Divorcing the debt and the fella.

NotNormal

Bobarella wrote: »

Good luck with it all. You sound like you are on tip of things with a clear plan. Hope events help you get there sooner than planned.

Thank you, trying to keep on top of things but it isn't always easy. Mental health has decided to plummet today so I've not accomplished much. So I'm giving myself until 6 to be lazy and regroup and then back to work on this room (:

Ccarter

I've just recently got divorced (Decree Absolute came in feb) and am dealing with my debts. You will do it too, best of luck :-)

NotNormal

Well, I think I was a bit too enthusiastic with the to do list, my body didn't want to cooperate and my mental health was extra low. I actually argued with my dad and then burst into tears because he made a comment about seeing my carpet, so now he isn't talking to me. He did a load of laundry for me yesterday and put it on my bed earlier, I now have lots of pink stuff. Not sure why or how, nothing pink or red in there. But I'm trying to remain positive as it couldn't be helped. A black and white top is now pink and black, but I only really wear it around the house. My new blue and white checkered pj shorts are now blue and pink, but they are only pjs and only cost a couple of quid in primark. A white top is totally pink, I'll wear it with my pj shorts and have a "matching" set lol. A denim dress that has a bit of lace at the top was white, now pink but actually looks very cute and almost looks better than when it was white.

Of my to do list...
Tidy bedroom mostly done, just need to declutter some cabinet and stick the hoover around
Rearrange bedroom not done, but my best friend is moving in next door and there were a few bits I'm giving her so she is going to help me tomorrow
Do some baking?
Sort through boxes I sorted through one... Does that count?
Update christmas folder It would be done... But I cannot find a single pen. I think I have a pen fairy, again!
This months budget/expenses Done.
Next months rough budget/expenses
Send more emails regarding debts Done some, still more to do!

I would also like to
Make a pantry and freezer list - this will help with meal planning
Meal plan I'm going to do this now.
Go for a walk Went for a short walk to the corner shop, I was in need of some fresh air and an energy drink.
Paint a couple of pieces of furniture I've been meaning to paint Not done but Dad has cleared the hallway for me and is going to put down some dust sheets so it can be done there as weather is being unpredictable
Charge tablet - then go through it and back up what needs backing up and then wipe it. It's slow and full of carp I don't use.
Sort through my netbook laptop - back up what needs backing up and then wipe it. It's also slow and full of carp I don't use lol.

Also done that wasn't on my list cancelled two subscription boxes (£14 & £23). I will look at doing some different subscription boxes in the future, but for now I have plenty of make up and the cat doesn't really play with his toys so I'm essentially wasting money.

I've also decided what to do with that extra £120 debt I didn't know existed... I'm going to set myself a challenge to earn that money via surveys, ebay etc. Like the other challenge I will give myself until October 2016. But I'm hoping to manage it before that. I have a huge bag of eyeshadows and nail varnishes that match, so may sell those in little bundles for £1 or something (plus postage!) on ebay. I also have a rather large stash of wool and fabric. I shall sort through it, anything I don't want is going into a bag. I have told my best friend she can have first call on it, anything she doesn't want shall be sold up on eBay. There is nothing wrong with the fabric, they just really aren't my style.

Also I am going to buy a cheap folder and some plastic wallets. Then I will give each debt it's own section, any letters regarding it will go in there and then I will have a payment table so I can fill in how much I pay and when. The front page will then have a similar table but this will show how much debt I have left, how much I have paid and my DFD based on minimum payments and based on if I pay as much as I did that month. This should help encourage me. I originally told myself I would love to start 2018 debt free, well that's not good enough for me now. I want to start 2017 debt free!

