The Mental Debt Struggle...

Cherryfudge

Well done for sorting out your budget! And going to Brighton is a great idea. 

Sun_Addict

Just caught up and what a relief it must be for you to have finally left that toxic job. The break away will do you the world of good and give you time to think. Great news you’ve worked out a budget. The only way is up from now onwards. 

KajiKita

I’m impressed that you’ve managed to sort your budget. Having that done and a tidy bedroom before you go to Brighton for some thinking time will be a good way to start your new year and freedom 😊

KK

Keedie

I've not been feeling too well the last few days, as I think I overate 😬🤰🏾 and my stomach had rebelled 🤢. Gluttony so soon after a fibromyalgia flare up was never going to end well, but lesson learnt 🥴😂. But anyways, I've stopped feeling sorry for myself.

I'm definitely glad that I'm out of that toxic work environment @Sun_Addict, and I honestly can't figure out why I stayed so long 🤦🏾‍♀️. Oh well. I'm getting very excited about starting at a new chapter work wise, I just have to figure out what I'll be doing. It will definitely be an administrative role, and I figured I'll go for something mid-level and generic whilst I'm studying and then change roles from there.

Study wise, I've got two open days for colleges coming up, so that I can find out about the AAT Accounting courses. I think I'll be better off doing the Level 2 Accounting in a college if I can afford it, or can get an appropriate discount whilst not working. 
 
I've made zero effort with my room so far @KajiKita, but I've looked at the clutter and figured out that I'll start with a ruthless declutter of my clothes. I'll tidy my drawers and organise them, so that when the carer helps me with laundry, there's a set place where things will go. At the moment it's chaotic and that leads to baskets of clean laundry either waiting to be put away, or she just dumps things where she things they should go and I can't find anything. So I need to be more organised and have a lot less stuff. The paper shredding doesn't take much organising, as it's more or less categorised, I just didn't have the shredder as my mum had it. But I let her keep it and I got a new one, so I've no excuse now not to get things done.

I'm really looking forward to my Brighton trip @Cherryfudge. I've even booked a trip to the cinema in Brighton which for some reason (not that I am not complaining), was £5 plus £0.95 booking fee. So that must be some midweek promotion going on, so that was nice to sort out and doesn't eat too much into my spending money. I've also got some clubcard vouchers and so I'll use a bit for Zizzi, and go out to eat on my last night down there. Other than that, it'll be Wetherspoons for dinner to keep the costs down. I've got breakfast included in my hotel stay, and those breakfast buffets fill me up so I'll only need a snack or light meal for lunch.

As for the budget, it's easier for me to plan @beanielou, than it is for me to execute, so who knows how it will pan out in the end. Hopefully you manage to wrangle your budget beanielou. For me, I plan it well, but my spending is chaotic at times. Also, my sister reminded me that we're meant to be going on our family holiday to Gran Canaria in August 2025. That wasn't in the budget I've just done, so I'll have to really sit and think about that... 🤔.

Keedie

I figured out how to fund the holiday and realised that I'd been a bit ambitious with what I had cut out of the initial budget. So I do not in fact have it all under control 🥴. I'm £150 over budget 😬.

But... I have a loose plan. Of sorts. 

My car MOT and service is due in April 2025, and that's the only important sinking fund right about now. I've got £20 a week towards annual bills etc, and there's 15 weeks from 6 January 2025 to 14 April 2025, and so that's £300 that will be cash stuffed by then and the MOT and service are due the week after. 

Luckily I got confirmation that the freelance work I did a few weeks ago will be paid tomorrow. So that takes care of the £150 budget deficit for January 2025. I'll be doing the handover to the Director from mid-January 2025, and should receive that money in February 2025 for March 2025's budget. So it's just February 2025 that I have to worry about for now. And so I'll be decluttering and selling things, and trying to come under budget throughout January to have something to roll over into February's budget. 

I'm still working out my 2025 financial goals... things have changed as I am not working. So I need to have realistic goals as to what is achievable. One thing I am definitely bringing back is that Etsy spreadsheet. I was a lot better with my spending when I was tracking everything. So I need to sit down and work out what my categories are going to be for 2025 and then start tracking again. I dunno why I stopped to be honest. I think I fell out of the habit a day or two and couldn't be bothered to get back on track. So I need to make it very simple and make notes of what does and doesn't work for me, so that I can build my own budget spreadsheet for 2026. 

