The First Day of the Rest of My Life.......

positive_new_me

Well here we go, time to drag my head out the sand and start taking control of my life. I’m hurtling rapidly towards the big 4-0 and up to now have been coasting and going with the flow, a passenger in my own life.  Procrastination is the thief of time and it’s time I did something about it.

I’ve been in varying amounts of debt since the days of my student account and the oh so appealing overdraft - so roughly 20 years. Bought our first house within a couple of years of graduating back in the days of low deposits and high mortgage offers without a great deal of thought and financial prep - we were naive!  Fast forward 15 years and here we are with house number 2, a 4 year old child and approximately 13k of debt.

The debt has come about off the back of emergencies such as boiler replacements, car repairs (and subsequent purchase after giving up on said car), vets bills running into £K’s that insurance wouldn’t cover and a mat leave that was poorly prepped for from a financial point of view. Whilst it’s easy to blame these ‘emergencies’ the root cause is poor planning and the fact that we have no emergency fund in place to protect us. Each emergency has sent us into panic and undone any good work and progress we’d made paying off the debt.

At the beginning of the year it figure was approx £16.5k so  progress has been made, but since the start Iockdown we’ve lost focus and it’s been more about surviving day to day rather than looking at the bigger picture. Time to regain focus......

I’m going to use this diary to document my journey back to financial freedom and also regaining control of other parts of my life (more about that later), so that I enter my 40’s with a positive attitude and clearer direction. 

positive_new_me

So my first post was a brief financial intro to my journey - now for a bit more about me and my other goals. Firstly, I suffer with low level anxiety and low mood. For the most part I know my triggers and have coping strategies but every now and then things will spiral. I can feel myself heading that way at the moment, largely due to the changes lockdown have placed on my day to day life, I’m hoping this diary will help as bit of an outlet.

I‘ve been unhappy with my weight most of my adult life and seem to be in a never ending cycle of losing weight and piling it back on. I’m currently the heaviest I’ve been (and that’s after losing nearly a stone during lockdown) and have about 2.5 stone to lose. I discovered running after having my DS and love it. It’s a great way of keeping fit and great for my mental health, but often falls down my priority list when pushed for time or energy. I love exercising generally and really need to work it more into my daily routines. 

The third area for improvement is our family home. I love it but we are constantly living in chaos. Again this has spiralled out of control during lockdown with us being home pretty much 24/7. Pre lockdown I was always on top of the laundry and had 2 mornings a week where DS was at preschool to keep on top of things. At the moment I’m juggling working from home, looking after DS and looking after the home and animals.  I know this won’t last forever and there’s that glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.

I realise there’s a lot to be worked on and am under no illusion that it’ll all change over night just because I’ve “put it out there” but I need to start taking baby steps in the right direction. 

Here’s to the first day of the rest of my life 😊

[Deleted User]

Cheers, here's to you, well done 🤩 
It's hard getting the wheels of normality started again isn't it   
You've discovered the power of exercise though so you're already ahead of the game, when i run it really clears my head and gives me the impetus to get on with things.

PommeVerte

Youre sounding very positive, im looking forward to following your journey to financial freedom as well as finding more peace within yourself and your home (on this note, i highly recommend Marie Kondo on Netflix for motivation to organise your hkme.and declutter). 

blue_eyed_girl123

For healthy eating - don't know if that's something you're wanting to look at - have you tried Pinch of Nom? Lots of recipes on their website and all made to be as healthy as possible. Really enjoy their fakeaways 😁

enthusiasticsaver

I think organisation and having systems in place for all the areas in your life you are having trouble with would help. It does for me anyway.

i keep on top of our money by budgeting and saving and set aside one day a month to set a budget, transfer money into savings, check investments and talk about long term goals with my DH. One day a week is dedicated to account reconciliation and check on weekly spending. Weight and exercise is easier to keep on top of if you build in a regular slot in your day for exercise and if you meal plan weekly. I find that helps with food shopping too. Having somewhere to store everything and tidying and cleaning regularly and decluttering on a monthly or weekly basis helps with cupboards, drawers etc which are full. If I haven't worn something in a year or more it goes and the same goes for things we don't use. If we don't love something it has no place in our home.

