The single track road - life on a different path

MeandO

Hello!

I am back from the land of the Vikings, had the most wonderful time and am thoroughly miserable about life now I'm back. DS was absolutely fine and wasn't even fussed I'd gone, I had to wrestle him for a cuddle when I got back!

Came back to some not-so-good news regarding work, a messy house and a grumpy ex, so am pretty miserable right now.

Will post properly later when I hopefully get my 'upbeat-ness' back, but at the moment I'm struggling with normality again a little bit. I need to have a few coffees, catch up with the news and get back into the swing of things methinks.

Funnily enough, I missed you 'lot' and your daily dose of positivity! Hope you've all had a good week, will catch up with all your diaries later xx

MeandO

The positivity is not returning. In fact, my mood has kind of nose-dived after receiving news of definite redundancies and possible closure at work.

Worried is not the word for it.

:(:(

Levi-

Welcome home :heart2: - glad you had an amazing time and that O was fine!

But not glad to hear how you're feeling right now.. part of it will be that normal post-holiday blues thing bu not great news on the work front for you..however, nothing is certain at all yet and everything will take time.. and in that time... if the worst DOES happen.. we'll all be here to help you figure out the next step. Everything will be OK! Promise:kisses3:

Ease yourself back to reality and don't let the WHATIF monster take over. x

liltdiddylilt

Hey there lady..

Welcome back. I am glad you had such an amazing time at work and that O was fine... Less so about the grumpy ex. Maybe he just realised what it actually takes looking after O all by himself for a few days?

Ref definite redundancies and possible closure. Does this affect you? Or your department? Do you know what amount of redundancies there are?

I just want you to know, that I think you are insanely talented. If you put your mind to it, your part time fun job could easily be a full time one. I wasn't kidding about the jumper I want. Quote me if you can do it. I can even send you the jumper!

Remember things like: tax credits, housing benefit, child benefit... all of these will kick in if you lose your job, at a higher rate. If your projected income for the next year is low, then you have to tell them of the changes and they base this year on your current earnings and next year on those. I genuinely don't know where I would be without tax credits... In a giant hole I am sure, working 5 days a week and running myself ragged.

And best of all, you have us. The Knight ^ there, battling the WHATIF Monster, and me.. Captain Bravery

You need chocolate, a calculator and a planner. xx

MeandO

Thanks Levi, think I need to get reading that book now more than ever, don't you...

*sighs*



xx

MeandO

Lilty, you never fail to make me feel better! Seriously, you're awesome at it.

I currently don't receive tax credits, but funnily enough, was just in the process of looking it up to see if I would qualify. They kind of scare me, after all the horror stories of people owing insane amounts of money etc. I have made a note to dig out the record of my earnings for last year and will have a look at the calculations tomorrow.
I wasn't eligible when me and the ex were together, but maybe now things are very different, I will be.

Yeah, if/when the redundancy poop hits the fan, I'll be affected. In fact, I think they're more likely to shut the place down, for various reasons.

Thank you for the lovely compliment too. Someone said to me last week that, if I did lose my job, it would be a blessing in disguise as it would force me to turn the business into a full time earner. I just don't want to be forced into that position at the moment if you know what I mean, I feel a bit 'all out of fight'.

As for the jumper, I can't print white I'm afraid - this demands a super-dooper white toner printer which costs way too many pennies. There are ways around it, with special papers and such, but none of them are very good in my opinion, and results are a bit hit and miss, hence why I no longer use them. Sorry lovely xx

And you're right, that's heck of an awesome Lilty/Levi army to have behind me - anything should be possible! Ah I love you guys!

I just hope my little man is dishing out more hugs tonight than last night, I could do with one!

xx

liltdiddylilt

Wish I was closer to you.. & Levi. I dish out lots of hugs, as does Jelly.

Bummer about the printing, I thought it might be a bit technical because I read about it. I really want this jumper that says Hakuna Matata B*tches on it :rotfl: but it is in Aus and I am not paying postage!! lol

You are a single mum, working, with a child under 16. Unless you're earning over £70k a year you're basically going to be eligible for something... :rotfl: once ex leaves anyway. How you split it with him is up to you after that.

