Toe Tapping Hippo

Smamfer

Hey all hope your well

Today i need to begin making some decisions and hopefully along the way embrace tips and advice from you all which will be more than welcomed.

Brief bit about me:
Thirty something mother of one dd 13. Have a partner but we don't live together, he is not my dd dad.
Privately rent a gorgeous bungy in the country would love to buy it, could afford mortgage but typically money too tight to save for a deposit.

My life has had enough ups and downs in the past 3/4 years to send me into a nuthouse but somehow i keep bouncing back and plodding on. Relationship breakdown, sudden death of both parents within 6 months of one another, a sibling who is not coping at all and currently in hospital and a partner of 2 yrs who is trying to beat alcohol and depression. Fun times!:(

Anyway over the years i have gathered, like most, some debt, nothing major but enough to have to juggle a few things every month to make things work and be possible.

I am currently employed full time, i have a part time job as well.

My main reason for wanting to start this diary ( again) is because i am at a crossroads and want to make sure im on the right route.

My position at the moment is on the sofa, why? Because i decided a family day out ice skating 2 weeks ago would be fun and whilst trying to dodge someone who was worse than me at it,,,,, fell and broke my ankle so currently in cast :mad::(:mad::( This is giving me time to think of my options and decide whats best for me at this moment in time.

Im going to post an soa in a mo using the link i have seen and used flying around so many times. This will give me an understanding of what i need in and out to manage without being miserable.

My employment is 20 miles away so a 40 mile round trip every day, dd is on her own for about an hour in the evening and is ok with this. This is 40 hours a week.
My part time work is home based and i usually do 20 hours a week.

As i mentioned before both my parents died suddenly last year within 6 months of one another at young ages, they always helped with childcare in the holidays therefore its something i have never had to worry about before. Now it is sticking in my mind that 12 weeks of the year my dd has school holidays but 4 weeks of the year is my entitlement. I do live very rural and therefore unless she bikes miles and miles her holidays will be stuck in the house.

So i am debating whether to:
Work from home on a full self employed basis full time which will mean a much lower wage
Work from home on a part time self employed basis and get help with a few more benefits so as to manage and take the worry away
Stay where i am in full time employment and try to plan her to stay with sister or friends or vice versa over the holidays.

I have never been one for claiming left right and centre and always worked or had my own business but in the last yr my lifes been turned upside down so many times i dont feel im in a great place all the time to carry on going like i am

Anyway that was bigger than i thought it was going to be so ill crack on with a few figures in my next post


Oh and reason for title, Toe tapping due to broken ankle i cant put my foot down and hippo because ive gained 3 stone in 2 years

Smamfer

Statement of Affairs and Personal Balance Sheet

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

Monthly Income Details
Monthly income after tax................ 1343
Partners monthly income after tax....... 0
Benefits................................ 497.2
Other income............................ 0
Total monthly income.................... 1840.2

Monthly Expense Details
Mortgage................................ 0
Secured/HP loan repayments.............. 0
Rent.................................... 550
Management charge (leasehold property).. 0
Council tax............................. 87
Electricity............................. 60
Gas..................................... 0
Oil..................................... 60
Water rates............................. 12
Telephone (land line)................... 25
Mobile phone............................ 65
TV Licence.............................. 13
Satellite/Cable TV...................... 21
Internet Services....................... 0
Groceries etc. ......................... 200
Clothing................................ 20
Petrol/diesel........................... 120
Road tax................................ 19
Car Insurance........................... 27
Car maintenance (including MOT)......... 10
Car parking............................. 5
Other travel............................ 0
Childcare/nursery....................... 0
Other child related expenses............ 80
Medical (prescriptions, dentist etc).... 18
Pet insurance/vet bills................. 0
Buildings insurance..................... 0
Contents insurance...................... 8
Life assurance ......................... 0
Other insurance......................... 0
Presents (birthday, christmas etc)...... 30
Haircuts................................ 5
Entertainment........................... 100
Holiday................................. 20
Emergency fund.......................... 0
Total monthly expenses.................. 1555


Assets
Cash.................................... 2000
House value (Gross)..................... 0
Shares and bonds........................ 0
Car(s).................................. 1500
Other assets............................ 0
Total Assets............................ 3500

No Secured nor Hire Purchase Debts

Unsecured Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
Halifax cc.....................1450......32........24.9
Capital 1......................128.......5.........34.8
Overdraft......................222.......32........4.6
Bank of Scotland...............340.......19........15.5
Council tax....................112.5.....50........0
Peatlings......................300.......12........0
Total unsecured debts..........2552.5....150.......-


Monthly Budget Summary
Total monthly income.................... 1,840.2
Expenses (including HP & secured debts). 1,555
Available for debt repayments........... 285.2
Monthly UNsecured debt repayments....... 150
Amount left after debt repayments....... 135.2

Personal Balance Sheet Summary
Total assets (things you own)........... 3,500
Total HP & Secured debt................. -0
Total Unsecured debt.................... -2,552.5
Net Assets.............................. 947.5

Created using the SOA calculator at www.makesenseofcards.com.
Reproduced on Moneysavingexpert with permission, using Firefox browser.

Ok so the usual its saying i have money over lol ahem this isnt always the case and we know it but something i need to look at

Ill explain a few things as to what is costing the amount it is

My tax credits are £104 per week at mo but my salary was 4k higher this time around so expect them to drop to about £70 a week so a drop of £120 a month

My council tax as like everyone else is finished for the next 2 months but this is with single occupiers discount

My mobile phone is for 3 contracts myself, my dd and my fella, i have dropped his down to a tenner a month ill be doing the same later on in yr when i can with mine.