FacelessNumber

I find having budget spreadsheets works well. I keep categories fairly loose and do have a generic 'other' category which I realise may not work for everyone. 

Just in case it helps for ideas I have:
Bills all on separate lines (mortgage, water, energy, CC payments etc) - this way it's easy to change each one when they go up.
Groceries
Social 
Hobby Pot (this is a new line I'm trying out for things like wool for crochet, or it can build up for new kit for running)
House 
Kids
Gifts
Food/Coffee (the one I'm always trying to reduce!)
Savings 
Other

Wishing you all the luck this year @Keedie, and I'm sure you'll manage to work the budget somehow!

KajiKita

I suspect that you fell out of the habit of tracking every spend when everything started to get too much for you. It’s that kind of micro detail that I fail on when I get to that state too. 

KK

Keedie

Those categories are really helpful thank you @FacelessNumber. I definitely need to have an other/miscellaneous category and to add notes so that I can see what I am missing. I think if I have a sub list of what actually goes in each category, I can have less overall categories. Like for travel, that includes petrol, oyster card top ups for my son, train tickets etc. So maybe I need a master list? But I will definitely have the bills on their own separate lines, as most of them are changing in April 2025, and I need to be able to see exactly where I stand with each bill this time next year. 

And I think you're right about being overwhelmed and losing the habit of tracking @KajiKita. I started to feel mentally unwell around May 2024, and that's when I was very slowly unravelling and things came to be too much and I just felt all wound up. Add in the fact that the Etsy spreadsheet, although it's great, didn't really fit with my way of budgeting and I was starting to get confused by the workarounds. So I will start the year with the Etsy spreadsheet and then over time create my own simplified version. I think I'll enjoy learning a bit more about Excel and the things I want to be able to do on there. 

My freelance money came in as promised, and it was £1,304. I put £300 towards the deficit of my January 2025 budget and that fixes the issue, and the rest goes towards February 2025's budget. I set aside £396 for tax and national insurance, put £250 in the Shopify sinking fund, £275 into the business emergency fund (to replace the money used to fix my son's MacBook screen), £40 to cover January's expenses and the rest stayed in the main account in case it is needed. I figured that when I get the money for the handover, I can use that to fund 12 months of business expenses, and then put the rest in the emergency fund. If I am lucky enough to earn enough to save 18 months of expenses, and have £1,000 saved in the emergency fund before the freelance ceases, then any excess can go towards my personal budget.

Because I have Monzo, I was able to claim my universal credit and tomorrow's child benefit early, and so I put that in the pot towards February 2024's budget. So there is now £855/£2,300 in there which includes the leftover from the freelance money. My PIP and child benefit comes in next Tuesday, and so that will bring it up to £1,285/£2,300. I don't know what my final pay will be, as it is only for 10 days, plus 12 hours of annual leave, but hopefully it should cover £700 out of the remaining £1,015 I'll need for February 2025's budget... 🤷🏾‍♀️. Then with the child benefit for the rest of January 2025 (£75), I'll be £240 short. Which I should be able to hopefully cover with invoice for December 2024's work, which will be paid in January 2025 and can go towards February 2025's budget. Lots of finger crossing going on, but I'll make it work... 🤞🏾. 

Slowdown

I’ve been reading along with your posts and I’m very impressed with your budgeting and how you have a handle on everything. 

I left an extremely toxic work environment in 2018 and haven’t regretted it for a single moment. It’s been a journey of discovery and learning since and I now work for myself from home in a creative environment. A far cry from teaching. 

It takes courage to change and in your situation it takes greater bravery indeed. For what it’s worth I think you have made a great decision and have faith it will work out for the best. Keep going. 👍

Keedie

I aspire to be in a similar position one day @Slowdown, whereby I can work creatively for myself after being in such a toxic work environment. I like to have a work routine, and I like having colleagues as it gets lonely working at home. So in an ideal world, I would work 2-3 days, in a healthy environment, doing a simple stress free job that I can leave at work or when I log off for the day if I am at home. Thanks also for your kind words about my budget Slowdown, and the decision to leave work, as that was very nice of you and much appreciated 🤗.

I'm glad to see the back of 2024. As my 16 year old nephew stated, it's been "character building". But I am looking forward to the self discovery and a mental, emotional and physical reset in 2025. And financially, I'm manifesting that everything comes together and I will be in a position to thrive...

And wishing you all a happy new year and thank you again for listening to my mental gymnastics and for being so supportive and inspiring...