The Mental Debt Struggle...

Keedie

Yes I'm quite proud of my little PAD pot @LittleMissDetermined, especially because I would usually front load the overpayments and leave myself short, so this is a nice way to do things instead. I feel more in control knowing that I've got this money set aside.

Today, I also received a letter in my journal on Universal Credits stating that they underpaid the housing element (as my local authority took weeks to confirm the increase in rent), so I will receive a credit of £27.60 to be paid to me soon and I'll chuck that in the PAD pot as well .

Thanks @Humdinger1. PIP has no bearing on income or other benefits or support as it's assessed on medical need and is not means tested, so she won't have any impact to her PIP when she graduates.x

AntoMac

I hope you managed to get out today Keedie. It was a bit dull to start with here in the West Country but turned out nice again (As George Formby used to say). Met a mate at lunchtime and he bought me a pint, which was rather nice. Didn’t help with afternoon work concentration though!
That’s a result getting the overpayment money back. It all helps towards the end goal of debt freedom.

Keedie

Unfortunately I didn't get to the park today @AntoMac, as I was so knackered from commuting into work and I was in a lot of pain. But I did have slow stroll back to the tube station on the way home, so I got some fresh air.

There's a small nature garden on my estate that I'll visit tomorrow and have some quiet time in there. The council has also not cut the crass for months on end so that it becomes a natural habitat for butterflies and bees, so sitting on the greenery on my estate near such tall grass a toddler can hide in it, has started to feel like I'm in the countryside and I love it!

I love a good liquid lunch... and don't worry, afternoons are meant to be taken slow anyways 😉. I remember writing some great essays (in my dazed opinion) after chugging down some rose wine and bashing away at the keyboard whilst I was at uni.

I'm looking forward to the overpayment refund as it was unexpected, and will definitely come in handy 😁.

Keedie

Today isn't going to be a good day.

I'm in so much pain and my joints are stiff so I'm having to work lying flat on my bed. I wanted to call in sick and just rest, but today is my last working day of the week (I work Monday to Wednesday). Also my hours increase from Monday and I don't want them to think I'm a liability and that the temporary increase can't be handled and needs to be removed, as I have already started work late every day this week due to feeling so rubbish.

I've got a lump on my right shin that doesn't seem to be going and it's now become really painful and my leg aches, whereas before it just looked a little odd, now I'm getting worried. I've sent an e-consult to the doctors,as my referral to the pain and persistent symptoms clinic is taking an extraordinarily long time and when I contacted that service their voicemail states that they're all working from home and only doing remote therapies, so I'm not sure how that's supposed to work?? Anyways, I think I need a revisit/re-referral to rheumatology anyway, as the joint and muscle pain is becoming so constant and debilitating that it's really starting to affect me more as the days go by and I need more help.

But on a less depressing note, we've had a 1.04% payrise confirmed at work and that takes place from 1 August 2022 and that coincides with my increase in working hours so it feels like I'll get a double pay rise - yay me! The £27.60 from DWP for my UC overpayment is hitting my account tomorrow as I can see it on the Monzo app. So that'll cheer me up when it comes through .

LittleMissDetermined

I hope the pain eases for you Keedie, you're right to get the lump looked at if it's not a normal symptom of your condition.  Fingers crossed someone gets back to you soon 

Congrats on the pay increase, it'll really be boosted by the extra hours
LMD x

Keedie

Thanks LMD, it isn't a normal symptom of any of my conditions and I'm waiting for the doctor to call at some point today.

When I looked at an online salary calculator, it showed an increase of about £224 take home pay and that will make all the difference, as I'm running out steam trying to do lots of freelance work. My body needs and rest and it makes sense to increase my employed earnings as that's the baseline for my budget and my role is still budgeted at full time, I've just personally chosen to work part time.

AntoMac

Now you’ve got through Wednesday Keedie make sure you get some proper rest and relaxation on your non working days.  Being in any kind of pain can really wear you down.

Good news on the extra take home pay.

