Countdown from £28k...

Sarahwithlove

I agree my brothers symptoms were same as yours and he tested positive. Had no respiratory issues throughout the whole thing. Get tested and self isolate im afraid! Stay away from takeaways especially if you have no sense or taste or smell what a waste of money lol. 

ryanm8655

enthusiasticsaver said:

Maybe you should get a Covid test especially if you are seeing people in a support bubble.  

Given the kitchen and bedding stuff is essential I would cut out the stuff which is not essential like takeaways and alcohol.  Sounds like you are getting through quite a lot and I think alcohol can affect mood/sleep patterns so if you are already anxious that won't help.  To be honest I am zoomed out with the virtual catch ups now so have stopped most of them and go to a book, a film or music/piano to relax. No one is doing anything interesting anyway so there ends up being a lot of doom and gloom.   

More difficult to do that though if you are naturally gregarious and live alone. 

Yeah, I'm not sure if it's just general angst coupled with a bit of feeling run down but think I'll get a test just in case...last week I didn't drink loads (had the one catch up on the Friday) and still felt exhausted...but if I am anxious then I guess that can make you tired...the dizziness and nausea has largely dissipated but I do feel generally anxious (have that tightness in the chest and tingling in the extremities). Have only had it once before and that was when I had the meltdown with the family stress and left for a few days space ha. I don't really understand it in the current context...have lots to be happy about...

Feel you on the doom and gloom, we have a couple of informal zoom chats with our team at work and it's always a case of what do you talk about

Yeah, I generally don't like to sit still and one of the reasons I've always been out a lot of the time is that I hate being on my own...probably some underlying cause for that I need to address. Do remember being in ICU post bike crash and not being allowed anyone with me and getting in a massive panic about it...maybe it's some existential thing about having to confront being alone

warby68 said:

You've been like a kid in a sweet shop with the late nights, takeaways and drinking after what was probably a relatively structured life in the family.
You know what to do really - drink less, ditch the crap food, have more regular bed and getting up times. 
I think you've described enough to get a Covid test though, just to be sure.
These are weird times and you've just uprooted yourself so its bound to be a bit 
Look after yourself @ryanm8655

Yeah, that's completely it. I just need to get into those routines and have the discipline to allow myself to get into routines. When work was structured I felt much happier in myself. I think I'll implement the daily goals idea to the getting up and bedtimes and gradually add more layers.

Agreed re: test, probably fine...probably just anxiety and being a bit rundown but should get one. I know of a few people that have tested positive with non-typical symptoms, just had tiredness and brain fog and then came a really bad headache. They hadn't seen anyone either, other than popping to the supermarket...A family member in Wales also caught it at the supermarket...

alt80

Hope you’re ok mate. I’d really try to lay off the booze a bit, just have a few nights off and a bit of a break from the takeaways. Get the covid test just incase, it’s not that bad tbh.

Money just keep on top of it, sounds like you know where you are with it and know it’s time to rein it in a bit. My credit card statement similar to yours, I just pay the statement balance and keep an eye on it through the month.

ryanm8655

Sarahwithlove said:

I agree my brothers symptoms were same as yours and he tested positive. Had no respiratory issues throughout the whole thing. Get tested and self isolate im afraid! Stay away from takeaways especially if you have no sense or taste or smell what a waste of money lol. 

Ha very true...I can still taste stuff...just everything tastes more bland, definitely seems off... Sorry to hear re: your brother, hopefully he is ok now!

The takeaways and drinking tend to go hand in hand, one feeds the other...so going to cut back on the booze and cut out the takeaway for a couple of weeks at least...it turns up cold anyway and they're charging the same as you paid to eat in so a complete waste

Some work angst has relieved, finally met with policy and have managed to work out a bit of a plan and more of an understanding of the analytical ask. The bad news is I found out some that I didn't know existed that need to get cracking with...not sure when they planned to tell us...but at least I know now and I won't be clueless when I next meet with boss and run them through timelines etc. The person I'm managing is really knowledgable and in to the nitty gritty of everything but they're really into the microdetials of things without thinking about the high level plan so the whole thing has no structure. The policy customers don't help as they seem just as scattergun in their approach.

I'm going to get a meter reading on the 2nd so that I can work out my electricity and gas usage annually. And then I can start budgetting properly. Got my council tax bill, which is the £110 a month I thought, though instead of a DD they're taking a lump sum in March by the looks of things, which is a bit annoying. Water bill is weird. It told me £42.50 a month but the bill is for £84 until the end of March. It'll change anyway once I've been assessed for a meter.

Looking at roasting tins on amazon, anyone know anything about them? I've had the same one for years that I picked up in a supermarket and has been fine (an enamel one with a rack) but lots of the amazon reviews complaining of rust/enamel or non-stick peeling off...

alt80

Your workplace sounds like they couldn’t organise a !!!!!! up in a brewery mate. 😆

Council tax - call them up and ask for it as a 12 month DD for the new bill from April. 

