Progress is...

rtandon27

Phew - the end of another long busy week! - So glad there is a long weekend to recover.

@Baileys_Babe - thank-you so much for your good wishes & wishing your OH a speedy healing - fatigue is such a hard one to navigate.

@foxgloves - you are quite right about the charity shops there - Henley-on-Thames is another place where the 'new to me' shopping is good.  One of my favorite summer skirts was from a consignment store in Henley and is still going strong all these years later.  So often in the affluent towns, you find quality pieces for a song!

@Cheery_Daff & @Cherryfudge - it was a lovely Staycation & just what was needed.  It seems like a lifetime away even though it's only been a week & I"m hankering over the next one, which I'm hoping will be properly away.

@Cherryfudge - The legs are healing more slowly than I would have liked, but all in the right direction - still a lot of swelling & tenderness in the left ankle, so I might just go back for another round of medical attention

Had a second look at the finances for last month...
...All the pots are full or nearly full, I'm fully budgeted for the basics for three months.  Logically the overall budget is in a good place,  but tallying income vs. expenditures, there was only 40 pounds left at the end of the month in surplus which my head knows is OK but my heart is worried about.  I like to have 200 unbudgeted & unspent from month to month so we each have a floater just in case!  It's a silly little safety net, but emotionally I've made myself used to it.  Again logically, we have budgeted spending money that we rarely use, we have credit cards & savings in case of emergency, but somehow having a floater that isn't labelled for anything seems like an emotional necessity!  Old habits die hard.

There is a position at work that I'd really like to apply to, but looking at the job description, I know there is someone who they have in mind.  The increase in salary wouldn't be until my second or third year, as I already make more than the lowest band for the job.  There is however greater potential for financial stability and a better pension in it at the end of the day.  Do I bother if my heart is not in it?  I've just been assigned a really fun project, but it will only last for a year - then what? - I'm at the top of my salary band and until (very) recently have loved my job!  Do I bail now???? Decisions Decisions Decisions...

Cherryfudge

It's probably worth getting your legs looked at again if they are bothering you.  It would be good to get the problems well and truly shifted.

The job dilemma is a tricky one - you say you are tempted but also that your heart's not really in it, so it sounds to me like more of an escape route than a career choice. And can you be sure that current problems wouldn't follow you? Perhaps try drafting the bit of the application that says why you want the job and see if that sparks enthusiasm or perhaps doesn't ring true.

rtandon27

@Cherryfudge - I do indeed have a follow-up appointment booked for mid-month, but patience is a virtue that forgot me & I'm impatient to have a resolution sooner rather than later 🤣

Still humming and hawing over applying for the position - the worst that can happen is that the other person gets it - as far as internal positions go, there are not many people who have the qualifications the way the job advert is written.  I won't love the job the way I've loved my current position but I'm thinking that as this point in life the financial stability and a better pension payout means more.  The other option is to win the lottery and be financially independent, but we all know the chances of that happening are next to nil!

Did the weekly budget fiddling this morning and have discovered that OH's pension money has arrived already, as it was due on the Bank Holiday Monday. An extra 40 pounds there but the increase had already been book-marked for the increase in council tax and the increase in groceries/household items.  I've shuffled what can be shuffled and all pots are now topped up - basics and otherwise.  In general as long as 3 months of food/shelter/utilities/transportation are covered - everything else can be unfunded or minimally funded until the next bit of pay arrives for us. 

Having a look through the pots I've managed to reduce a couple to minimal spends since the beginning of the year.  Many less working lunches have been had and though I've been the most vocal about stating exactly why not, there are at least 3 others who feel the same way and are quite thankful that I don't mince words.  If the powers that be can't ensure our salaries keep up with life then life needs to adjust to the salaries we receive.  Also have cut the 'gift' category right down - family across the pond gets a card at most these days, actual gifts have been axed - friends get e-mail or text wishes - work collections get a pound or two at most.  Sign of the times, again it's salary not keeping up with the cost of life!  I'll also be very thankful when OH no longer needs the legal fees pot, but that situation is still dragging on so we need to keep it funded.  At some point the money will fund half of the monthly mortgage overpayments as that is how much we set aside each month, but for now it is what it is.  Vacation pot is funded but we have be at great pains to not spend it and use what we save to top up other pots - that has worked well, our last time away was August and we may have a short break this month for our anniversary or next month for my birthday. 

rtandon27

Wow it's been a hot minute since I've updated my own diary!

So what have I been up to the past two weeks...

