Keeping on the Straight and Narrow...

beanielou

All good then 

DancingInTheRain

Start with the positives - just redeemed a £10 Amazon voucher from snapmyeats, £5 from vypr, £5 from shoppix so once they all clear/get used that'll be £20 for the free £ pot.

Without going into too much detail as might be too revealing, events at work this week have 100% confirmed I need to leave, DH is 100% on board & have also discussed with my closest (and most honest) friends to gain broader perspective and they both think it's the right thing to do too given the circumstances, so will spend time tomorrow writing my resignation  Will keep it professional but am so done. 

I've lost over a stone in recent weeks which I'd normally be pleased about but I'm very aware it's directly linked to my appetite completely disappearing when I feel stressed/anxious. This, on top of the lack of sleep, is not a great combination, I need to look after my health.

Thankfully I'm off now until Monday, priority is to focus on making sure DS2 has a lovely birthday.

Take care all, hugs to those that need them x

savingholmes

I'll take a hug Dancing - I've had a neck and back of head pressure band all day.

Sounds like a momentous decision but the right one for you. I've been there -done that - it's not easy but it led me to where I am now.

Hugs for you too.

beanielou

You need to do what is best for you.
Your health is very important so take care of you.
Hope DS2 has a lovely birthday.

DancingInTheRain

Resignation submitted, had a brief conversation with my line manager and will discuss further when I'm back in work on Monday, got a real sense of relief and I'm feeling at peace with the decision so definitely the right decision.

Taking DS2 out to a family fun day today for a birthday outing, not a great forecast so waterproofs at the ready again, these summer holidays have really been a wash out for the children.

Got my payouts from vypr, shoppix & also used some asda rewards vouchers plus a small win on the lottery (after getting excited by the 'exciting news about your ticket' email  ) so the free £ pot now stands at £121.98

savingholmes

Well done on prioritising your wellbeing. Things will come right.

DancingInTheRain

The weather was unexpectedly sunny and dry for the family fun day so we enjoyed a full day out, taking full advantage of the weather. So much to keep the children occupied and just enough to keep us adults interested too. We were out 9am - 10pm 😱 luckily we took plenty of drinks, snacks and a picnic to keep spends down. We ended up having a much needed lazy recovery day Sunday.

DS2 fully enjoyed his birthday treat and was a lucky boy in terms of cards and gifts received.

Had a lot of feelings of anxiety over the weekend about talking to my manager but during the meeting on Monday she said she totally understood where I was coming from and could see why I was making the decision to leave. They don't want me to leave but respect my decision.

Started to develop a plan for handing over my key responsibilities and also started telling people I'm leaving now that it's official. I have some annual leave to use up so won't have to work my full notice period as I'm going to use up the leave instead. There's an argument to work the full notice and get paid for the outstanding holidays but I think from a health point of view it's worth me leaving sooner instead.

I've applied for one job with much less pressure and hours and an old employer has been in touch about a possible role coming up with them that sounds interesting and is not only hybrid working but flexible working too which would be a better fit for home life so hopefully the stars will align and I'll get a new start elsewhere soon 🤞

DH is off with the kids this week, the house has been full of noise while I'm working 😳 thankfully I'm 50% through my working week already!

beanielou

Agree that it's better to loose as soon as you can.
POsitive vibes on finding something that suits you.

savingholmes

Sounds like you are going to come through this fine. You're in the messy middle - keep going - and things will untangle and fall into place.

DancingInTheRain

End of month update:

"What We Owe The World"
Mortgage balance £65,400
Credit Card balance £5,300 
Student Loan balance £0
Total: £70,700

Savings
EF: £610
Additional Borrowing for Renovations: £15,020
Total: £15,630

August plans/focus review:
Take one day at a time 
Breathe 
Try to relax more 
Overall August better than July and the decision to hand my notice in has been made and it definitely feels like the right decision. We have got out and about as a family when work/weather permitted, always feel better for time spent outdoors.

September plans/focus:
Get the kids settled back in school, both go back on Wednesday and DS1 moves to a new school to start juniors so want to ensure he settles.
Get through the last few weeks at work.
Keep an eye on the local jobs market.
Keep unplanned spends to a minimum.
Keep calm!