From debt to freedom...

Honeysucklelou2

It’s a beautiful day here so am determined to make the most of it as I am back to work tomorrow. 
I’ve chased up an online order that was supposed to have been delivered 10 days ago but hasn’t appeared, so have requested a refund. That will help to pay for the new rucksack that DD3 needs for college. Bless her, she does make them last until they are falling apart, so I know her need is genuine.
I have ordered DS3’s birthday present this morning in readiness for next weekend. The next 3 birthdays are in the next couple of weeks! DD2 is soon after so have ordered her a book that I hope she will find interesting about paddle boarding adventures.  Hopefully that is all the spending for the time being as I need to be super careful with the budget. I know that the tax credits will decrease as of this week, so the bit of wriggle room I had is gone. Once everyone is back at school and settled into the new routine I will need to look at increasing my work income.

Have a good day everyone!

Sun_Addict

Just catching up with you and pleased that you got DD's exam results sorted out, what a palaver this has been for everyone affected. Also pleased to hear that the elderly lurcher is ok. It's been a beautiful day here too, got loads of washing done, dried and ironed - I know how to live 🤣

savingholmes

It is a difficult time and you have a lot to juggle - I remain in awe of what you achieve.

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you SH and SA.

Wow a week has flown by! Last week went in a blur of getting  back to work. We were back on Tuesday and the first week back went well🙂. DD3 started college on Thursday so she is happy to be learning again🙂.

I had a bit of a shock on Friday...I knew the tax credits were going to reduce, quite rightly as DD2 is no longer in education, so I had anticipated what I thought was quite an austere reduction of 40%. I hadn’t had any paperwork and had tried to look online to find out what it would likely be, but there were no payment figures. Even a web chat last week with HMRC yielded no further information so I found out on Friday when I checked my bank balance. It has reduced by over 50%😵😮. This  is a huge effect on my budget. I had known that I would need to look for more work once everyone had settled back into school but this reduction makes finding more work a necessity. So on Friday morning I went through a couple of job sites. I’m surprised how little there is around. I had one idea  that I had been intent on pursuing back in March pre lockdown and I know they are busy and a little short staffed, so I plucked up all my courage. ( was so scared of being rejected)  and asked for a couple of shifts a week. Thankfully they said yes, so I start next week.

Sun_Addict

Sorry to hear about the reduction in tax credits but well done on being so proactive in getting the shifts. Not the best time to be job-hunting unfortunately.

savingholmes

Well done on getting the extra work. That's a huge reduction!

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you SA & SH. The bit I find hardest is trying to find a second job that has minimal impact on the younger children. Thankfully this job is quite local . I won’t earn that much but every pound counts at the moment.

DS3 started school today 😪. It seems a big milestone. He went in quite happily, said he’d had a good time but when I asked if he was happy to go back tomorrow, there was a determined and considered no!

It was his birthday at the weekend. We celebrated by going on a picnic by the river and giving him opportunity to ride his bike on the pathway nearby. It was a lovely crisp morning. It’s a walk I often do in Autumn ...I love listening to the river and watching the sunlight glinting in the water. It was warn enough on Saturday for us to see a couple of dragonflies. The elderly lurcher was absolutely determined to come and did really well. He had a quick paddle in the shallow “beach like” section of the river, even sitting down in it at one point but not sure if that was intentional or more that he hadn’t quite gauged it properly sight wise. He did jump up again pretty quickly!  Sadly the evening was overshadowed by the ex’s behaviour which was a copy of last year’s behaviour on his birthday. Determined to hold onto the good memories of the picnic.

Drawingaline

Tax credits are a complete minefield. With my daughter going to college it gave the figures as if she was leaving, before they updated the system and it was a reduction of 70%?? With three kids still in education? No sense. Then when it updated with her staying, went back up to the normal payment and then added an extra £50 🤔🤷

I am incredibly careful to ensure that all our income is up to date and so far have managed to evade the dreaded overpayment.

Congratulations on the extra shifts.

Sun_Addict

Yes you hold on to those good memories don’t let him spoil it for you. What is he playing at for goodness sake 😩

magicgal

I was just wondering how your work went.  Well done on the extra shifts.  I hope it helps.  As soon as I knew my wages had gone down because of not working, I adjusted my annual income on the TC site.  Glad i did because i received the final payment last week which would have been considerably less had i not made the changes.  That does seem a very steep reduction but i know my entitlements have been affected by the benefit cap so if you are on legacy version, try and have a quick read if they have made an error.  

I'm so sorry to hear about the way your ex behaved.  I know that scenario all too well, sadly.  But you are right to try and hold on to the good memories of the day and remind your kids of the good things that happened.  
I am sure your ds will be fine in school soon.  As the activities increase and he makes new friends. Mine have been very honest about the fact they just hate waking up early.
Hope this is a good and positive week for you x