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

minniepoos_2

What a day, and it's still only morning!!

Just got off the phone from the council - they've FINALLY caught up and have just made a payment of £928 which I should get by Monday!!!!!

:j:j:j:j:j

What a relief - I can pay my Dad back, settle a couple of the urgent bills, keep enough for next month's rent, and probably still have enough to get the flights for me & DD to get back from Spain. My dad has booked and paid for getting her there, so I just have to get myself there and get us both home.

Such a weight off my mind!

Not going to relax for long - still have to sort the JSA and the DVLA refund that still hasn't arrived. This has given me such a boost though

And it's not much, but one of my friends is going to store one of his cars in my garage for £25 a month while he does it up (I've got a double garage, and it's just sitting there empty). So that's my sky paid for each month, and the bonus is I get to see him a lot more. And....he's very good with cars, so is going to have a look at a couple of niggly problems I've been having.

So much good stuff - hard to believe it's really my life! lol

girlatplay

Aww minipoos!! That is fantastic news :j:j

I'm so pleased for you. This is the start of the future, it will get better. There may be a few ups and downs along the way but it will improve from now on. I know I am stating the obvious but make sure you have paid all the necessities first before anything else. Anything else is a bonus!

Onwards and upwards :D

Gap xx

minniepoos_2

Evening all.

Having a weird night. But I'll backtrack a bit....

I've had another excellent weekend, just this time with DD. We did a free sculpting weekend at our local museum, and had an absolute blast. Then we went to a free local music festival last night too. Came home today and had a bbq - just me and her.

But for some reason I've come down pretty far. I don't know - it could be the combination of a few things:

I've had 2 great weekends in a row, and not much planned from now on.

I asked a close girl friend if she wanted to come to the music festival next saturday with me, and she's got back to me saying she'll come, but with her bloke and another couple. So perhaps I'm feeling a bit too gooseberry-like.

And I've got a bad feeling about my job. My boss told me at 5 to 5 on thursday not to come in friday. then I texted her today to see if she wanted me tomorrow, and she texted back saying "no we are ok". I don't know what days they want me to work (if any) from now on. But I have to pop in tomorrow to fill in and sign my time sheet for the agency, so I'll ask the boss then. But I'm worrying about it. I still haven't got my JSA from April - don't want to start claiming again.

So yeah, maybe that's why I've plummeted a little.

BUT...I've repaid my folks, paid the bills that are here. So things are good really.

Buffythedebtslayer

hello,

I just wanted to say I am in awe of your strength. really am. it is impressive the way you have handled everything.

Good on you, I hope the low feeling passes - am sure it will and the job situation works

Buffyxx

girlatplay

There is a good day waiting for you just around the corner

Gap x

minniepoos_2

Thanks both of you.

Unfortunately my suspicions were correct though. I've been unemployed since Thursday - I just didn't know it until today. I'm so gutted with myself for believing that she wanted to take me on full time. But then again - why would she make it up? There's no logic to it at all.

So....I decided to chase up my old JSA claim before I started another one. I called them, and after being on hold for 15 minutes, I explained everything to somebody and was promised a call back within 3 hours. 3 hours 10 minutes later, I called again. Explained everything to somebody else, and was promised a callback within 1 hour. I was told if I hadn't heard by 4:45, to call back again. So I called back at 4:45, and was told they shut at 5 so I wouldn't get a callback today, but somebody 'should' call before 11 tomorrow. How rubbish is that?!

So I pulled myself together and decided to start the new claim anyway - no point wasting any more time. Not when they waste enough of it! I got a little bit through it, than they closed so I have to call back tomorrow. But at least I've started it.

Then I also have to update the HB people, and my Tax Credits. Gonna be a fun day! lol

And I've got a treat to look forward to - DD & I have been invited to a friends for dinner tomorrow evening, followed by a relaxi-session in their new hot tub. It's just one of those inflatable ones, but it does the job!
I'll just keep focusing on that.

minniepoos_2

Well, I spent yesterday waiting for callbacks again, and they never came, so today I may have been a touch rude on the phone. But, so far it seems to have got results. I've got a Team Leader looking at my claim - she's liaising with my local Jobcentre (had my sign on appointment today) to ensure that this new claim doesn't get held up. She's issued me with a form to bypass the appeals process - it's a backdated claim form, which should save me a couple of months apparently (!), as her argument is (mine too) that even though my claim is showing as closed, it can't be as it never reached a conclusion.

