The Ongoing Saga of Ruby Trying to Own A Home

ruby_eskimo

Thank you all, feel a lot better after getting that all written down as it's helped me realise just how much (big and small) has been going on and no wonder I'm just feeling overwhelmed and a bit burnt out!

 debtfreewannabe321 said:

Oh blimey.......and breathe. That's a lot to digest. I hope your dad will be okay. 
Work- if a few of you are perhaps being made redundant would it be better to jump ship to a new job whilst there is less people looking, or is the redundancy package a good one? I hope it all works itself out for you, it's so stressful when everything is up in the air. 

There have been moments over the last few weeks where I've really thought about just going but there is nothing out there at the moment and now there are just recruitment freezes across the board.  Lets just say I work in a public sector organisation who's central governance body has just been abolished by the government so there's going to be so many people out there now looking for the very very few jobs that are available.  My redundancy package would be pretty good but they've already admitted they can't afford to pay me off so will be trying their best to redeploy me instead... I will be submitted a complaint to the HR Director when this is all over as the entire process has been ridiculous with me having to jump through a lot more hoops than others have to.  Especially finding out that if I'm the only person shortlisted then I have to have a proper formal interview, knowing full well that someone else was promoted last year for a role they weren't qualified for and didn't have an interview, they were just offered the job with a handshake 😒

So with that being said, today's little wins have been:

- Submitting my application for the "new" job
- Cleaned the living room while I was on a call that I didn't need to contribute much too
- Prepped dinner for when DH gets back from Birmingham
- Made my lunch for going into the office tomorrow
- Finished my latest book while eating my lunch

Only one more call to get through and then more cleaning and organising to do!

South_coast

I'm assuming DH's job is secure in amongst all this? If so, then I think if it was me then I would just sit tight and leave them to make the moves. I'd also be thinking about putting the complaint/grievance in now rather than later, just so it's at the forefront of their minds that you're not going to be a pushover. That might make them more likely to either decide they can afford to pay you off after all so they can just get rid of you (hello cash cushion 😀!), or make sure your new role is at the same level and they don't try and force you into something less senior

debtfreewannabe321

If they can't afford to make you redundant then I would stay out as you'll get another job with them. And if you need the income I guess this is the easiest option rather than searching for jobs that don't exist. I agree with SC put the grievance and complaints in now.... I also reckon they might want to just pay you off or at the very least will not demote you/ take away from your pay. 

ruby_eskimo

Oh yes DH's job is secure at the moment @SouthCoast *touch wood* and he might be getting a promotion soon anyway but who knows as he also works for a different public sector body 🤣

Complaint went in this morning as we've just been informed that there is now a freeze on all recruitment activity across the board until the end of May and since my consultation doesn't finish till 7th April, according to our HR rep, that means this whole thing is affected too.  Have had a swift response from HR Director to say she will review and get back to me by the end of next week which isn't very helpful but we'll see what happens.  Just sitting tight for the moment and trying to reign in DH with his house and garden plans 🤣

We've also been told that we have to be in the office 2 days a week which means I need to revisit and review the budget to see where I can find the extra money to pay for fuel / parking for the next couple of months at least.  In fact I just need to sit down and review it full stop and try to see where we can cut back if we have to.  Good news-ish is that I've now saved enough to pay off our holiday for September which is kind of all inclusive so I know if it all goes wrong, at least I'll still have a holiday this year!

ruby_eskimo

First of the month, new financial year, new start...

Work stuff is officially on pause.  They can't tell me what's happening or going to happen with the new post but they can assure me that I won't lose my current role and I can withdraw from the process at any point and they'll just keep me in my existing role.  Very tempted to do that as it's only an extra £50 a month for the new job (after tax etc.) which HR didn't realise.  Boss is being very supportive and checking up on me.  Feel a lot better having that bit confirmed after a weekend of not much sleep about it.

I am determined that now we have the start of a new financial year, this is the time to start on the NSD's again and just reducing our outgoing spends as much as possible.  Need to sit down and refresh the budget this evening but feeling determined (again...for the millionth time 🤣)

ruby_eskimo

Well April came and went..

in what feels like a blink of an eye and also like it was 3 months long.  

Work hasn't changed really - although after lots of meetings and paperwork, my boss has been approved to recruit me into the new role, subject to an informal interview next week...

DH has been shortlisted for his promotion opportunity and is also being interviewed next week, on the same day as me, which also happens to be his birthday 🤣  I have his present sorted (tickets to see Inside Number 9 later in the year) and have budgeted to take him out for a meal on Friday.  Just need to pick him up a card now.

