Preparing to Re-enter the World of Work

It may have come as a bit of surprise to many of you, to hear that I've been offered a part-time temporary paid job for the charity that I've been volunteering for during the past 15 months and I can't quite believe it myself, as it happened so fast. As I've already mentioned, I'm both nervous and excited about this new challenge, not wanting to let anyone down is my main concern. I just want to do my best, and that is what I told the current managers at the interview.

I'm not sure when I start, but I do need to go in and see the area manager at lunchtime today, to complete some paperwork, so that I can start as soon as possible. The situation is that the permanent shop manager is being seconded to another post temporarily for three months, to cover the absence of another staff member. The current deputy manager is stepping up to cover his post and I am being employed to cover the deputy manager's post until the permanent manager returns in September.

It's going to be a big learning curve for me and although I am apprehensive, I want to do a good job and help keep the shop running as smoothly as possible. It's a larger shop though, with a lot more throughput of donations and space to display them and it's definitely going to be a challenge, but one I'm looking forward to.

The temporary nature of the job is great for me, as it will allow me to find out if I'm really cut out for working in this field or not, with no longstanding obligation. Who knows how it will turn out. I hope well, but one never knows. I'm trying to keep a level head and approach the job in a sensible, practical fashion, mainly so I don't get too overwhelmed, but what it will be like when I actually get in there is anybody's guess.

My current manager has been very supportive, putting me forward for the job, allowing me to leave at such short notice and generally encouraging me to give it a go and see what happens.  He seems to have every faith that I'm capable of the job, which is very reassuring and helps to give me confidence and is also offering me ongoing support which is much appreciated. I have learned a lot from him since he came to the shop.  He has a completely different approach from that of the original manager and I have come to appreciate his calmness and level headed approach to the work, which has been a big influence on my approach to the job. Yes, sometimes it gets stressful and pressurised, but I'm hoping it doesn't always have to be like that and it is possible to keep things running pretty smoothly. We'll see what happens.

I  have also gained valuable experience working with the original manager of my current shop, who had some very nice qualities and a very strong work ethic, which has taught me to try to work as efficiently as possible, whilst paying attention to detail and following company protocols and maintaining a sense of humour. I'll be taking the knowledge that I gained from her with me too, to help me in the new job. I feel very lucky to have had two very different, but very accomplished mentors over the past year or so, and experience that can hopefully help guide me through some of the pitfalls.

Travelling, to a completely different part of London is going to be interesting.  I was starting to feel a bit fed up of the commute to my volunteer job, but there are various ways I could journey to the new job, including multiple combinations of bus, rail, underground, bike, etc.  I could even try a different one every week if I wanted to, until I find one that suits me, but it is likely that the underground will be travelled for at least part of the route, so I've got to get used to that change, as I understand that it is very hot and crowded in the summer months. I'm hoping to minimise this mode of travel as much as I possibly can, to just a few short stops on one line.

I'm still intending to take my lunch with me daily and try to spend very little money whilst at work. I've been informed that there are some very nice small public gardens not far from the shop, should I need to get away from the shop environment on my breaks.  This might be very useful for helping me to reboot during my longer working hours. 

In addition, I will, of course, have to pay for my travel expenses once I'm a paid employee, so trying to use less expensive travel options might factor into my journeys, time allowing. The bus, although cheaper, takes a long time, so I'm not sure it is an option on it's own, but perhaps combined with cycling part of the way it may be. There are some pretty good cycle routes that take me completely off the roads for quite a big part of the way, and I'll be trying these out in the first few weeks. I really enjoy the freedom of cycling at least part of the way, which wasn't so much of an option in the past, but is now, which is good. It'll be good exercise too.

The shop itself being bigger, will also be a challenge. I am given to understand that it is very physically demanding, because of it's layout and the fact that there will be a lot of going up and down stairs with bags of donations/recycling, etc.  The fact that I'll be working for the same organisation is reassuring though, as it will make the transition easier than if I were moving to a different charity, with different protocols and rules.

I'll let you know how everything progresses, but I must warn you that I may not be able to post quite so often as I have been doing lately, although I will definitely continue blogging.

A Funny Old Week

It's been a bit of a rollercoaster of a week this last week. I had two pretty bad commutes home from the CS, one due to a broken down train, the other the result of an exchange of words with another passenger that I won't go into, but which wasn't an enjoyable encounter.
 
