Taking control of my life

Ames

Thanks DF.

I went to see the psychiatrist today, with the psychologist there as well. I basically had to choose between carrying on with the CBT with him, or going to the ME clinic. I wanted to do both, but apparantly you can't have two courses of psychological treatment at the same time, because it'll get confusing and neither will work. So I decided to go with the ME clinic, it'll help my physical health, which is my biggest problem right now, and also a bit of my mental health. And there are other ways and places to get help with confidence and assertiveness. I'm going to look through the mental health services booklet and maybe join some of the groups in there, there's one I used to go to which was really good - just a social get together, but since everyone has problems there's not the social expectations. Everyone just takes each other as they come. Then there's my outreach worker, and help available throug MIND if I need it. So now I have to phone the ME clinic for an appointment, that's tomorrow's 'to do list'.

I phoned Ilkley Literature Festival. There was a debacle with the David Peace ticket on Saturday, I was supposed to pick up all my tickets then but they weren't there. When I spoke to them this morning they said they had no record of my booking! Well, I made it and I paid £21.50 so they'd better find the record! The event I was most looking forward to, Sarah Dunant, has sold out and I'll be gutted if I can't go, I deliberately logged on and booked as soon as tickets went on sale so that I'd get one. They said they'd look into it and for me to phone them back, but it's just been engaged.

Amazon super fast delivery really is super fast - I placed an order on Saturday night and it's just arrived, a day earlier than expected. I'm so tempted to pay the £50 a year to keep it, but I know it's silly, I very rarely NEED books the next day (only when I forget about book club coming up), just WANT them, which is totally different.

Ames

Well, good news today.

I've made an appointment with the ME clinic for the 27th, which is a lot sooner than I expected it to be. Let's just hope that after the assessment they agree to see me.

Went to poundland today and got a teapot, the cheapest I've seen so far is £3.50, so that's saved me a bit of money. Also got a hairbrush, since I left mine in Scarborough and couldn't find a cheap one, marker pens for my organisational whiteboard, and some wafers. I've decided that if I have one a day, on an afternoon with my coffee, then I wont feel like I'm depriving myself of chocolate and 'treats'. And they're only 36 calories a stick. So it seems the best way of doing that.

Then went to sainsburys and got some bananas - their big pack was cheaper than asda's, so I think I'll get them from there in future.

And, I've started writing again. I've been planning to go to Starbucks to do it the first time, to kick myself up the bum in a place where there's no distractions. But I've not been well enough to go, and managed to bite the bullet and get on with it here at home. And, as ever, I'm enjoying it - it's just the starting that's a problem. Hopefully I can be as motivated with my OU studies from next week!

Also getting on with slowly sorting all the crap out. I have a bit of a dilemma though. I'm going to buy a storage unit for the living room. I can't put it together on my own though (I think it's recommended 2 person assembly as it is, and I'm barely half a person when it comes to physical things!) Dad's said he'll come and help me with some handyman jobs, but only if the flat's nice and tidy. But I can't get it nice and tidy until I've got the storage sorted... catch 22. So, my options: 1. Pay a handyman (defeats the object of buying cheap furniture or getting it of freegle!). 2. hope that dad will be ok with there being neat piles of stuff all over the place. 3. Risk doing it myself, eek!

I think I'm also going to have to buy a cheap blanket. The duvet in the living room's not quite enough to keep the cold at bay right now, but all the blanket's/bedspreads I've got can't be machine washed. Given that the living room one's going to get coffee and food spilled on it, it needs to be washable. So next week I think I'll have a look in asda and primark for something suitable.

I've just had an email from the social worker, with my care plan/assessment. So I'll read through that tomorrow, then make any changes or ok it and it should go to panel next week. He's also emailed copies of the form to get our bins taken out to the road by the bin men. They had been doing that anyway, but now they've stopped. Most people in my square are disabled/elderly/both and so it's not possible, since the road is quite far away. Hopefully I can get my printer working, if not he'll send hard copies. I think filling the forms in and sending them off is better than my neighbours' 'strike' action - not putting our rubbish out is only going to affect us, not them!

dancingfairy

Hi Ames - how you getting on?
df

Ames

Really well actually! I've filled my board out with everything this week, although a lot depends on how tiring tomorrow is (going for a meal and seeing Sarah Dunant at Ilkley).

I've been coping with housework - I've been doing 10 minutes, on a timer, and then resting/reading/foruming/sleeping for an hour, then another 10 mins. I'm actually managing to get quite a lot done! I've got to have a shower tonight though so that'll leave me tired for the next few days.

The place still looks a tip - but that's because there's piles of things everywhere to get sorted, for instance, a pile of my OU materials, a pile of folders and things for my Italian course and writing, piles of cds... I've persuaded ex to help me put some flat pack furniture together in return for £20, so once that's done I can start tidying things away, then get my dad to come over for the bigger stuff - wall shelves and a bit of plastering.

Food's going well too, I'm trying the big SC today, I've thrown a load of stuff in and it smells and looks good, I've done enough to freeze two or three portions, so I'll have that as a standby for bad days.

Only downside is my mobile's died, it just wont charge, so I'm going to have to get a new one tomorrow. It'll be the cheapest I can find though! I wouldn't bother straight away, but I started putting cards out at the weekend for relaunching my book club and put my mobile number on, typical!

Ames

Well, good and bad news.

Bad - I misunderstood the rules and messed up a Paypal claim so I can't get the £8 back.

