Prosperous soul embraces creativity & mortgage neutrality

savingholmes

Thanks MF powers and Jwil

Drafted 75% of form today on my laptop. Will do a first draft and then check advice notes. Think I need to summarise. Will also need to find old medical reports and see what my gaps are.

I walked to the c00p for basics. Also made a gorgeous banana loaf.

Fighting temptation to spend this month. Trying to stay on budget by waiting a couple of weeks...

EssexHebridean

Delighted that you sorted things with DD - and that the realisation of the advantages of setting clear boundaries is there. Financial stuff definitely heading in the right direction too - isn't that a great feeling? 

Do remember to stop and think how far you've come over the past year too, won't you. Your life is quite literally a totally different shape now isn't it - and a far BETTER shape, too! 

lucielle

Well said EH!  Well done on setting the boundaries, always difficult.
L

Blackcats

Well done on all you are doing.
Thank you for a lbm - stop saying other people's no's for them.  Brilliant!  I hate asking for help - sometimes people want to help and can help.  Genius.  

girlatplay

I like that too; stop saying other people's no's for them.

You're doing brilliantly!  I know you didn't have much choice with filing the accounts with CH but I love that you made a list and then did it.  No faffing around.  Okay, none that we saw on here.  You are so much stronger than you were. Be proud of your progress.  Hopefully Pip won't take long once you've submitted the form.

Alchemilla

SH you come over as such a courageous person. x

savingholmes

Thanks @Alchemilla, EH, Lucielle, GAP and @Blackcats for the encouragement. It really does mean the world to have people cheering me on. 

Alchemilla said:

SH you come over as such a courageous person. x

Thank you. I feel like a 'hurdler' with life a series of obstacles. Sometimes I clear the obstacles, other times I go flying.... 

EssexHebridean said:

Do remember to stop and think how far you've come over the past year too, won't you. Your life is quite literally a totally different shape now isn't it - and a far BETTER shape, too! 

Hi EH - I think you are right I need to keep reflecting on how much I've achieved and what I've overcome. I also need to pause sometimes in the 'climb' and rest.

@Blackcats and GAP - glad it gave you an LBM. It's a saying someone shared with me but definitely a good one to live life by.

girlatplay said:

You're doing brilliantly!  I know you didn't have much choice with filing the accounts with CH but I love that you made a list and then did it.  No faffing around.  Okay, none that we saw on here.  You are so much stronger than you were. Be proud of your progress.  Hopefully Pip won't take long once you've submitted the form.

Hi GAP - the fine for not filing was £150. I wasn't paying that... I did faff around for most of the last year - only pulling it together in the last few days right up against the deadline. Very ADHD. Ironically I 'prepared my accounts' only to find that when I went to the relevant button on the CH page I couldn't use / upload what I'd prepared and I had to do a much simpler form instead. I literally did a web search to find out what every line meant. When it didn't add up as expected - I experimented with the different boxes until it did!!!  

Thank you all for reminding me - as I say to others - progress is progress. Some days it may be an inch, another a mile, sometimes we slip and fall and others we climb back up and go higher... One day it will be done... 

On the PIP - even at basic level it is worth £3.1K a year which is phenomenal. Especially tax free. Multiply that by the years of the claim it's a life changing amount of £.

For those who asked about DS - he seems to be fine. Still tests positive with a faint line but well on the mend. He is also encouraging me to list my paintings on £tsy as some of his friends he's shown my paintings to are interested. Love him!! The next few days are busy - I have work meetings, DD returns, I have my balance classes and am seeing my counsellor. I do have a half day off Thursday though so going to make the most of that...

MovingForwards

Add it to your list or send photos to DS to show friends, cuts out the middleman costs while establishing.

I've never calculated the annual P1P amount, just looked at the amounts and thought they weren't much, saving them would enable big adaptions to be made each year.

Have your time off for you, doing things to make you happy.

mark55man

Hi SH - I was so engrossed in the tax side of your story that I forgot about the PIP

one of the early posts from poppy12345 on this thread of mine for my DS has a list of links that will be useful (even though its a first time for you and not a renewal) https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6334530/advice-please-pip-renewal-form-for-ds 

I think the thing you need to get straight in your head is not whether you have a story to tell but that the story you tell ticks the boxes you need to score the points against the criteria, using their assessment method.  One of the links lets you put your estimates in to see the result.  I would counsel again that unless you are used to it I would seek advice from CAB as they can provide this objectivity   

WelshKitty85

Hi SH, make sure you’re fully aware of the fees £tsy charge before you list anything on there. I’ve just had an email to say they’re going up again. I find them high compared to other platforms I use.