Need to change!

Uniqueop

Hi everyone!

I guess this is my introduction!

I am 33 years old, I work in a factory which I work 4 days on and I have 4 days off. I’m the sole earner as my partner is retired - there is a big age gap, but we somewhow work!

I need to change, I need to start prioritising my debt (getting it shifted and not have my head buried in the sand) and I also want a career!

In 2006 I started university in my early 20s and I ended up dropping out during my second year. Due to having uni diagnosed very high functioning ASD. Unknown to me I was still getting paid my student maintenance loan. I had a controlling partner at the time and I was not in control of my bank card or statements. I had no letters that I know off demanding payment as my ex sorted all of it out and made repayments. We split up and obviously the repayments stopped, I had a massive breakdown and following that I was diagnosed as having high functioning autism. I received no letters during this time about restarting payments so I forgot about it. I will be receiving a letter soon as they have now sold my debt to another company so I will have to budget for that too.

During the breakdown I got into debt as I wasn’t working. This is with catalogues and phone bills and also credit cards. I’m also into my overdraft!

My debt is:

Lowell:
JD Williams: £1,484 - I pay £3.00 atm a month
Shop Direct: £150.00 - I pay £1.00 a week
Three Mobile: £81.33 - I pay £2.50 a week

Cabot:
Simply be: £2,500 - I pay £15.00 a month

Overdraft:
-£997 - I pay £25.00 a month in charges

Past Due Credit Solutions:
Vodaphone: £150.00 - I pay £5.00 a month

My wages per week varies from £236 - £258. I get paid weekly. I give £140.00 a week to my partner to pay rent and council tax and the electric bill. OH also pays bills as well, it is equal we have worked it out, he wouldn’t be able to afford the rent on his pension. OH has a government pension and it isn’t a lot a month. He helps me out when he can as he also has debt too!

Changes

Im fed up with my job, my regret is not getting my degree or having a career which is fulfilling. I have two plans!

Plan A:
I want to undertake a degree with the open university, however I have bad debt with student finance now. They have said to me that I should just do an application and see whether it will get approved or not. I’m doubtful I will be approved, but if I am then I will spend 3-4 years at my current job and get my debt lowered as much as possible. I will also be saving up for driving lessons as I can not drive and would need a car for the career I want to do.

If I can’t get the tuition fee loan, this is the second option!

Plan B:
I’m saving up for a laptop in case Plan A miraculously happens! But if it doesn’t I want to save up more for car lessons and eventually get a car so I can work and have a career as a support worker or healthcare assistant. This will also take 3-4 years as I don’t want to have finance for the car (my credit is shocking anyways so I doubt that I will be able to get that!)

My savings are as of 26/03/2019 is £250.00.

Time to get my head out of the sand and pull up my big girl knickers and crack on!

Uniqueop

26/03/2019

Back to work tomorrow! But I’m only doing a couple of days and then I have holiday for 14 days :T I’m hoping not to spend too much during the 14 days. We have no plans to go anywhere, apart from my mums! So it will be nice to do some gardening and spring clean the flat.

Pay day on Friday so I’m hoping to put some cash away in savings, and pay some towards my debts. Even if it’s just £5.00 it’s better than nothing! Should only have to do a small food shop as well this week, as we need to defrost the freezer and everything needs to be eaten to do that, so the next week will be meals that are in there! Money saved already!

Mnd

Hi good luck with your journey, we are the same in as much I'm retired 65 in may but my wife was 59 yesterday and still works full time.
I call myself a homemaker and do everything around the house, cleaning cooking etc to make it workable.
Look forward to reading your diary

beanielou

Happy shiny new diary

Uniqueop

Thank you MND, yes my OH does all the housework whilst I am at work and then we swap when it is my days off, it works really well.

Thank you Beanielou!

I will update lasted on today!

Uniqueop

29/03/2019

After two days at work, I now have fourteen days off! Which is a god send as work was pretty tense with work colleagues not getting on with other colleagues and therefore creating a atmosphere!

My electric bike which was fabulous for my osteoarthritis in my hips getting to and fro from work, has decided to just die and the bike place doesn’t know what is wrong with it, in his words ‘it doesn’t work anymore’. Therefore, the plan is to hopefully sell it to someone who will either fix it or use it as a push bike. It is too heavy for me to ride it and the extra money will be put towards a new bike. It is too expensive to fix at Halfords!

Pay day today, so that is good, next week once all the bills have gone out I will figure out how much to put into savings and towards debt etc.

I have found out that Plan A will only work if I pay my arrears in full, however I’ve still been told to apply anyways and see what they say! I keep getting different information, so I am not too sure what to do!

Bare with me, writing a diary is all new to me!