Keeping our options open

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  • savingholmes
    savingholmes Posts: 27,091
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    I am similar. I could earn more - but I can be home in 20-30 mins from where I work... pretty good. Also have a supportive boss. Some of the team feel like family (the good and the bad side). Great pension and they are super flexible... the problem is that I get bored easily and would therefore like a new challenge... but if I stay put one will come along anyway... and so on...

    I think when kids are little, a job close to home / nursery etc is a life saver... one with above average holidays - another big plus... flexi time, home working on request, also winners. Make a list of what you want from your next job and look for it... See if your current workplace would give you any of them... Ask.

    Enjoy!
    Achieve FIRE/Mortgage Neutrality by mid 2030
    1) MFW Nov 21 £201,999 with 237 payments to go - now £184,341 Equity 26.26% (lower post move compensated by EF) plus spent £10K+ on home improvements/emergency repairs
    2) Mortgage neutral by June 2030 AVC £8.063/£127,466 AVC target 6.32%
    3) FI Age 60 annual income target £12,500/30,000 41.66%
    Achievements: CC free since April 22. 1 year EF from Jan 24 & dedicated pot for home improvements
  • Hettyhound
    Hettyhound Posts: 942
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    I’ve had about 18 months of job hunting and still at it. I was bored in my previous role and knew I was capable of the next grade up. It took me a year as not that many came up on part time basis and six months on I hate it so much. It made me realise that I should go back full time and look outside my current work place. Anyway had four interviews since in “new” job and on Friday my current employer advertised 9, yes 9 roles in admissions which was my job before I relocated. I’m a great believer in fate so what will be will be....:)
    Grocery challenge SPC #023 SPC 12: £125.86[/COLOUR]:SPC 13: £214.98: SPC 14: £297.41 SPC 15: £237.27 SPC 16 £335.39; SPC 17 ? MFW #21 Mortgage start Dec 2015 £79,950; January 2024 £26,105 2024 OP £150/COLOR]/£1,500 MFiT T6 #3 £13,159/£25,500 (51.60%)
  • becky170
    becky170 Posts: 857
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    edited 9 October 2019 at 4:05AM
    Thanks for the advice guys :) my current boss has been supportive and I do have above average holidays and a good pension scheme so there are lots of pluses to my job. If I was to get a job with a shorter commute it is likely to be less well paid so my dh and I have decided that we will try living on his wages only (well barring childcare and my bus ticket) to see if we could cope with a reduction in money coming in.

    Good luck Hetty in securing one of the new roles. I'm a believer in fate as well :)

    Yesterday was a nsd which is the first one I've managed in ages. I haven't had a good nights sleep as DD has been unsettled so will probably resort to a coffee at work. I would say role on for the weekend and a lie in, but a lie in in this house is currently classed as 6.30!
    Mortgage-free wannabe #66 £105/4000
  • savingholmes
    savingholmes Posts: 27,091
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    Ouch to 6.30 being a lie-in. I am not nature's early riser - and I am currently getting out of bed (briefly) to make sure DD is up before having another little snooze myself before I get up to go to work much later LOL. It's good to remember what you get from your current job - rather than always focus on what might be better elsewhere.
    Achieve FIRE/Mortgage Neutrality by mid 2030
    1) MFW Nov 21 £201,999 with 237 payments to go - now £184,341 Equity 26.26% (lower post move compensated by EF) plus spent £10K+ on home improvements/emergency repairs
    2) Mortgage neutral by June 2030 AVC £8.063/£127,466 AVC target 6.32%
    3) FI Age 60 annual income target £12,500/30,000 41.66%
    Achievements: CC free since April 22. 1 year EF from Jan 24 & dedicated pot for home improvements
  • becky170
    becky170 Posts: 857
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    I was very rock and roll and was in bed for 8.30pm on Friday night because I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. Was hoping to spend some time with DH and have an at home date night (dinner and a film) but tiredness hit me like a sledge hammer. The kids have both let me have a lie in until 7 am both today and yesterday so hopefully I'll be less tired this week :)

    I've managed another £7 overpayment thanks to Quidc0 so our total overpayment for this month stands at £140.

