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  • Downsizing Calmly: How to limit money worries

    Starting a new role in a different industry is exciting, but it can also be unsettling, especially when it means a smaller salary and a tighter budget.

    For me, moving into a new sector has been both a reset and a reality check. With constant headlines about a weakening UK economy, rising taxes, and inflation that just won’t quit, it’s easy to get caught in a loop of worry.

    Here are a few things I’ve been thinking about and what I’m doing to keep the worry from taking over.

    1. Accepting a simpler lifestyle

    The first thing that hits is lifestyle adjustment. You can’t do everything you used to, and that can feel like a loss.
    What’s helped me is separating comfort from status. I cut quiet costs first — subscriptions, takeaways, impulsive Amazon orders — but kept one or two small luxuries that actually make life better. That balance keeps me on track without feeling deprived.

    2. Watching savings shrink

    It’s stressful seeing savings move in the wrong direction. I now automate a small transfer every payday, even if it’s just £50. It’s less about the amount and more about the habit. It keeps me in control instead of feeling like everything’s slipping.

    3. The frustration of higher taxes

    Taxes feel heavier than ever, and it’s easy to feel stuck. I can’t change the system, but I can make sure I’m being smart within it: using my ISA allowance, topping up Premium Bonds, and checking if salary sacrifice options exist.

    You can’t avoid taxes, but you can stay efficient.

    4. Big fixed costs like housing

    Housing costs are often the biggest weight. I reviewed everything — insurance, energy, broadband — and switched what I could. If moving becomes necessary, I’m trying to frame it not as losing space, but gaining breathing room.

    Sometimes peace of mind is the real upgrade.

    5. Everything costs more

    Food, fuel, heating, you name it. I’ve started batch cooking and doing one big shop per month to reduce those “pop in and spend £30” moments. Inflation is largely out of my control, but habits aren’t.

    6. Watching investments drop

    Markets move, but emotion makes it worse. I’ve stopped checking daily and review quarterly instead. I keep contributing small amounts because consistency matters more than timing. Volatility isn’t loss unless you sell.

    7. Fear of unexpected bills

    There’s always a boiler, a car, or a dentist waiting to test your budget. I’ve built a small buffer fund of a couple of months’ expenses in an easy-access account. It’s not about earning interest, it’s about sleeping better.

    8. Second-guessing the job move

    When income drops, it’s easy to ask, “Did I make the wrong decision?” I’m giving it six months before judging. In the meantime, I’m tracking what I’m learning, who I’m meeting, and what doors are opening. Growth doesn’t always show up in the payslip first.

    9. Constant money thoughts

    Money can occupy every thought if you let it. I’ve started doing a weekly “money hour” to review things, then I stop thinking about it until the next one. Writing worries down instead of reacting immediately helps a lot.

    10. Feeling guilty about providing less

    That one hits hard. I’ve found that being honest with family helps more than pretending everything’s fine. Turning budgeting into a shared goal or small challenge makes it feel like teamwork, not tension.

    People value calm and communication more than spending power.

    11. Thinking it’s too late to rebuild

    It’s easy to feel like time is slipping away, but compounding works best for the consistent, not just the wealthy. Even £200 a month at 7% growth becomes £50,000 in 15 years. It’s the direction that matters.

    12. The fear of the unknown

    The news cycle thrives on fear. I’ve cut down my exposure to it and replaced it with more time outside, reading, or learning something useful. The future will always feel uncertain if you let other people define it. Structure, routine, and perspective are the best antidotes.

    Final thought

    You can’t control the economy, but you can control your economy.

    This period can be a financial reset, not a setback. Downsizing isn’t failure — it’s buying space, control, and a clearer sense of what actually matters.

    Would you like me to adapt this next into a LinkedIn post version (around 300 words with a conversational opening and CTA like “How are you adapting to the cost-of-living squeeze?”)? That version tends to get far higher engagement.

  • Back on the Hamster Wheel

    So after hundreds of applications, several final stage interviews and rejections and I have finally bagged a new role.

    The relief is huge, and more importantly the mental change in mindset to being one of provider again is a massive boost. This for me was the hardest thing to deal with whilst being out or work.

    My wife was fantastic during the whole process and never once doubted me or my ability to get a new role, none the less the mental torture of having a family and not providing for them felt like a huge weight. One which I never thought about at all, I didn’t ever consider that this would be an issue I would have to deal with.

    So what have i learned throughout this whole process? Getting a job in tech is harder than I have ever experienced in my life.

    Time was, you could walk into a place and hand in a CV, even discuss with someone there and then about new roles available and come away with an interview booked. Or you could ring a company direct and get an interview booked in.

    I then saw the shift to agencies managing the recruiting process where this aspect was outsourced, but still had a physical first approach. You had to speak with someone in the recruitment agency, book an interview, then leave it with them to come back to you with suitable roles and pick the role you wanted, arrange an interview and go from there.

    After this came online job boards, where you could find roles, apply and reasonably expect a call back (provided experience matched). This has now changed again into the black hole of LinkedIn and online job portals.

    LinkedIn Easy apply for me has been a completely useless endeavour. I have applied for hundreds of roles with not even one contact from any of them. Most of the roles I know I am suitable for and my experience shows this, so I do question what this easy apply does in practice? Is the sheer volume of applicants overloading HR departments or hiring teams? Or is this a harvesting operation to build a pool of people to be farmed out to companies or agencies who have roles?

    Whilst this aspect of LinkedIn I have found not very fruitful, I have had most success from boutique recruitment agencies finding my profile and then speaking with me about roles they have. This is where all my success has been outside of direct applies to roles via company websites. For this I am extremely grateful, I have been working with two great agencies who have been extremely competent and have identified roles which I am a great fit for.

    Now that a new role has been nailed down (all be it one with a big salary drop) I have to get the head down and work hard to make this role a success, as the thought of looking again for a new role is a horrific one.

    To all those looking for new roles, best of luck and keep on pushing. My success came via small recruitment agencies, so this would be where I would be putting my energy.

    Onwards and updards!

  • The Vortex of despair

    Turning on the TV, reading the newspapers or listening to the radio, can all have you wanting to rip out your hair or punch your TV. There is so much happening in the world which seems to be an endless stream of death, destruction, despair and have you feeling like there is nothing you can do, it is inevitable that there will be wars, you will be locked up for voicing your mild, middle of the road opinion, and that the fate of your children looks to be like that of John Conner in Terminator.

    Whilst there seems to be an endless stream of useless people paraded in front of us from the government, and other institutions with the power to make your lives even more uncomfortable than it already is there is, it beggars belief that such incompetence can seem to propel these eejits to the pinnacle of government.

    Therein lies a little nugget of hope. If these fools can make it to high places (a la turtle on a fencepost) there is indeed a chink of light which illuminates the path of progress.

    At times like this it does indeed seem like a thick fog of depression has covered the globe, however focussing on the things that I can control, does give me some respite and even dare I say it a little happiness, in accomplishing the small things.

    Today’s happiness was swapping out a clapped out tumble dryer and washing machine with those we had brought with us when we moved in 18 months ago, making my wife feel better, and me feel better for having completed a menial task.

    Taking my daughter to the golf driving range and seeing her hit it further than she ever has before and leaving with her wanting to come back tomorrow, another little light of joy.

    Then to be taken back down to earth to hear I will not be “moving onto the next phase” of the interview process.

    Another little dagger, being out of work is hard work!

    A couple of irons still in the fire and I have also the prospect of some temporary contract work with a great company if all else fails. One which to be honest I would love to take permanent, but I will be happy to be there on a temporary basis in the short term.

    Till the next time.