Debt and Caring

sunshine_raincloud

Just wanted to drop by and say you are doing great! You have a lot going on and you are doing an amazing thing caring for your dad. It can be mentally exhausting constantly thinking about debt and doing calculations about which money should go where so make sure to give yourself a break whenever you can. Even just 5 minutes brisk walking out in the fresh air to clear your head! I find that really helps on a busy day with lots going on. It will take a bit of time to get settled into a routine with it and to get the budget working (my budget still not working but slowly trying to get better) but you will get there eventually and that will free up a lot of mental space for you to focus on other things! Take care of yourself 

WelshmansDaughter

Today's use it up recipe was whiskey cream sauce. Not sure if Laphroaig was the way to go

WelshmansDaughter

@sunshine_raincloud thanks for the kind words. It's definitely wise advice and something I always forget to do! 

It's got me thinking about the financial side of caring. I clicked on the Amazon promotion link that is on the forum and it reminded me that I also spend money on stuff for Dad. 
I also worked out how much carer's allowance works out at per day- €32 per day. This might be an easier way to allocate funds? Just thinking out loud now really 

CRANKY40

My sister and I move money via paypal. I let her use my credit card and she's paying me back. She's in Eire and I'm in the UK. I'm not sure how much you're paying to move it now but at least paypal is instant if you have a problem. 

in_need_of_direction

Not sure if your location would be suitable but some of my southern based friends go north for private dental care as it’s cheaper. Places like newry are good and one Belfast based dentist offers pick up and return from the train station that serves the Dublin train.

WelshmansDaughter

@in_need_of_direction I have heard that, was a bit wary of traveling only to end up somewhere dodgy. I'll add that to the list of potentials.

@CRANKY40 the only transfers I'm doing at the moment go to my UK account to pay those bills 🤷

Speaking of transfers, got a random email last night from PayPal saying I have received £1?!?! So I checked and the lady I used to work for had used it to send me a message. So that is some potential work/debt payment for the end of June.

Annoyingly the money still hasn't gone through to my UK account- surely this is automated nowadays? Why would I have to wait until Monday? Strange 

WelshmansDaughter

Money arrived and CC1 now at 0.00.
Checked and apparently paid the fee for the year in April so have set a reminder to cancel next year.
Drove Heavy to the airport this morning, lovely empty motorway. Inspired thoughts of making today an NSD then realized I'd gone through the toll bridge so the point was moot.
Bought a dehumidifier for dad's bedroom as the measuring thingy said the humidity level was 71. His cough is bad at night and I wonder if the humidity makes it worse. Had to buy it today as I got it on Amazon to save paying nutty Irish prices.
Probably too tired thanks to early airport run to make any sense of anything today. Or stop myself buying things. 

WelshmansDaughter

REVIEW POST

I was thinking that I'd do a review after I made the payments. Sitting in the garden in the evening sun, drinking a 0 Guinness seems like the appropriate time 😀
Dad is with the carer for an hour so I won't get distracted.

Total debt paid: £3206.45/9993.61=32%

The headline figure looks good anyway. These payments came from savings and a grant.

CC1=0.00
CC2=1899.99 
CC3=4887.17

I made two random payments on each card just because I couldn't decide what to do. This leaves me with £354.34 in my UK account which will probably go toward next month's mortgage payment as well as leaving me a buffer in that account so I don't keep going into my overdraft.

Total debt- £6787.16

I think the biggest takeaway is that I am still going to extremes which is the opposite of what I want to do. 
My spending is generally related to stress, tiredness and the need for a little excitement. 
I am thinking about how to live a satisfying life but acting differently. The only interest I have spent money on is food.
 
Although I have a vague idea of what I want to do in the future, I have not made any progress towards anything other than my spare tire😀

Next Steps

- figure out CC payments to reduce debt capital
- save for buffer fund

- research flat renovation
- learn how to spend money

- waste less food

There is more but carer goes home in 5 so that'll be it for now.

sunshine_raincloud

Great work so far! Always a good feeling getting a CC down to zero!

WelshmansDaughter

In a fumingly sad mood. Turned Dad's walk music off so the neighbours could say hello to him and instead they saw us coming and ran off as fast as elderly men can.
Moch bach.
It would have made Dad's day, he misses people so much. Disability really makes you see people in a different light.

Made a fish curry for lunch, nothing in the house to make it creamy so blended some avocado in milk. Added bonus of using up the end of the bag of avocado and clearing some space in the freezer.
Down to one bag of Quorn in the freezer- time for a stock up shop. Hopefully have a better idea now of what works