Minniepoos: New Year - New Life (and it's GONNA be good!)

minniepoos_2

So, I've been reading through endless letters about various benefits and I think I've figured out the following:

- I'm getting £54.52 per week in tax credits.

- Housing benefit is still a mess. From what I can make out I'm entitled to £507.68 per 4 weeks. But this is based on my tax credit income being £110 per week, so I have to change that. But it shouldn't go down though, so that's ok.

I've got tomorrow off of work so I can sort a lot of things out then.

I need to buy some more black ink for my printer, but I have a voucher for £5 off. I could do with NOT spending the money, but I need to get things copied to sort out the housing benefit once and for all. Actually though, I have a little time between appointments in town tomorrow, so I might be able to go into the council office and get them to do the copying. Yeah, that might work.

And I've just realised I need to talk to them anyway. I've been through my bank statements and I've only ever received one payment of Housing Ben - £213.30 back on 5th May. No wonder I've been struggling so badly to get through. Hopefully they're planning on catching up soon so I can pay back my dad.

I'm now going to put my bills in date order so I can get back to my 'one day at a time' approach.

minniepoos_2

After looking through it all, and adding everything up, it looks like if things stay the same, and if I actually get the housing benefit they say I am (hopefully find out tomorrow), then I could be ok:

Direct Debits & Monthly Bills = £965.44 (except car insurance)
Housing Ben., Child Ben. & Child Tax Credits = £806.96
Wages (assuming they keep me at 2 days a week) = £420.00 (should be under tax threshold).

So my incomings minus essential outgoings = £261.52

Which should be enough for food, petrol, and everything else. It'll be tight, especially once I've sorted the new years' car insurance next week, but seems like it might be do-able. The worst bit is the bills that have built up, and the money I owe my family. That totals £639.43 (not including my daughter). I need to get all that paid off asap. But, if they ever catch up my housing benefit then it's a big chunk done.

Once I'm caught up, I need to get contents insurance for my home. I've been 7 months without it, and it's a massive worry. It'll only be about £6 per month, but I daren't take on any more outgoings until I know where I am a bit more.

I'm so glad my heads in a better place than it has been. I think I went the lowest I've ever been. I'm fairly surprised I managed to get back here without medical help. But enough about that.

-

Just realised I'd forgotten the maintenance payments from the ex. I get £150 per month, so that means I'll have £411.52 to live on each month. That's MUCH better. And it actually made me smile (and it's been a while since my ex did that!).

I can do it.

girlatplay

It's great to see you back minniepoos :j

I'm sorry things are so hard for you right now. You have to keep fighting. Sounds like you are getting things together. Sometimes I find that in my head things are a mess but dealing with one thing at a time really helps. Gradually, as you get more control back you can start dealing with more than one thing at a time and then you are back on the road to normality!!

I think the focussing on the "right now" is a good idea just now, deal with everything as it comes along until your head is in the right place.

((((hugs))))

Gap x

minniepoos_2

Thanks so much Gap. I feel more 'me' than I have for a while. Hoping I can keep a grip on myself this time :embarasse

SO....I went to the Jobcentre today and they faxed my form over, and sent it too in their internal mail. I'll try to give them a call tomorrow or the day after to see if they've looked at it, and to try and get a decision out of them. Bit tricky at work, but I'll squeeze it in somehow.

Then I went to the council to take my newest payslips and new tax credits award notice in, and to ask about my housing benefit claim. The nice lady copied everything for me, then looked into it, and told me that the payslips I took in over 2 weeks ago still hadn't been looked at. I asked when she thought they'd bother looking at it and stressed that I hadn't had any since the one payment on 5th May. She said she really didn't know, and I'm a bit ashamed to say I just sat there and cried. I explained I'd borrowed off loads of people to pay the last months rent and knew I couldn't meet this months. Bless her, she got me some tissues then phoned up someone in the right department and really stressed that they HAD to look into my claim this week. She said if I hadn't heard anything by next week, I should phone her office up so they can look on the system for me to see what the hold up is.

I feel like such an idiot for sitting there crying though. But then - I don't know. Bottling it all up doesn't help me. I've proved that.

Then I went to the doctors, and while I was there I got him to look at my throat. And I've got tonsillitis. I kinda knew I had - and it's nice to have a reason for feeling so run down and tired.

