Teetering on the brink

daisy_1571

Planning is definitely good 😆 

Cross referencing the receipts is such a simple idea but saves hours of checking if you'd added to the spreadsheet or double counting things.  Big number at top right with a circle round it and you'll easily spot it and can go back straight to the line of the spreadsheet if you need to check something.  System learnt the hard way for me, delighted if it helps anyone else save time and hair tearing!

Dxx

EatingBeans

So far this new way of taking the meds seems to be working! Or at least going in the right direction. I’m now waking up to my 4:30am alarm (albeit with a well deserved grump for the rude awakening at such an ungodly hour), and I am falling back asleep pretty quickly too. I’m deliberately not setting a later alarm as I wanted to see how long I would naturally sleep and it seems to be between 8-9am so that is much more reasonable. I do get a bit of pain and lethargy through the day but I’m not finding that I have to give in and take anything else until about 5pm so it is much closer to being workable to do some actual work. I have an appointment with the GP tomorrow so I will run this crazy idea past them and see what they think. No doubt they will just tell me to do whatever I feel works best until I get to the specialist as really they don’t know what to suggest themselves. 

So, yesterday I managed two hours on my spreadsheet revamp. I am deliberately starting afresh with a blank slate and trying to build something that will also give me a dashboard and some new reporting. The eye opener came in that for a few things I realised I didn’t even know who I was paying for things! Who is my current supplier for car and house insurance? Am I still paying for Netflix? My brain has been so mushed I had no idea! (The answer is no for Netflix btw 😁) I literally took every transaction for the last 12 months and broke it down to who I was paying, what for and came up with some new ways to categorise everything. My plan is to create the new spreadsheet and then complete it as well as the old one for a couple of months so I can compare the results I get and make sure I don’t lose any of the good stuff I’ve built up over the decades. 

Sadly I am not up to moving around much and going out is still a no no at the moment but at least I have found something I can actually do and that is making me feel better. 

EatingBeans

Another good day pain wise, at least until I had to venture outside. 

dd1 had to have a procedure at the dental hospital today so I needed to drive her.  All done now and after 3yrs it was the final appointment with her consultant who has been an absolute legend sorting her teeth out. It will feel really odd to suddenly stop visiting. 🤣 

Back in the warm not though, and having picked up several boxes of meds on the way home I am hoping to avoid going out again any time soon! 🤞 

Time for a quick bite of lunch and then back to more spreadsheet tinkering. The more I ponder this idea of setting up my own business the more I feel like it’s actually something I should pursue. I’ve even broached the subjective with my family and they all seem to think it is a good idea so I think that has helped me feel like it’s actually possible. I don’t doubt that it would be hard work but it would at least be much more flexible hours-wise. I’m actually quite excited. 😁

ellenvan

Perhaps with the cushion of a lump sum from the leaving package, you could get a part time job and set up gradually with self employment.

ellenvan

Random thought that you have probably already considered:
It's very difficult to get a mortgage until you have 3 years of self employed accounts,in my experience.

EatingBeans

Yes, the impact if all of this on getting a mortgage has been on my mind. It’s probably the only reason why I’m even slightly doubting the decision to leave my current job. But then I remember that my current job isn't helping me actually pay down my debts, I am really treading water at best so something has to change or I think I will be in the same position this time next year and I’ll have no hope of remortgaging anyway. 😕

My initial plan is still to look for better paid full time work but potentially a fixed term contract rather than permanent. I know that wont help my mortgage chances either but it will make it easier to get a job quickly. Once I have any new job and I know how much I have left of the pot, I’ll know how much debt I have left to tackle. If necessary I can then think about getting a permanent job to sort the mortgage if needed, or possibly just sell the house depending on timings. In an ideal world I would like to start the self employed element alongside and get it up and running so that I have something to fall back on that is more TN friendly.  I think being employed at least a part time is likely to be the aim for quite a few years no matter how well the business venture goes as that opens the door to sick pay. It seems ironic to me I can see how self employment would make it a lot easier to actually stay in work with the TN, but if I reach the point of not being able to work at all then employment is better as I’d be entitled to sick pay. I think keeping one foot in each camp might be the new way I have to approach it.