The Week That Was

I borrowed the title - in its original song it was about a horrendous week, but in my case, the last week has been probably one of the most blurry weeks I've ever survived. I don't think I can call it truly horrible by any means, but "tired" would be an understatement. And not like when I was physically overworked in the kitchen and my everything hurt. This week my feet have suffered to the point I could barely walk, but more than that, it was sheer lack of sleep. It turns you a bit loopy and really makes you waste money on things because you are losing both your proper reasoning and your ability to even care.

I started a new job with insane commuting costs. And of course I don't do things simply, so I'm still working at my old one (fewer hours, thank goodness) while also trying to complete a course in Business Administration. I cannot recommend having so many responsibilities at once. Sacrificing some of your sleeping hours to get work done is not recommended.

Predictably when you get to that point, something has to give. For me this week it was my spending on groceries. I did manage to get myself set for work (I have packets of soup, a microwave mug and spoon, plenty of snacks for my desk drawer, and the coffee is free). So I did sort of alright there. So far I have resisted buying anything at the work canteen. Unfortunately by afternoon I am starving, thinking about dinner, and facing the abyss of the commute home followed by going to my second job. So every evening I've ended up buying something I can eat on the train on the way home. It's been mostly inexpensive options from supermarkets, but even so it was a real lack of planning. By the time I realised I should have sorted this out, I was stuck in an entire week of "no time to cook any dinners at home, no energy to even think about that, it's just too bad". Literally. The choice was go home and cook dinner for tomorrow or go home and get that important extra half hour of sleep, and sleep won every time.

This role is a temporary contract so I did buy myself a nice (cheap) coffee mug for work to make myself feel a little bit like I belong, and a tiny plant for my desk, and oh some coloured pens. All bad and a bit of a waste of money I must admit. But I am trying to approach this job as if I will be staying, to give it my full attention and effort, to see it as an opportunity to learn new skills that I might be able to use in a future role. So far I'm quite enjoying what I learn.

The weather is kicking in with force, and ruining my work wardrobe plans of being in skirts and sandals. It's a good thing I hadn't bought more than I did, but trousers will need to be the go-to and more than one decent pair would be a smart idea. But that means I need some useful flat shoes which I do not hate. More shopping, sigh. I did finally get the new trainers that have waited two months to exist. Half marks for me.

Win: work is near the super cheap supermarket and I have "wait for train" time every afternoon to get cheap essentials to take home with me
Win/Lose: personal loan approved from the bank, to buy a car... up-front expenses ahoy, but I'd quite like to gain an extra 90 minutes back of my life each day thank you
Lose: the guy who won the auction for my scooter decided he had no interest in paying for it or even replying to messages
Thought to ponder: why are there soooo many things in this world which you realise that you have to get and really annoyingly, they cost money? Deep, I know.