Keedie

Thanks @AntoMac, I rested after I finished work and then my friend came to collect me and take me to her house in Kent and so I'm here for the next two nights and she'll drop me back home when she goes to work on Friday late morning. I'm absolutely shattered but so happy to be out of London as well 😊. Being in pain is really draining as it affects everything. I find it hard to concentrate as it gets confusing when I'm trying to block out pain and keep functioning.

The doctor has referred me back to rheumatology department and the pain management clinic and he's given me some medication to help with the neuropathic and muscular pain. I picked up the prescription and packed it with me, but I'm in two minds about whether or not I'll take it as I've not been on any medication for 6 months. My son thinks I should just take the medication as he keeps catching me wincing in pain (I tried to hide it from him as much as I can), and said that if it makes no difference, then I can just come off it, which is essentially what the doctor said as well. So I'll see how I go in the morning.

I have a face to face doctor's appointment on Monday for them to look at the lump on my shin. I couldn't remember the time I was supposed to be back on Friday so I asked for an appointment on Monday only to realise after getting off the phone that my carer comes on a Monday morning. Not good at planning at the moment lol. 

AntoMac

I think your son might be right about giving your prescribed meds a go Keedie.
You could even say to him you took his advice… Might be a good little ‘trick’ to show that you listen to him when you’re trying to get him to listen to you! 

Your call of course. I am personally so glad I eventually decided to eventually get some meds for my mental health. Being in pain is so wearing. I get recurring mouth ulcers which stick around for ages and it is most unpleasant. Your near constant pain must be tough to bear.
Anyway, enjoy Kent. I’ve been to places like Meopham(?) and Gillingham. There are many and varied lovely places in Kent. Being from the West I’m never quite sure where London ends and Essex/Kent start

Keedie

Don't worry Londoners also don't know where London ends and Essex/Kent starts as the shift is so subtle. I sometimes can't even tell that I've gone from south west to south east London as everything is just lumped together. I can often only tell I've moved from borough to another because the road/street signs for each council is different so I have to look at the names of the road and the style, font and sometimes sign colour indicates that you're in a different borough. I'm in Chatham at the moment and we're meeting our friend for lunch in Rochester.

That's good advice @AntoMac about communicating with my son regarding the medication. I've woken up today and the pain is so constant that I'll just try anything. My son told me that it's good that I gave my body a break from everything, but it didn't make sense having medication to help me and I was suffering, so I guess sometimes these young ones are more sensible than us adults. Your mouth ulcers sound very debilitating as they take forever to heal and impact your ability to eat and drink as well, I'm sorry that you experience this. My mum gets mouth ulcers and cold sores as part of her crohn's when her body is run down, and I always feel so bad for her as it's not something I can fix for her or help her, as they just have to heal on their own.

My refund came through from universal credit so I paid the £26.70 straight into my PAD pot and that balance now sits at £124.32. I originally had my signature and target set at £1,000 for my PAD pot with a target date of 31/05/2023 as I was considering building it up over a period of time. But I realised that I'd rather set a monthly target of £150 to see if I can achieve that and clear the pot each month and split some into the bills pot and some on Barclaycard. That way, I see more immediate results with the bills pot growing so that I am eventually one month ahead in my bills and my Barclaycard is going down as it's my largest debt.

I had a tinker around with my debt tracker spreadsheet that I created and realised that if I can get one of my Barclaycard 0% interest deals paid off by May 2023 through monthly direct debits and overpayments and I won't need to worry about a balance transfer. That plan currently has a balance of £3,366.75 (with the overall balance at £8,511.75) and once my minimum payment and PAD pot contribution comes out, I'll be able to what's left and then divide it by 10 months (August 2022 to May 2023), so that I can see what is required each month to meet the target date. I'll keep Barclaycard set at a minimum payment and just make overpayments as I don't want to get myself trapped again by having hefty direct debits, especially as the cost of living crises isn't set to be correcting itself anytime soon. As I clear up some of my other debts, especially paying off the holiday in March 2023, I'll be in a position to focus more on Barclaycard.

I feel better now that I have a plan. Getting an increase in salary has made all the difference to my outlook on how to manage my finances. But I've got a busy weekend ahead sitting down and using the paper budgeting templates that @shell16 introduced me to. I've been watching some great videos on YouTube as well and it doesn't all seem so daunting anymore, trying to budget .