Future Proofing my life: Deposit saving then MFW journey in under 13 years

LadyWithAPlan

savingholmes said:

Well done on the win. 

Good MWAP compares so well against the Ex. Also suggests you've grown as a person to attract someone better.

Yep what was I thinking?! Ex went to a v famous US business school for his MBA and feels the need to act like it..He does not read the room .. and decided to flash his abs at everyone as well as trying to persuade me to feel his (admittedly huge) biceps .. I declined the invite ..... Proof that alcohol works ...

@Watty1 indeed I will try MWAP said his ex wife had stroked his arm at a football  game last week (they have kids) and it felt weird  and wrong (they had a no holds barred  divorce) - so I guess we are forming a bond of some kind

Sistergold

Congratulations on the win. Oh the ex thing, it does feel weird when you get touched by an ex! Sometimes it’s like “how did I ever go out with?!”

LadyWithAPlan

@Sistergold yes I think it is the place we were (energy and head space wise) as opposed to who we are now - I was coming out of lockdown and been single for years so was probably not as picky as I normally am !!! 

MWAP is lovely but he is taking up a lot of time - I enjoy us hanging but  I am running out of days to get some important but not urgent things done 
However got a few days clear so need to ramp up my productivity - very big list being drawn up today and I am playing with AI to see if that can speed up some tasks 
I am also not getting to the gym. 

I am thinking of learning a software language like Python to add to my skill sets as a contractor - or maybe React - anyone got any thoughts ? I may go do a course with others so it pushes me to learn vs at home online 
all to get my day rate up for house buying 

Sewing class was fabulous we learnt to do all these gathers, ruffles and pleats - I am thinking about adding a ruffle train to a Vinted long dress I bought for £18 but  may not have  time before I leave 
We just started a block for a top as well - it’s relaxing and fun - most people are not turning up so just 5 of us. 

Grocery spend is way high as often cooking for two 
the HellFresh I ordered was fun though - a nice beef pilaff recipe with rogan Josh sauce 
I do like the cuteness of the packaging and nice to give someone 4 recipe cards and ask what food they wanted 
I had a 50 % off voucher - and now a 40 and then  2 x 20% ones 


I was in south London at the weekend - Dulwich, Forest Hill etc and went to the Horniman Museum - looked at flat prices too - you can definitely get more for your money  there 
£450k/ south  london buys a 2 bed with a nice garden in a lovely building - often £400 k is possible .. it feels about £75k cheaper than the north london area I have been looking even though it’s quite far and outside the north circular 

I have family north and older but still ok parents so N london does make sense but .. maybe .. I have just over 2 weeks in uk before I go off on a busy travel period of work and play so I am waiting til mid June when I get back to properly flat hunt again - I need the contract job to start paying me on time and agreed regular intervals as otherwise I have no hope of qualifying for this mortgage  

debtfreewannabe321

I love the Horniman's museum, spent many an hour as a kid there and running around after my own kids there  

I am thinking about getting another HF order, haven't had one in this house so might see if I can sign up to a cheap discount box, am needing some new ideas for my meal plans. 

You sound so busy all the time you make me feel tired just reading about your days. I hope your contracts start paying soon btw this seems to be an ongoing issue do they have legit reasons why they don't pay on time? 

TallGirl

I am so jealous of your sewing course it sounds amazing and very money saving too. Interesting that South London is so much cheaper. It does not take that long to travel anywhere in London if you get the right connections so distance might not matter so much it is more about access to public transport unless you were looking to drive. Hope the company start paying your properly. As for adding more qualifications have you actually started looking for another contract and come up against this or is it on your wish list. Just thinking it would take more time out of your already busy life and you do need time for MWAP obviously as he sounds like a keeper  . 

ruby_eskimo

Still trying to catch up LWAP but throwing my 2 pennies in re: Python etc: lots of places aren't geared up to use it.  Yes we all talk about the wonders of Python / R / Machine Learning / AI but a lot of companies just haven't the time or inclination to really investigate it.  Depending on what industries you're trying to work with, it could be a good string to add to your bow but lets just say in my industry we're still struggling to get people up to speed with SQL and a friend who works in Pensions is struggling with Excel 😆

KajiKita

One of my team has self taught himself Python to help ‘crunch’ measurement data on components quickly. It seems to be a godsend in terms of how quickly he can process huge datasets now. You might want to do it as much for yourself as for clients? 

Would it help for me to ask him how he approached the ‘self teaching’ thing?

