Dancing through the rain with a smile and good cheer

Bubblesmum

As an occupational therapist, I am well aware that not working is not good for your health - infaact it is the area I specialise in.

What is work - I want to state clearly here that I think unpaid voluntary work is just as important as paid work.

I accept Societies view that employment is the most important means of obtaining money so that we experience material wellbeing to fully participate in today’s society.

If we do not have the majority of people of working age in work, and paying reasonable taxes we cannot support those members of society who are not in the fortunate situation of being well and able to work.

While I was not working I certainly felt socially isolated and was very unhappy, going back to do voluntary work, seeing people was very important to my psychosocial needs. At 46 the majority of my friends were in full time work or full time parents. What I did socially revolved around work.

Work is central to individual identity, social roles and social status. While I was not working in paid work but doing a lot of work benefiting the community. A friend of my Mother’s observed “ oh x all that education you are wasting “

Wasting I thought... well I am not but yes I am not being paid for it.

Today’s expectation is that I start work at 18 and retire at 68, 50 years of putting money into the pot. Ironical when at 5 it was suggested I go to special school, which would not have given me an academic education. So that would have meant leaving school with no qualifications, and an expectation of living and being supported by my parents or govt bodies for the rest of my life.

There are so many disabled people who live with their conditions and are able to work and we should be supporting them back into work, I agree with that. However I do not think the current welfare assessments are fit for purpose, as the focus is not balanced and does not recognise that some people for no fault of their own, have chronic conditions that mean life is so unpredictable that work will not be beneficial, and society needs to recognise this.

I would also observe the greatest problem is we are living and surviving longer, therefore the 50 year pot we are expected to contribute is not sufficient. My Father a pensions expert believed when I retired state pension would be means tested... will future governments have the guts to tackle this, as this will hit voters.

I was not entitled to ESA because of my joint household income would I be happy to not receive my state pension?

Should a millionaire pensioner receive the winter fuel payment - when a disabled person struggles to pay their bills, as to keep wel they need to keep warm.

I would add I was happy to not receive ESA, receiving PIP is another matter...

What would be best for me, if I could wave my magic wand and clear our debt, I would not be putting myself through trying to keep my body healthy to stay in paid work. I would choose though to work in a voluntary capacity.

One day not too soon in the distant future I will have to accept that working 47 weeks of the year, is not something my body can tolerate in the long term.

Plus if when transferring from DLA to PIP ( yet to happen) I loose money, I will have to work out how I pay for the treatments I have each week.

Part 3 Debt ! ( After Coffee)

Bubblesmum

beanielou wrote: »

I am sorry my dear that I have no words of wisdom.
Anxiety is my constant.

It is lovely to know you know :A:A

Bubblesmum

I have a very mixed relationship with money!

My parents come from East End working class families who brought up their children before the Welfare Act!

My Father thanks to the headmaster at the secondary modern in 1945 got him a scholarship to a grammar school. Sadly he left school at 16 with no O'levels as my grandparents did not understand about revision and study... he went back to study in his 40's in pensions and ended up in a very senior role before he retired. He is never in debt, and does help us out financially on aspects such as wheelchairs and cars.

My Mother left school at 14 went to secretarial college, she went back in her 40's and did her English O'levels.

They both lived within their means, went without and debt was a mortgage.

My Father would be horrified at the amount of credit card debt we have if he knew ( he doesn't )

I too am uncomfortable, however, when my Mother died 19 years ago. I have had a relationship with a credit card, balancing being able to pay off more than the minimum, but not the whole amount. With the knowledge it has never been above my annual salary and if I died, I have enough assets in my home, to cover my debts.

There is this internal feeling of wanting to live. Plus being disabled can be an expensive business.

However, I am getting more and more uncomfortable about what is on it. We have an itemised spreadsheet. So we are really focusing on paying it off and living much more within our means.

Currently all of my salary is going each month to pay off the debt. However we are still adding to it!

Respecting my OH privacy, I am not going to publish how much, or our budget. However I am going to use this diary to keep us in check.

Bubblesmum

Todays Spends

* Used up stamps so no need to buy :T

* Small donation to friend in lieu of present to her nominated charity. ( We may have given more in the past, so we are happy we have done it, but been sensible)

* Ocado Order - larger than I had hoped, but made from a list and I have just removed 2 items that were more treats than necessary. It also includes cleaning materials and 3 4 2 on my shampoo.

Ocado is a life saver for us, they deliver to our door in all weathers. We are on a monthly saver subscription. We find them the best in our area.

Todays meals

* homemade bread from stock - OH took sandwiches in

* freezer use up, cooked sausages from a bBQ in the summer and tonight burgers from the same BBQ

* Veg from last weeks box.

Subscriptions

I am aware of the ethical thoughts about using Amazon, and in the best of words I would like an alternative, however again we find them a lifeline, from toilet rolls to cat litter and so much more... so Sunday I changed our monthly prime subscription to the yearly one.

beanielou

Blimey we must be twins!!
Like you I am not happy with Amazon on the ethical front but use them for cat food & cat litter.
I also changed my Amazon prime to a yearly subscription on Sunday as I used my birthday money!

Bubblesmum

beanielou wrote: »

Blimey we must be twins!!
Like you I am not happy with Amazon on the ethical front but use them for cat food & cat litter.
I also changed my Amazon prime to a yearly subscription on Sunday as I used my birthday money!

I definitely think we are CP twins, I suspect if we shared some pink gin, we would play snap about our lives.... ;)

beanielou

Bubblesmum wrote: »

I definitely think we are CP twins, I suspect if we shared some pink gin, we would play snap about our lives.... ;)

We would

Bubblesmum

Having a tea break.... so good opportunity to.

Todays Spends

Currently NSD!!!! 1/15 .... need to go and sign up what was it oozing october Beanielou

Update after trying to sort the stressful crisis out, neither of us could face cooking, and we were knackered so we ordered a pizza :mad:


Todays Meals

All from the store cupboard or freezer

Stress levels

Mostly to do with a local community organisation that we both belong to, OH is the Chairman, but there is someone who wants to run things behind the scenes... I was going to go on the committee to support him, working with this individual, but realised that I would lock horns with this person so wanted to bow out gracefully. Otherwise WW3 would start. Well WW3 has started because She has suddenly realised that i will not do all the hard work at her command!! Some gentle home truths, about different working styles has not gone down well.. :eek::eek::eek:

Having had all the PMT symptoms last month but no period, I can also feel the testerone levels rising again!!!

plus having been off work two days with the lurgy, my work to do list , is days long! :(:(:(

beanielou

Dont worry about work!!
You are not there!!

beanielou

Taking the debt aside is it really the right job for you?