Mortgage free in Forever Home :-)

South_coast

I would second trying to find either an Air BnB to base yourself in, or being a lodger. Hotel food every night long-term is the pits (and dreadful for the waistline). Good luck with your pondering!

KajiKita

Thanks for all the thoughts everyone. I really appreciate the input. 

Role is UK wide, not clear how many sites. It does include a car, but that isn’t as strong an incentive as it was. It would probably impact my quality of life massively (my current job already does quite a lot, but at least I get to sleep at home most nights in a year). 

I would seriously consider getting a cleaner if I was in a role like this - I think it would be the only way I would survive. But that would then bring down the direct ‘benefit’ of doing the role to c. £600 pcm (if I got the top pay band, which I might not, being relatively inexperienced - never been a director before)  and there were no other additional costs such as fuel. That would be a further £7,200 off the mortgage each year which would certainly make an impact. Anything over and above 10% of outstanding balance could then be AVCs or pension. 

I will message the recruiter to discuss it a bit more this evening, but I’m really not sure I could face the being away from home, the amount of travel etc. Where I am is HARD work, but at least I feel safe, secure, I like the culture and I am finally starting to feel like I know a bit of what I am doing (after 18 months!), finally starting to see the impact of the hard work I have put in (building the team etc) ….

KK

Merlin's_Beard

Well worth getting as much information as possible, even if you're leaning towards a no at the minute. You're not committing to anything by talking to them!

KajiKita

I messaged the recruiter about having a conversation yesterday evening but he never replied and didn’t call me, so I am guessing he has moved on to other candidates. I obviously wasn’t keen enough! 😉 Not too worried. It was a useful intellectual exercise and sets parameters about what’s important to me, which would allow me to evaluate other potential future opportunities more quickly, if they come along. 😊

I have woken up feeling a bit gloopy but less tired. On a mission this morning to get parsley and cucumber plants in the ground before it gets too warm to work. If some dahlias happen as well, so much the better!

Payday yesterday so eom money shuffles and the monthly OP will be happening here (crossing my fingers for a substantial one!) and then I want to tackle some really messy bits of my house - such as the table in the kitchen that is accumulating STUFF! Cleaning and then chilling needs to happen too. 😊

KK

skint_spice

Good luck with the table! I aim to tidy up my attic room this weekend or at least start. 

You didn’t sound keen on the new job but it was perhaps as you say a learning exercise on your priorities. Nice to be considered though!

KajiKita

skint_spice said:

Good luck with the table! I aim to tidy up my attic room this weekend or at least start. 

You didn’t sound keen on the new job but it was perhaps as you say a learning exercise on your priorities. Nice to be considered though!

I wasn’t really …. I would be interested in a directorship and more pay 😉 But not with that much travel / time away from home as it really doesn’t suit me at all. 

The table is next on the list! I have cucumbers, an extra tomato plant and a couple of parsley plants now in the ground in the greenhouse. Also weeded, deadheaded and watered in there. 😊👍 First load of washing on the line and next load in the machine. Waiting on my Mr T delivery and chilling / cooling down on the sofa for a bit. Mr KK meanwhile is playing with blocks and cement in the hole in our lounge floor! 

KK

KajiKita

Done my post-pay-day monthly financial review:

- Groceries spend is at 103% of budget so £17 over. Not brilliant but not awful. 

- Credit card balance cleared.

- £350 OP from monthly pay sent off. With my additional Qm33 and TT of our joint account of £5.13 this morning, that makes a total of £474.47 month to date. 

- 23 minutes on the phone with 33 just now, has reduced my monthly bill for my mobile by £12 pcm for the next 12 months and apparently it won’t go up in line with their normal price rises in March. Need to diarise confirming next June what it will then move to. By then I should have enough savings to purchase a handset, if I need one but this one is doing fairly well atm, I’m not hard on them. 

KK

KajiKita

Harvested my first spuds today and a couple of good handfuls of broad beans. Cooked the spuds with fresh mint and will make salads with them for my lunches for a few days this week 😊
I have logged all of the above and that takes my produce tracker to £96.65 of a target £100 for the year 😊

KK

KajiKita

Salad made with the broad beans and spuds - that’s quietly thinking about itself in its dressing whilst Mr KK’s plate warms up - I’m having salad, he’s having HM batch goulash and rice. 

Harvested almost another kilo of strawberries and processed them to the freezer / this evening’s dessert 😊 Interesting to see how much the cost of strawberries has come down since I started harvesting here, but even so today’s effort takes my produce tracker over my target £100 to £103.something pence! Yaay 😊

Mr KK’s washing dried, folded and back in his room. Let myself off the cleaning chores today but did run round with a bin bag and empty every waste basket in the house. 😊

Potted up asters, verbascums and another ornamental I forget the name of. Also, harvested and hung up for drying a good lot of sage - my friend says it looks witchy! 😂

Really, really pleased with how much I have managed to do today. Very proud of myself for actually harvesting and using my produce - this is a big step forward for me ❤️



KK

MissRikkiC

The sage looks very cool like that. We’ve had some broad beans, pak choi and spring onions this weekend too, as well as soft fruits. 

We had big plans for the garden today but the most I’ve managed is to stake my tomatoes and purchase more compost and feed. Everything needs a good feed and I have so much to plant out into pots however running out of patio! 

Your ‘done’ list is impressive, well done to you.