Not in debt but seeking advice on SOA :)

Ames

Hi, I've got ME and I'm a bit brainfoggy so sorry if I've missed anything.

I totally understand about the live music being medicine, I'm the same, I love it.

Fibro is def covered by the DDA, the definition is something along the lines that it's an illness or condition which impacts on your day to day life. So fibro def comes under that! I'd say disclose it, they can't discriminate against you but they will be able to offer help if at all possible. I'm not sure about NI, but in England there's a support scheme to provide equipment and other help to disabled people in work, I can't for the life of me remember what it was though! Ah, Horace has already mentioned it, Access to Work.

Energy companies have special tariffs for people on benefits/low incomes with disabilities, might be worth giving yours a ring and asking about social tariffs.

DIAL = Disability information and advice line, they help with filling forms in etc. I'm not sure if they cover NI, but if not you should have some local welfare rights advisor. It's really important to get the wording right on forms, and to be prepared knowing what to expect from a medical etc.

Benefits - assuming they're the same as here. You'll still be able to get contributions based jobseekers even with a redundancy payout as it's not means tested. If you can get your GP to sign you off sick, you could try for ESA. If you're capable of work you'll just be moved onto jobseekers. If you have limited capability for work, they'll be able to help you find work that you can do, rather than on JSA just being expected to go for anything. Although even with JSA you can tell them your limitations and they can agree to you not applying for things that are unsuitable - for instance, they wouldn't be able to expect you to work as a bricklayer with Fibro! DLA also isn't means tested, you can get that if you're in work even, so it's important to apply for that, it'll be able to give you the money to make things easier for you.

If you want any more advice or if anything's not clear just give me a shout (I think I'm the other poster DF referred to above!).

zippychick

Ames that's a really helpful post. I need to read it a few times to digest it all.

I am very fit and am not so sure I deserve DLA if that makes sense. I have had some pretty rough times with my fibro but on a day to day basis I handle it with exercise - it's taken a long time to get here believe me, but i just don't know that I can say I have trouble walking etc when on a normal day, i don't. I largely put this down to pilates and cycling. I have been cycling for maybe 2 years now and - actually, nearly 2.5 years. It was a real struggle at first but it is my main transport. It exhausts me, hurts me and the last thing i feel like doing is getting on a bike - but i do it because I truly believe it's beneffited my general wellbeing and fitness. Pilates added to that I am very fit . I never thought for about two y ears i would be as "good" as I am today (relatively anyway).

Im really interested to say you enjoy the live music too, that's great . it's amazing.

My biggest issue is Sleeping at the minute (then again, something could happen and knock me off my feet and push me into a flare! I just recently had a close escape from one)

So this is why I have never went down the benefit route, because im not the worst case and i dont feel deserving of it to be honest.

Horace- get yourself on over to the OS board and read up about breadmaking! There is a whole thread dedicated to making carcass soup! I made bread using a machine from Feb (i got off freecycle) but am only learning by hand now myself. Good to hear your food planning and freezing/butchers etc.

Must check out how much thighs are in my butchers - they have only recently reopened. Also curious to try jointing a chicken (due to watching Economy Gastronomy lately)

Barbara:rotfl:at the beer! I'm not saying I'm a saint - far from it. I do buy the odd ready meal and you will find M & S lasagne in my freezer, but now I know how easy things are, I am very reluctant to spend money on pre packaged stuff , because my brain is thinking " i could so do that at home better and much cheaper with no preservatives" . It's all a big game. i can spend more on food if I want, and if I fancied a steak or special dinner , I will go buy it.

Ames

That's the beauty of DLA - there are different rates to cover different things. For instance, you say you can walk fine, but doesn't fibro also cause some brain fog and cognitive problems? So how are you in strange places, do you get confused easily, lose your way, forget directions?

Then there's the care - you can obviously cope with cooking! But what about other things, including things that are to do with brainfog? If you're in pain when doing things then you need help.

I don't know too much about Fibro, I thought it was similar to ME but obviously not if exercise helps it! But you need to take a good luck at whether you 'cope' or whether you can do it no problems. Often the ways we've developed of coping with a problem are anything but ideal, and DLA can make the difference so that we can cope well, rather than maladaptively.