HEALTH & WELLBEING
* Well the fun bit is we had a little weekend trip away, just north of Oxford to to celebrate our 19th anniversary.  I can't believe how my planned 2 years in the UK has multiplied by almost 10!  We had to put aside the ouchiness of the expenditure knowing we had saved up for just such an occasion!  At the end of the week we both laughed at ourselves for second guessing our time away as we both felt refreshed afterwards.
* The not fun bit was the week before this time away I was quite ill, having had a really bad seizure brought on by work stress.  The less said about it the better.
* I was secretly pleased this week, that my manger actually got to see 2 full days of tics and twitches and was visibly made uncomfortable by them.  I even got to retort "Yes, I'm fine, I'm learning to live with my condition, but if you are uncomfortable, I'm more than happy to adjourn to another day." - I've learned over the past three years that Discrimination and Ableism are rife in this world and are not easy to negotiate, but it is OK to set your own boundaries and be authentically yourself. - People don't want to be coddled or fixed, they want to be heard & understood.

WEALTH
* We are ticking along & staying within our budget.  Our phone & internet bill has been reduced and our water bill increase will be covered by this very amount so we will break even.
*  The first (smaller) part of OH's financial settlement has come through and I was able to top up all the pots I'd borrowed from to cover mortgage overpayments.  This part of the settlement actually amounts to slightly more than what I had planned to pay off before the end of the year, so I'm happy to report that the mortgage overpayment  project will be covered as well.
*  I've been summoned for Jury Duty - my medical condition should be enough to excuse me, but if it doesn't, I've received confirmation that I get full pay from work & we have a special leave category for that.
*  I've complained about my Pension Administrator to one of the trustees (a friend) as a full year of my contributions has been omitted from the tally and they had the gall to tell me it didn't matter as it's a DB pension.  When I found someone who could be bothered to help, she agreed to me that my death in service benefit would be affected if the numbers were incorrect.  Given that in 2022 I almost died 3 times, OH would have received less than he should have for one of the Pension related benefits!  I was livid with their flippant nature and have written a scathing reply to them which they then had to report back to the trustees quarterly meeting last week.  My friend said he had a hard time keeping a straight face when they reported back what I said as he is well aware of my sharp retorts when pushed the wrong way.  I'm also not the only one affected by this issue, but the others don't have the financial acumen to fully understand how it would affect them nor the patience to comb through 13 or more years of contributions to find out exact dates and numbers that need correcting.
*  Project H2O and Project Mortgage Overpayments are now fully funded - let's see what the next financial goal should be!  I've got an urge to learn about proper investing, I've also much paperwork that needs proper filing so that might be a good but boring start.

GRATITUDES
* Fabulous weekend away in a B&B that was once the manor dairy and had a bigger footprint than our entire house.  OH got a posh pub dinner and I got a fancy Japanese Sushi Bento for lunch one day.  The final day we found a kebab van and it was so strong I think the scent carried all the way to the other end of the village.  Let's just say no vampires visited!
*  My legs are doing well with the change in medication, allergic reaction is all but gone and the swelling is much reduced.
* The universe has given us enough to meet our needs and our goals.  We are not millionaires (yet) but we can live frugally within our means and not want for anything and even have to occasional guilty treat.
* The sun shone, the birds sang, I got to work from home in the summer house all day & set my own pace.  Aloneness can be a lovely thing once in a while.

Cherryfudge

You've had an eventful two weeks! It's awful that the stress at work brought on a seizure. You must have been ready for your time away after that (and probably before that). And what a lovely break, by the sound of it.

I did jury service at one point and it was really interesting, but of course some people get traumatic cases to hear and I can understand when people don't want that. 

Well done for holding out for your rights at work and funding the water bill and mortgage overpayments! You're on a roll! Do you know whether they have corrected your record yet?

themadvix

I’ve done jury service twice and found it to be quite interesting. It’s certainly given me an empathy for the jurors when reading about court cases in the news. If you think your health will be affected, then it’s entirely understandable not to want to do it, but otherwise, I’d say it’s an interesting experience and it’s important for society. Not all cases are really traumatic - neither of mine were - and you’ll usually have a good idea by the length of the case as to if it will be - they’ll usually ask if you are able to take a case that will last longer than two weeks and you can say no (this happened the last time I did it and I said no - it was a murder trial).

rtandon27

@Cherryfudge - I've suddenly realized that wrt work, I have to self-advocate.  I pushed back on the boss today twice (easier on wfh days) and was much happier for it by the end of the day & got a lot more done!  I'm also happy to report that I got a start on my job application over the weekend.  I was given some food for thought - people don't leave jobs, they leave managers and this thought alone pushed me in the direction of action.

