Battling Debt and Mental Illness — and (hopefully) Winning!

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  • Thanks, chanie :) I would like to be more on top of my debts, especially as my cc balance has gone up again and my mum is haranguing me about my loan payments (despite my keeping up with them pretty well), but I think I need to learn to live again. Actually, learn to LIVE full stop, since my mental health problems began when I was at school and have controlled my life ever since — until now!

    I'm a little worried that my spending is related to my impulsive/compulsive spending symptoms of 4-6 years ago, but I'm not spending as much as I did back then and I feel that whilst what I buy is not essential, it adds value to my life. I used to buy designer shoes or a load of books (£200-£300 at a time) for the buzz and then bought more when the buzz wore off a couple of weeks later. I'm also spending more on experiences rather than possessions nowadays, which I believe is a good thing.

    I think it all boils down to one thing: I need to get/earn more money!
    Rainy day fund — 210/1000 Emergency fund — 1019/1500
    Loan — 424/19,224 = 2.2% Fun fund: 1/100 Credit card balance — 0
  • Off the antidepressants? That's an amazing achievement. Now the work is to stay off them. Don't worry too much about a 9-5 job. It isn't for everyone. There are other ways. Perhaps use your energies finding them. Vegan and bipolar works differently, maybe she can help. In the meantime keep writing. Creativity is the way to balance. When I'm not engaging creatively I feel lesser

    Have a good day and great on your purchases but as a general rule I like create don't consume. Although I have been spendy myself lately...
    If you have built castles in the air, your work should not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.

    Solicitor/survey savings 300/1700
    Emergency fund 0/1000
    Buffer fund 0/200
  • Thanks doingit :)

    Been a bit shaky over the past couple of days; I think it's last week catching up with me and not having seen my friends for weeks. My bff couldn't come to jive last night, because her babysitter was ill, so that sucked. I really need a good chat and texting just isn't the same.

    On a different note, I now weigh 243.5lb, which means I have lost 20lb! I haven't been losing weight as quickly as I would like, but hitting a milestone reminds me that I am making progress. Despite gorging on crisps this week...

    Paid my rent on Wednesday and made a pathetic £10 payment to cc. Wondering whether I should use my EF to ease the pressure — it would save interest and it seems stupid to have £500 in the bank when my cc balance is more than that atm. On the other hand, I like the security of having an EF and it feels good to know it's there, even if it's cancelled out by what I owe.
    Rainy day fund — 210/1000 Emergency fund — 1019/1500
    Loan — 424/19,224 = 2.2% Fun fund: 1/100 Credit card balance — 0
  • reality_check
    reality_check Posts: 752
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    edited 24 September 2016 at 5:07PM
    I would use the money from your emergency fund and save on the interest..can always use the card again worst case when something comes up and you really need money. That's just me though as I really, reallyyyy hate paying interest!!

    Fab news on the weight loss xxx
    Starting debt £18,675.63 :eek:
    Current debt: £5,000 (16/05/18)
  • Well done on the weight loss ABA - and on keeping going throughout.
  • Thanks guys :)

    You know how you ask a question and you really know the answer, but need someone to point out the obvious...? I realised I agree with RC, so I am withdrawing £400 from my EF. I will pay the cc with £300 and use the other £400 as a buffer to ensure I can keep up to date with my loan payments. It should make my financial situation less stressful.

    I entered a short story comp on Friday and will be entering another later on today. I also have a short story to rework in time for a submission deadline on Fri/Sat and I want to see if I have anything suitable for a few other deadlines coming up. So writing is going pretty well and I hope to build up momentum, especially as I start my novel editing course on Monday...

    All else is okay. Went to a wildlife park with bff and her toddler on Sunday afternoon, which was awesome. I loved the otters and meerkats! It was a lot of fun and I realised only afterwards that I hadn't felt at all anxious.

