work is going quiet, but we'll just have to see what happens. The EF fund would cover the bills for 3months and I have been stocking up on the tins over the past few months, buying one or two extra tins of soup, spaghetti or beans when shopping which means we have a months worth of lunches if required. The freezer is well stocked too. 

What mad times we live in! Although, I am trying to be positive and grateful for what I do have, a job (although far from ideal, it is a stable income), a nice little house, that's warm and comfortable, we never struggle for food, enough money to have an EF for if tough times do come and above all I'm surrounded by people who love me with BF and my family.

Stay safe and take care ❤

Jessy103

Well, 2020 has gotten even worse. We had Thursday and Friday off work but didn't get to enjoy them as Dog 1 got poorly and needed to go to the vets where he unfortunately collapsed and passed away. I'm heartbroken. He was my gorgeous boy who got me through some very difficult times and will be missed, so much. Dog 2 seems ok but subdued, my parents said they will have her with them while we're at work so she's not on her own. Although, I certainly won't be at work Monday, I can't face people asking me if I had a nice weekend. 😪

In mse news I made a small overpayment to the mortgage of £13.54 so it is now £62,590. I won't make my target of under £62k by the end of the year but that's fine. Leaving my poop job is my priority at the moment. 

Not much else to report, I feel like I should be doing things like getting the rest of the Christmas shopping but I just can't do anything at the moment. 

Take care and stay safe ❤