14 things for 2014

From looking back, to looking forward. Here’s my rough list of things I’d like to do/achieve this year, including some most bits I didn’t manage last year:

  1. Go one month without using a supermarket / chain store
  2. Get my budgeting back on track
  3. Reach ‘inbox zero’ on my personal email
  4. Give up sugar for a month
  5. Make WAHMweb self-sufficient (costs)
  6. Find my bloggy mojo (journal more)
  7. Have weekends off from work
  8. Get serious about the running
  9. Drop some domains/projects
  10. Call my Dad regularly
  11. Call my Granddad before it’s too late to do so
  12. Learn to swim
  13. Get a ‘personal’ project live
  14. Pay £5000 off the mortgage

(Better late than never, right?)

Posted on: March 3, 2014 · Category: Personal 4

No Regrets

I’ve waxed lyrical on and off social media recently about the benefits of going back to work on my mood (and sanity) and I think, in the process, somehow given off this impression that working for myself was the worst thing I’ve ever done and nowt but a bump in the road of my career.

The reality is that this couldn’t be further from the truth. The nearly two years I spent self-employed have taught me more about myself, my work, my career and my clients than all of the other years I’ve been working put together… it’s just that it’s hard to see this when you’re attached to a keyboard 24/7 (or what feels like it, anyway).

I’ve learned that I AM a people person, despite years protesting otherwise. I thrive off face to face contact, the camaraderie of office friendships, the opportunity to read faces and body language.

I’ve learned that despite my “don’t give a crap” attitude, in a professional capacity I work better, faster, harder if I know that I have peer support and the opportunity to show off what I’ve done. My ego likes being rewarded by positive feedback from superiors and clients. It’s harder to secure this when it’s just you and your laptop and the occasional skype conversation.

I’ve learned that clients are important. They are a pain in the arse at times (but so am I). Without clients, I have no work, and without work my bank gets a bit pissy. Clients don’t exist purely to annoy me & I achieve more and indeed more quickly when I work alongside clients rather than against them.

I’ve learned that it doesn’t always make financial sense to be a perfectionist. There are jobs that require a bit of anal over-eyeballing but sometimes you just need to ship things out of the door.

I’ve learned that I probably shouldn’t have launched a ‘business’ with a 2 week old but I’m bloody good enough to have made it work anyway.

I’ve also learned that sometimes a step “backwards” is actually a step forwards, and that ultimately I have to do what’s best for me every now and again.

Posted on: February 27, 2014 · Category: Personal, Work 1

Tumbleweeeeed

So apparently working 9-5 and then 7-10 each and every day kills all desire or inclination to blog. Boo.

:[

Posted on: February 26, 2014 · Category: Work 2

New Job, New Budget

One of the first things I did this month after starting my new job was to set up a new bank account. It’s not that new work necessitates a change of banking details, I’m just slightly paranoid that my old details are splashed all over every invoice etc from self-employment. Plus, a better rate of pay means I can get a supposedly better bank account… that is, until childcare fees are deducted (whine!) I’ve gone with First Direct because they have the best reviews for customer service, easy online & telephone access and £100 cashback for any new customer who switches their account. Free money, yay!

Talking of money: I’ve also started basic planning for my new budget. The past 12 months or so as self-employed meant that although budgeting was super important, I didn’t actually get the time to keep on track of mortgage overspends, extra savings, extra passive income streams etc basically because I’ve had NO TIME. We’ve stuck to a low food budget but not gone much further. The grand plan now is to start pushing my mortgage-free goal in the hope that we really can be mortgage free in 5 years (and we have some catching up to do).

Although I’ve been profitable since I went self-employed I’m a little paranoid about the months where things were not so great; where I slipped into my overdraft (and that’s another reason to move bank account – my old one was charging!) or had to move money around to make sure things were on an even keel until a strong month came along again. I’m keeping an eye on my credit rating using the Experian CreditExpert service (who are on topcashback if you’re a member) and everything is – touch wood – fine. Our fixed mortgage term ends this year though and I’m not sure how important it is that your credit rating remains strong in case you want to move your mortgage? I’m guessing “very” is the answer to that question. I am acutely aware that the interest rate we’ve got was the best on the market at the time and it’s not going to stay that way (and that we should have put more against the mortgage 2 years ago!)

The rest of the budget plan is basically about making money rather than – as well as, should I say – saving it. I need to make my websites self-sufficient in terms of hosting and domains costs, which means pushing revenue streams from premium support or paid downloads and the like. I’ve got monetising ideas for my mail form and desperately need to do something about WAHMweb. GirlsWhoGeek, rev.iew.me, my Jem on WordPress blog – it’s make or break for several of my sites this year. I can’t afford to spend upwards of £1000 on hobby sites that are only bringing in a few pence a month (if that). Ideas on a postcard…

Posted on: February 19, 2014 · Category: Budgeting 3

The ‘W’ word

Weaning that is. Oliver has stopped feeding.

I’m not sure when exactly he stopped – he’s been reducing his feeds for months. He’d feed a couple of times in one day, then nothing for a day, then a feed, then another skipped day. More gradual than Izzy from what I remember, but earlier than I’d originally planned/expected. He asked for a feed roughly 2 weeks ago, but gagged on the breast and then dropped down laughing and shouting “no”, so has probably lost his latch (Isabel did v. quickly too.) I thought there’d be a resurgence in requests after last week’s first full week at nursery but he rejected my offers.

As I predicted, I’ve not had the 2 weeks of mourning like I did with Isabel (and is quite common in nursing mums) although I’ve still got milk, so not sure if that will come later…

Another ‘end of an era’, anyway.

Posted on: February 9, 2014 · Category: Parenting 2