Wow, things are a bit different

LondonLiz · 23 April 2019 at 11:06PM

Well I made it out food shopping today. Got yellow stickered cod loins & hot cross buns from M&S and some meal makings from Aldi so am set up for rest of week barring a few fresh add- ons. The cod tonight was very nice with garlicky green beans in tomatoes. I seldom cook 'proper' dinners so this is progress. The other bit of loin is in the freezer along with rest of the buns - 2 'may' already have been eaten:o

Didn't make it to the gym so that is tomorrow's task along with some job applications.

Frightened myself with some maths today as I have worked out I need £1770 for fixed costs (mortgage, service charge, utilities) and another £300 for eating & living. That's with cutting back though not to the bone. Savings pot No.1 will last about 6 months at that rate. After that I would be breaking into the flat renovation funds, then worse case scenario the ISA. Plus I need some dental work that will cost at least £250 and an optional but really necessary private medical appointment that is around £350. Am delaying both but can't for much longer really or something will flare up. So clearly I need a job asap. Hope I have not made a massive mistake leaving last job with nothing to go to, but at the time I felt I had no other choice. Ah well, it's done, just have to crack on now.

Tahlullah · 23 April 2019 at 11:31PM

Congratulations for walking away from a bad situation. Not easy to do but you have a buffer to survive on for a period - fantastic. I wish you every success going forward. I am subscribing.

doingitanyway · 24 April 2019 at 8:30AM

I love YS goods. In my early debt days I survived on them but they are less frequently available to me now. I need to work out the times they reduce as I am out of sync.

You have a cushion so that's good. Good luck with the job search.
Have you thought about what you want next or is it a matter of just get an income in?

LondonLiz · 24 April 2019 at 10:06AM

.
I am in my gym gear whilst on my 2nd cup of tea. It's a start....

HI Tallulah, thanks yes it wasn't at desperation stage but it was heading that way if I did not take action. A colleague had already gone off sick and I was not going to get into that state myself. Ironically some of the issues I'd been raising for ages, especially around workload and staffing levels, are now being addressed as part of replacing me. A bit annoying.

Doing it anyway - I used to shop at M&S all the time (and Waitrse) as it was on the way home and convenient but now I am sticking to it being their YS stuff as a treat since its usually so much more expensive.
As for jobs, it's tricky. The thing is, lower paid jobs are usually lower job titles/grades from my previous level and it will look strange about why I am prepared to go back to a job level I was at several years ago. I would rather not take a pay drop obviously but am applying for jobs at a lower salary within reason - up to about 10% ish is about right I think. This is understandable when some industries just pay less than others e.g. charity & not for profit. Even if I got an interview I can hardly say "I can do your job with my eyes shut, compared to what I am used to" so have to find something a bit more tactful! And from experience as a hiring manager, saying anything that implies I need a break after a stressful time so I am happy to take a 'step down' rings alarm bells as well. So I have to convince the their organisation/job is so amazing title and salary is irrelevant.:D
And I HATE job hunting as well, always have. It feels so embarrassing, like on line dating - putting yourself out there for all to see & judge, blow your own trumpet, slap on makeup and a smile - and with the same amount of rejection!

Well I better stop moaning on and get on with it. Will feel better once got some exercise done and a job app or two out of the way. Thanks everyone reading & commenting, it does help.:)

LondonLiz · 25 April 2019 at 1:35PM

Managed to get up very early and make it to the ANZAC day dawn service in London. Had to take buses as it's way to early for the tube so it was abit of a trek. A lot of people were there . I was a bit shocked at the bag searches & having to walk through a metal detector. Is a bit of a 'what is the world coming to' moment when you need airline style security for a war memorial commemoration. I guess after Christchurch, London Bridge and other attacks they aren't taking any chances, but still. Thought one of the poems read out was particularly touching (Homecoming by Vincent O'Sullivan) . By the time I got home I was very hungry and dying for a cup of tea. After breakfast felt droopy and fell asleep on the sofa, didn't wake up to 9.30am and by 10.30 I was ready for second breakfast :rotfl:

Probably not going to make the gym as no energy/can't be bothered but I have done some tasks. Rung Thames Water to check I am on the right tariff as charges seem awfully high. Can't be water metered here so it's on assessed charge but I noticed yesterday that there is some small print saying they don't know ow many bedrooms I have and so the charge is the 'default'. They are getting back to me. And have checked elec/gas supplier options on the MSE Energy Club and it seems I can switch and save around £200 per year so have asked the mgt company for a meter reading (electricity meters are not accessible to residents) and once I have that will check again then get on with the switch.

Am thinking of buying a shredder on Amazon £25. I am trying to declutter various boxes, bags & cupboards and finding hideous amounts of old utility bills, bank statements, old payslips, flat mgt company notices, and loads of other docs with personal details on them. So embarrassing - some date back literally YEARS. Am very wary of sticking this straight in the paper recycling and yet there is way too much to start tearing up by hand. If I park it in the kitchen next to the binsI can then shred unneeded stuff as I go. I have gone paperless as much as possible but it's still surprising how much accumulates. Then when I have a 'panic pretend tidy' due to visitors coming round it all gets shoved in random places and I forget about it. What do other people do with all this paper?

Anyway off to eat some lunch and get a job application or 2 finished. Can you feel the enthusiasm wafting off the screen? No didn't think so.

redofromstart · 25 April 2019 at 2:43PM

Hi, just catching up and wanted to say hello and welcome.

totally get the work thing, took VR to escape bad manager and then had six months of hating what I do and wanting to do anything else. I eased myself back in by doing some interims which helped. Still not quite got my 'mojo back' but I find project/interim work less stressful and it often leads to permanent offers. Its a good way to 'try before you buy' on an organisation.

Humdinger1 · 25 April 2019 at 4:17PM

Liz

Welcome! I recognise so much of what you describe. You've done exactly the right thing as once the roof has fallen in, it's so much harder to come out with your resilience intact. I think some do-nothing days are a key part of putting something back into your personal bank/health account, which was getting very close to overdrawn if not already there. You know already that you are your chief asset; it's just getting your behaviour to line up with that was what I found.

Have subscribed and will be cheering you on. Humdinger1

LondonLiz · 25 April 2019 at 4:34PM

Thanks Redofromthe start for dropping in ( and I LOVE your user name by the way! I try not to buy cheese too often as it last about 10 mins in the fridge, may as well just sellotape it it to my hips).
I would definitely prefer an interim or temp contract but there hasn't been quite as many sloshing about as I'd hoped. Interim I'll go for anything that looks about right and I also figure they are more likely overlook gaps in expertise or industry background in preference for someone who can start immediately. Plus pay is usually better even for lower grade roles. Am being a bit more careful with perm roles obviously, Like you say it's about getting the mojo back.

And Humdinger I really like the concept of a health bank account and not 'going overdrawn'. It's a great analogy for all sorts of mental and physical health situations. I shall now work on aligning my behaviours - also known as stop faffing about and pulling my finger out!

Tahlullah · 25 April 2019 at 9:12PM

Regarding paperwork - open fire / log burner. Get free heating at the same time as decluttering. Win-win.

beanielou · 25 April 2019 at 9:22PM

Also there are companies that shred stuff confidentially very cheaply.

Wow, things are a bit different

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