It has been so long since I last did a life update – where do I begin?
The Family
As mentioned, I now have four children. They are 14, 9, 3 and 1. My oldest is about to go into Year 10 and is just waiting to find out if he got his chosen options. The next one down is going into Year 5 in September and the third is going into Nursery – although her class will be mixed with Reception students because both had low birth years and there’s a lot less students than normal. That means I will only have one at home in September – eek!
It has also been well over a year since I did a proper update so I don’t think I ever mentioned that I lost my eldest brother last summer. I then lost my Grandad last month and the funeral is this Friday.
The Job
I mentioned in this post that I had struggled financially and work wise in the last year. The Cost of Living crisis caused chaos and I found it really tough to stay afloat. I have recently taken on a new VA client who I love working for and have a few other clients I do bits for but I am still hopeful to find some more work!
Blog wise, it comes in ebbs and flows. Sometimes there’s a lot of work, sometimes there isn’t. Today? My inbox is dead as a dodo. There is so much I need to do to the blog to get it looking picture perfect to attract more work again but finding the time when working for others and as a mum to 4 can be tricky! It is something I am looking to prioritise though and I plan to get a lot done over May half term.
The Side Hustles
The side hustles are definitely what have helped keep me afloat in recent months. Whether it has been joining freebie groups and getting stuff for free which saves me money on grocery shops or doing surveys to get vouchers to put away for Christmas, every little helps. I’m hoping to get a proper side hustle series off the ground soon – would that be something you are interested in?
The Comping
You know how much I love comping but I don’t get as much time as I used to. However I want to dedicate an hour or two a day to comping as it is a great way to save us some money. It can be by winning vouchers for supermarket shops or by winning stuff we need to buy – for instance, our contracts come to an end in November so I am trying to win a few phones! Would you be interested in competition win blog posts like I used to do?
The Blog
I mentioned that time is lacking but I really want to get back to posting a lot more on here. If that means spending a day a week just focused on the site, then so be it. I want to go back to this feeling more community led than what it has become. I hope you will join me for the ride?
R x
The cost of living is a huge challenge for me, and it is affecting everyone that I know. It is good that you have side hustles; this is very smart. I need to do the same.
I’m glad to get caught up with you, but I’m sorry to hear about your losses. It’s so hard to lose someone, especially when they’re so very close and important.
I am glad that there are many great things happening in your life despite the cost of living crises. Good luck for finding more VA clients!
Blog work is such a roller coaster. I’ve dound the last couple of months particularly challenging, but I’d like to think I’ve been doing this long enough to know you’ve got to just ride the waves. This month is looking better (and a bit more normal) thankfully but it’s such a difficult position to be in. Some months are great, some months are not so great. I hope May is good for you! I need to get more into side hustling. I’d love to hear what you’d recommend, and where’s best to start.
Claire
http://www.clairemac.co.uk
Your household must be like a ball of energy. My little one will be one next month and she’s starting nursery really soon ready for me to go back to work and I have mixed feelings about it. I know what you mean about blogging, some days it’s a flutter of activity, the next day it’s so dead x
I am so sorry for your loss. It sounds like you have a lot going on. I would be very interested reading about your side hustles.