A new chapter, An empty nest, Drama school & Last year of Uni

Spendless

After the 3RD time of chasing the agency up about the outcome of the teams interview I discover that they are seeing someone f2f this week (not me)  and will depend on the outcome of that as to whether they see others. That's not concrete enough for me to be on pause. If they go on to ask me to attend a f2f I'll go but I'm not planning what I do next around it. I therefore need to speak to my agency and then my manager soon about leaving earlier than I've been offered work until, so I can guarantee getting at least a week's hol before starting new job. Due to having an interview next week within the same organisation I don't feel I can show my full hand yet though.  

DS stag party this weekend. DH doesn't get paid till Monday so will need to borrow from savings and pay back when wages go in. This month has been tight, but we've just got the last few days to pull through. 

Spendless

Ok -  so stage 1 done I have given a week's notice to my agency. I gave personal reasons such as wanting to take a week off after DS wedding to spend time with my family and feel that I would leave next week on a positive note, which I feel I will if the next thing I look forward to is attending son's wedding rather than the role just ends. I was asked if there was anything negative behind it and I answered if I was forced to give a negative reason it was that I had a sense of 'why should I stay till the last minute, it was due to the new starter not being able to commence work till the following week and that wasn't my problem  and had no enthusiasm staying beyond next week'  whilst acknowledging that wasn't my line managers fault and it had been nice of him to offer me an additional week's work but I wanted the time off more.

So next step is to talk to my line manager tomorrow morning about it.  

Spendless

Spoke to my line manager - who remained neutral about it, I was unable to tell if he was surprised or disappointed I wasn't staying my final week (DH has suggested he was just resigned to it). He did mention that I'd not do another office day again, which I'd not considered, but I'm happy with that, not that I don't wish to see my workmates again but I'd rather not go in knowing it's my last time there. Part of the same reason I don't wish to work my last week, I feel leave next week and I'm leaving to attend DS wedding and spend time with my family and it feels a lot more positive to leave at that point. I will tell my colleagues on my next work day.

Today is DS stag do. I'll talk to DH later but I think some money might need to be borrowed from savings for it. DH gets paid on Monday so won't need to borrow for long. Alternatively DH can just pay by card  everywhere and the transactions won't go through until Monday night anyway. Will talk to him when he wakes on the best step forward.
DH gets a bonus next payday too, which will be very handy for the items we are paying for for the wedding that are to be paid on the day. I realised I still need a couple of bits for my outfit, that I should have bought by now, hope I can get them ordered to come on time - eeek!


DD is working today, it's the shop opening. She worked yesterday and  went to  her 1st ever  work meeting which she described as a scene from 'The Devil Wears Prada'   I know when you are working for what is considered a premium brand you have to dress accordingly, I didn't realise the nibbles in a meeting would be similarly upmarket. DD described food on the table from the likes of Waitrose and M&S. DD got paid yesterday. She paid me back for the bag she bought last week when training with her staff discount. They aren't allowed to buy to start off with at the new store till it establishes itself. I understand this they want to see how sales are doing without staff skewing the figures. DD says they only store a couple of each item too so need to make sure there's enough stock for customers.  Having her own money for the first time in weeks meant she indulged in a mini shopping spree but she also asked about how she went about opening  a savings account, so hopefully some will be saved too.

This evening me and her go to watch live theatre at a nearby city. It was a birthday present to her. Got to go early straight from her work shift due to train strikes as there's only 2 trains that will get us there, and only one of those is direct  and we are reliant on the last bus service coming back home. I've thought about taking DH car and swallowing my nervousness but DH did the same trip with me and my parents to watch theatre earlier this month and didn't find driving and parking in the city centre all that easy, so not keen on the idea. 

Spendless

Back from the theatre trip which we enjoyed. Having had to go early due to the train strikes, so catching the only one there was, thought we'd eat at a buffet restaurant when we got there, only to find it closed for refurbishment, put off by another that had expensive prices plus a 'discretionary service charge' but failed to tell you how much, we moved to a pizza chain instead, but by then I think we were too relieved to find something and with plenty of time to kill had 3 courses, so a spend more than anticipated. Pleasantly surprised by the bus trip home which went city to city for £2 each (know these are the current local fares, didn't realise they still applied at that distance though) bus  journey was just over an hour long. When we arrived back, DS was still out on his stag night so we met up and caught a mini cab together. He lives 2 villages further on than I do, so I gave him £15 towards his fare as I got out , seeing it was already an estimated £18 to his house . Then I went inside our house  and told DH who had been out on the stag do and returned early and discovered that DH had already given him £20 towards his fare home (if I'd known this I wouldn't have contributed at all!) in addition to 2 relatives giving DS £60 and I think he had all his drinks and meal paid for by others anyway. Kids - lol, even when they're a week from being married! I'm taking the view that the money he made last night can go towards any last minute wedding costs for him and Dil2b. Am grateful it's pay day tomorrow though, I always find it difficult with a month that is rude enough to have 31 days it with the last falling on a Monday and payday is always the last working day. 

Think that makes it 3 expensive weekends in a row! So glad I have a new job to go to, I think by this stage I'd be worrying about supporting DD if I hadn't already got something lined up.

