Investing in Us: Holidays, Health, and the Road to £150k

daisy_1571

I think you need to think of it like your toothbrush.   Do you ever lose your toothbrush?   I'm going out on a limb here but will suggest- no, because its where you need it, where you use it and where you always put it back.

No point having a lovely system in a room you don't access easily when you are doing paperwork.   No point taking photos if you don't go one tiny step further and move it into a folder called insurance.   No point chucking things in a random drawer cos that doesn't seem to work for you.  You've gotta keep looking at the problem and think toothbrush - what system works for your mind, where would you like to sit and do paperwork, do you want paper, a notebook, photos, files, a cabinet, individual files, one concertina file?  The more you know your own mind and what makes sense for you, the quicker you will hit on a system that you can keep going.

What do you use at work?  Anything there that you like and can adapt?   There must be something cos otherwise you are going to keep condemning yourself to needless searching, needless mess, needless arguments 

I've tried various things over the years, some too complicated so things pile instead of being filed then it's a pig of a job, some great but inaccessible so same issue but now have settled on plastic popper folders, label on outside clearly marked, a sensible amount of different ones and a repurposed cabinet we already had which fits the folders.  Repurposing that cabinet was a pain - proper game of Contents Tetris as the contents of i think 4 cabinets were switched round but it all makes sense now.  I like paper files for most things, spreadsheets for others plus address book for websites and passwords, that's how my mind works.

Good luck, you can sort it

Dxx

debtfreewannabe321

Thanks @daisy_1571 definitely need to tackle the paperwork mountain in my kitchen drawer. I did go through it last week to be fair as it got too overwhelming and it was sorted, but you're right if I don't find a solution that I keep on top of it will just be back to square one again before long.
I have it all out at the moment on the kitchen table what has come in over the last few days, so will sort that this evening and file it straight away (promise) we bought new filing folders so no excuse now I just need to implement it. I used to be really organised with this sort of stuff when I was younger, but as things moved online and we started needing passwords for things I just got out of practice of keeping a good system. Will go through my photo album tonight too and make a new folder just for passwords I have screen shot. Then I think I will find somewhere to write them all down and delete them off my phone. 

I have just bought curtains and a pole for our naked window. It is 3m across and maybe 4m high so a big open space, it's not a wonder it is so drafty in here. So that's one area draft proofed with some thermal backed curtains. Opted for green as it will match the kitchen which is at the other end of the room and moved away from my usual patterns as felt I already had enough going on in the room. Went through spr1ve as it had the best cashback so got £3.62 back which was sent straight to the mortgage. Even though this has been on our list to purchase since the extension was finished.......MUST STOP SPENDING NOW > > > > !!! At least until our wages are upped.

edinburgher

Curtains aren't the worst spend ever when it's Baltic!

debtfreewannabe321

edinburgher said:

Curtains aren't the worst spend ever when it's Baltic!

@edinburgher this is true I'm actually looking forward to them arriving this week 🥶 it's gotten too cold not to have any now.

debtfreewannabe321

Morning all, 
I've just seen DD off with my cousin, she stalled twice before she'd pulled away which isn't like her 🙈 nerves... hopefully she was okay when she got going.
I'm at work, my last Monday in this role 🙌🏻😁.
Not sure where I will end up as have a feeling my student isn't in again. But am sure it will go quickly. I've got lunch with me, I've not bought any food or drinks this term yet 🙌🏻 got cous cous with coriander and lemon made this morning and salad leftover from yesterday and my usual yoghurt with chia and flaxseed mix and handful of yoghurt. Will break fast after 11 whenever I get a break. Hungry already....right off to work (can't wait to leave this class I'm with today they're already arguing before the class has started 🙄).

debtfreewannabe321

Afternoon all! Well I got to leave that class at around 10:10am 🤣🙌🏻 I went elsewhere and had a great morning filling in for another job role I almost went for last year but didn't bother (technician) that meant the morning went really quickly and I was just cleaning restocking, and organising stuff in a kitchen, also went off half way through to help deal with a safeguarding incident which broke the morning up ... in the afternoon I was moved to a completely new area of campus. The tutor recognised me and realised we'd home ed our kids together a few years ago! TBF she remembered me and where from but when she said it to me I did manage to recall her 🤣 my recognition and memory for people's faces is terrible. So had a nice afternoon with her too catching up and I wasn't really needed, so left early 🤫.

