Desperate. No Money. Big Problems.

melanzana

Sorry to hear you are going through such a tough time, I hope things will improve.

Do you have a spare room where you are living. If so, would you consider taking in a lodger for some tax free spare cash?

pollyanna_26

Hi John
Just wanting to wish you good days to come . You have been given so much advise so far you have more than enough to getting on with things .
Priority no1 Is most certainly seeing your Dr asap . In your present anxious and depressed state correct medication can make a difference as it begins to do it's work .
Be totally honest and tell your Doctor how you felt taking the Citalopram .

In your shoes I would be making contact with Storehouse as a trouble shared is a trouble halved, it sounds caring and supportive and is just what you need right now .

I see you have been totting up the bills . Have you managed to list what bills are outstanding ? I know you don't feel too good at the moment but sometimes biting the bullet and putting down and then seeking advice from the help out there can shift a big weight from your mind . It has to be faced at some time so don't give it the headspace .


It should be possible to do the initial steps this week . I can't remember when you are due to see your GP but does the surgery offer a phone consultation service ?
In ours you can phone in the morning and ask to speak to the Doctor if not fully booked you will receive a call during the day from your GP to discuss the problem .

Wishing you luck

polly

Pandora_Box

Just a few ideas:

There is an informal "home test" for PIP.

Go into Benefit and Works site to do it.

Worth doing, as you may be entitled to it, and it would improve your income quite a bit.

(Always send any forms and letters to the DWP by recorded delivery).

Many, if not all, housing associations have money advisers and benefit advisers. Might be worth contacting yours to see - they can be really helpful.

If not, many areas have voluntary welfare rights groups - just put your area and welfare rights into Google.

As others have said, see your GP, and get your meds sorted, as that will improve your life as well.

Good luck.:beer:
As

pollyanna_26

Just an afterthought . If you've never had a wander around the Old Style Forum it could be worth a look through the threads or start your own .
It's very much coping with different circumstances , cooking from scratch and squeezing the pennies .
I admit sometimes we sometimes get a bit naughty and go a bit daft now and then ( I'm looking at you fellow garden fencers ) but we're mainly people who've had our struggles over the years and survived to tell the tale and love welcoming any in need of advice or not .
polly.

Alice_Holt

Any local organisations such as voluntary car schemes which would pay you car expenses in return for helping local people get to hospital / surgeries / etc?
Might help cover some car costs.
http://www.ctauk.org/
http://www.lincsvcsdatabase.org.uk/content/lincolnshire-county-council-voluntary-car-schemescall-connect
The library may have details of volunteer driver schemes.

May also be worth contacting local groups such as MIND, your skills in IT / marketing may well be very helpful to them. Wouldn't bring any money in, but may help with loneliness issues and developing support networks.
Also, occasionally, volunteering can lead to job opportunities in local branches of national charities.

John_In_Lincs

Sorry I am taking a while to reply. I am finding things a lot harder than I ever imagined.

I hope you don't mind me not replying individually, but I am really struggling today.

vodkawitch1: I might go down the DLA route as this pain and anxiety I am feeling is unbearable. I could scream at the top of my voice, things are getting so much harder than I thought they would be.

elsien: I will be going back to see my GP as soon as I can get an appointment.

Alice Holt: Maybe I should go to the CAB drop-in centre for some advice on this. I am feeling so desperate lately. My health and my ability to deal with people and everyday things is definitely being affected. I am finding myself becoming more and more reclusive, but I have never been like this before. I need company, something i don't have a lot of. But when I try to go out, I realise just how hopeless things have become and I know I will only be able to talk about my difficulties.

sheramber: Thank you for this. I have contacted my local vets and it's a £7.50 postal order to register. Both dogs have been registered with these vets for several years. There may be the need for a £10 general health check-up to qualify though. I just wish I could get both dogs in there as they will both bee needing help soon with their hips starting to show signs of wear and tear - a common problem with the breed.

melanzana: I have been thinking about taking in a lodger, but I don't know if I would regret it. I don't know how this will come across but I couldn't bear the thought of a man being here all the time. It would have to be a female. Not sure how I would put that across in any kind of advertising.

pollyanna 26: Thank you for your good wishes.

The doctor is my next port of call. I am terrified of taking the medication though and I haven't started taking the Venlafaxine he prescribed. Not sure about the phone consultation service.