On the exercise/weight loss front - worked out going to the pub this weekend I walked approx a mile (half a mile there, half a mile back). According to google this is about 18 minutes walking. Well I'll call it 20 because that last bit up hill slowed me down lol. I have to go to the surgery to register due to the move, the surgery is opposite that pub so the same walk. My friend has said she will come with me tomorrow as she also needs to find out about registering. I'm trying to aim for 20 minutes of exercise 3 times a week. So tomorrow will be my first one for this week. I either am at the job centre wednesday (need to phone tomorrow) or will go for a walk/go on cross trainer and get another 20 minutes in.

I'm going to head over to myfitnesspal now and update it for today. Then crack on with this meal planning! I know I have salmon, mince, a chicken, some steaks and a couple of packs of sausages in. So just need to figure out what to do with them!

NotNormal

Just typed out a post, but the laptop ate it. Short version is that as it's silly o'clock I'm just going to stay up and be productive and get an early night later. If I go to sleep now I'll sleep all day and get nothing done.

So far I've cancelled a charity standing order, I rather impulsively decided earlier this year (upon getting PIP sorted) to help a local charity and right now I really do need that money to plug at the debts. Charity begins at home. I feel guilty but quite frankly I'm just not in the position to do it right now.

Now going to go on swagbucks and attempt to earn some points. Getting frustrated with the watch section though, I get it to 100% and type in my code to get my 3 points and then they disappear and it says I have 99% which is impossible since it goes 10% at a time!!!

NotNormal

Did some surveys on swagbucks, currently have 293 points. Shame I need about 850 for a £5 amazon gift card or about 1000 for a £5 paypal one! It's going to take a while to reach that £120 I need lol.

Surprised Dad with a nice cup of tea in bed. Well he's actually asleep on the sofa bed in my front room, he spent all weekend helping me with the living room.

I was a bit naughty earlier and had a couple of biscuits. Stopped myself at 3 luckily. But I put in myfitnesspal as 4, just in case I got tempted to have another later lol. 312 bloody calories :O and I wonder why I stopped buying biscuits!? Never mind, damage is done. Shall try and exercise them off today but I will factor them in to my daily calories anyway. I must bake some healthier snacks!

The cat has the hiccups, but now I keep worrying that he's going to be sick on the bed. He looks so happy and comfy curled up on the duvet though. I felt bad earlier because he thought I was kicking him out and so he ran up the hallway to sulk, when really I was just telling him not to get on the window sill as the window is open and he tries to go out through the window but he's a little... clumsy and falls out instead. He must have forgiven me now he's had an early breakfast! Normally he gets fed around 7.30/8am. Awe bless, he just jumped and shot his eyes as wide as they could because a bird fluttered outside the window. Anyway enough rambling about the cat!

NotNormal

I honestly don't know what I would do without my best friend. She has come through to help me do the phone call to the job centre about moving (changing address but the post code means I'll be at a different job centre, a few minutes walk up the hill). We call and (after 20 minutes on hold) they tell me that I was given the wrong information and starts rattling off what I need to do, my anxiety was too high to process so she took over and wrote down the instructions. We call the new number we've been given, spend another 20 minutes on hold and I explain what's going on and why I'm calling. I start getting stressed out because she tells me my address is wrong, turns out the address was already updated so I was giving her my old address when she had my new address. Then starts giving me more information and saying umm a lot. So my friend takes over again. Eventually manages to work out what she's on about - I have to sign on at the old job centre tomorrow and THEN call back again so we can make the switch. I don't have a sign on appointment for tomorrow because I wasn't supposed to be going back, I was supposed to be at the new job centre. So she has said she'll come over tomorrow and we will go to the job centre and explain, try and get them to sign me on and see what they can do to move me to the other job centre. If that doesn't work then she will help me ring back up again. I've cried twice while doing this because it stressed me out so much. We have spent the last hour trying to sort this mess out only to be told everyone is wrong and it's someone else's job! Urgh! So much for my happy, motivated, positive mood.

I now feel sick. I may go see if I have some bread out and make myself peanut butter on toast. Always perks me up

Bobarella

Oh wow you've been very busy. And that is what friends are for after all. I am sure you'd do the same for her. Keep it going you are doing great.

