The Ultimate Incentive muddles along

Dinah93 · 15 June 2016 at 10:46AM

Part 12. I have now been limping around these forums for the best part of a decade. I cleared it all, it all came back. It was nearly gone again, and it's grown almost to the max again. Somehow nearing that £16k debt figure always signals a change in the winds, something happens to make our finances go in a better direction for a few months, but then we hit a bump, fall off the wagon, down a cliff and into the deep dark sea. As well as a few maternity leaves and redundancy the biggest bump these last few years has been NIMs depression, where we can have no wages coming into the house for months on end, but also no ability to contribute in other ways so that I can work or even so I can do some home based money making.

While the depression isn't in the best place right now, we are both committed to making it work as best we can, and my diary has always helped me, with the support and chatter of my amazing threadies. So, time to work out where we stand, and fill you in on what we plan to do about it.

clearmydebts · 15 June 2016 at 10:54AM

Really lovely to see you back. Sorry to hear about NIM's depression. OH went through it a few years back and it's awful for all involved. We are a bit like yourselves, seem to press the self destruct button when things are on the up.

Subscribed as always and look forward to the chatter xxx

Dinah93 · 15 June 2016 at 11:19AM

So today I'm taking stock, working out what we owe and where, and what our income is (disclaimer, I know it doesn't even currently cover our mortgage let alone a single bill, NIM is currently signed off but hoping to start a new job next month).

I managed to drop my phone yesterday, and the screen has gone black, so that needs to go to the repair shop today. It was in there a few weeks ago and the guy said he might buy our old phone off us for parts for more than trade in, which is £69, so if he decides not to buy it I'll arrange trade in today.

My etsy shop keeps pootling along, 6 or 7 orders this week. I only make £2 per order, but since they're my designs and I don't actually participate in production once they're out there it's a fairly passive form of income for me.

NIM has an interview Friday, and an assessment day for a different job on Saturday. He's waiting on a second interview for job 3, and to hear about an interview that didn't go so well for job 4. He does have a new job offer on the table (job 5) but it's still shift work which isn't ideal as it makes it very hard for me to work or for us to plan a family life. However he needs to leave the care sector as he's found it a very catty environment with a lot of people who really don't care about the standards they're delivering.

We've invited lots of people around for DS's 2nd birthday for a BBQ in 10 days, but I'm now wishing we hadn't as I hadn't considered the money side of catering for that many people. Going to have to go scouting around for who has the best deals on burgers. We have quite a bit of wine from various presents etc, will scale back on the number of puddings I do as usually I do 6 or 7 and loads are left.

I finish my first year of yoga teacher training next week, I'd really like to progress to year 2 as I can teach as a student after that and start paying my own way, but it costs £2200 to do the next year and that's a big commitment when we owe so much. I've been trying to decide for months now, and need to do it soon.

Very hard for me to plan my work with NIM doing shifts, working two days a week self employed the last year only brought in £1856 and that's before I take into account my petrol getting to work, my insurance, the childcare for those two days a week, I need to do my accounts for the tax year in the next few weeks and I think I'm going to find I'm working for next to nothing. I really need to know what NIM is doing asap as once I commit to working the next school year I'm locked in, and it may be that I'm better doing something else.

Applied for a casual job a few days ago doing event staffing, which I've gotten. It's likely to only be a few days a year but fingers crossed it's more. Also looking to apply for a few more similar flexible bits of work, things that are weekends and school holidays when I know mum can take care of the children, and I'll work out something about my real work once I know what NIM is up to.

Dinah93 · 15 June 2016 at 5:21PM

Okay, so debt:

Dinah Barclaycard: £10,613.70
NIM MBNA: £5,118.10
NIM Barclaycard: (Can't find log on details somehow)
Family: (Have requested total, approximately £300)
NIMs tax bill: Don't know if this comes off his wages or what will happen. We were sent it a few weeks ago, somehow he's underpaid PAYE by nearly £2k, I don't understand how you can underpay PAYE

Starting to do a to do list as well:
My tax return
NIMs tax return
Gang up unprinted designs
Book NIMs car in for an MOT
Find log on details for Barclaycard
Send Amazon parcels
Relist etsy designs on Ebay
List etsy designs on handmade on Amazon
Find external hard drive with all my files on!
Meal plan
Do tax credit renewal
Draw up a CV

Discovered ebay is 'pay only when you sell' in June - so I need to make that a good priority for the next 2 weeks as I have a fair few boxes of stuff upstairs.

Tete_en_l'Air · 15 June 2016 at 6:29PM

Well whaddaya know, there I was searching the forums for advice on thread veins and I came across a post from Birdie from 2008! It prompted me to see how you'd all been getting along, and lo and behold, a brand new thread!

Sorry to hear NIM's been unwell but glad to hear you're getting a handle on things again. You're always so inspiring when you're 'on it'.

I'm also trying to get myself back in some sort of order after two years of being in a teaching bubble and the subsequent year of Dad being poorly and the aftermath of his death. My work were really bad to me and I was basically being bullied by my boss, but now I'm working from home and in schools so it's a lot better (although for the same company, so I'm on the job hunt, just as soon as I can find the memory stick with previous applications on to lift from...). So my current situation is, although not in any debt, just needing to get my finances in order, sell his car and so on, and sort the flaming house out - I want to decorate but need to have a massive declutter before that and whenever I think of doing that I always think of you lot!!

Hope to reconnect with you all a bit now. Has anyone heard from Zig? xx

kavics17 · 15 June 2016 at 7:29PM

Marking place. Hi everyone!

