From debt to freedom...

MeandO

Hi HSL2

As Bluegreen143 said, the £500 is a one off payment, but be warned that the extra support in tax credits received during covid may now drop for you. I am around £100 a month worse off, so as much as I'm grateful for the £500, it will mean tightening the budget again. If you are able to, it may be worth you checking your tax credits online with HMRC under the 'managing your tax credits' section on the government gateway site. It will tell you your upcoming payments. 

Drawingaline

We got it too. We qualify for working tax credits, but our award is zero due to our income, we just recieve money for the CTC part. Still qualified for the payment which seems silly. 

So if you currently get wtc there will be a drop of £80 a month going forward I think. CTC is as normal.

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Bluegreen143, MeandO and DAL. I appreciate your sending that link to explain what it was Bluegreen143 and thank you for the tip MeandO and DAL. I have checked online and it looks like I’m £40 a month down. That started at the beginning of April, so I’d assumed it was the new amount for the new tax year based on the P60.  I didn’t receive either a text or a letter about the payment today...it’s making me wonder if I’m actually receiving all of my post. My solicitor emailed me wanting to know why I hadn’t responded to a letter in December and  I hadn’t actually received it.


Today hasn’t really gone as planned. Much of the day has involved taxiing children. I did get a list of outgoings done for the solicitor. After cooking tea, I did get outside to pot on the Verbena seedlings. I need to get the next batch of tomato seedlings potted on next week 🙂. I went for a run in this evening 🙂. It’s getting slightly easier to run for the times specified by the C25K app!

CRANKY40

I had a text from HMRC about the £500 payment and a text about 10 days ago on the number that I use for gateway access codes. No letter although it was in the news a lot about a month to 6 weeks ago. Hope this helps....

Spendless

The £500 sounds good though not if they take it off you in other ways! I'd suggest moving it somewhere accessable for now, rather than paying another debt, till you know and have redone your new budget.

Eeek about potentially missing post. What time does the postman arrive? Is there usually someone in?   I hate to say it, but is it possible that some letters are being taken, given the comings and going of the ex at all times. I know you had enough concerns to not want to open some statements. Not entirely sure what you could do to take that possibility away though. 

savingholmes

Sorry the tax people gave with one hand and took away with the other. Hope the post situation gets sorted.

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Cranky40, Spendless & SH.

Cranky40 - interesting that you had a text. I went back through all the texts that I get with the government gateway access codes for Help to Save, but nothing there about this payment. I don’t have mains TV so don’t listen to TV news or adverts so not heard anything about this payment before! A nice surprise for a Monday morning!

Spendless - you must be a mind reader 😂. I was thinking which debts could I reduce, so am glad for your suggestion, it made me stop and think a bit more! Post wise, I put a metal lockable letter box on the garden gate ( helps the dogs not to go quite as loopy) but the hole has to be big enough for small parcels / thicker A4 letters so it is possible to put a hand into the box and get letters out 😕 . The post usually comes early afternoon. Often DD2 or DS1 get to it first. DD2 is pretty good at putting post in the kitchen. The solicitor has now stopped stamping the envelope with the company stamp which makes it less obvious. I will ask DD1 to perhaps check on the post on the days she’s at home.

The first week back at work has flown by. Unfortunately my sleep patterns have gone upside down again, so found myself getting up so as not to waste the time  and got work tasks done in the early hours, but it does mean I’ve felt very tired.

Yesterday (Fri), I had quite a lazy day. My parents came for a garden visit. Thankfully the sun was out and little wind so it was lovely and warm. I don’t tend to sit much as there is always much to be done, but the erratic sleep and their visit meant I was quite glad to just stop and enjoy their company, the garden and the sights and sounds of Spring.

I’ve used this week’s furlough money from job no 2 to make another payment to the Help to Save account. I was concerned that if I left it to next week’s and I forgot, it would then be May the next day and  I would have missed the chance to maximise April’s savings. This means that the Help to Save has now reached £300. Its slowly climbing!

As it happens the septic tank was emptied this week, so some of the extra payment went on that bill. I also topped up the grocery cupboards. I set a budget for weekly shopping of £100 for all of us but that is very much the essentials, so I used some of the payment to top up on various ingredients / foods that wouldn’t usually make it to the weekly list, if that makes sense!

Garden wise...the tomatoes and Verbena are doing well in the greenhouse as are the larkspur. The frosts have eased so hopefully the gap between highest and lowest temperatures isn’t  quite so large. I had some seeds gifted to me at Christmas so got those sown today...a white variety of Cosmos called Purity. Some purple Cosmos are coming on well on the bedroom windowsill so should make for a colourful and contrasting display in the summer.

Much to do later on today with work tasks and garden tasks. Have a good Saturday everyone!

Parkyp

Good idea to get a post box, I don’t think your ex would attempt to put his hand in a have look just incase anyone was watching. Very helpful of your solicitor to leave envelope blank. 

Enjoy your weekend 

Parkyp

You’re very green fingered. Could you recommend any low maintenance plants/shrubs that will bloom every year. I normally just buy some bedding plants for containers each year ,even though the ones I bought at Easter have died but I’m blaming the frost on that 🤦🏽‍♀️ I’m not very good with plants but I do usually manage to keep them for more than a month 😂😂

Sarahwithlove

Parkyp said:

You’re very green fingered. Could you recommend any low maintenance plants/shrubs that will bloom every year. I normally just buy some bedding plants for containers each year ,even though the ones I bought at Easter have died but I’m blaming the frost on that 🤦🏽‍♀️ I’m not very good with plants but I do usually manage to keep them for more than a month 😂😂

This is me too!! 🤣 I was told to go for perinnials as they grow back and need little attention just a bit of watering