Child related costs are dinner money and school trips

Medical is my daughters contact lenses

Just did a snowball and it says my dfd is November 2012:j:j:j only 10 months away if i can get this right

But of course should i make some changes i will have to do some calculations on what situation i will be in then


ty and now you can wake up xx

Smamfer

Me again,

Just had an email from work, as i did my ankle " having fun" as they put it i won't be getting sick pay.

Today was pay day and i was £300 pound less than i would usually receive so some serious balancing to be done straight away.

My doctor put my sick note in for 6 weeks but as someone else picked it up and posted it to work for me i have asked work to confirm the dates on it so i know where i stand, or rather balance on crutches right now

So where as my monthly salary was £1093 for the month its now going to be about £300. :eek: I see problems.

Am i right in saying i can hey help with my rent etc if i am on ssp please anyone? Is this just a case of calling the council or do i need to go through the benefits office, i have looked on the directgov site but i get so confused so bloody easy lol

Have managed to put some chicken thighs in the slow cooker earlier with mushrooms and garlic, just got to get dd to do some spuds when she gets in and tea sorted. Then its a night on the sofa,,,, just for a change xx

Smamfer

Morning!

Cold and windy one here again but not putting heating on so under a duvet on the sofa while i do a bit of work this morning.

Did my online shopping last night due to not being able to drive anywhere or get to any shops, nasty smoking habit meant my shopping doubled. Keep trying to stop and then something happens so just need a bit of a good run, have ordered one of those kits they advertising on the tele tho so maybe that will help me along my way.

Leg really playing up in the night, never broke a bone before so dont know if its the norm but the back of my calf on the ankle i broke feels like a permanent cramp and someone pushing on it. Im back at hospital monday yet again.

Hoping to leave the house today woo hoo first time in a week, ive been stuck in for 2 weeks now and its driving me insane, so plan on arranging taxi's and going out for a cheap and cheerful lunch

Have a nice day all xx

beanielou

Sorry about your ankle.
As you have cash of £2000 I suggest at the very least you pay off the cap 1 card as the APR is so high?

Keep plodding!

Smamfer

Hi and thanks for popping, thought i had chicken pox as everyone was avoiding me lol

I do have the 2k cash but its between me and my fella and it was from a PPI reclaim i did for him, we was going to put it towards a wedding fund and hopefully still will but while im off work and found out im not getting sick pay then i will probably have to dip into it just to pay the bills

beanielou

That is a wee bit mean of who you work for to not pay you sick pay.

Smamfer

Tell me about it !! Apparently as its not an illness but a " fun related injury" they wont cover it in their 4 weeks discretionary sick pay!

Smamfer

Afternoon all,

Another day on the sofa with people around me doing everything i should be doing

Never thought i would miss housework and general mobility as much as i am doing, and possibly another month ahead of me :(

Checked banks today, all ok just as i said before with lack of wages need to keep a very close eye and maybe where i have been paying over the monthly amounts i may have to bring these down for a month or so.

Worked for a bit this morning and now doing my free woohoobingo and looking at other ways of making a few squiddlies,

Bf here for the weekend and throughout all his own problems he is being a total star, cooking dinner washing floors doing all the washing and ironing and generally making things run smoother,
My dd is doing her bedroom then revising for some tests coming up this week,
My sister and her new baby 5 month old will be visiting this afternoon for dinner and staying over night to take me to hospital

Tomorrow i will have to make some calls to the benefit agencies in regard of only getting ssp , god knows where i start with all that

Have a nice day xx

Smamfer

Morning all

Up working from the sofa at 7 this morning in quite a bit if pain

Dd had me up through the night with serious d&v which is not the easiest thing to deal with while im on crutches and supposed to be complete no weight bearing on my broken ankle. Bless her she was in a right state and i felt so guilty, she been sick on and off quite a bit lately had her booked into the doctors but they called at last minute as had to cancel app as the nurse was needed for another clinic:mad: Anyway will keep her off today keep her on the basics and hope she is ok.
Was at hospital yesterday for my appointment which didn't go to plan, got seen quick enough they were ready to re-cast me when i told them about the pains i had been getting in my calf muscles, next thing i know i got specialists feeling my leg and booking me in for scans for DVT!! They think i could possibly be bloody clotting so i sat on the bed for nearly 2 hours while they tried to sort it out and in the end said they are booking me in wednesday, re-casted me gave me my injection in my belly and sent me home with one today!! So im back to having to stay on the sofa with my leg raised as high as i possibly can, i got a daughter sick in bed and my elder sis is staying with me for the day but she has a 5 month old baby who has just got over d&v so got to be careful bless her she is kept clear too!

What a nightmare!

Didn't get chance to call the benefits people yesterday regarding help with housing while im on ssp so plan to do all that today, not as if i can have a lot of " to do's on my list whilst being sofa ridden lol xx

Smamfer

Afternoon
Little update on me,

Confined to bed all day due to my daughter being so poorly as with risk of dvt her being d&v suffering it could cause me a lot of problems, Slept a bit of it as the meds im taking for my ankle making me a lil drowsy at times.

Did manage to call council earlier spoke to a charming man who was very helpful told me what i was entitled to and apparently i get a higher rate for a little while it doesnt go on LHA straight away, and i also get some council tax benefit, i questioned as obviously id paid the last in january but he said as it covers 12 months i actually still get the money! How bizarre that they want to give me money for something i have paid for lol

Then he gave me the list of things i need to post off which seems to be the contents of my life lol i did explain i couldnt get to the post office and could i scan everything in but they wouldnt accept it so another begging mission to my sis lol

Anyway its a night of working and woohoo bingo for me, have a good one all x