KK

LadyWithAPlan

debtfreewannabe321 said:

I love the Horniman's museum, spent many an hour as a kid there and running around after my own kids there  

I am thinking about getting another HF order, haven't had one in this house so might see if I can sign up to a cheap discount box, am needing some new ideas for my meal plans. 

You sound so busy all the time you make me feel tired just reading about your days. I hope your contracts start paying soon btw this seems to be an ongoing issue do they have legit reasons why they don't pay on time? 

I have a code for a free box and then 10 x 25 % off if you want ? They sent me 3 free codes with my box Let me know I can DM it 

You can  look at the hf website for the recipes as they all online 
I have started using various new to me spices tx to HF eg the lamb Chermoula dish, kochujang spice and also  there is a fabulous lentil mushroom cottage pie on there 

I am ridiculously busy as I am organising 2 side hustle trips which also require me to generate sales to earn so I even have to organise a tax exemption certificate from one country - so the new chap has taken what free time I had and then some 

the invoices delay were ok in their delay originally but now it’s getting silly - all cash flow stuff 

LadyWithAPlan

KajiKita said:

One of my team has self taught himself Python to help ‘crunch’ measurement data on components quickly. It seems to be a godsend in terms of how quickly he can process huge datasets now. You might want to do it as much for yourself as for clients? 

Would it help for me to ask him how he approached the ‘self teaching’ thing?

KK

That be great Kk - there are lots of online course but wondering if may be easier to go to a class 

ruby_eskimo said:

Still trying to catch up LWAP but throwing my 2 pennies in re: Python etc: lots of places aren't geared up to use it.  Yes we all talk about the wonders of Python / R / Machine Learning / AI but a lot of companies just haven't the time or inclination to really investigate it.  Depending on what industries you're trying to work with, it could be a good string to add to your bow but lets just say in my industry we're still struggling to get people up to speed with SQL and a friend who works in Pensions is struggling with Excel 😆

 I do have some work projects Python would be useful but will check out SQL as well - I currently don’t code beyond some uni stuff I learnt over 20 yrs ago but I self taught myself lots software - MWAP has been saying how insanely quick my brain is on puzzles and working tech issues out ( I  have heard this before during my lifetime of work and various bosses - it’s not just his rose coloured glasses) and as MWAP was a software developer and so is encouraging me as he thinks I would be brilliant and far quicker than a lot of his collegues on maths and problem thinking - given the higher day rate and the money help towards my house buying 

I work often in finance sector as a contractor - so  it will be useful as companies upgrade their systems a lot 

on excel that’s scary someone in pensions is struggling - there are lots of online courses on excel if they want help  (python can grab excel data brilliantly) 

LadyWithAPlan

TallGirl said:

I am so jealous of your sewing course it sounds amazing and very money saving too. Interesting that South London is so much cheaper. It does not take that long to travel anywhere in London if you get the right connections so distance might not matter so much it is more about access to public transport unless you were looking to drive. Hope the company start paying your properly. As for adding more qualifications have you actually started looking for another contract and come up against this or is it on your wish list. Just thinking it would take more time out of your already busy life and you do need time for MWAP obviously as he sounds like a keeper  . 

The sewing course is so useful and so fun, super relaxing and gets the mind thinking on how to construct things - I am still a bit baffled confused on the material front back zip dilemma - we have done invisible and normal zips - but it’s weird looking at what goes where 

the teacher worked In a famous high end fashion house in garment construction and design so she is always saying this seam etc makes a garment more expensive etc so fascinating too 

there are just 5 of us left and we are all happily chatting as we work - I haven’t started a home project yet 
We are doing darts next week ! (As on sewing ones) 

I have started looking casually online for a new contract - however a few weeks ago I went down a study online rabbit hole and signed up for a free python course but not had time to move and start it - it would certainly enhance my cv as well as then move me slightly into more IT which is helpful given how the world is moving that way 

 I then mentioned it to MWAP and he is v encouraging due to how my brain works so we  then looked at current jobs and highest paid developers day rates in the finance field I am in - as I don’t care which software language I learn it’s all about maximising day rate in my field and I could definitely increase maybe eventually double my day rate if I spend some few months learning 

I have travel and side hustles til mid June so then I will come back and look for new work and a new course to study - my recent Thursday classes are now all finished and sewing will be done by then as well 

MWAP is lovely but I have to find better ways to organise myself as I am really falling behind on some to dos -