Anyway, after that on Thursday I hit an impasse and was having a bit of a crisis. As I said a few weeks ago, I was really struggling to enjoy my work at the CS at the moment, due to the lack of variation in my day. After a lot of thinking about it, I decided that I would have to talk to the manager and either cut my hours or see what else could be done.

I hope I'm not coming across as being a diva, it's not really like that. I'm pretty easy going, but I just felt a bit marginalised on the till all the time I'm there and it's not really making good use of my skills. It was also just killing the experience for me if I'm honest. No one probably realises how I feel, because I don't complain or moan about it, I just get on with it.

Anyway, on Thursday, exhausted by the stress of it all I took myself off to bed for a nap in the afternoon and when I woke up I discovered a voice mail from my manager.  I was a bit concerned at first, but it turned out to be a potential paid temporary job opportunity at another shop in London, that he wanted to let me know about.

After a bit of toing and froing, I decided to apply and arranged to go to said shop for an informal 'chat' with one of the managers there on Saturday.  On Saturday morning I headed off to a local mall for a haircut (it was long overdue) on account of the 'interview' and then from there headed into town to the shop.

The 'chat' lasted a couple of hours and seemed to go reasonably well, although I wasn't sure I'd get the job, as they were looking for someone full time and I stressed that I could only work part-time for a maximum of 3 days per week.  With the summer holidays coming up, I'm just not prepared to work more than that, as I want to spend some time with LB. I had to be very firm on that point, for both my sanity and for the smooth running of family life here.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I got a call today and I've got the job.  I've got to go in on Wednesday to expedite some paperwork, so that I can start as soon as possible.  It's very exciting and  nerve wracking in equal measures, but I'm looking forward to a new challenge in a much larger shop and with more responsibility. The job itself is for just 3 months, which over the summer isn't ideal, but sometimes you've got to take an opportunity where it presents itself and run with it.

Wish me luck, as I need all that I can muster.

Donated - June 2017

After the mammoth amount of donations I accumulated last month, mainly whilst doing the zone cleaning, this month, I was not really expecting to find anywhere near the same amount, but I did my best regardless.  The following are the items I did manage to declutter this month.

1. Slightly chipped, but still very usable Pyrex casserole dish - surplus to requirements.

2-5. Four unwanted items from OH's wardrobe - donated or recycled for rags.

6. One wool jacket belonging to OH - donated.

7-19. Thirteen books from the dining room - donated.

20-21. Two handmade quilts that I no longer wish to keep.

22. One recipe book - no longer needed.

23-24. Two silicone ice cube trays - replaced with more appropriate ones i.e. moustaches and penguins replaced by regular cube shaped ice cubes - a touch wasteful, but definitely more grown up and the donated ones will hopefully be useful to someone else.

25. One book donated from those in the kitchen.

26-27. Two more books - one read, one I don't want to read.

28-29. Two magazines - read.

30. One pair of flip flops.

31. One balsa wood aeroplane model - OH's!

32-33. Two jigsaws.

34. One book I'm never going to read.

35-36. Two school shirts recycled for rags.

37-50. One electronic Leap pad reader in carry case with 12 books and cartridges.

51. One battery operated remote controlled children's car.

52-53. Two packets of seeds (free with a magazine) that I'm not going to use.

54. One magazine - read.

55. One cushion cover.

56. One pack of fragranced drawer sachets - I used the matching drawer liners and they smelled very unpleasant to me, so I don't want to use these.  Someone else may like the smell though.

The final figure for this month was 56 items, which added to last month's running total of 492, means that at the halfway point of the year, I've managed to declutter 548  items, so I'm currently on course to meet the 1000 item target, that I set myself to declutter this year, if I can keep up the momentum that is.

Freebies, Frugal Measures and Frugal Fails 10

This week's Frugal Fails included the following:

Hooray! There were none that I can think of. ☺

Frugal Measures and Freebies this week included:

1) I bought myself a new ironing board cover online in the John Lewis clearance sale. At £6 it was a bargain. Only trouble was, I paid £3.50 for postage, as I didn't want to spend £30 for free click and collect or £50 for free delivery and I didn't want to visit the mall either which would have cost £3 in bus fares, unless I went on my bike of course. (but if it wasn't in stock it would have been a waste of effort)  It still came in less than the price I was expecting to pay for one (i.e. £15), so I'm pretty happy.

2) I used the £5 credit balance on my business credit card to buy a few groceries in the last week of the month. It came in very handy to tide me over, besides, it's not like they'll be paying me interest to be in credit.