The next tax year starts on 5th April. Perfect time to apply because then you have a clan sheet ahead of you and you know what your earnings are for last year plus you can explain your circumstances etc. Gives you a month to figure out the exact figures, and for that I am here if you need me. One thing I can do is figure out income/outgoings and I will happily plug it into every benefits calculator going for you.

The best place you can go is https://www.turn2us.org. Very useful calculator. Just be truthful and do it after ex has left and with potentially any redundancy on the cards. Do it for current income, then projected if the job goes and just make yourself feel a bit better.

Many big hugs... xxx

Levi-

Amen on the tax credits.. and I think that you said you pay for O going to after school club too.. I can't remember the terminology but as long as the childcare provider is state registered then you get tax credits to help with that too... it is a real help..I didn't know the first thing about it until recently but it's all been straight forward and although I used the calculator online I kept getting different results (prob cos I was being thick) but whenever I've spoke to anyone on the helpline, it's always gone smoothly - to start a claim you phone them and they send you a claim pack to fill everything in, and they backdate 31 days. To be honest you should do this anyway as are highly likely to be eligible for something regardless of the news at work. xx

MeandO

Morning all :hello:

I was planning on being pro-active today in sorting out numerous things I have on THE list. I dug out my earnings records from last year to sort the tax credits thing and my council tax info to notify them of single status - but I must've left all of it somewhere at home as I don't seem to have it with me. :doh: Oh well, more to do tomorrow!

Thank you Lilty and Levi for your support, you are both truly awesome and you really have no idea how much your posts help to spur me on. You kinda give me the belief that I can do this, so thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I wish we lived closer too, I have a feeling we'd be great at putting the world to rights together lol!

Lilty, I checked out the benefits calculator this morning, and it does seem I will get quite a bit of help if it/I'm correct. Like you said, I will claim from the new tax year - phoning them for a form is now on my list for today.

I must have been giving out distress signals yesterday, because I got whisked out for a meal and a trip to the cinema last night once DS was in bed and the ex was babysitting. I paid for the cinema (because I get it discounted with my work ID card!:rotfl:), so £15 spent there.

I received a refund from Amazon for £13 and one from Tesco for £24 too yesterday, so that's more than covered it. Ooh, Quidco paid in £14.99 whilst I was away too and another £30 was confirmed. :T
I also spent £19.61 on a flower delivery for my Mum for Mother's Day, but that was with a discount code found online and it came out of my 'gift' savings pot, so just over £40 left in there at the moment and that will get topped up at payday.

I have a grocery shop coming tonight, managed to get it down to under £40, so around about on budget. There were a few bits I added in there for baking at the weekend, so a few extra bits than normally needed. I think I may be able to crack this grocery budget of £150 monthly and the online shopping is certainly helping.

Some more changes may be afoot...

Talk of money saving and cutting hours at work yesterday got me thinking. If I cut my hours at work by 2 hours a day, permanently, it means we won't have to pay for childcare once DS is in school full time from September, and I can pick him up from school and have more time in the evenings to cook him food earlier, rather than him eating, me rushing round and then him going to bed sometimes less than an hour later, which isn't ideal.
As we won't be paying childcare, I don't think I'll actually be any worse off either - the cut in earnings will be equal to the reduction in childcare or thereabouts. I just need to see if I'm shooting myself in the foot in any way, but mainly, it means I get to spend more time with my little man.

MeandO

Things are moving quickly in MeandO land. I requested to drop my hours this morning, on a temporary basis for a year from 1st September, (just so I can keep my full time position open) and it has already been approved. :eek:

The ex has said he will continue to pay the previously agreed amount for childcare to me anyway as I would've been £150 short each month and he can afford it and has budgeted for it. Any surplus will go into a pot for DS's school trips/uniform/activities in the holidays etc.

I know I won't get WTC for the childcare element once this is in force, but it's in Ds's best interests and will make for a less-stressed mummy.

Now to re-work the budgets post September!