Debt Reset....

EssexHebridean

weird - and indeed quite frustrating! 

CRANKY40

Hello all, 

Payday happened yesterday. It's direct debits for bills day today but the money is there so it's all good. Debt hasn't dropped massively in the last month but this is the month when the overpaymments start again. 

Debt at lightbulb moment £9177.32  (end of Dec 2020)
Debt end of Jan 2022       £5390.00

The emergency/new boiler fund is £1075.00. Happy with that as the new boiler isn't urgent and hopefully it stays that way. I've also paid for the hotel and train tickets for our next trip. I used our "pizza" credit card but paid it straight away. Card balance is zero and I'm happy with that too. 

I still have my job for the time being. Finding a residential place for my LAP is proving difficult - there's a shortage of care workers and a shortage of placements. Even his respite care is a "no" just now. I'll make the most of it and overpay my debt while I can but if my job stops I can pay all the bills without any wages for now. 

This morning I'm doing small house jobs until it's time to collect the HT from college. Sciatica is bad so I can bend over and touch my toes no problem - I just can't stand up straight afterwards 🙄 so just easy, mostly sit down stuff like ordering repeat prescriptions.

Take care all of you  😊

WinterWarrior

Hi cranky. Good news that you don’t need the job. It must be a lovely feeling to not be dependent on an employer. Where are you going for your trip? 

CRANKY40

Hello all, 

Thanks @WinterWarrior. The job pays for the extras like holidays and extra debt payments so it will be better to have it as long as possible. Our trip is to London. My sister is flying over and we're taking the HT's partner who has never been to London. 

I have a widows pension for anyone wondering what I'm up to that my part time job isn't essential and I don't have a mortgage. The lack of mortgage was because my husband had life insurance - not the recommended way to become mortgage free. 

NSD yesterday and LSD today as I will buy a newspaper on the way to my friend's house for lunch so that we can do the crossword. We have a few seedlings to plant up and will do a bit more in his garden if it's dry enough. We're slowly reclaiming his garden from the wilderness that it was when he bought the house. 

I spoke to my doctor friend last night and during the course of the conversation I mentioned that my back was giving me problems. Apparently it shouldn't last this long so I was going to call my gp  for an appointment this morning. When I got out of bed it has stopped hurting. Wooohooo, I thought I was going down the same road as my  mum who had spinal surgery. It's still sore on my left side but that's normal and I know what causes that. 

The HT and I had a very money saving day yesterday. Sometimes on a Monday the HT takes me for a coffee when he's finished college. Yesterday we called to my aunty's house instead to meet her new doggy and she made us coffee instead. Coffee and doggy cuddles, who could ask for more? The new dog is the brother of the dog that my aunty already has. When his owner (distant family) died he stopped eating so he has come to live with his brother. He has started eating again but is still very thin. If he puts weight on we won't be able to tell them apart. 

Take care all of you 😊

WinterWarrior

There are certainly better ways to pay off a mortgage, that’s for sure 😖, but it’s still wonderful to see insurance in action. You deserve the safety.
I hope the dog recovers with his brother, poor thing. 

dawnybabes

CRANKY40 said:

Good evening all, 

NSD today which is good because I looked on a site that was recommended elsewhere on here and to switch my boiler from a tank system to a combi boiler and update a few radiators will cost £3000 or thereabouts. I've incorporated saving for that into the emergency fund so now I have several good reasons to try and save more. Also paying off my debts is pointless if I then end up in more debt because the boiler has gone bang. 

I've just got over the sadness that discussing the HT's lack of ability in certain areas with the PIP people seems to cause. We had to have a recap as they said he could do something that he couldn't and it's important to get it right from the very beginning. It's done now anyway and I feel bad that it affects me so much when other people have far worse things going on. It could be because I an having big problems with sciatica just now so I know what the future holds for him and having to discuss his issues with "outside" people makes the whole situation more real somehow. 

On the plus side I am definitely liking that the HT has his own money now. I still have a decent amount left in my current account even though January has been eleventy billion days long. Having said that we haven't been anywhere much thanks to covid and my ongoing sciatica. We've had one maccies lunch paid for by HT (I don't like maccies much so I just had some chicken) and we had fish and chips after one of the HT's exams because it finished so late. Best friend paid for a takeaway on Sunday as the HT's partner helped in the garden (I cut bits off the hedge because I didn't have to bend down or move much for that)  and we had a games night afterwards.  

Best friend and I are starting to look at seeds ready for growing. It would be good if we could grow our own salad stuff over the summer. I usually grow enough tomatoes but some other things would be useful. 

Onwards and may your bank balances go upwards 😊

I’m late to the party here and catching up with diaries.  Now HT is getting PIP you might qualify for a free boiler ? We got one last year because of my lad.  The scheme seems to keep coming and going so Google it and keep an eye out for it. 

WinterWarrior

What an excellent idea @dawnybabes, it’s always worth a try.

CRANKY40

Don't they only replace like for like though? Our system is standard boiler and hot water tank which I hate. I want a combi and I'd prefer a Worcester Bosch boiler too. As I'm no longer funding the HT's lunches/hobbies/clothes etc I don't mind saving up and paying for it myself.

Having said that, my part time job has just become even more part time. My LAP's brother was pure nasty last night when I did the handover for LAP. I rang their mum and grassed him up - she was horrified and said there will be words as he speaks to her like that sometimes but she won't have him speaking to me that way. 

Wednesday is the HT's day off college so if I don't have to be back for work we can go out for a couple of hours in the afternoon so it's all good. I have said that I will work Wednesdays if I'm needed ie if brother is away and LAP's parents need to stay in work but that will only be now and then. I'll be paid around £40 a month less so it's not going to have a big impact on my income. 

CRANKY40

Good morning all, 

NSD today as we are grounded waiting for the HT's hospital appointment phone call with his consultant. The appointment letter gives a time but may as well say "stay in we'll get around to calling you when we can" because that is what happens. I'm not ungrateful, I'm glad that he has the chance to talk his health issues through with the lovely doctor lady but the first phone appointment we had was 11am and they rang at 6pm so I thought they'd forgotten. As long as I understand what is happening I'm ok with the "any time of day" phone call. 

Best friend has wangled coming for lunch on the pretext of bringing me food that he won't eat by the use by date. I don't mind, it will break the day up and we'll have a chat and do the crossword. Three for lunch today and a different three for dinner as friend will have gone home but HT's partner will be here later. 

LAP's brother messaged me with an apology. I messaged him back - I'm too old to bear grudges. The line has been drawn and we will move forward. I'm still not working Wednesday's though. It's like the universe made that decision for me as my days are so broken up with my job and ferrying the HT back and forwards to college that I never seem to get much done. It takes me so long to do housework and baking now because of arthritis that an extra day without work is probably the answer to not having enough time for "stuff". 

Chrystal

Cranky I'd check about the boiler.  I think they only fit the combi boilers now, so worth asking about.
Good that you've got an extra day to yourself.  (((hugs)))