Hope that makes sense!

Ames

Oh, and having looked at your menu I'd love to know how you make your granola? I've just got stuff to make my own muesli, and it's come in at twice as much as the Asda one I get, the idea was to make it cheaper!

seroxat_chick

Hi zippychick,

Regarding your landline and mobile, you say you only really use the former for 0845 numbers.

I have the 3 for £30 bundle with Virgin and a £20 per month tariff with Orange for my mobile which gives me unlimited calls to landlines, but of course 0845 0870 0844 etc are excluded.

If I have to call one of these numbers, I always use this website first to check if there is a geographical number listed as an alternative and can therefore call for free on my mobile.

http://www.saynoto0870.com/

zippychick

I dont want to sway this thread towards Fibro, but I did want to explain my exercise etc. I was diagnosed 3 years ago. 6 months before that I had joined a gym. I was doing body combat, body pump, swimming, and boxercise. First time I ever joined a gym - and to my surprise i loved the classes . But I was also walking a lot and got really bad leg pains - which were linked to my back pain but i didnt know that at the time. Basically, those exs were too high impact for me. Body combat - i couldnt jump or run. Or do body pump. I was in far too much pain. I got diagnosed later that year.

I spent a long time researching the condition and also got involved with the NI fibro charity so i spoke to loads of people with it. I heard about people exercising and laughed - no way i would be able to do that. Ha !

But over the three years I have built up my fitness. I dont get on a bike and feel great or anything, but I do strongly believe I have the best chance of keeping my pain at bay if i ex more and keep my joints supple and not knotted or stiff. I attended physio and acupuncture a few months ago, and the physio though the ex i did was fantastic. I was showing her exercises.:rotfl:

Luckily My Mum gave me her pilates machine , which I use for resistance training so it is slow structured and safe and no room for error as you are exercising horizantally and your core is engaged, so strengthening from the inside out.Its low impact too. God, i sound likea qvc advertisement , Mum would be proud.:rotfl:

I really have to push myself to do it, but feel the benefits in my fitness and I am pretty sure I manage my condition well. I choose to do this rather than take tablets because I dont want to. I will if i really need one, but to me I am trying to avoid taking meds on a long term basis. Ive lost 2 odd stone of medication weight from previous flares and also dont want to go there again (but that isnt my reason for not taking tabs) . I try meditating, positive thought, walking, cycling, and pilates and try to keep active.

I had a cousin with ME from when I was very young so am familiar with it too. Im not even going to comment iykwim as i dont know enough technical about it - so i dont want to insult your intelligence by making unducated statements - does this make sense? :rotfl:

So anyway, i always feel i need to defend my ability to exercise. Its more a state of mind for me. I rest an awful lot and have a lot of respect for my condition. The ex also helps my sleep - as i struggle to get to sleep, and wake very often , so dont get that valuable muscle repair time I need. So by improving my sleep, my pain should also lessen as I am less tired and sleep deprived.

Big hugs to you with your ME.

I do suffer fog and other charming side affects but try not to focus on them if that makes sense. They dont stop me - but I believe a lot of that is down to diet and ex too and rest (for me personaly)

Granola! Was a recipe off here. Ill go look it out now.

Regards benefits - I dont want to be on benefits - and i mean that in a nice way. I want to support myself while I am able so the only benefit i would really be interested in is jobseekers etc. Nothing fibro related. There are other people with it much worse than me, fighting for it and not getting it, and I dont want to choose that route until I truly have to. Luckily I have neevr claimed yet *touch wood* . Again no disrecpect to anyone who does.

Thanks for the link Seroxat chick. Thats useful! When i rang virgin today, they said they were giving me 22 discount already,so if i lowered any of my profucts i would pay £10 a month more! So seems sensible to keep as is. It is up for review in November I think. As far as I know i have 10mg internet.

Thriftladys Granola recipe in a cereal thread here .The recipe on its own is here I use the cheapest of value oats and buy 4 bags at a time to keep stocked up.