The DVLA owe me 4 months tax refund too. I've been trying to get it since November - actually to be honest though, I forgot about it from December to May - but now I'm back on it. They've had a few letters from me, and I think the one I'm posting tomorrow might actually do it. The person I spoke to there today told me exactly what to put in it, and implied it was a case of when I'd get my refund rather than if. So fingers crossed on that.

Right. I'm off to bed. I'm working tomorrow - can't afford a day off - so I want to try to get a good nights sleep tonight.

minniepoos_2

I think I might start using my spreadsheet again from the start of July. I'd been waiting until I was getting a regular wage, but that doesn't seem to be coming any time soon, so I think I should just get on it.

It'll be interesting to see it all laid out in black and white again.

Anyway, I'm exhausted, so off to bed I go.

minniepoos_2

I got my Housing Benefit & Council Benefit letter today. And apparently I AM entitled to an amount that varies between £83.27 and £126.92 for housing, and an amount that varies between £5.16 and £18.59 per week for council tax. I don't really understand much of it to be honest. It runs on for 19 pages - 14 of them are just titled CL-ADJUSTMENT, and they seem to just break down the figures for each week individually.

I should be excited, but I had much the same letter (just only 8 pages) on the 31st May, and haven't received any money yet. They both say I will get payments by BACS every 4 wks. I was told by the council office that they pay in arrears, so I'm going to wait until next Tuesday - which will be 4 weeks after the first letter. Then If I've still not got any rent I'm going to have to start making lots of noise.

So, fingers crossed.

I went out last night - 10 of us from the group I walk with had put our names down for a pub meal. And it was a really lovely night. I know I can't afford it, but I'd been carrying the cash round for weeks trying not to spend it because I knew this was coming. I guess it was kinda a reward for me. I spent £17 - which was a little steep (I would have chosen somewhere cheaper!) but the food was lovely. And the company was great. So I'm not going to worry about the £17.

girlatplay

That's good about the HB and CB. Hopefully they get it sorted out soon and you start getting your payments.

I wouldn't worry about the £17 either. You need to have treats every now and then, keeps you sane. It's not like you do it every week. It's lovely that you went out with people and had a good night and if the food was good then that is even better. I LOVE food! I like to go to nice places and eat good food.

Gap x

minniepoos_2

Having a pretty good weekend so far. I managed to pay £60 of an £84.08 Next bill this morning, with the rest being due by the 4th July, so looking good so far.

I went to a BBQ tonight at a friends house, and had a lovely time. It was someone I don't see very often, and hardly ever see his wife, so it made a lovely change.

Tomorrow I'm going for a 10 mile hike (and I'm getting a lift from another walker, so don't have to pay for petrol!), then I've got a friend over for dinner. And in return for dinner, he's taking me to the cinema, so it's going to be a good day tomorrow too

Right.....must get to bed, or those 10 miles are gonna be VERY hard!

minniepoos_2

What an excellent weekend!!

The walk was 11.7 miles in the end, and with the 30 degree heat it was pretty intense, but gave me such a buzz! Then I got taken for a meal and to the cinema - I was gonna cook, but I was so done in from the walk, that he offered to take me to Wetherspoons instead. Two meals out in one week - not used to that!!

I've got a Pizza Express clubcard voucher for £20 to use up by next week too, so we're going there this Friday. It's only for food, but I'm sure I can make a pint of diet coke last.....

I got an extra £102 tax credits today. Not going to question it, just going to pay stuff off instead. I was fairly frugal last week too, so had a little left over in the bank. Just paid my brother back the £60 I owed him, and also paid the £24.08 left of this months Next payment, this months Dorothy Perkins payment, and paid over half of my final elec bill with Scottish Power. My Dorothy Perkins card is annoying - i've had it for years and always pay it off in full as soon as the statement comes in. But I was really short at christmas so got a lot of pressies in BHS as you can use that in there. So because I was broke, I bought more expensive things than I normally do, and have been paying interest on them ever since! Where's the sense in that?!?!

Anyway, that was then, and this is now, and things are going to be better this year.

Tomorrow's the day I think I should have some HB by. Well - personally I think I should've had it months ago, but this is the deadline I set before phoning them. Not looking forward to that call.

Wish me luck

Tomorrow is also the day I should be switched over to Giffgaff from Vodafone.

Right. Need sleep.

girlatplay

Hey, good luck minipoos!

Sounds like you had a lovely weekend

Gap x