Not sure if that made sense, but I feel a little reassured that things might actually start to happen. And my new claim has been sent away, with copies of all the forms I filled in for the old claim, so hopefully that should move along ok.

It turned out though, that they STILL didn't get that form I faxed and sent by internal mail from the jobcentre a couple of weeks ago. There must be some pretty inept people working there.....

It seems I can only got for part-time work now too. Earlier in the year, DD went to an after school club and I picked her up from there. But she hated it. In all honesty, she was getting too old for it and was bored, so I asked XOH if he had any idea as to what we could do instead. He suggested his skanky gf pick her up and looks after her after school. I wasn't happy with that at all, but there were no other options, and DD really wanted to stop going to the club, so I agreed. This was in the Easter holiday. Last week, he started moaning that I was "taking advantage" of the skanky gf! What? It was HIS idea!!! But fine, I'll just work part-time. I HATE that he has so much control over my life.

Ok, moan over. Back to application forms

girlatplay

I'm really lucky, we have nothing to do with my ex at all. I make all decisions in our house. Unfortunately though it means that LM has to go to holiday club. She refuses point blank to go to after school club which is run by the same people but she knows she has to go to holiday club and she says it is not as bad. It's a nightmare when they feel like that. The bad side about not having anything to do with my ex is LM feels that she is missing out on having a dad. If you gave her one wish, she would wish to have a dad. I know what an idiot he is and I know what our life would be like if we were still with him but that doesn't help her and she feels she has a big void in her life.

Good you are finally seeming to get somewhere with the claims. Hope it works out soon for you xx

minniepoos_2

Yep Gap, if it wasn't for my daughter I'd very happily never lay eyes on him again. But.... Ahh, what can you do. I've got a good friend in Manchester who keeps offering me a job. A good job too. It's just over 4 hours from my home now, and as much as I would LOVE to get that much distance between me and XOH, I just can't be the one to take DD away from her dad. And to be honest, I'd miss my friends too much. I Don't think I could cope at all without my friends right now.

Had a tense couple of days. My Dad had bought the flights for him to fly over here and pick up DD, and both of them to go back out together. He was getting stressed about there not being any availability for me to fly out, then for me & DD to fly home. So, against most of my better judgement, I booked my flight out (£48.99) and my dad booked the other 2 flights. This morning I paid in £85 cash into my dads bank account, and now I owe him about £197, which I've agreed to pay back at least £20 per week. I'm regretting it all ready, but he was so wanting to see DD, and they've been so good about helping me out. It's done now though, so just have to add it to my list of things I have to pay.

I've applied for a couple of jobs, but I'm not over-hopeful. Hundreds of people are looking for school-hours jobs.

I'm going to order some more anti-depressants on monday. Last time I saw my doc, we talked about it and he said he'd leave the prescription open so if I felt I wasn't coping I could get some quickly. That was a while ago, so I hope it's still there. I think it's safe to say I'm not going to get through this without medical help.

I'm finding it hard to motivate myself to do, well, anything. I'm getting some stuff done, but it's all taking me way longer than it should, and wearing me out way more than it should. So yep, hopefully tablets will help.

On the plus side though, I'm getting back into getting the most out of the MSE site. I used to be a serious MSEer before the XOH left, and I kinda got distracted, but I'm back. My favourite thing at the moment is the Try Me Free Hunt - I've got pizza for dinner followed by yoghurt, and should have the money back from them in a month or so.

Then tonight I'm off out to the last night of that free festival I mentioned. My friend's bloke has dropped out, so I'm not a gooseberry anymore

And tomorrow I have an 11 mile hike, which is almost guaranteed to lift my spirits for a bit.

Hope you all have a good weekend!

minniepoos_2

It's been over a week - never meant to leave it that long.

It's all much the same though. Still applying for loads of jobs, still not getting JSA or the amount they owe me from my previous claim. Still not of anti-depressants - I know I was going to order some, but I didn't. Made lots of excuses to myself and then it was the weekend so I couldn't. Not sure whether to or not now.

I've got a couple of bills on my 'getting urgent' pile, but no money yet to pay them. I was supposed to get a call back from the benefits agency again on friday, but surprise surprise, none came. I wonder - is it just me they don't bother with, or are they this crap with everybody?! So I'm going to get back on the phone again. Apparently all my JSA paperwork has been to the decisions department, but nobody seems to know what the actual decision was. :undecided

I think it's time I chased up my DVLA money too. Then I guess it's back to jobsearching....