A clean fresh year just there for the taking!!

taxi73

Welcome back and glad to see you here xx

packed lunches will make a big difference.TAX CREDITS will take as little as £10 p/m ...you can't give more than you've got .

Sea78

hi

thanks for the words of encouragement - need them!

Got another letter from tax credits saying I owed them 1630!!! But rang up and there was some confusion so now they are sending me yet another letter, but not had that still.

I'm wondering how I'm going to manage things really. Never been *this* skint and it's so daft - I *know* I am very very lucky to have the job and salary I do have, but at tthe moment, it just all feels like such a struggle.

Also, to top it off a dreadful thing happened - ex put kids backpacks in blue recycling bin for me to collect when I got back from work. He sent me a text. I forgot. Put bins out. They were collected. THe backpacks had the kids ds's in, as well as trainers, expensive hairbrush (present) and various other bits including non-replacable stuff. Beyond gutted. Kids very upset, especially William as he'd just got his for his birthday (survey money).

I'm sure I'll just get through, just feels like a struggle at the mo.

Sea xxxx

hypno06

Oh, that is pants re the backpacks. (hugs) to you all x

As for the money stuff, are you keeping a spending diary, doing a realistic soa, that sort of thing, or is it a bit hit and miss?

Sometimes it is just a case of writing it all down in a different way so that you can see it from a different perspective IYKWIM. After Oh left me, I couldn't see how I could manage. Then I realised I earned enough money, but couldn;t work out why I was still skint, then eventually I wrote it down differently, allocating different things to different budgets, eg child benefit, maintenance, salary etc and all of a sudden it works.

You CAN do this, you know you can. Chin up, and holler for help if you need.

Sea78

thanks hun
I've done the SoA with all the different budgets - it's just this month I'm short anyway because all the same outgoing went out without having the tax credits coming in iyswim, so I;m hoping it'll be a tad easier next month but I'll be writing a spending diary of EVERYTHING that I spend!!

We'll still have a lovely Christmas as I'll be making sure that even with the no money I'll MAKE it nice lol.

Sea xx

hypno06

You know you don't need masses of cash to make a good Christmas for children. A bit of imagination and planning, and you will give them a fab time x

beanielou

Sorry about the backpacks.

Sea78

Well, it's just one of those things that I do.

Been looking into getting more income in, but a lot of dead ends!! Going to apply to do exam marking, but may have missed the boat for January, but fingers crossed!! I really really want this debt gone and more income in. It is possible, I see determined people doing on here all the time, just now to do it myself!!

Will get a cuple of things listed on ebay this weekend.

Oh, and on a completely random note, I've got a date this weekend with someone who sounds really quite normal (actually, he's completely mad, but in a good way!!). So that's a nice aside.

Sea xxx

taxi73

sorry to hear about the backpacks ....have you phoned the council to see if there is any chance of finding them as it is a recycling bin after all...got to be worth a try.

good luck on the date

Sea78

thanks Taxi - I have been in touch with them - in fact, I know the person who collected the blumming bin!!! They are getting back to me - apparently it's in a storage place at the moment before it's sorted - not a great feeling about it, but you never know

xxx

Sea78

ooh - and I've just cheered myself up with baking a tray of yummy white choc chip cupcakes!