Bad - It doesn't look like I'll get the money sister owes me anytime soon. I really need to get her to do a section 75 (or whatever it is) for the Leeds festival ticket, but she can't be bothered. I could really do with that £120 right now. Not to mention the £76.50 I've lent her in dribs and drabs, or the £90 for the Leeds ticket. Or the £1500 for food for a year. She had planned to pay me that back by the end of next year. Since I should be debt free by then I'd planned to go on a dream holiday for my 30th the year after, but she doesn't want me to spend it on a holiday, she wants me to save it. Cheeky mare! Especially when it'd cost half what her last holiday did, and she doesn't see that as a 'special' holiday at all.

Bad - I got a letter from Cabot about my credit card debt. If it had just been another couple of months I would have enough saved for a reasonable f&f. In a fortnight I'll have £180 saved, for a debt of £670, not sure if that'll be enough. I'm going to start at 10% and then go up, but I'm not sure how to do it. If they say no and I up my offer, wont they just keep saying no till the offer reaches the full amount?

Good - it's two and a half weeks since I thought I got caught by a speed camera, they're supposed to notify you within two weeks so hopefully I'm off the hook there.

And I'm annoyed about Ilkley Literature festival, thanks to their mess up with the tickets, I missed an event I'd booked for that I was looking forward to. I asked when I phoned up about it all if the next event I was booked for was Sarah Dunant last night, and they said it was. But when I got the tickets last night I'd missed something on Saturday. The booking reference didn't tell me what I'd booked for and when, and I couldn't remember exactly which I'd booked for, which is why I'd phoned them about it. Grr. Oh well, I've enjoyed the two events I've been to so far, and I'm sure the last one will be just as good.

scaredy_cat

Ames wrote: »

Well, good and bad news.

Bad - I misunderstood the rules and messed up a Paypal claim so I can't get the £8 back.

Bad - It doesn't look like I'll get the money sister owes me anytime soon. I really need to get her to do a section 75 (or whatever it is) for the Leeds festival ticket, but she can't be bothered. I could really do with that £120 right now. Not to mention the £76.50 I've lent her in dribs and drabs, or the £90 for the Leeds ticket. Or the £1500 for food for a year. She had planned to pay me that back by the end of next year. Since I should be debt free by then I'd planned to go on a dream holiday for my 30th the year after, but she doesn't want me to spend it on a holiday, she wants me to save it. Cheeky mare! Especially when it'd cost half what her last holiday did, and she doesn't see that as a 'special' holiday at all.

she doesn't need to know it's for a holiday.. say you'll put it in a special savings account.... and keep badgering her for the money... and about her getting the form, after all , it's only gonna cost her a phone call !!!!!!!!

Ames wrote: »

Bad - I got a letter from Cabot about my credit card debt. If it had just been another couple of months I would have enough saved for a reasonable f&f. In a fortnight I'll have £180 saved, for a debt of £670, not sure if that'll be enough. I'm going to start at 10% and then go up, but I'm not sure how to do it. If they say no and I up my offer, wont they just keep saying no till the offer reaches the full amount?

send a letter offering the f&f, by the time they reply with a 'no' offer them a bit more if you can or reply back saying this is a one time offer or it'll be offered to another creditor!

Ames wrote: »

Good - it's two and a half weeks since I thought I got caught by a speed camera, they're supposed to notify you within two weeks so hopefully I'm off the hook there.

And I'm annoyed about Ilkley Literature festival, thanks to their mess up with the tickets, I missed an event I'd booked for that I was looking forward to. I asked when I phoned up about it all if the next event I was booked for was Sarah Dunant last night, and they said it was. But when I got the tickets last night I'd missed something on Saturday. The booking reference didn't tell me what I'd booked for and when, and I couldn't remember exactly which I'd booked for, which is why I'd phoned them about it. Grr. Oh well, I've enjoyed the two events I've been to so far, and I'm sure the last one will be just as good.

fingers crossed about the ticket Ames!

Ames

I know I should keep badgering her, but she's having trouble at work and might not be made permanent, so she can't afford to pay me back. I will keep pushing her to sort the refund out, like you say it's only a phonecall and a stamp, and she could probably make the call in branch for free!

What do you think I should start the f&f offer at, would 15% be ok do you think?

Just been and bought three pairs of big fluffy socks for £1.50 and some thick tights for £1.75. If the tights are good I'll get some more, they're cheaper than any others I've seen.

Ex is coming round tomorrow to put some flatpack furniture together. I'm paying him £20 for the day, so need to find lots of jobs for him to do. So far there's:

Put together bookcase
Put together shelf/table thing for living room
Put up white board organiser thing
Put up some hooks in the bedroom
Put up curtain in kitchen doorway
Chop veg.

Need to think of more, so that I can squeeze the most out of every penny! I've got some shelves to put up but since he's not at all practical and that could go very wrong I don't think I dare let him near them.

Ames

Damnit, I tried to list books on Amazon, but I can't because I don't have a credit card. I could try ebay but doubt I'd sell them with the new rules, and a car boot I'd have to sell them all to cover the cost of the stall, never mind make a profit. Is there any other options?

scaredy_cat

the worst would be that they say no to the F&F, Ames.

Ames

You're right Scaredy. I'll work on a letter over the weekend, got a day of tidying/housework/taking stuff to the tip etc tomorrow, then rest Friday. I'll still get a reply off within a week though.

Bumped into someone I used to be in a book group with in Morrisons today, embarrassingly I couldn't remember where I knew him from at first when he said hello! Anyway, he wants to join the one I run, which is good. Typically, I'd left the business cards at home!

I've listed 10 books on Green Metropolis, although most of them there are loads of so wont be selling any time soon. A couple I'm near the top though, they're ones I thought would be really popular and have loads for sale, so that's a nice surprise. Got looooads more to list, and need to figure out how to store them all, although when I get all the shelves put up there should be room for them on there.