NotNormal

Bobarella wrote: »

Oh wow you've been very busy. And that is what friends are for after all. I am sure you'd do the same for her. Keep it going you are doing great.

Thank you, yes it's been a bit of a mental day. I crashed out around lunch time and took a 2-3 hour nap! Very much needed though as I've been up all night and I'm still tired so hopefully I shall sleep tonight.

Put my very minimal exercise today into myfitnesspal, pretty sure it laughed at me as I desperately added every thing in and prayed it would count as not being furiously lazy. Just about managed some stuff (moved a cross trainer, washing machine, clean the kitchen a little and do dinner shortly).

Talking of dinner, I have put in everything I've eaten (and included dinner even though I haven't eaten it yet) and was brutally honest. Gone over my calories for the day, but this was the first time I have counted every last thing I have eaten. Even included my energy drink! So I won't feel too guilty, as by being honest I know now that I haven't done too bad today but portions have been a bit big.

Calories 1,800 - Goal was 1,468, over ate by 332 calories!
Carbs 101 - Goal 189, 88 spare which is huge for me as until recently I ate 95% carbs.
Fat 55 - Goal was 46, over ate by 9 calories. Not too shabby!
Protein 57 - Goal was 75, 18 spare.
Sodium 745 - Goal was 2,300 apparently, so 1,555 short lol.
Sugar 46 - Goal was 55, so only 9 spare.

So given that today I have felt miserable and over eaten, I've kept it quite healthy. With sodium being the only thing that really needs fixing.

Today's proud points - I'm proud of myself for controlling my eating a little better than in the past. I'm proud of myself for attempting the phone calls. And I'm proud of myself for cooking tonight for everyone, which includes trying a new recipe. I actually don't mind cooking but for others I always worry I'll make something horrible. I started this day positive, am ending it positive with just a little droop in the middle. Not too bad!

NotNormal

Popping a link on so hopefully I can actually find it nearer the time! Need to order some http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jelly-Spogs-Buttons-Kilo-Bag/dp/B0046ZZSLG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430859388&sr=8-1&keywords=Barratts+Spogs around November time so I can add them to one of my christmas hampers. £2-£3 for a small bag locally, about £6 for a 1kg through that link. I have amazon prime so may as well use that, then can use one of my £5 amazon gift cards from swagbucks as that's 849 points. Then will transfer £5 out of the christmas savings fund and into the £120 mystery debt fund.

Extra confused now though. Spoken to Mom who confirmed I did indeed pay the last £15 off that bill, wiping the debt, back in 2012. So now I officially don't know how I owe them any money!!

NotNormal

Well I dread updating myfitnesspal later, I always find Wednesdays incredibly hard. Because they send my mental health into a frenzy I struggle to eat until I get home and then I'm ravenous and pick until I've eaten a weeks worth of food. It's not good. Going to see how I get along at the new job centre but I may find I have to request the doctor sign me off for a while, I have come a long way since October and haven't really cut myself much slack.

When I catch myself getting upset about what once was I push it away as best I can and crack on. I've been very strong and I think it's worn me down and I may need to take a bit of time to recover. For now though I will try. I've taken a little time off from my course so I can regroup as I have got no where with the latest assignment, every time I try to read the assignment I fry my brain.

On the plus side - having got no where with attempting to ring to go in and sign on today I decided to just turn up. Very helpful gent at the desk got me signed on and said the system should say I have signed on by the end of the day so I should get paid on Monday. I now need to ring to arrange the job centre transfer, but putting that off for the moment.

Haven't been to the doctors to register yet. I will, but I need proof of new address and I only have my tenancy. I need to update the address on my license! Haven't changed it since I moved in October. Ooops! Doing it now. Thought I had lost the paper part, it wasn't in my filing folder but it's okay it was in my work document folder! So doing it now