3) Whilst at the Give & Take at the weekend,  I received a free sample of a product called Sugru which is a mouldable glue a bit like Playdoh that dries hard and can be used to repair things.  It comes in various colours. We picked the one called mossy green which almost matches the paint in our kitchen. There's lots of different ideas for things you can do with it on their website and in the booklet that came with it. An interesting concept.

4) More free seeds - unfortunately, two of the three I'm unlikely to use so I'm donating them.

5) I used a £3 off a £30 shop voucher at Tesco this week.

6) I had a nightmare commute home from the CS the other evening when a freight train broke down on the line, preventing all trains getting through.  As a consequence, I had to take a tube and another train to get home and when I got out of the station it was raining hard and I got soaked.  Luckily, the Big Issue seller outside  the station provided me with a plastic bag so I didn't get my bum wet.  A very kind gesture from a very nice man.

The consequence of all this was that my journey cost more money and I didn't want to pass the cost onto the CS, so I asked to be recompensed by London Transport, which they did.  I won't hesitate to ask again in the future if I face disruption again.

Still Simplifying - June

This month, I've continued in small ways in my quest to simplify our lives more and live with less stuff and less disorganisation, the latter, in particular, in relation to my finances. I've not been able to declutter anywhere near the amount I managed last month, but nevertheless, I've still found a reasonable amount of things to pass on to others who might be able to use them.

The main area that I've managed to focus on this month has been my finances.  I've opened a new regular saver account to benefit from 5% interest and will be transferring savings not currently earning this amount of interest into it each month for the next year. It's a little bit of hassle, but worth it to make better returns on my money.

Another financial measure I've taken this month, is to try to track down the value of my two occupational pensions.  I've obtained a statement on the one from the NHS, which was available on line, after I obtained an activation code for the site in the post.  This was quite encouraging.  The second from the Civil Service, I am still waiting for.  I originally emailed Capita, who were the last known company responsible for it, but apparently, it is now being managed by some other organisation, so my enquiry has been passed along.  Hopefully, they will respond to it eventually.

The purpose of doing the above, is to see what shortfall I need to make up in the next 15 years before I retire.  Both the above pensions include a lump sum payable and monthly payments start at age 60. I also have a (very) small personal pension, which starts at age 55, but it's value is very insignificant, although that too provides a lump sum. I'm assuming that I will be able to use these and any savings I accrue to buy some sort of annuity in the future, to give me a reasonable income in retirement and I am still intending to pay my National Insurance contributions voluntarily each year, to qualify for a full state pension (if it is still available in 16 years time).

As a consequence of the above, I feel like I've made some progress this month.  The other main area of progress in simplifying my life has been the allotment, which I'm now up to scratch on and the maintenance of which is now much easier, now it is fully cultivated. Having a plot almost on my doorstep is now starting to pay dividends, as I can get to it very easily to water, weed and harvest, so as a consequence everything grows much better and things don't go over as easily between visits and go to waste.

Next month, now that I've taken all of the donations to the Give & Take, I'll be focusing on simplifying the sewing/spare room, as I can now more easily get access to everything, both for cleaning and decluttering purposes.  I'm looking forward to spending some time in this room next month both being creative and re-organising it.

Monthly Roundup - June

Financially, June has been a slightly better month, although not by much, mainly on account of it not feeling quite so long as July.

I didn't manage to pay off as much of my overdraft as I'd hoped this month, mainly because I used some of the money I was going to use, to buy LB's school uniform for next year.  As mentioned in a previous post, I got offered free postage to buy it early, so I took advantage of it. To be honest, I hadn't really budgeted properly for LB's school uniform for the next school year, so I've revised my saving strategy to fully account for the expense and to include the expense of Christmas this year, which will mean it will take me a little longer, (i.e. to the end of the year) to pay everything off, but I'm okay with this, so long as it's gone this year and I can start 2018 debt free.

I did pay off another £50 approximately this month, so I'm happy enough for now.  At the end of last month, I actually made a chart of my debt to enable me to visualise it going down each month.  I shade out the amount paid off each month starting from the top down and when the chart is fully coloured in, I'll be debt free. I'll post a picture of it each month as I colour more of it in.  Here's this month's chart:

It's not that clear in the photo, but you get the drift.

The final tally for spending in June reads as follows:

I was slightly over budget on Food, spending £6.35 over the allotted £400.

Similarly, I was £4.96 over on my Personal budget on account of purchasing the flip flops!

Household went over by £11.42, mainly due to bulk buying toilet cleaner this month. There were also a few small things that I bought from Poundland early in the month, that I probably didn't really need to, but never mind.

