Time for Change…..

honeybee1234

I'm enjoying your forward momentum and the super efficient lists! You're doing well with the selling and decluttering, don't be too hard on yourself with not having mastered the budget grocery shop as well already, that can come next. 

Little_Ms_Determined

Thanks @honeybee1234 -I feel that I’ve entered the surviving (not thriving) period of the month now where the focus is just getting by until payday. 6 days to go and counting…..

Decluttering is continuing. I’ve got 10 years of paperwork to go through and dispose of. Thankless task but one that needs doing. Makes you realise how far we’ve come with everything online now - juries out though on which I prefer. I guess I’m still quite old school at heart.  

Had a card running out of its 0% - ashamed to say not much progress had been made in the previous BT period. I’ve transferred this and need to take action to get it gone.

I’ve made just over £100 in fb sales since I last posted and a further £14 on Vinted. This has been sent to the cards, although won’t see much benefit as I’ve had a chunk added on in BT fees. A necessary evil I guess.

Another full on weekend with football matches and plenty needing doing around the house. Just hope we manage to dodge the worst of storm Ingrid.

Little_Ms_Determined

Focus for the first half of the year is CC1 with £4572.65 to pay before the end of August. Wish me luck! 

in_need_of_direction

You can do this

Little_Ms_Determined

Morning,

Long time no type! Pay days been and gone, so debts in the main have been paid for the month. Anything that gets chucked that way here on in is a bonus! I’ve got £7 waiting to be payable in Vinted so will send this over to my target card once payable. Need to continue with the listing though as I’ve slowed up on that front over the last couple of weeks.

The garage is pretty much clear of what it needs to be clear of - just a few bits of old furniture for the tip and then it’s a case of organising things. Dropped 3 bags off at school yesterday for preschool and have another bag for the charity bin at work.

I’m seriously considering getting a doctors appointment. I’m 95% sure I’m perimenopausal and am finding myself really struggling at the moment. It’s nothing major, but just day to day I feel anxious, overwhelmed, teary and struggling to find any enjoyment in anything and I’m no fun to be around! It’s been going on for a while but just lately it seems to be consuming me more.

Little_Ms_Determined

Long time no type (again!!!) but change is happening!
I’m leaving my current company and job that has been dragging me down for the last 2-3 years and starting a new one after Easter. I’m a firm believer in things happening for a reason and the change in management at my current place and the fact that this job came up which couldn’t be a better fit for me, seem to be the universe screaming at me to take action. The only potential downside (although it has a financial upside too…) is that it’s full time. I’ve been part time for the last 11 years since my son was born so it’s going to a big shock to the system. But the salary is the same as what I’d have got at my current place full time, so should be nearly £1k better off per month 😊. Which means debts can be paid quicker and hopefully less money stress. Every cloud has a silver lining and all that!

Anyways for the next few weeks I’ll be mainly focusing on getting the house as sorted as I can and putting routines in place to help things pretty much look after themselves. So far I’m looking at….

1. The organised mum method for housework - i.e 30 mins in one room per day plus 10mins daily tasks
2. Haynets / feeds for ponies made up for the week at the weekend.
3. School uniform and football/ swimming kits sorted for the week at the weekend
4. Simplifying my (work) wardrobe
5. Taking dog with me to yard in the morning and walking her from there.
6. Online food shop (or send the OH)
7. Batch cook / meal plan for week
8. Stop doom scrolling in the mornings and use the time for exercise!

Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Next month will be tight with the transition from one job to another (currently get paid 2 weeks in advance and 2 in arrears so possibly only getting 2 and a bit weeks pay). I’m also taking a week unpaid between jobs for the Easter hols which has delayed my start date.

Really excited as to what this new chapter will bring 😬

DaedricPrince

Congrats on the new job!! The universe calling you to take action; I feel that. I call myself the luckiest unlucky person in the world 😂 some awful things have happened over the years, but ultimately, as rubbish as they were, i'm in a better place now than ever (even debts and money are less stressful even if they're still there)!

May have to try the organised mum method (adjusted for dad 😂) as i'm so disorganised and all or nothing with housework.

Good luck with it all. And i'm enjoying the early morning reading as I don't sleep well and am also up and about at ridiculous o clock 😀

ArtyJ931

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81923390#Comment_81923390

a saying I have lived by - your bad luck has saved you from worse luck! Lol

ArtyJ931

We’re life twins! I’m 50 soon. I’m taking control of my terrible debt situation at the moment and trying to be a grown up. LOL

only my children are all adults now and I have grandchildren so my home is actually very calm. Still disorganised but not as many people so it is not as hard keeping on top of it.

also perimenopausal - I have been on hrt for about two years and it has been life changing. No more achy stiff joints.

I was 2 stone overweight and in Oct 24 I downloaded my fitness pal and slowly slowly lost it . It took til May/June last year. I just kept thinking - a year is going to pass anyway so I may as well lose it now as think I’m in a years time that I wished I had started a year ago… that sounds very jumbled but it helped me anyway.

I also run 3x per week and had an injury that stopped me running for about 6 months back end of 2025 and unfortunately about 10lb crept back on. I’m a month back in to my fitness pal and can see I’ve lost probably 3-4lb already. You can totally do this.

In terms of keeping on top of the house etc - you are in the thick of it right now so my advice would be to treat yourself kindly and be a friend to yourself. Don’t say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to a friend :)

good luck

ArtyJ931

oh yeah - I weaned myself off social media about 6 months ago too. Took about 2 months to stop with the urge to scroll when I had time and I’m now back to doing what I used to do in that time - exercise, reading, actually messaging actual people I want to actually speak to (haha) etc. that has helped hugely with the feeling of everything being chaotic