Feeling miserable- HELP!

cleggie

Hi all.

I had my LBM not so long ago, came on here and got some brilliant advice and encouragement. So thats all great.

But now the novelty of living on a TIGHT budget (VERY tight) is wearing off (and especially with the nice weather upon us and i can't afford to do anything with the kids)...and i am losing enthusiasm!

The amount i have to clear isnt huge...but my income is tiny (i am a student at the moment) so its taking forever!

i am STILL waitting for the council to make a decision about any HB i may be able to claim, so i cant make any clear plans until i kow how much rent ii will be paying.

I am getting tired and miserable of this...anyone please give me any words of advice/a pep talk please!

tangyfog

Cleggie,

I know what you mean, all the debt the at we have seem to weight down so heavily. The best way to deal with it is to see a sensible budget which allows for some room to move if possible i.e. a little money for nice things.

Then stick to that budget and eventually the debts will be paid off but in the meantime remember to start living for today.

As the best things in life are free. The nice weather, fresh air and good company. Before money was invented people were still happy
so it about remembering to enjoy the moment - its about the journey and not the destination.

Drink a cuppa, in the garden or somewhere nice and read a book or listen to the radio, take a walk in the park but just remember to live in the moment and no in some future moment.

You only have 24hr in the day - when gone it gone you cant bank it for later so make the most of things. stop worrying if possible.

I hope that helps.

Did i mention if you got good health thats a bonus, dont get ill on trying to over maximize you budget to the nth penny!

So long as you spend less than you save then you ok

canidothis

I was wondering about the novelty of a LBM etc wearing off and am a bit concerned, is it a bit like being on a diet and needing a good feed?? Ive approached all this money matters with a two pronged approach ie paying off debts AND saving - I know saving isnt meant to be the best idea whilst trying to pay off debts, but I just need to know thats theres a little cushion to help if need be, rather than using the credit card. Maybe you can put a little aside to enjoy an ice-cream in the local park - it doesnt have to cost a lot to go out and enjoy this lovely weather - dont feel miserable just grab a blanket and go and lie in the sun xxx

tazzy2010_2

What about making some sandwiches etc and taking them to the park for a picnic, low cost and lets you enjoy some rays :j

RAS

cleggie

You now this will end, when the COuncil get their fingers out and when your course ends. And then you will have more income. So just hang on in there.

Where is within walking distance. Pack up some cheap finger rolls and a thermos with heated hotdogs. take some sauce (and fried onions if you like) and have a picnic all very cheap from LIDL.

Not sure how old the kids are? Do you have any sort of garden space?

sp1987

There must be somewhere near you that you can go with the kids for a day out?

In the sunny weather even the most miserable looking places are attractive. You could go bird watching, butterfly spotting, I-spying, etc. I remember when our primary school ran out of funds so could not send us on a school trip one year to the usual theme park/long haul attraction haunt and so the class teacher took us all on a long walk. It was honestly the best school trip we went on and there was absolutely nothing really to do, no big rides, no exotic animals, nothing. It was positively devoid of capitalist stimulation and it probably was that which made it decent, lol. No 50p having to try to stretch to buying a thermos flask for £10 in a museum gift shop.

Do you have a garden? Two chairs and a blanket is a tent (tada!) which would occupy me for the whole day and I'm 23, lol. If you have a washing line or similar the tent could get really quite impressive, but I'm no engineer. Stick some board games in it and it is a game tent. Crayons, pencils and paper and it is an art tent. Put each portion of lunch on different plates with a plate to put bits on and it is a buffet, lol.

Local beach? Park? Free museums? Free park and ride to a supermarket which is next to a beach/park/museum/anything.

FOURCANDLES_2

Well as you have said your debt is not a lot but is when on a small budget but remember it will be over soon we are not talking years at that amount are we?. How old are your children have you a car , I suppose when you live like i do in a village it is easier to get out and about footpaths etc for long walks can you do the same packed lunch/flask /a few bottle of pop . Many people I bump in to on walks like me have not spent a lot to get there and dont spend a lot doing it although we do stop off at the pub for drink and grub but if we were like you it would be packed lunch and a flask its great fun and we as a family do it all year round

Triggles

Things to do for free or inexpensive:

- nature walk
- water balloon fight (or water gun fight if you get cheap water guns from poundland LOL)
- swimming (children under 16 still swim free, I think, at many county pools/leisure centres)
- picnic
- play in the park (frisbee, climb trees, tag, whatever the kids want to play)
- museums
- play loud music and dance (outside or inside)
- colour or print decorations and plan a "royal wedding" party (yeah, some peeps are cynical, but we're doing it simply because ours are young and it's a rare event that they may look back on and remember - and perhaps giggle over even!)
- dress up in funny costumes and (if you have a video camera) do a "music video" and then play back and watch
- movie night - pick a movie together, make popcorn, watch in jammies and sleep on the floor in the living room after staying up late
- make home-made ice pops to sit outside and eat in the sun
- paper mache - can even make your own pinata
- bake something new or try other new recipes and let the kids pick or help
- play board games
- play games or cards out on blanket or on table in garden
- make tents out of an old sheet or blankets
- find as many bugs as you can and figure out what they are
- treasure hunt - hide something and leave a bunch of leading (or misleading LOL) clues all over the house and garden
- scavenger hunt
- coloured chalk drawings on the pavement
- take silly pictures with digital camera, alter them if you'd like to make them even sillier, and email them to family and/or friends if you'd like
- out of season christmas day - watch a bunch of christmas movies, make christmas cookies, pick out a couple silly fun items at poundland to wrap up and put under the "tree" (which you can make if you have a decent size houseplant LOL) for the kids to open
- check to see if your local cinema has a junior movies day (ours does at 10am on Saturdays, runs £1 movies - usually 3 to choose from)

okay.. that's it.. my brain's toast... LOL... not a clue if that helped or not...

Anyway, I know it can be really frustrating as you want to be able to do things. But honestly, it's going to be worth it in the long run. You might even try challenging your kids to come up with something. Tell them the challenge is to come up with an activity you can all do together than can only cost a total of £5 or something like that. Let them do a little digging around on the internet for local things coming up or activities. Not only does it teach them to look for good bargains on things to do, they have a say in some of the things you can do.

cleggie

Thanks everyone for the help.

My kids are a bit older (11 and 7) and there are only a certain number of times we can go to the park before they get sick of it. My 11 yr old doesnt enjoy the park anymore either.

We dont have a garden, just a courtyard that we share with the neighbour (its tiny).

Because we live right in the middle of the city centre, its a bit of a trek to get anywhere countryside-ish. Although we are near dartmoor etc, it takes so long to get out of the city that sometimes it doesnt feel worth it in petrol!

I do have a big collection of paint and craft stuff, so can dig that out today for the kids to play with in the courtyard i think!!

Thanks so much for raising my spirits- i think i am just going to have to crack onwith it, get my head down, and get through the next few years as quickly and cheaply as possible.

CH27

Cleggie I remember your earlier threads. You've done so well to get organised so try to stay stong.

cleggie

Thanks CH, you were fab when i first posted and gave me some brilliant support, so thanks for that.
I am taking the kids to the park today while i practiceputting our tent up (have never done it before), so that will get us out and about for a couple of hours and get the kids doing things and running about too.

Just need to suck it up!!