LB's budget went over by £76.44 - £67 of which was uniform and the rest was another trip with school, that I hadn't budgeted for.

The Home budget came in at £3 under this month and the Misc. budget came in at £9.27 under which both helped to make amends for overspends elsewhere.

Excluding the uniform, the overspends weren't too high, which was pretty acceptable.

I had my dentist appointment this month, whereby I paid £59 I had budgeted for a clean and polish and I also sent some money to my sister for my nephew's birthday. These were the only extras I had to pay for this month.

Next month, I'm being more realistic.  LB needs a new school bag for next year, so I'll be including that in the budget, and adjusting what I'm able to save accordingly. It is the most expensive thing left to buy and she has a particular brand in mind.

As I don't buy her that much these days, I've agreed to buy it for her, providing that I can buy it from ASOS. I've got a 20% off voucher code to use in the next two days or so. They are trying to lure me back into spending on the site, as I haven't purchased anything in a while.  I'm happy to accept their voucher, so long as I use it for something that I would be buying this year anyway.

Other than this expense, I haven't got any extras to pay for next month, although it will be the summer holidays towards the end of the month.  I'm hoping to pay at least £150 off my overdraft, which will be fab if I can do it.  I'll keep you posted.

With just a bit more attention to what I spend in the first week or so of the month, I think I can bring everything in on budget, I just need to flex that budgeting muscle a little bit more next month. I'll let you know how I get on.

Monday Catchup

After all the excitement (on my part), of taking everything to the Give & Take on Saturday, the rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful.

On Sunday, I went to my class as usual.  I hadn't booked it, as OH had a cycle race planned and needed the car, but the race was cancelled, so he went on his usual Sunday morning ride instead and I booked a place on my class at the last minute and went along.  I was glad I did, as LB had a sleep over at her friend's house, so I would have been home alone on Sunday morning otherwise and feeling guilty at not going.

Sunday afternoon, as the weather was a lot cooler, I tackled the ironing mountain that I'd avoided in the hot weather last week. I'm always happy to get it done and put away, especially when it's been building up. Other than that, and some washing, I did very little all day, which was nice and inexpensive too.

In the evening we watched The Handmaid's Tale again.  It's quite disturbing, but makes quite good viewing in a weird kind of way.

Today, I was back at the gym, but for just one class instead of my usual two, which meant I was home earlier for a change.  The Wi-Fi has been playing up today, so we've been without it for most of the day.  I can't say I've been too bothered.  I've been pottering around the garden instead.

I'm having a bit of a problem with all of my lettuce bolting, so I've been harvesting the worst affected and am going to keep it in the fridge until we gradually work our way through it.  I've got lots more at the allotment that is bolting too.  It's a nice problem to have, i.e. too much, but I hate to waste any food that I've grown, so I'm hoping we will be able to use it all, if it doesn't taste too bitter.  At times like these it would be good to still have our darling guinea pigs.

Anyway, I sowed some more lettuce seeds for harvesting once everything has been used up.  I'm a bit late, but I never can get that successional sowing thing right.

I popped over to the allotment too today and weeded a little, cleared a particularly overgrown corner at the back and then fed and watered everything.  It only took an hour or so.

In my absence, OH had paid to loaded month's worth of use onto my dongle, so that he could have internet access for his business, and then, lo and behold you've guessed it, our connection came back on, despite an engineer being booked to come and check it out tomorrow. Typical.

This afternoon, I made us a Chicken casserole for supper using a few veggies out of the freezer.  It desperately needs defrosting, so I need to use everything up fast.  Besides, the courgettes are now getting to a decent size so I will probably need to fill it up with this year's crops before long.

I've also done a towel wash today and then washed my trainers in the washing machine.  They come up a treat. I really need a new pair, but I'm taking good care of my current ones instead and making them last until my birthday in October, when I can either get OH to buy me some new ones or buy some with my birthday money.

Tonight, I'm going to tackle the linen cupboard on the landing, which I didn't get around to last week. It shouldn't take too long, as I've decluttered all of our old towels already.  It really just needs everything pulling out, cleaning inside, and then everything putting back.

On the top is a big box full of LB's baby things that I can't yet part with.  I'm going to go through it again and see how I feel about everything.  I might be able to part with a bit more.  The rest I'm going to seal in vacuum sealed storage bags to minimise the space they take up. I got a couple of packs of them from Poundland earlier in the month and they seem to work well enough.

I'll let you know how I get on.