Also, OS isnt always about being cheaper (as ive not priced the granola myself), but sometimes just about making it yourself so it is preservative free and you know what's in it. So if it's more expensive that's my excuse he he

zippychick

Updated SOA come 1st November
Statement of Affairs and Personal Balance Sheet

Household Information
Number of adults in household........... 1
Number of children in household......... 0
Number of cars owned.................... 0

Monthly Income Details
Monthly income after tax................ 1087.59
Partners monthly income after tax....... 0
Benefits................................ 0
Other income............................ 0
Total monthly income.................... 1087.59

Monthly Expense Details
Mortgage................................ 465 (incs reduced Home and contents now)
Secured/HP loan repayments.............. 0
Rent.................................... 0
Management charge (leasehold property).. 0
Council tax............................. 0
Electricity............................. 32
Gas..................................... 35 reduced from 1st nov dd
Oil..................................... 0
Water rates............................. 51.33
Telephone (land line)................... 37 cant reduce, up in Nov i think
Mobile phone............................ 20
TV Licence.............................. 11
Satellite/Cable TV...................... 0
Internet Services....................... 0
Groceries etc. ......................... 55
Clothing................................ 0
Petrol/diesel........................... 0
Road tax................................ 0
Car Insurance........................... 0
Car maintenance (including MOT)......... 0
Car parking............................. 0
Other travel............................ 0
Childcare/nursery....................... 0
Other child related expenses............ 0
Medical (prescriptions, dentist etc).... 15.65
Pet insurance/vet bills................. 0
Buildings insurance..................... 46.02
Contents insurance...................... 0
Life assurance ......................... 0
Other insurance......................... 38.7
Presents (birthday, christmas etc)...... 0
Haircuts................................ 0
Entertainment........................... 0
Holiday................................. 0
Emergency fund.......................... 0
Total monthly expenses.................. 806.7


Assets
Cash.................................... 30
House value (Gross)..................... 100000
Shares and bonds........................ 0
Car(s).................................. 0
Other assets............................ 0
Total Assets............................ 100030


Secured & HP Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
Mortgage...................... 57486....(465)......0
Total secured & HP debts...... 57486.....-.........-

Unsecured Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
Credit card ...................260.......1.........0
Total unsecured debts..........260.......1.........-


Monthly Budget Summary
Total monthly income.................... 1,087.59
Expenses (including HP & secured debts). 806.7
Available for debt repayments........... 280.89
Monthly UNsecured debt repayments....... 1
Amount left after debt repayments....... 279.89

Personal Balance Sheet Summary
Total assets (things you own)........... 100,030
Total HP & Secured debt................. -57,486
Total Unsecured debt.................... -260
Net Assets.............................. 42,284

So i have managed to free up an extra £30 a month with a few phone calls. I also feel better knowing all the info i do! Hoping to get that Buildings and contents down once renewal comes, then i can shop around and try for more discount.:money:

thanks for the help. Again suggestions or input welcome

sp1987

My gosh, how impressed am I by your SOA! The groceries bill is amazing, literally amazing!

I know what you mean when it comes to animals though, a credit card for a cats health would not concern me whatsoever, £260 is reasonable for vet charges too.

I will have to start having a look at the OS board. I have a lot of spare time (pregnant!) and little to no energy so having a little play about in the kitchen could be good for me.

The benefits board will be pleased to help you re: your savings. If you are on means tested benefits then your amount reduces when you have savings above £6000 and entitlement stops when you have more than £16,000. I think they declare a notional income of £1 for every £250 over £6000 you have saved so if you had £6500 saved up, you would have £2 removed from your entitlement. If you qualify for contributions based jsa (non means tested) it will not matter how much savings you have but that only lasts 6 months then you need to claim means tested income based jsa. Double check this on there, just as many helpful people there (although granted not all the same people, lol).