May is the birthday month for me with DH, my dad and my mum all having birthdays very close together.  This year is a special one with my dad turning 75 and my mum turning 70 two weeks apart, and the week in the middle is when my dad's having his surgery.  We were going to all go away for a little trip which isn't happening now until we see how my dad is.  So I don't have a present for either of them because I feel a little in limbo.  I want to treat my mum as she's had to put up with my dad over the last 2 years (which hasn't been easy, believe me....) so might take her for afternoon tea but other than that I have no idea!  Feel like a rubbish daughter but my brain is a little on strike at the moment.

On the house front, we spent Easter weekend stripping wallpaper in the hallway and landing ready to have the plasterers out in June (an my goodness does it need it!)  I think that may be the last big project of the year, not that there's a lot of things left to do in the house 🤣

Money wise...I've been a little bad and treated myself to some new (to me) clothes.  I know that when I get round to clearing my wardrobe out this weekend (I've said it now, it's going to happen) I will be getting rid of a lot of stuff. So I ended up on vinted one night and may have bought a few things.  Did I really have the money to spend?  No.  But I did it anyway.  I'm not in debt, the money will come from one of the many many pots but that's not the point.  I need to be better about my spending habits.

Just like I need to be better about my eating habits.  I've put on almost 2 stone in weight and I think it's just from comfort eating.  But it's becoming harder and harder to lose as I'm probably now in the menopause so it's just another thing that I need to get under control.  

Hopefully I'll come back next week with a more coherent post; as I said earlier, my brain is a little bit on strike at the moment.

In the meantime I'll leave you with this quote I saw on someone's instagram a couple of weeks ago that has resonated with me a little bit (just need to act on it now):

"You don't need it.  You want it.  You're bored.  You're anxious.  You can't find what you have.  You forgot what you have.  Take the time, instead of shopping and go thought your stuff to see what you have an know what you need.  Appreciate and use the thinks you spent so much time and energy to buy and keep"

beanielou

Hope all goes well for you both next week. 

VintageHistorian

Good luck with both interviews!

Be kind to yourself on the flat brain front. You've moved house, had your job threatened, your Dad's facing surgery and you're menopausal. Just one of those gives enough stress to flatten the brain, have 4 in one go is going to pancake it entirely!

LadyWithAPlan

VintageHistorian said:

Good luck with both interviews!

Be kind to yourself on the flat brain front. You've moved house, had your job threatened, your Dad's facing surgery and you're menopausal. Just one of those gives enough stress to flatten the brain, have 4 in one go is going to pancake it entirely!

I agree completely

Glad your job security is in place at least and I understand your determination to get that mortgage down 

I have also put weight on during this menopause thing (& adjusted my hrt) it’s super common 
However I have had to accept I either do something about it or carry the extra stone plus - I read the very motivating Prof Roy Taylor books ‘living without diabetes’ -and he is very insistent we all should be able to fit in our trousers we wore at 21 (!) or face big health complications - every extra pound is fat that sits around our organs - he says we all add on average on Uk 0.5kg each year from our 20s just from slight overeating 

 but it’s also ok maybe for you right now to admit there is too much stress and you should focus on life  first ? Vs adding a diet on top of it 

ruby_eskimo

Thanks @beanielou, @VintageHistorian and @LadyWithAPlan - especially like the pancake brain analogy as that's exactly how I feel!  It's more than just overwhelm / overloaded, there are literally no brain cells there to work with 😆 

My interview has been pushed back to Monday because our new head of department just cancels meetings all the time for absolutely no reason - don't think I've ever met anyone who's so chaotic and disorganised but hey ho.  DH is still having his today, on his birthday, while on annual leave, and has been told that they won't know the outcome till the end of next week as other people are also on leave today and have insisted they can't possibly be interviewed till the middle of next week 🙄🤐🤔

Credit card has been paid off so that's one big thing ticked off the list.  And I didn't need to raid the emergency pot too much to cover any shortfall so clearly didn't spend as much as I feared I had 😆  Have also requested new details from Barclays once again to see if I can get access back into the mortgage account.  If it doesn't work this time I'm going to lose it with them.

Have also booked in to have a bit of an MOT with the Dr because of all the niggly things that are going on - lots of blood results back already so far it looks like I'm really deficient in vitamin D (like literally in the risk category for rickets, it's that low 🤯) but still waiting on hormone levels etc.  Might have to try and find a copy of that book @LadyWithAPlan but I could quite easily fit back into the same trousers I wore at 21, because I was about 3 stone heavier back then!  And that's an extra 3 stone on top of the 2 I've put on recently.  Not sure that the author would advocate for even more weight to be piled on 😆  I have lost a couple of pounds over the last 2 weeks thanks to running again and working out where I can.  In fact I've definitely noticed that my cardiovascular fitness has improved and I actually managed to do 10 burpees yesterday (I've never managed to do 1 proper one before that!) so trying to not put additional pressure on myself but want to be more active where I can.