Exciting Update! No.

I wish there actually was something exciting to note here, but no. Life goes on. A chewy pecan, chocolate and caramel cookie was 9p from Tesco yesterday, does that count?

I did manage to organise myself into using the Park and Ride in the mornings, it's £33 a month instead of paying £158 for parking in the town centre. I know there are some days coming up where I'll have no choice but to park the expensive way (because I will have two jobs that day) but it will still be worthwhile overall.

Still no real indication this workplace will keep me on come mid-November. In fact, they have sort of indicated they won't have the budget to do it (hey at least that isn't a "we don't want you" response). They took 12 of us on for 12 weeks and we have lost one already, and two more leave next week. Dropping like flies. People can't afford to sit around on a maybe and end up unemployed in November. The main project we're doing has a pretty firm finish date of the end of October, so people dropping out won't actually mean that there is more work for the rest of us to do later. I suspect the first week of November will be incredibly quiet and sombre, lots of staring at hands and ceilings.

I did go for a shop assistant job near my current workplace and I got it. In fact I didn't even really interview, just chatted with the manager. She told me later that she decided in the first minute to give me the job, even before I met her, because she saw me chatting with another of her employees and decided I was able to make a connection with a complete stranger comfortably. Quite the eye-opener I have to say. It's the same company I currently work for so of course she already knew that I recruit for these exact positions and know what is expected in this job.

I have to see both real estate agents this week - the current one has asked whether I am renewing and needs an answer, and the other has a flat I'm hoping to get hold of. It's less than half the price of my current one (and of course half the size) but I honestly don't mind the small space. It's a little less convenient to fit my stuff in but to be honest I think I would prefer to own less stuff. I know I meet that agent's benchmark for minimum earnings - even though I will only have a 20h shop assistant contract at that point. It will be pretty tight to live off, but it will buy me time to find more work. I'd also be able to leave the car at home and walk to work so that would be quite a saving.

I keep putting off a decision on the caravan. It only booked one week of October. Overall it would probably break even if I let it the whole year, but then it defeats the purpose of owning one if I am never able to use it myself. I had sort of decided to sell it then noticed that similar vans are going for really low amounts right now (bad timing). I think I will have to just bite the bullet, sell it at a loss and at least have half my money back in hand.

Purchases of late: long winter coat £15 (it even has a removable liner), work top £4, new horn for my car £7.

PS. Ok I did it, emailed four agents for info on selling the van, let's see what they have to say.