I spent a while yesterday doing some voluntary work at the Storehouse. It was difficult and I felt a bit like a fish out of water, even though they are very friendly bunch. It was nice to have the company though. I feel bad leaving the dogs on their own, but that's something I am trying to accept. It's horrible to see the looks on their faces when I go out. They do seem quite down themselves at times, but we always have a cuddle in the evening and the looks on their faces when I get back home is priceless. They are such loving dogs.

I see somebody about my financial / debt situation on Thursday and this is really worrying me. It's a Christian debt service. I worry about having to get rid of the old car I just bought. I sold a camera to buy this. I would probably need it if I were to get a job, but I know it's not a priority. I tend to cycle as much as I can, but I even worry about the money I need to get this fixed. It needs new brakes as it is.

Pandora Box: I will do this. At the moment though I have so many forms to fill and so many things to do to, its all getting me down. It's never-ending!

Yes, recorded delivery is essential. I forgot to do this when I submitted my Mandatory Reconsideration to the HMRC, and they lost this again! After a phone call yesterday, I discovered that they have found it but have advised of a lengthy backlog. Not sure I believe them.

You reminded me that I need to phone the housing association about something else which has taken too long. So many things to remember.

pollyanna 26: I often find myself searching for advice on different things on this forum, but I didn't realise there was an older forum to check. Maybe I have already seen this and didn't realise, but there is so much useful information here and so many helpful people.

Alice Holt: I will contact MIND. This is something I have been wondering about. I just keep forgetting. So much to remember.

Sorry for the rushed reply, but my stress and anxiety levels are going through the roof at the moment. I need to start making lists again. But will I remember to do this? ;o)

Thank you all again.

John.

elsien

Don't stress yourself out by feeling you need to reply to everyone individually. Or reply at all if everything is getting a bit much at the moment. You can use the forum anyone you want to, to ask questions, to talk about what's bothering you, to get things off your chest if you don't want to bother people in real life, whatever suits you.
No-one's going to be offended if you don't reply to them.

Have you considered writing down how you feel and your worries about the medication to take with you to your appointment? Then you can either go through it when you're there or just wave it at the GP to read first if you think your anxiety might stop you from saying some of the things you need to. Some people find that helpful to do.

Glad you made it out to the voluntary centre, and it'll get easier as you get to know people. Don't fret too much about the dogs. Mine can put on a truly oscar winner performance of being traumatised when I leave him, but my mum checks up on him and he's perfectly ok on his own. And yours have each other for company. They probably snooze while you're out then wake up to overwhelm you with kisses when you get back.

ETA - do you have somewhere off road for the car - just wondered if you could consider SORNing it for now if you can manage without it for the time being, but have the reassurance of knowing it's there if you need it in future?

John_In_Lincs

Thanks elsien.

Understood regarding not replying to everybody, but they have had the decency to write and I'd like to thank them all.

I went to a debt advice meeting this morning, provided bu a local Christian debt charity. They were very helpful, but it's early days and I need to provide some more documentation regarding my financial situation.

As it happens, I have been writing down my feelings quite a lot lately. It helps me put things into perspective. I am still to contact MIND, but I will do that the moment I have posted this message.

If I put my car off-road fro the time being, I would still have to pay my monthly insurance (and tax too??) and also breakdown cover, which add up to £60 per month. Something is going to give way here, but I don't know what or how just yet.

I was wondering about the possibility to earn a little money while claiming ESA. I need to look into this top see if I am eligible and to find out exactly what I can and cannot do. I think there was a link on the other page so I will check that shortly. If I could just get a few extra £s coming in it would help immensely.

Thanks.

John.

antrobus

John_In_Lincs wrote: »

..If I put my car off-road fro the time being, I would still have to pay my monthly insurance (and tax too??) and also breakdown cover, which add up to £60 per month.... .

No, if you SORN a car, there is no car tax. In fact, DVLA will refund you some of the tax you've paid in advance. You can cancel the insurance and breaksdown cover.

https://www.gov.uk/make-a-sorn

Loz01

Next time you go to a food bank, don't forget they give away dog food and biscuits too! If Im in Tesco I always drop dog food and treats into the food bank box as 4 legged friends need feeding also.

In the meantime, do you have anything worth putting on Ebay? You'd be surprised what people buy, most listings you can put up for free and just pay a small amount if it sells.

Also if you need anything (house wise), try Freecycle. People get rid of all sorts on there, washing machines, sofas, chairs, tables etc.

Best of luck.