Roasting tin JL is your friend. Had mine longer than I’ve had the wife. 

JGB1955

De-lurking to say that I think Ikea pans are great - how about IKEA KONCIS - Roasting tin with grill rack, stainless steel - 40x32 cm: Amazon.co.uk: Large Appliances?  Just make sure it will fit in your oven - some ovens can be ridiculously small.

Sarahwithlove

The water bill is probably a set amount for rest of year and if anything like mine stops payment in March to June so that's why you only have two more DDs to come out for rest of year effectively. Have a look at the bill again it should say on it 

stymied

@ryanm8655 Can you get your bubble to lend the missing kitchen bits for Sunday? You can then pick yours up some time later.

lantanna

It’s hard to know what to do with ourselves isn’t it. I’ve had a couple of periods of total exhaustion over the last year which I think have been mental rather than physical. The whole situation plus the uncertainty about work has had an effect on us all I’m sure. Moving house takes its toll as well never mind moving during a pandemic! Could you try cheaper alternatives in the beer you like and maybe just buy your preferred as a treat ?

Legs21

ryanm8655 said:

Thanks for the replies all.

More burning through money Somehow managed to crack the toilet seat (I'm not that heavy ). Basically fell onto it when I slipped on the bathroom floor...£120 to replace annoyingly, perhaps I do need an emergecny fund after all ha...On the plus side it's a quick release seat so should be easy enough to change when it arrives. Did contemplate getting a cheaper one but didn't want something that didn't quite fit/didn't have the soft close/ended up working loose etc.

Also realised I need more roasting tins/sieve etc. Not going to break the bank but is annoying as I have all that stuff at my Grandma's but can't go and pick them up because of lockdown...though the petrol would probably cost more than it would to replace them to be fair. Also need some kitchen scales.

Some friends I've formed a support bubble with want to popover on Saturday and do a roast, hence the realisation I don't have the stuff to cook a roast with ha. Have a ceramic dish and a crappy baking tray that was left behind, where the non-stick is peeling off...

Fortunately it's pay day on Friday but as my credit card bill is finalised on the 13th and paid on the 27th, it's basically going to be maxed again after buying more bedlinen/kitchen bits/toilet seat etc.

Starting to stress about the money a bit, not because I'm broke, just because I'm not really thinking about what I'm spending in terms of budget. I can just foresee that I'll regret wasting so much on takeaways etc. when life does open back up and I have minimal savings... Takeaway is costing £25+ a pop after all the delivery fees etc. so need to cut that out. I'm spending a lot on booze as well (the beer I like is £8 for 4x330ml cans now and buying in bulk is no cheaper - it used to be £10 for 8 ) and I drank way too much at the weekend. Did a few virtual catch ups and managed to get through 4 bottles of wine plus beers on top from Thursday - Sunday. Staying up until 5am watching the UFC didn't help...I'm struggling with the idea of just doing mundane stuff on the weekends and not really living...somehow just need to accept it and sort it out.

Mood is so up and down, though to be fair everyone I speak to is the same. Just a bit fed up of it. My sleeping pattern has become really messed up. Not helped by the staying up late chatting to people/watching sports on weekends and probably the alcohol consumption too...still haven't established that much needed routine. Sunday I went to bed at 11pm but ended up laying there awake until about 3am...kept waking up all night, felt a bit anxious. Last night I went to bed at 9.30 and eventually resorted to some sleep story thing, which did work in the end...but again didn't get to sleep until probably 12.30. I did at least force myself up at 8.30, made myself an omelette. had a coffee etc. before the 9.30 meeting. So hoping that tonight I will get to sleep at a normal hour and reset myself.

I think there is a lot going on in the subconscious...my work is very unstructured at the moment as I've just inherited line management of several people, who's work areas I don't know and also a project that has zero structure and is a bit of a directionless mess. I basically feel a bit lost and like I'm new to the job again, it also throws off all my plans for my own development as just got to weather the storm to some extent. Need to get a grip and a bit more control.

Am wondering if I am getting ill or something...it's only just lunchtime and I was feeling really lightheaded in a meeting. I had breakfast so don't really understand why. Also feel a bit sick/dizzy. Going to bulk cook something healthy tonight, have also been taking a multivitamin to allow for the lack of sunlight...am wondering if I might have COVID or something...as have been exhausted no matter how much I sleep of late...and my sense of taste/smell does seem off. Have that feeling of cold coming with the mild burning in the nose/throat and have had that for the last week or so. Drink lots of water so not dehydrated...not usually a hypochondriac but know a few people that have had it without the respiratory element, just feeling exhausted and having a really bad headache...but have been struggling to think clearly for a week or so on the work front.

I hope that £120 for a toilet seat is a typo 😱