All change for 2025

beanielou

I think you made the right decision to stay til little miss is at least at high school. 

doingitanyway

You are a very balanced thinker so I'm sure your thought process is spot on. 
It sounds as work is doable for the foreseeable. 
Maybe you need a plan to keep you at work, such as factoring in regular holidays and mini-breaks, things you would be less able to afford if you gave your job up.

cuddlymarm

I hope you don’t mind my thoughts too. Life needs living cos you don’t know what’s in the future so you need a balance of now and the future or you may look back and have regrets.

jwil

savingholmes said:

Having a plan helps Jwil. I too have more interesting work again which helps a little. We are still in uncertainty territory but hopefully things will improve soon. 

In the meantime you have your family and any hobbies and interests to focus on. Have you thought about what you'd do with yourself if you 'early retired' - as developing that passion and interest now may make it more meaningful for you - and boost your chances of enjoying it when the time comes. 

Thank you.  Glad you've got some more interesting work too - it makes a difference!  Sorry the uncertainty continues.  We've still got job evaluation to go through so it's not over yet.

I have no real plans when I retire, and have absolutely no qualms about it.  I am not someone who feels they need to be busy all the time, and am very much looking forward to slow living.  I want to get out and about, doing plenty of walking, making use of the NT membership, spending time in the countryside.  I'm happy pottering around, I want to have the time to eat better and more sustainably, I'm sure I'll be able to find groups to do stuff if I feel so inclined.  I like learning, so there will be plenty to keep me occupied, none of which will cost a lot.  Focussing on my fitness now will help with my ambitions!  I'm also mindful that there's a lot I need to achieve in the meantime in order to achieve that goal - I'll need to be mortgage free, will need to have enough to support the children through uni or whatever they choose to do in the short term, and finishing the work on the house, so there's a lot to do in the meantime!

I started with multiple paper rounds as soon as I turned 13, then worked in retail from 15 and haven't stopped since as I worked FT whilst doing my degrees, so I'm sure it will be a shock to the system but one I'm very much looking forward to.

jwil

beanielou said:

I think you made the right decision to stay til little miss is at least at high school. 

Thank you.  I definitely agree.  It makes life so much easier knowing I have that flexibility.

doingitanyway said:

You are a very balanced thinker so I'm sure your thought process is spot on. 
It sounds as work is doable for the foreseeable. 
Maybe you need a plan to keep you at work, such as factoring in regular holidays and mini-breaks, things you would be less able to afford if you gave your job up.

Thank you.  I think that's very true. We do usually get away a couple of times a year which is always nice and I would like to do more of that in the future.  I hope that I can stick it out to be honest, as I'm fairly confident about it, and I'm not at the stage where I feel like I've gone as far as I can in the job - it's still interesting and that's important.

cuddlymarm said:

I hope you don’t mind my thoughts too. Life needs living cos you don’t know what’s in the future so you need a balance of now and the future or you may look back and have regrets.

Of course I don't mind - you are absolutely right.  My plans are there, but I'm very aware that a lot can change in 8 years, so I acknowledge that it might not turn out the way I want to.  I do like having the plan though and something to work towards.

I don't feel like we are missing out.  We don't live extravagantly, and I've been in my job for over 20 years so have had plenty of time to build up the pension.  I do pay a small amount to AVCs each month, and try to increase it slightly every few months, but there are tax and NI savings for me there so the impact on my wage is not as much as it would be.  I don't include that or my LISA in my plans, so those will be a nice little bonus.

We get out and about a fair amount, we go away for weekends a couple of times a year.  We don't really get big holidays but that's more because we have to take our leave separately to cover the school holidays.  We also have an older dog who we can't leave, so we are limited to going where we can take her. If any one of us wants to do something, we find a way to make it happen, and we are happy doing things on a budget so don't feel like we need to splash the cash to be happy.  

jwil

PAD (Payment a Day)

Today's PAD - £2

Jan - £129

Feb - £63

Mar - £73

jwil

And now it's my weekend!  What a relief.  I spent the afternoon trying to comprehend something very technical so out of my comfort zone and not the gentle winding down I try and make my Thursday afternoons  

I had a survey about the health app today and got sent another £5 voucher so that's good.  I've been sticking with the walking, but have slipped on the strengthening and the housework (what a surprise on that one 🙄).  It does mean I need to clean through tomorrow which is annoying.

Today was glorious weather!  It's a shame it was the only day.  I had the windows open which was lovely, and washing out on the line.

I'm quite enjoying the watch.  I like the sleep tracking though it's not very accurate as it told me I was asleep yesterday evening, but I was just sitting in the dark winding down for 10 minutes after finishing work   It's useful on the nights where I have been sleeping badly, as it shows me I probably have more sleep than I think I do.  The new sofa is pretty comfortable so if I can't sleep I no longer lie there raging at every tiny noise,  I just get up and go downstairs.

jwil

PAD (Payment a Day)

Today's PAD - £2

Jan - £129

Feb - £63

Mar - £75

doingitanyway

Sorry you are not sleeping as well as you might. One of the things I like about my own home is being able to go downstairs to make a cup of tea if I want. That is a very healthy Jan PAD.

jwil

doingitanyway said:

Sorry you are not sleeping as well as you might. One of the things I like about my own home is being able to go downstairs to make a cup of tea if I want. That is a very healthy Jan PAD.

Thank you.  Better night's sleep last night thankfully.  The freedom of being in your own place again must be lovely.