Glad to see you Dinah, I check the forums periodically to see how everyone is doing. Sorry to hear about NIM's depression

, hopefully he will get one of those jobs.

Nice to see you Tete, loving the running pictures on Fb.

I can finally say that I'm in a good place. Still no men in our lives but actually I don't even feel like getting one. I have a full time job now which I truly enjoy. Little miss Kavics is 3,5 now and starting pre school in September. She changes constantly and she is just amazing. I am happy now, the only thing I want to tackle is my weight really, still need to lose 1,5 stones ideally.

Dinah93 · 16 June 2016 at 10:47AM

Lovely to hear from you both. Is it teaching supply you're doing Tete? Glad to hear you're in a good place Kavics x

Dinah93 · 16 June 2016 at 11:09AM

So, annual subs paid this morning to British Wheel of Yoga (£34). Has to be done to continue to qualify/be insured. It was apparently due in April but I never had a letter or an email to say they were due and you can't set up a direct debit.

Potentially NIMs barclaycard debt is actually on a Virgin card, can't log onto that one either, need to find the actual cards so I can reset the log on details and move on from there.

Applied for an online focus group which if I get the session is £30.

Been offered an extra session next week teaching, only an hour but it's £15 (although after fuel to get there more like £10)

Currently in a desperate hunt for a replacement blanket for Grace. She has two beloved blankets, we've managed to get 3 spares of one of them over the years but it is of course the other one I appear to have utterly destroyed, a friend thinks she may have one and there is one on ebay but even if I get it for the starting price after postage that's £10 that I don't really want to spend, but equally being asked 'where's sheepy?' 20x a day isn't fun for anyone either.

Dinah93 · 16 June 2016 at 11:14PM

£22 spend in Tesco today - sent NIM for milk, cold and flu tablets and squash. In fairness he stuck to his list save for a jar of value peanut butter, just for some reason he seems to think our kitchen is Tesco's overflow stock room and can't ever buy anything singularly - so I now have 4 milks, 4 squashes etc.

One etsy order, no other money in and out. Had a really nice lunch with mum and Grace, just the girls. Great to catch up but Grace had a bit of a meltdown as she missed daddy and Ben. I was missing Ben too as it was a nursery day, I guess being all together for 3 weeks while we were away (Tesco vouchers for a siblu holiday and eurotunnel tickets - I was chuffed with that one when we booked it 8k of debt ago!) it's hard when we branch off again.

Tete_en_l'Air · 17 June 2016 at 6:39PM

It's not supply as such, it's a specialist intervention thing and I go in to different schools. My hours are based on demand though so I do a bit of work from home to make up my time sometimes.

So with the yoga - are you qualified to teach kids but training to teach adults, or what? I used to hate yoga, all the breathing used to make me light headed, but I've been doing a class a week since the new year and am loving it now, it really stretches out my sore runners' muscles and the teacher is brilliant. I should practise more at home between classes but never seem to remember to.

Slightly hungover after a wedding do today so have got nothing done except sleep, eat McDonald's and take my gran shopping for a fridge. At least that should stop her banging on about the old one frosting up but it won't be long before she thinks of something else she needs! I was meant to be doing half a day's admin for work but didn't think I'd sleep til 1pm

Will try to do a bit in front of the telly after tea.

Kavics, lovely to hear from you! Hope the little'un is doing well! Where are you living now, I've lost track?

As for Grace's blanket, is this perhaps an opportunity to learn about loss in life maybe?

What's everyone up to at the weekend? I desperately need to have a mahoosive housework day, and I also want to get my dad's car washed and photographed if it stops raining, so I can finally get around to selling it. I have no idea how to even go about that, I've always just run cars til they needed scrapping in the past - any tips gratefully received!

Dinah93 · 17 June 2016 at 8:57PM

Tete_en_l'Air wrote: »

So with the yoga - are you qualified to teach kids but training to teach adults, or what? I used to hate yoga, all the breathing used to make me light headed, but I've been doing a class a week since the new year and am loving it now, it really stretches out my sore runners' muscles and the teacher is brilliant. I should practise more at home between classes but never seem to remember to.

Who are you going to? The right teacher makes all the difference. I've been to 5 or 6 teachers and the different styles will appeal to different people.

I've done my children's teacher training through YogaBugs, but it's an activity class with yoga inspired movement really, and you're given lesson plans to build around, whereas an adult class you need to be able to safely teach a lot more postures, adapt for health conditions, build your own lessons etc. Technically there are no yoga police to swoop down if I just decided to start up with no formal training, but I really wouldn't feel comfortable and I'd never be able to teach in a gym or studio.

What's everyone up to at the weekend? I desperately need to have a mahoosive housework day, and I also want to get my dad's car washed and photographed if it stops raining, so I can finally get around to selling it. I have no idea how to even go about that, I've always just run cars til they needed scrapping in the past - any tips gratefully received!
NIM has an assesment day for a job tomorrow, so just me and the kids, but no car as NIMs needs an MOT so he needs to take mine tomorrow. We've sold cars on ebay previously, I think mum and dad have used autotrader too. You can also get adverts put in the Herald & Post. Or facebook local selling groups apparently are quite popular.

No spends today

Been looking into slightly more offbeat extra income earners (medical trials, people per hour, fiverr etc) and cracking on with getting all the Artful Dodger designs onto ebay. Still feeling suitably in the zone.

The Ultimate Incentive muddles along

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