Turning Straw into Gold: Creating Long Term Security & A Solid Home

Chocolatefund

Hope things get better at work soon.

I went through a bad work phase at the end of last year. It got so bad that I moved locations.

When you get to a point when you dread going into work every day, and you go home stressed, that a sign it's time to look elsewhere.

MillQueen

Thank you, @FootyFanDan and @jwil, as it happened I actually spent most of the weekend asleep in between doing bits of work, though I somehow still feel exhausted. I worked from home yesterday in order to save on petrol and fit in a dentist appointment on my lunch break, and then I made £55 in the evening with a small-ish bit of extra work. I am going to have to take on less of this for a few weeks until I have got more energy. I am going to do a 9pm bed time and 2 litres of water per day until I feel more human again. That may be a good thing financially, as it will mean less time to spend money and eating less junk through being full of water.

@Chocolatefund, I do have the work dread at the moment. It hasn't always been like this here, only since I started trying to move up and take opportunities. As a minion on the bottom with little responsibility, I was actually quite happy, so that may be the way to go if I stay here; just accept I'm not getting anywhere career wise and not thinking too much about it. I can probably make up the difference in pay if I spend less time taking things on at work and turn my attention to money-making and building more in my free time… A bit of "quiet quitting" where I only do my job description. I don't think that's really how I am though, so I'd struggle to maintain it. To move ahead with my career I'll probably have to ultimately go elsewhere, even if it's not now.

The far away job interview isn't until 6th May, so there's plenty of time to agonise over it….

For today's money saving I have managed to organise myself enough to bring a sandwich for lunch.

MillQueen

Having a no spend day today, as I am working from home, which saves on petrol and eating sandwiches and cake I already have. Between episodes of working I need to do frantic bits of tidying, as I have an estate agent coming later on to see whether selling the house would be a realistic prospect without doing any more work on it or fixing the roof. If nothing else, it's forced me to get some housework done 😂.

MillQueen

Resisted the urge to get fast food and I'm heating up a frozen pizza instead, so £0 spent today.

The estate agent was positive that the house would be sell-able without a loss if I wished to relocate.

I don't know if I do want that yet, so I will sit on this information until the waters clear at work.

To be honest it's made me feel better that there are options if I did get the far away job, or another in future.

The house is also very clean now 😊.

Blackcats

knowing you have options is reassuring for you. Having a very clean house is also a good feeling.

MillQueen

@Blackcats, thank you, it is reassuring, and it was nice today to shower in a clean bathroom.

I am working at home today, which means saving money on petrol - I am hoping not to have to put petrol in the car until after I get paid, as I only need to drive to work tomorrow, then Tuesday and Wednesday, then I get paid on Thursday. I was supposed to be going to an event tonight, to see a friend performing music, but the other person I was going with (a colleague) isn't sure she still wants to go. She's going to let me know this afternoon, so if she doesn't go, I decided not to go on my own, as I am not the kind of person who enjoys nights out, and it involves driving a long way, probably buying food, and paying for expensive parking. I don't want to let down the friend performing though, as I keep saying I'll attend and then never being able to.

It's meetings this morning, then dedicated focus time for some urgent work that needs doing.

MillQueen

Managed to avert a spending impulse, as I had the urge to order junk food to be delivered. It would have been a waste of money and I must not do that, particularly before getting paid, so I've eaten a pizza from the freezer, some cake and a cup of tea, and now those urges are gone. Last year I calculated that I had spent a scary amount on ordering deliveries, so this year I've tried to reduce that by a lot. It was almost none until recently, but I am getting back on track now. Cooking cheap food is the main/only way I can save money, as it's the only outgoing I have any choice over. I'd like to get back to making cheap and healthy food.

Having a break now to look at how it might go with mortgage rates if I stay in my job and in the house. I've made a chart to calculate the trajectory at which my balance is likely to reduce over time towards the different LTV increments that allow access to better interest rates. My mortgage is at the scary part where I'm paying 1k a month in interest and I think that's part of what's worried me so much about holding onto the house and staying put here, as it feels like a trap to be stuck in a job that's going nowhere, with big mortgage payments, as I had imagined that getting easier as I gained traction in my career, but that's looking like it will be slow or absent here. If there's one thing I dislike most, it's a slow speed in whatever I'm doing.

On another note, does anyone have any recommendations for which finance channels to watch on YT?

Rhyddid2026

I'm desperate to find a good British one.

I think the only British one I watch regularly is Bank of Dad which is basic but it did remind me to check and update my critical illness cover last week so evidently sometimes basic is needed.

I started with the friends that invest/Simran Kaur podcast a couple of years ago.

I watch Nischa sometimes.

Ramit Sethi coz he's a bit gentler than Dave.

MillQueen

Thanks for the recommendations @Rhyddid2026.

I have been avidly watching these and following the algorithm to see what else comes up. I've now developed an interest in "financial minimalism", which I think fits my life, as I don't like having excessive stuff. I watched something about how when you buy objects it's not just the financial cost, it's the emotional cost too, as you are then responsible for those things. I feel this in my heart, as I get super overwhelmed with too many objects to be responsible for! This is probably why I stress for ages over every single purchase for the house.

As I rarely socialise and don't take holidays (yes, I know I am no fun), the best area I can be minimalist is in the home. so this has renewed my enthusiasm to buy only what's necessary and simply have less stuff.

Rhyddid2026

If you come across any others please let me know. I think sometimes different podcasts/channels suit you at different times too. The ones that were really helpful for me a year ago seem a bit repetitive now and don't teach me anything new.