That won't work for everyone but you might find something there which resonates

positive_new_me

Thanks for all your lovely comments - I’ll certainly be looking into pinch of nom and Marie Kondo.
Enthusiasticsaver - like you I like (need!) organisation and routine. Sadly working from home during lockdown has turned this upside down and I’m yet to settle into a routine that works. Work don’t seem to be in any rush to have me back on site so I definitely need to embrace it and make the most of it as there are also so many positives to be drawn from the situation.

[Deleted User]

I'm another big fan of organisation, my home and work life are organised precisely !!!
Have you read any books on Feng Shui ? 
It's a concept based on having a clear mind and it starts by organisation in your daily life .....  
It's not everyones cup of tea but an interesting read if you're a bit of a tidy-minded person !
 

Oh, sorry about the size of the image.

enthusiasticsaver

positive_new_me said:

Thanks for all your lovely comments - I’ll certainly be looking into pinch of nom and Marie Kondo.
Enthusiasticsaver - like you I like (need!) organisation and routine. Sadly working from home during lockdown has turned this upside down and I’m yet to settle into a routine that works. Work don’t seem to be in any rush to have me back on site so I definitely need to embrace it and make the most of it as there are also so many positives to be drawn from the situation.

I understand the challenges that the latest situation has brought to those working from home although I don't work any more I often used to prior to retirement. I was discussing this with my daughters who are also having to embrace this. 

Have you got a spare room or room for a desk where you can keep all your work items? Some sort of storage for keeping everything you need in one place? Try keeping to the same work schedule as normal and build in time for breaks, lunch and exercise around meetings etc. Have a separate email address for work and personal. 

In some ways it is good as you get time and money back from no commuting but it does mean there needs to be clear demarcation lines between work time and home time and if possible a workspace so you can shut the door on it.

Bluegreen143

Just subscribed to your diary @positive_new_me! Sounds like you’re in a good mindset and ready to make some changes.

I think it’s so tough to do the wfh and childcare so don’t beat yourself up about not being in a good routine yet. I’ve got friends in your boat and they are in survival mode too (I’m a stay at home mum so haven’t got to juggle the work bit). I think it’s great you are trying to make changes, just do be kind to yourself too and recognise things won’t be perfect, certainly not while you still have your child at home full time. But if your routine is flexible it can grow and change as circumstances change. Is childcare restarting soon for you or is your DS home now til school starts?

I’m not great at getting enough exercise but I’ve started doing YouTube yoga videos. Would agree at how much better exercise makes you feel so do try to fit that running in somewhere.

I find having literally a written routine for what me and the kids are doing daily really helps (even if it feels a bit over organised and unspontaneous). Means I can schedule in housework, exercise etc and you could schedule in when you plan to work too. 

positive_new_me

Good morning MSE world.
wow, can’t believe it’s been nearly a week since I last checked in. So what do I have to report?  

I sold a bag full of DS clothes and a coat on the fb selling page for £20. I’ve popped the cash in my money tin that I’m using to build up my Christmas fund (there’s about £200 in there so far). I’ve got a couple of other bits on there but no interest so far.  I’ve also listed a pair of running shoes on eBay that didn’t fit and left too late to return. Current bid covers what I paid. They were I bargain I didn’t need ( bought to use as ‘clean shoes’ for the gym / classes as my running shoes are pretty grim, but with the whole COVID situation and being asthmatic I’m in no rush to get back to indoor exercise with others so I’ll stick to my running and stinking trainers 🤣) so anything above the current bid is a bonus and profit! 

I’ve switched our gas and electricity, hopefully saving £50 a month. I think this is perhaps a bit over ambitious, so will ask that our dd is set £20 higher than estimated - still a decent monthly saving. Signed up via TCB so should hopefully have £92 in cash back to come. Need to chase this up as it hasn’t tracked yet.

Exercise wise I’ve managed 3 x 5k and one weights session.  I’m usually a morning runner but forced myself out yesterday evening as I didn’t have time in morning. It did me good - I’m such a creature of habit and it reminded me there is life after 6pm 🤣. Diets not been great - need to focus more on that this week.

Need to pop into the village later to pick a few bits our online shop missed, chemist and post office. Hoping to do a bit around the house too and get it looking a bit more loved! 

Have a great weekend 😊