When I asked for luck I didn't mean the bad variety!!!

please-let-me-be-lucky

Hi all,

In a few weeks I will reach the end of what has been one of the worst years of my life and I thought I'd start a diary in the hope of making sure that the coming year will be better.

I actually joined the forum last May so I could enter competitions to while away the evenings on holiday in Cornwall. Little did I know it would become my lifeline just a few weeks later.

In June 2011 my DH had a motorbike accident resulting in a severe brain injury. The bleed occuring in his brain was basically the same as him having a stroke and he was then in hospital for 9 weeks. There's nothing quite like an enforced lightbulb moment when overnight the breadwinner goes from full wages to £80 per week ssp!! He is still off work now with ongoing memory problems but his employer terminated his employment in December 2011, so he now recieves ESA of £60 per week. I don't know how we would've coped without the advice and challenges on this site.

So, in the last year I've got myself 2 jobs (I was a SAHM at time of accident). One, 4 mornings a week in a playgroup & the other as and when I'm needed in Mr A's. Whilst these are both around minimum wage, they fit in well with not leaving DH for any length of time (and we have 2 boys aged 2 and 7) and the discount at Mr A's helps too! I've made a PPI claim which has paid off some of our debt as did a £1k competiton win, and we made a claim on the critical illness policy of our mortgage cover. They agreed to pay out but not the full amount due to the date of DH stopping smoking being wrong by a few weeks :mad::mad:Dont get me started!!! Anyway, they paid £84k off our £110k mortgage so although we aren't mortgage free like we should be we have a much smaller mortgage than before.

It feels like everytime we get on a somewhat even keel something else goes wrong. To name a few, this year I've also suffered a miscarriage (wasn't planned as I had a coil fitted and ended up in hospital because of it), DH's Grandma passed away, I broke my arm falling on ice and ended up with no wages whatsoever for 5 weeks and on sunday the washing machine set itself on fire for good measure. Thats without the money struggles and the day to day living with DH who can get quite depressed and worried about his problems. Someone's signature on here is along the lines of 'everytime there's light at the end of the tunnel its another bl**dy train coming' and I couldn't have put it better myself!

Anyway, enough of the waffle! Time to get rid of this debt!

PLMBL

inthegreen

Gosh that is a lot to cope with, you seem to have done really well. I am sorry to hear about your husbands accident it sounds difficult for you all.

I have nothing helpful to add other than welcome to the forum and good luck with the moneysaving:beer:

[Deleted User]

Hi PLMBL

There's not much I can say that will help, but I hope your luck "turns" to good really soon. :beer:

Piquant_2

That is a run of appallingly bad luck, you poor thing. I hope things turn around for you and you OH makes a good recovery.

Welcome to diary land!

Piq

please-let-me-be-lucky

Thank you all. I just keep thinking my time will come sometime soon! Either that or I will get a gold plated parking spot in Heaven!!

please-let-me-be-lucky

Ok so not much money making this afternoon but feeling more positive.

I go to slimming world but havent really been following the plan so I've been questionning whether to stop going and save the weekly fee of £4.95. But then on the otherhand I still need to lose weight and to be honest its a social outing and time to myself which I get precious little of. I'm also the weigh in lady and I really didnt want to give it up, so the better option was to damn well get my nose to the grindstone and follow the plan. When I get to target I wont have to pay and I plan to be a slimming world consultant so it will be a money making venture eventually. Anyway, for extra incentive I've signed up to do the slimathon for charity that they are running and people in the class are sponsoring me to lose weight. I get to lose lbs and feel good about myself and the NSPCC gain ££s.:D Win win!

please-let-me-be-lucky

First day back at work today after Easter which is good by way of money coming in (we don't get paid for the half term hols). This is the third month that I will be on half wages thanks to the way the holidays have fallen alongside being off with my broken elbow! But all money is good money if its coming in not going out and on the plus side I will feel rich when I finally get a month of proper wages!

I've had a brilliant day diet wise. There's nothing like knowing vulnerable children are relying on you to make sure you keep on the straight and narrow :eek: I feel good about that and its helped me keep more positive as DH has been a bit down today. I'm shattered as well after DS2 was up half the night Thats thankfully not the norm anymore though so I'm hoping for a better night tonight.

No money making again today but DH went to Mr T's with his Mum and DS2 while I was at work and she bought us a few things, and my neighbour did some washing for me as I'm still sans washing machine, so in a roundabout kind of way we've made some savings. Must ring the council tomorrow and chase the free school meals application. Its been 3 weeks and still not heard anything :mad:

please-let-me-be-lucky

Finally got things sorted with the council so free school meals for DS1 :j Thats £9.50 per week saved from now on in and a bit less than that saved in reality as he was on packed lunches before but wanted to change (and I didnt spend £9.50 per week on stuff for sandwiches etc!).

Had a busy weekend with shifts at job 2 and family stuff, but profitable as well through various means. I'm both chuffed that I've broken the £200 barrier in the make £10 per day challenge & saddened to realise that I might not make my £300 by this time next week. Must pull my finger out

In other news I've had a brilliant week diet wise and looking forward to getting weighed tomorrow, I've had a winning email from sugar puffs to say I've won a skylander (DS1 thrilled!) and DS2 started playgroup where I work and has settled well. Nice to have some positives to report

chevalier

Wow you sure have been through the mill, so sorry you had such a carp year.

Yeah to the mortgage company paying out. Even if it wasn't quite all of it, that is still a good payout.

Do you qualify for any benefits due to your low wage? Eg working tax credits?

chev

please-let-me-be-lucky

Hi Chev, thanks for your post! Totally agree with the :j:j to the mortgage being paid. Such a relief! Our payments reduced from £500 per month to £200 which has been the single biggest thing to stop us going under. The insurance company took 7 months to reach the decision but it was 7 months worth waiting for!

Re benefits, we get Child Tax credits, child benefit and DH gets income based ESA. As I understand it I don't qualify for Working Tax Credits as I dont work enough hours. (I need to work 24 hours and I average 16). I think would qualify if OH only got conts based ESA but then we'd lose the extra ESA. I will look into which is more and what the implications of each are - eg losing the free school meals & Healthy Start vouchers etc if we lose the income based part of ESA. Thanks for starting the thought process!

please-let-me-be-lucky

Had my 1st slimathon weigh in tonight and I've lost 3.5lbs:j

Day has been quite good. Went to a cafe with a softplay with Mother-In-Law, DH, DS2 and a friend this morning. MIL paid . I sat polishing my halo while everyone had scones etc and I just had a drink :A. Then went to Mr T's and spent more than intended :eek: but came home to a letter from DWP advising they owe DH £145 :j:j:j:j. He had to have a medical at the beginning of March and we hadn't heard anything since, but according to the advisor I spoke to when I rang to ask what the over payment was, he's been awarded another £28 per week :T.

On the negative side though, DH has been like a bear with a sore head this afternoon. His mood swings are due to the head injury and I know he doesn't want to be bad tempered, but if he doesn't pack it in he'll be sleeping in the garden :rotfl::rotfl:.