@themadvix - I definitely agree with you about jury duty being a civic responsibility, and if I didn't have a rare health condition to manage I'd have happily accepted!  I had a doc's appt today & discussed deferring jury duty with her and she agreed 100%+ that now is not the time for me to participate.  The deferral is only for a year but I think that in a year's time my stamina should be improved enough to consider the next summons.

So I had a nosey round in my newly upgraded mortgage account and discovered a mortgage calculator there - it's not a great tool tbh but playing with it confirmed that my YNAB projections are spot on.  There is also a cumbersome tool to apply to reduce the mortgage term by increasing payments (and the opposite case that I don't need to consider), but I think I'll wait until my fix ends before contemplating this.  Another feature was converting my mortgage to a buy to let which could be an option should I choose to return across the pond at any point.  I was also pleasantly surprised to find free access to Transunion CRA where I can check my credit report. They recommend looking at it once a month so I have diarized to coincide with my monthly clear the credit card exercise.

Progress is...
Being comfortable enough with managing our finances that my brain has enough room to focus on new topics such as investing & credit reports & renting out property.  I do wish financial acumen was a mandatory class in schools, out of all the things I've learned as an adult being savvy with earnings is the greatest skill!

rtandon27

A weekly update...

HEALTH & WELLBEING
* Have submitted my OT report to HR, bypassing manager to have a chat directly with them, though I did giver her a copy - Meeting on Tuesday in which I will be demanding a timeline in writing for rectifying the four points in that report!
* Had a restful Monday and Friday not having to commute, and even got to actually concentrate on work!
* Took Thursday afternoon off to visit an art gallery with an old MSE chum - we didn't actually end up in the art gallery, instead opting to have a wander in a couple of parks and taking silly selfies - who knew there was so much beauty in the heart of London.

WEALTH
* We are still ticking along & staying within our budget.
* I made a 52 pound profit in the fun scratch and win lottery - enough to cover two planned meals out this week!  South Indian vegetarian with 3 work chums & my monthly ladies who lunch date.  The universe forgot the 6 or 7 zeros at the end of the number, but every little helps!
*  Savings money juggled into all the places paying the highest interest, but I do need to get my head around tax free savings & investments and put it away a bit more intelligently as I'm paying unnecessary tax over the interest from last year (human error)
* Still not heard back from Jury people - very annoying as only 3 weeks to go & doc is in complete agreement that now is not the time to participate, though work does give me full pay
*  Heard back from the blasted Pension administrator - I need to calm down and then put into writing exactly what I think of their incompetence! - with a cc to the Pension Trustee
*  I finished the application for the job application today, someone said to me this week, you are the most qualified person in this building for that position so just give it a go.  I got Chatgpt to proofread my answers and was surprised to find so few corrections!  Such a confidence boost with the AI says your writing skills are balanced and eloquent.  OH on the other hand reminded me (not so eloquently) that a couple years of illness does not erase a lifetime of experience and hard work - the complement might have been peppered with colourful language which did make me laugh while I was stressing out that the system was making me answer the same questions in multiple ways.

GRATITUDES
* Leg swelling all but gone!  So happy - now have to get weak ankle looked at
*  Went to a craft fair today - crafts were a bit meh but the milkshake and waffle we had were just decadent and cured my need for chocolate!
* I'm once again thankful that the universe has given us enough to meet our needs and our goals.  We are not millionaires (yet) but we can live frugally within our means and not want for anything and even have to occasional guilty treat.
* ...and again, the sun shone, the birds sang, & I set my own pace this week.

So life is ticking along, nothing fabulously interesting happening one way or the other, but drama is over-rated.  

themadvix

Congrats on the win - every little certainly does help!

 Hope you hear back from the Courts service soon - is there a phone number you can call to speak to someone? I think there was on my paperwork, although different area and a few years ago now (although in latter part of covid times).

KajiKita

Liking the sending OT report straight to HR tactic 😉👏

Don’t calm down too much before drafting that letter to the pension administrator - use that energy to do the first draft and then let it sit until you have calmed down and then polish it 😊

Delighted by OH’s robust and pithy support for you going for the new role 😊 and very satisfying to get that feedback from a colleague. I hope it goes well 🤞

I agree - drama is over rated, glad you haven’t got too much 😊

KK