Spendless

Had my last interview with the organisation I work at currently. 7 competence based interviews. I made sure I covered so much in each question, I know I repeated stuff! Personally I find these sort of interviews bizarre that they don't actually tell you what the job involves (beyond the job description/application form you first fill in) unless you actually ask them at the end! (which I did). To this day the best interview I ever had, was when the supervisor actually showed me during interview the paperwork that needed doing, yeah show me what you want done not how well I answer a question! 

Won't know until next week unfortunately as they're interviewing others and one is an agency temp already working there (I know that doesn't guarantee anything - look at my case!).So I think what I do for now is focus on the future and the offer I do have and cross any other bridges when I come to them.

Today is my last working day where I am and thinking by the end of the day I would know the outcome of yesterday's interview I thought I'd be telling them that I had something and would be going to job x or y. Not sure what to say now or even if I should. I am sooo pleased I gave a week's notice and am ending things today though. I feel a lot more upbeat about taking a week off before I move on to the next thing. 

Last minute personal  wedding expenses have been coming in I needed a strapless bra for under my dress. DD who is a bridesmaid  got her nails done and is sorting her eyebrows today (place was already closed by time  we got there yesterday). A conversation with DS last night revealed he doesn't own any aftershave. That pulled at my heartstrings because I passed on a perfume set to Dil2b to wear on her wedding day  as it was her fav and I wasn't sure about the scent on me, but hadn't thought of DS. DD  who works at a retail outlet is tasked with finding some for her brother today.  DS doesn't tend to speak up when he lacks something, which is frustrating because it would make finding birthday and Xmas gifts so much easier for him.

Can't believe we're setting off tomorrow for their wedding. They'd just got engaged when I started this diary. Exciting. . 

 

Spendless

And done, my time at the last  workplace finished. I expected to be twiddling my thumbs for the last few hours, it was surprising how time consuming it was to finish everything off and do a handover. I called on a workmate afterwards and received a card with lovely messages on, a bottle of bubbly and a box of smellies, which was lovely. I told the same workmate about my job offer and my reasons for keeping it quiet. 

Today we set off for DS wedding early afternoon after picking DD up from work. Got the dog to put in kennels, need to pick up a couple of last minute bits and withdraw some money as a couple of the wedding providers need paying on the day. Unfortunately it doesn't currently look like we are going to avoid the rain and I've no idea what the contingency plan for photos is. 

enthusiasticsaver

Good luck with the outcome of the job interview. I hope the wedding goes well too. Exciting times. 

Honeysucklelou2

Hope you have a wonderful day whatever the weather. 

Yankee24

We’re still waiting for our eldest to get engaged.  We married young and are not anti at all.   Enjoy!!!!!!

Spendless

Thanks for the good wishes everyone on here and in messages. A lovely day, the bride looked beautiful her  hair and dress was lovely DS looked very smart, DD  looked gorgeous in her bridesmaid dress. The meal was fabulous, that had been a fantastic deal because booked as we'd just come out of lockdown3 so though it's usually a carvery, at that time they were only allowing being served at the table and that's the t'c and c's that it was locked in at, so a 3  course Sunday roast was served at what was 2021's carvery price not a sit down wedding meal cost. We had paid the drinks bill as part of our contribution as the bride's family mostly don't drink - so wasn't an expense we expected them to pay and that came in very reasonable - I have my Mum to thank here for going with me  to sort out the drinks package and being quite practical in terms of what I needed to order cos I hadn't a clue - and when some other unpaid for wedding expenses came to light shortly afterwards I was grateful  that meant we had some additional money to contribute.

Unfortunately it did rain and that meant the photos had to be taken in the church and were more time consuming, and though they were due to be continued at the venue the meal couldn't be held up any longer, then some guests were going to have to leave after the main meal which meant DS made the decision that him and his new wife were just photo'd at each of the tables with the various guests instead. If I could have changed one thing for them it would have been the weather purely due to the knock on effect of the photos being taken, but they enjoyed their day regardless and that's the most important thing.  

My Dad forgot to pack his suit and was really upset at the thought he might have to be in jeans as his Grandson married and said he didn't feel he could attend dressed like that (Mum said he couldn't not attend however dressed!) returning 100 miles home to collect wasn't an option, nor was finding a shop open at past 5pm on a Friday night that would sell anything. Fortunately he had got shirt and trousers and tie and no-one even me noticed his lack of jacket. It has however made me realise that he (and Mum) could do with some suitable and clearly labelled luggage items and since Dad is very difficult to find gifts for anyway this has given me a helpful idea for them for Christmas.  

And on to this week. This is the first day of my week off. We have odd jobs of de-cluttering etc to get done before I embark on my return to f-time work. I also need to get my old job's laptop and equipment back to them, ideally later on today. By the end of the week I should have 2 months worth of living costs for DD for when she moves away, would have been been closer to 3 months if I'd worked this week, but I needed the time off more. I can't work out my new budget yet because I need to find out details of what I'll be paid once I start new job because I think 1st pay-packet won't be a full month due to date I'm starting.

CC payments have gone out today, £300 on CC1 which I *think* makes it 2 more payments till this has gone and the min payment on CC2, because the balance to pay this off at the end of it's 0% term goes into a HI acc on a different date, the £80 back into my savings acc which was the balance I borrowed from there due to the part of the old CC that couldn't be transferred onto a 0% has also gone out