Had my herbalism appointment which is what I sloped off early for, which went well, nothing new bought as I was honest and said I had stopped my tincture. I am going to resume it now I feel better and keep a close eye on how it's making me feel and I promised to drink my tea concoction they'd made me. I'm sat having one now... So nothing spent again today. They did recommend some electrolytes which I agree would probably help me so I will find some that don't cost the earth and have sweetener in as I don't want that in my diet. 
I also commented that I think my mental health is better than it has been in a while, my thinking is slightly clearer and I don't feel so depressed. We think it's probably a number of things helping this, trying to clean up my diet (but I'm only half better than I was certainly not perfect with it), supplements (vit d, b etc), the regular gym sessions, trying to get more sleep and upping my water, no alcohol and possibly the tincture (they've put something in there for mood). But I usually suffer really badly this time of year with depression so I'm feeling happy I don't feel that way right now....makes a nice change.

DD driving lesson went okay, just more practice at staying in lane on roundabouts and her nerves were getting the better of her. My cousin thinks she's test ready though and we hope she is too as we live to be her taxi at the moment. She came back from her driving lesson and then expected DP to drop her to school but he was on a video call so couldn't. So she ended up missing a lesson because of expectations that someone would drop her. The school is less than a mile away. I tell her every time that I used to have to walk a mile to my bus stop then get on a bus not expecting my mum to drop me everywhere but ya know kids, 'yeh mum that was in the dinosaur times' 🙄🙄🙄 rolley eyes. So the sooner she passes the better 😁 then she can complain about insurance costs, petrol and parking costs instead 🤣 rather than having a moan because we won't take her somewhere.

Right, going to prep dinner for tonight after my tea and then go to the gym with DP and DD. 

edinburgher

I am really glad to hear that your MH is improving, I am in a similar boat and there really is no "fake it until you make it" when it comes to MH! In my case the main factor is a better working environment, possibly slightly better diet, possibly supplements, definitely not reduced alcohol

Learning to drive is tough! I started when I was 17, lost heart, didn't finish until I was 29. I like to tell myself that my "what I owe the planet in terms of carbon emissions" account is lower than some because I didn't drive during my 20s, but it's only justification for me being too much of a wuss as a teenager.

debtfreewannabe321

Thanks @edinburgher I'm glad yours is better too as I know you've struggled with your MH too 💖. There really isn't a fake It till you make it, when I do that I'm happy and smiley and bubbly at work then I absolutely crash when home making my MH dip even further. But this school year has been way better for classes I've had, my ability to manage my workload and now the fact I'm on countdown to a new job! I'll never have to do another Monday again in that job and only three more work days left in the job makes it feel like it's wrapping up quickly 😁👌🏻. I just hope I like the new job role as it is far more hours than I'm used to and I don't want that to make my MH dip again 🙈. 

Gym is done! Dinner cooked and now I'm going to chill out for an hour or two with a programme and then read before bed 💖

KajiKita

Don’t worry too much about the extra hours. No one will expect you to be up to speed immediately, so you can allow it to wind up gently. You’ll be tired at first, but you will adapt. I’m doing longer days four days a week than I did before, but because this job is so much a better fit for me, I don’t really notice any more and I’m only 8 months in 😊

KK

debtfreewannabe321

Morning all, I've just seen DP off to a work thing he's gone until tomorrow. So I'm taking DD car into work today. 
I'm having the day off the gym, I woke up twice with throbbing in my legs. I've got a varicose vein that barely shows but when I overdo it 😖 the pain and throbbing is awful. I'm there with it today...so day off gym. I'll come home and elevate my legs and read instead. Nice easy dinner I think as it's just DD and myself. 
@KajiKita my new team seem really lovely so I think they are understanding and considering all their jobs that's a prerequisite off most of us, understanding, kind, compassionate etc so I'm sure it will be fine. When I wake up exhausted though like today it's a bit worrying 🙈. I'm going to stop at the shop on the way to work though and buy some coconut water as I feel dehydrated and I haven't stopped guzzling water. 
Okay best go make my lunch or I'll be giving into a veggie sausage roll by 10am 🙈 hoping for a nice easy day today in class as I've been up 37mins so far and I think I've yawned at least once a minute already 🤣. 

Reward for me later- early to bed, reading and resting my eyes. First work....