    Aching today from Bodypump last night, but aim to meet my mum from work again. Went up the lane yesterday, so that was a bit of extra activity too. Also making the effort to do simple things which make me feel better, like listening to my "happy music" playlist.
    Rainy day fund — 210/1000 Emergency fund — 1019/1500
    Loan — 424/19,224 = 2.2% Fun fund: 1/100 Credit card balance — 0
  • Loan payment done — now paid off 17.3% of my total
    CC balance is currently £740... Pretty scary; even after I use most of EF to reduce it, it's bigger than it has been for ages. At least it's heading in the right direction from now on.

    Entered the comp yesterday and just need to do a bit of polishing before I can submit the next story. Also want to finish the draft of another story I have been working on, though it won't be ready to submit for a while. I should probably look at some of my dormant stories and see if I can give them a polish and submit somewhere...

    I have already ticked off most of this week's to-do list, which feels weird. I do need to tie off a lot of loose ends before I start my course though, since most of my attention will be on The Novel.

    The plan for today is:
    • Polish and submit story
    • Go for a walk up the lane
    • Do Kettlebells class
    • Work on drafting story
    Rainy day fund — 210/1000 Emergency fund — 1019/1500
    Loan — 424/19,224 = 2.2% Fun fund: 1/100 Credit card balance — 0
  • You are doing great on the exercise.
    Kettlebells is a hard class. I'll be at zumba tonight, but I think I'd like to try kettle bells too one day.
    If you have built castles in the air, your work should not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.

    Solicitor/survey savings 300/1700
    Emergency fund 0/1000
    Buffer fund 0/200
  • Thanks, doing it :) I tell myself that no matter how tough the classes, it'd be more difficult to spend the rest of my life weak, unfit and unhealthy. I am so much stronger and fitter than I was 5 years agoand can't wait to feel even better. People in my classes have told me that they have noticed improvements :D and it's amusing to wonder what they'd think if they knew that 5 years ago I was a size 26 and the 5 minute walk to the university car park knackered me!

    I did everything I intended yesterday :j Yup, it doesn't happen often but I did it!

    Today's plan is pretty relaxed — walking to meet my mum from work and jive this evening. I will work on a story I'm writing this afternoon and think about whether I have anything which could be entered into one of the comps with deadlines tomorrow. I don't *think* I have, but it's worth a look.

    Been feeling a bit abandoned lately, since bff has missed jive through illness/babysitter's illness and my other bff who lives close-ish is going through a prolonged break-up. I wish I was better at making friends and had more people I could ask to come out with me. I'm thinking about doing jive on Wednesdays as well as Thursdays, to be a little more sociable. The thought scares me, but I've done lots of stuff which scares me... Maybe when Bake Off finishes and I feel a little more surefooted in terms of mood/coming off medication and finances.
    Rainy day fund — 210/1000 Emergency fund — 1019/1500
    Loan — 424/19,224 = 2.2% Fun fund: 1/100 Credit card balance — 0
  • Agh. Discovered that I can't withdraw money from my EF without closing my account. I'm now leaning towards keeping it in there, as it does provide me with a sense of security. It will also force me to find creative ways to pay down the CC... Having said that, the interest on the CC isn't enormous (£4 last month) and I can meet/exceed minimum payments pretty easily, so I think maybe it's best to sit back for a few months as I focus in my wellbeing (and novel rewriting), then reassess.

    Went to jive last night — with bff! She also says she can come to a jive freestyle a week tomorrow, so that should be fun. And we're going to see a folk/rock duo perform in December (tickets are £15, so doable — esp as it will mean missing jive) with other bff, so that's something a little different for me — never been to a concert before, though thankfully this one is small and not very intimidating.

    Got kettlercise tonight and writing group tomorrow, so will probably feel exhausted by tomorrow night. Also want to try running on the treadmill at the weekend, since my PF doesn't seem to get worse with exercise (or better without it). I miss running — I did it regularly for a year before I had to quit 2 years ago and it helped my mood and gave me a great sense of accomplishment. I would like to get back to it, especially if it helps with losing the weight. Lost another pound as of today, which means I have lost a stone and a half :D getting there, slowly but surely....
    Rainy day fund — 210/1000 Emergency fund — 1019/1500
    Loan — 424/19,224 = 2.2% Fun fund: 1/100 Credit card balance — 0
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