And that brings me to my other large change. The hospital job was increasingly stressful which led to an uptick in the number of angina attacks I was having (stress can bring them on) resulting in one large attack which left me pondering if this job was worth killing myself over. I sat myself down, did some praying, crunched some numbers and decided that it would be best to find something with less hours and less stress.
I was lucky that within a week I had another position with a different company all lined up. The good news is that it is strictly part time, M-F, no weekends, no holidays. It is still cleaning, but this time offices and mostly I just do detail dusting as well as a few kitchenettes. No pulling trash, no restrooms, no floor work. And since it is a headquarters of a fairly large company, most of the time there are no people to contend with. The bad news is it is less money and no health insurance benefits. But I am a master at belt tightening and am currently looking at insurance options.
In addition to that I have also picked up two three hour shifts at school in the aftercare program. This combination as well as what my son J donates to the household budget as well as the young lady who is renting a room from me throws in means we are doing ok.
Oddly enough I seem to do better with less money. I was wasting money like mad when I worked at the hospital. And I haven't had a single angina attack since changing jobs.
Socially I am enjoying the freedom being unattached has given me. Youngest son H and I have become movie buddies, seeing a ton of stuff over the summer on the $5 movie day as well as splurging on matinee prices. And I added Netflix to our monthly budget and the two of us have enjoyed some binge watching of various shows on that as well. It is so nice to have to time to enjoy this entertainment again. I have also increased the amount of walking I am doing and have signed up for my first ever 5K walk on Thanksgiving Day! The cleaning job and the occasional stroll on the treadmill at home are my training for this! I had my 40th high school reunion over the summer and had a wonderful time (spent quality time with my kindergarten BFF too) and reconnected with a high school friend who lives locally and I have seen her a couple of time since then. I am still spending a lot of time with my friend and neighbor V going on antiquing/flea market afternoons (lots of looking very little buying) as well as just hanging out with a good glass of wine or bottle of water on her front porch in the summer and cozy living room now that the weather has gotten colder.
I am anticipating the birth of another grandchild in March. Miss E who is already 3 is going to be getting a sibling. As a family we have been blessed beyond belief in that my special needs grandchild B recently had a surgery that is a real game changer for her, allowing her to become far more mobile than she was previously. We have had a couple of weddings, a niece and a nephew both getting married within the last year. And my brother-in-law B who is still fighting cancer continues to be with us all. Sadly I lost my first sibling this year, my sister E passed away this October. Still struggling with this.
And now for my goals, I am getting back to blogging obviously but also menu planning and regular grocery shopping with a list and a budget. With my new job set up I have three days a week where I have a 3 hour break between jobs allowing me to relax a bit at home (or do errands or chores) as well as have a cooked dinner, two days a week I do the aftercare so dinner is a quick sandwich meal in the car on the way to the cleaning gig. And with every weekend off I can plan some great meals for that time. It had gotten to a point where I was eating out almost every meal I wasn't eating at the hospital or school. The occasional meal out is now the rule. Getting back to basics here is my goal. More time spent with family and friends as well.