    The weather is horrid today so we will probably be hanging around at home. No doubt DS will want to go to soft play (he asks every weekend) but I don't think I can face it, and it gets expensive if you go all the time!
    Mortgage-free wannabe #66 £105/4000
  • becky170
    becky170 Posts: 857
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    Our experiment to see if we can survive on a reduced income starts today. My aim for this week is not to buy lunch at work. Today I have a bread roll and a tin of soup packed (I was feeling rather chilly this morning so soup seemed quite appealing!). I've also got some banana loaf which I baked with DS yesterday. He's always really keen to do baking but he doesn't really like cake (well not my cakes anyway!) He'll try one bite and then leave the rest. I suppose it means there is more cake for me though :)
    I was also showing him how to assemble a lasagne yesterday. I'm hoping that he'll learn to cook and will be able to make more than frozen pizza when he leaves home!
    Mortgage-free wannabe #66 £105/4000
  • savingholmes
    savingholmes Posts: 27,091
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    Well done on the OP.
    Not buying lunch at work can save a fortune - I watch people earning half to a third of my income buy lunch everyday and shake my head. I know I can't afford it.... Even if I wasn't paying off CCs, I would be paying off mortgage or investing
    The banana bread sounds tasty. I taught my son to cook at 10 and at 21 he's better / more adventurous than me and often cooks for his uni pals.
    Achieve FIRE/Mortgage Neutrality by mid 2030
    1) MFW Nov 21 £201,999 with 237 payments to go - now £184,341 Equity 26.26% (lower post move compensated by EF) plus spent £10K+ on home improvements/emergency repairs
    2) Mortgage neutral by June 2030 AVC £8.063/£127,466 AVC target 6.32%
    3) FI Age 60 annual income target £12,500/30,000 41.66%
    Achievements: CC free since April 22. 1 year EF from Jan 24 & dedicated pot for home improvements
  • becky170
    becky170 Posts: 857
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    edited 19 October 2019 at 6:34AM
    I managed another tiny overpayment of £11 this week as I got some money refunded. Unfortunately one of our cars died and cost £200 to fix (I guess it could have been worse!) so we've had to raid our current account slush fund for that.

    I did manage to take lunch to work everyday this week with the aid of tinned soup and a ready meal found lurking in the freezer. I gave into my coffee addiction and brought myself coffee yesterday for a treat (I had to take DD for her jabs and I definitely deserved a treat after that one).

    Talking about coffee I now have a second hand Tassimo coffee machine and I managed to spend £11 on pods this week....oops. hopefully it will keep me going for a little while. I'm currently trying different brands/flavours out to see which I prefer and then I'll look out for those when they are on offer.

    I also started a little bit of Christmas shopping this week in the MrT toy event and did a MrS online shop as I had a £12 off £60 spend voucher. So all in all I've spent lots of money in supermarkets!

    I now seem to be getting weekly calls from either school or nursery asking my to pick one of my kids up :( I try and spread the burden with DH but I'm really starting to worry about my boss saying something. There's not a lot I can do but I'm feeling incredibly guilty for either not giving 100% at work or not being there for my kids.

    Right time for a shower and then a haircut!
    Mortgage-free wannabe #66 £105/4000
  • becky170
    becky170 Posts: 857
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    edited 25 October 2019 at 5:44AM
    This week has definitely not been very money saving. DD is teething and has decided to scream the house down a couple of times a night. I really hope it gets better soon as I hate seeing her so upset. It also means I am sleep deprived and have been giving in to laziness and buying coffee, breakfast and lunch at work. Oh well the lattes tasted so good and we're desperately needed so it was worth it. I have brought coffee and breakfast into work this morning but I'll have to buy lunch. At least it's a step in the right direction.

    DS is on half term so he's been out on a couple of day trips with DH. He was quite upset when he broke up that we weren't getting on a plane and going to a beach! I guess some of his classmates were off on holiday then. We haven't taken DS abroad yet and we've got no intentions of doing so anytime soon. After having to take DD to the doctor's/hospital on our last holiday we're staying as close to home as possible. Plus I think it will take us a couple of years to save up for a holiday abroad in the school holiday, and I'd rather have a yearly UK holiday instead.
    Mortgage-free wannabe #66 £105/4000
  • Sorry that you are having a tough week, sleep deprivation is hard to manage. Hope DD teeth settle soon and you good weekend.
    X Cornish
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