The Mental Debt Struggle...

Keedie

Yes we're all last minute @AntoMac, but at least we got there in the end. Just in the nick of time 😂. I've never been to Cafe Rouge before. Just had a look at the menu and it looks nice.

He'll definitely get a student loan, as the tuition fees are like £9,250 and he'll need a maintenance loan as well, especially with such pricey rent and general cost of living. But looking at rental prices, I don't think the maintenance loan is going to cover everything and I don't want him to discover and get trapped by overdrafts. That's when my debt journey started, at uni. He doesn't seem fussed about the fact that it comes out of his pay, he said that as long as he doesn't have to use his take home pay to deal with it, he doesn't care. Maybe I'm just being my typical mother hen self 😂. He'll definitely have to save little bits and get better with his understanding of money. I was very ill prepared for adult life when I went to uni and picked up some very bad habits. I reckon if I teach him budgeting before he goes and can help him with the stuff he'll need initially to move out, then he should be okay. 

And you're right, things are much better now financially. And in 2 years, for the first time in my adult life, I will be debt free.

MatyMoo

I would use your Cafe Rouge vouchers asap as I think they may be in financial difficulty ☹️

AntoMac

MatyMoo said:

I would use your Cafe Rouge vouchers asap as I think they may be in financial difficulty ☹️

Ooh thanks for the tip

Keedie

MatyMoo said:

I would use your Cafe Rouge vouchers asap as I think they may be in financial difficulty ☹️

Oh dear. But that would explain why the London Covent Garden location was turned into a Banana Tree. I had to look at another London branch to see the menu.

Humdinger1

@Keedie, just popping on to say - as ever- how wonderful you are! Funny, clever, and on a fascinating journey.   My DD just finished her first year at uni.  I think the conversations you've had with your son will have prepped him; DD said that she'd been hearing once a week since she was 14 about the evils of overdrafts! I never realised how much I'd gone on but she has managed to sweep her maintenance loan onto savings at the start of term and transfer a weekly amount.  She also has a holiday job in a pub so should start next term with enhanced savings. Keep on, you are fab...and trust your instincts about work. Love Humdinger xx 

WelshmansDaughter

Lol I read the name of a pot as Future Debt... 
I like it however and think if I ever budget I'm using it for savings pot

Keedie

Sorry for slow acknowledgement, the last week has been very hectic!

I definitely think he'll be okay finance wise, he sees how obsessed I am with our budget and I've told him that he has to save a minimum of 10% of his pay and he said that's cool. He'll want to save more after his first pay anyway. Sounds like your daughter is very financially savvy @Humdinger1, that's very impressive. And I'm glad that you like my quirky pot titles @WelshmansDaughter 🤗. They keep me amused and take the pressure and severity of managing my finances.

Drum roll please everyone... the GCSEs are all done now...

We're in holiday mode and trying to work out all that we need, and then I'm finding the cheapest and most cost effective way to get things. We ordered some tracksuits and shorts and t shirts from Sports Direct for him and I ordered some Skechers on 6 June 2023, and they've still not arrived as Evri has the parcel, but has stated that there's a delay and it's out for next day delivery since Tuesday 13 June 2023. I think they've lost it or someone working there stole it, and they're trying to cover their tracks. They have 7 days from receipt to get it sorted or it escalated to the retailer, so on day 6 they conveniently asked for a 72 hour extension. So Sports Direct won't refund anything until they've done an internal investigation, which gives Evri an additional 3 to 5 days to respond. It's cutting it way too fine for our holiday and I just want my money back so that we can go to the Nike Outlet in Wembley or try another Sports Direct.

His windbreaker from another company was meant to be picked up by sh**ty Evri on Friday 16 June 2023, and they've not bothered with that either, so the status of that one is still stuck at the beginning of the tracking process! And today, his vitamins were due to be delivered, and they went to the completely wrong block, took a picture of some other communal door and said they'd try again tomorrow. Arrgh!

But I'm on my second large glass of wine, as it's Wine Time, so that's something... 😂.

I got rejected from the second therapy service, so that was a bit annoying. And disappointing. But I've decided that I can't be crushed by it. I've still been seeing the Mental Health Practitioner at my GP surgery, and she has really helped me. I'm still struggling day to day and I talk a lot of nonsense as I can't form my words properly as I keep glitching, but I'm glad that I have that support at least. I have a check-in with my manager on Friday and I took your advice @AntoMac, and was honest with the managers about how I feel. I told them that I will not be talking to them about work related developments just yet, but they're welcome to check-in with me if it relates to my wellbeing and in general. As work is not my priority, my mental health is, and when I am in a position where I am able to cope better, then I can reintroduce work.

My Mobile Madness savings are creeping along, and I now have £60.17 in there and I've miraculously had a No Spend Day (NSD) and I can't remember when that has ever happened in recent months, that's for sure. But I will try to definitely have more. I think I'll be able to stick to my budget if I have a target for NSD and I significantly cut the amount that I am wasting on food and take aways. Which is quite a shameful amount. I have been too scared to track it all. But I am going to create my own budget planner, as I have seen quite a few, but none of them really fit me.

I've worked out how to get my expenditure to 88% of my income, and it'll be tight, but I'll be able to still pay my bills, clear my debts, have my normal variable expenses and a few sinking funds. I have absolutely haemorrhaged money during the exam period, all that waiting around and being disorganised with packed lunches and stuff. And buying meals in the Wetherspoons so that I don't get kicked out whilst I'm killing time, or those Sainsbury's meal deals and a couple of overpriced watery tasting smoothie thingies at Starbucks whilst needing to use their power outlets to charge my phone and be close to the exam centre.

Hopefully my new plan will help me get back on track... I kind of slipped a bit on accumulating the money in a separate account to pay the following month's bills. But I have more discipline now, so that's better than it was. And my disability cost of living payment is coming through soon, so that will help with food shopping and I will put some towards my gas and electricity for the winter. I've decided to buy Aldi vouchers online and Iceland with the £150, and most of it will go on that, and I can use the vouchers for my food shopping. Having food in the house and a very rough plan of what we are eating, has helped with having a NSD day today. So I definitely need to get on top of that. 

beanielou

Goods news that the exams are over.
You can relax on that front now 

Keedie

Yep, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted @beanielou... definitely glad to be on the other side of it all.

AntoMac

Hooray for the end of the exams Keedie 
Disappointing that your therapy was turned down but that’s sadly out of your control. So many of these decisions are subjective and therefore hard to explain or justify.
I am sure you will loads better now that the GCSEs are done