The Mental Debt Struggle...

Keedie

I'm going on 4 July @beanielou. I'll swim on holiday, but I also need to start swimming as a form of exercise to keep me supple. I used to swim 3 times a week pre-disability, so I need to try and slowly build up to the manageable equivalent. I'll be happy with a few laps once a week. I just need to try and become consistent. I may be disabled, but I'm also quite lazy. So I'm trying to change that.

beanielou

Keedie said:

I'm going on 4 July @beanielou. I'll swim on holiday, but I also need to start swimming as a form of exercise to keep me supple. I used to swim 3 times a week pre-disability, so I need to try and slowly build up to the manageable equivalent. I'll be happy with a few laps once a week. I just need to try and become consistent. I may be disabled, but I'm also quite lazy. So I'm trying to change that.

Positive vibes your way 

Keedie

My Barclaycard payment came out of £300 so that's all my debt repayments for the month of June done. I'm off to see my friend who is pregnant as she's off work today. 

I've started to pack and realised that my clothes are all more or less black 😬. I like wearing a lot of black, but the heat will be too unforgiving for my current wardrobe... I might need to get creative with mixing and matching things and I've got to do the dreaded fit test later. I've gained weight since I last went on holiday, so I've no clue what does and does not fit me. I've just been washing all of our clothes, and this evening we're doing a ruthless declutter with my son's clothes and I need to reduce mine too, even though I don't have a lot, I don't wear the majority of what I do have.

beanielou

I never wear black! 

Keedie

My round-ups account in Chase has matured (not sure if that's the correct term??), and so it's been automatically moved into my emergency fund. It was £222.18, so now the emergency fund is £512.58! I'm at 51.26% of my target £1,000, so I'm quite happy with that. Especially as the £100 standing order will go into the emergency fund on 2 July.

Depending on what happens with my wages and half pay and how big the gap is between my current combined income and the increase in universal credits once my wages drop off, I might still be able to meet my target of £1,000 by 31 December. But it's most likely that I'll have to reduce the debt repayments and the savings. But I'll see what happens once I know what my reduced pay will be.

badmemory

There is a tax calculator on here which should give you a good idea.

Keedie

Oh is there? Where would I find it @badmemory? Thank you.

LittleMissDetermined

Keedie said:

Oh is there? Where would I find it @badmemory? Thank you.

This is the income tax calculator: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/tax-calculator/ 

The calculator section in general is really useful https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/site/tools-and-calculators/ 

badmemory

Thank goodnes for LMD as I don't have a clue how to do a link.  I could however give you the answer given the figures but it is much better if you find out for yourself.  You know what they say.  Knowledge is power.

Keedie

Thanks very much @badmemory and @LittleMissDetermined. I had no idea those calculators existed! But they will come in so handy. The drop in overall income is roughly £360 a month from what I can work out using the calculator and how universal credit is awarded.

So if I shave back my debt repayments with Barclaycard from £300 to £275 and don't snowball the Creation payment of £75 once it has cleared, then that's £100 saved right there. I can just continue with surveys and my brother's repayment to save up for the phone repayment as that's just me being extra and it's not due until 2025. I just wanted it gone and to bring my overall expenses down. But I can still clear it a year early through surveys and my brother's payment. 

As we went into central London today and did a massive clothes shopping for my son, I no longer need to get him clothes for college as what he got will last him a while. So there's no big expenses coming up aside from when my friend comes over, and that'll mainly be things like eating out, as the big costly things have already accounted for and will be booked tomorrow. My holiday spending money took a bit of a hit as I underestimated how much he would need for his clothes, underwear, pyjamas etc. So we've got less to spend on holiday, but as the hotel has so much going on, that should hopefully not be too detrimental to what we can do.

His dad was meant to give him spending money but we've not heard from him and we fly on Tuesday, so that's that. I had a feeling he wouldn't get anything, so I had cashed in my coins from the penny challenge and will use that as his spending money, and I've got mine as leftovers from my freelance days. I was hoping to use the penny challenge for the summer holidays, but seeing as his dad has kind of avoided us, I think there's no choice but to spend that money. I still (perhaps naively), have a sliver of hope that he may come through tomorrow, as he gets paid weekly, but we shall see.

I'm on another mental health course tomorrow about coping with stress, which is very much needed so I am looking forward to that. Hopefully it's very practical with lots of useful tips.