Paulgonnabedebtfree

SOA seems fine but of course there could be problems in the event of the pending job loss. The problem with being rejected for a new job for having fibromyalgia is that it's so hard (if not impossible) to prove why you have been rejected. Respect to you for doing your utmost to remain self sufficient.
You seem to have adressed the other issues (though I didn't read the whole thread I admit) but I am going to question the need or the desirability for the PMI.
PMI premiums tend to increase as we age even if in good health and never claiming. I don't know if you were diagnosed with fibromyalgia before or after taking the insurance but I'm sure you will be aware that pre-existing medical conditions (or illnesses as a result of those conditions) are not generally covered anyway. Looking at Wikipedia, it looks like all manner of physical and psychiatric issues could be said to be a result of fibromyalgia so if the condition was pre-existing, your PMI may be practically worthless. However, if it wasn't pre-existing, I can understand your reluctance to give up the insurance. I imagine it could be pretty important to see a consultant quite quickly if things start going belly up rather than waiting for the NHS to get their !!!!!! in gear. Also, as the results of fibromyalgia could see you needing the help of many different departments, I know that it is a nightmare getting them to talk to each other. This can sometimes result in poor or incorrect treatment. However, I wonder how useful all this is on the financial front. Many PMI policies have an excess which you have to pay under certain conditions. The affordability of that excess payment could perhaps be an issue - especially if your job went. I was surprised to see no mention of autoimmune issues in Wikipedia. I had believed that fibromyalgia was related to autoimmune disorder but saw no mention of that.

Anyway, I imagine that you have already given consideration to the issues I raise but thought I would bring them up anyway in case you haven't.

zippychick

Thanks Sp! I didnt think it was that amazing he he. Thing is that's the bare minimum, well I have done it on £50! I can spend more if I need to , but i generalyl don't need to

Have you got good freezer space? Wouild be good to get some batch cooking done stashed away in the freezer for when you have a lil baby. Even a couple of weeks worth of dinners - imagine how easy it would be ! if you are padding about, have you tried making your own bread? Any links or stuff you want over there, just ask and i will hoke them out for you no probs. All the OSers are super friendly too and will be happy to help

re the savings bit - technically it isnt savings, it wil lbe redundancy money so is that the same? I find what youve said a bit hard to digest (as its not stuff im familiar with ) so will read and absorb again

paula - thanks for the comments. Regards the PMI - I did explain that in my first post

I have PMI - pruhealth. I got to gold which is show in current payment. My policy year ends in April. I need to go for my first fitness assessment by end Oct. I am trying to get to my perefct bmi range to get more points but will defo do the two in policy year (do every year). I have a fitbug i hooked up today to earn more points. I feel PMI cant be cancelled as current medical condition isnt an exclusion - well, its acute conditions arent anyway. I am aiming for platinum. If i took it out now or again my fibro would be excluded as would anything to do with it. Also my Dad was diagnosed with diabetes and heart attack since i took it, so i would now also have to answer yes to that question.

It is a luxury really I guess, but ive had so much experience with the national health , i want to know if things really go wrong, I can get treatment asap. I would live on £20 a month for food before cancelling my PMI. I sold Pruhealth for years and truly believe in it and its virtues and principles. If i get to platinum, I will only pay the inflationary increase next policy year - spread over 12 months.

So yeah I totally get what you are saying. My policy is fully comp, no excess so nothing to pay in the event of a claim. I took it out when I had a much higher disposable income.

i dont necessarily have it for fibro either. More for serious major health issues , the big C etc. When i was diagnosed, it happened over 6 months which is actually quite quickly.I used it to see a private rheumy. Had i been waiting on the NHS, it would have taken a hell of a lot longer.

I know it goes up with age etc but if i get to platinum as per the plan it wil be a minimal cost for maximum cover

regards Wikipedia - i wouldn't use it as gospel for anything, due to the nature of how it can be edited etc. There is so much confusion and mixed opinions about fibro, ti is amazing. Over the years I have even had friends tell me there is no such thing, and it is all in my head. It wasn't in my head that I got beat up and kicked the sh*t out of . It wasnt in my head the back and neck problems i suffered after. Neither was the leg and hip pain that followed and less than a year after being attacked, i was in diagnosis process. But many people don't understand what they can't see. :rolleyes: