The Mental Debt Struggle...

Keedie

That is such an incredibly nice thing to say @Newstartforme! I'm glad that you like my diary. I often forget that people read it 🤦🏾‍♀️😂. Are you doing the Monzo penny challenge or a cash based penny challenge? It really does add up quickly. 

Although you gave me a nice compliment Newstartforme, I clearly can't add up properly as I put the wrong budget thresholds on my Sunday Summary! That's what happens when you tinker with your budget a lot and write the wrong thing 😬. I've corrected it now in my other post and explained it below:

Bronze Budget = £1,725 (bills including the cost of carer, priority savings, food and travel) 
Silver Budget = £1,875 (Bronze Budget plus personal spending that I will also use to save up for big purchases - I need a new phone etc)
Gold Budget = £2,025 (Silver Budget plus sinking funds for car, gifts, home, medical, family fun)
Platinum Budget = £2,125 (Gold Budget plus holiday sinking fund)
Diamond Budget = £2,250 (Platinum Budget plus savings challenges)

I'm finding it easier to budget doing it this way. I know where I stand based on what I can accumulate for the following month. 

Keedie

I forgot to say that the Diamond Budget and savings challenges, will allow me to boost the 50 Envelope Challenge. The other completed savings challenges will be used to top up my emergency fund and boost the other sinking funds. 

Newstartforme

Keedie said:

That is such an incredibly nice thing to say @Newstartforme! I'm glad that you like my diary. I often forget that people read it 🤦🏾‍♀️😂. Are you doing the Monzo penny challenge or a cash based penny challenge? It really does add up quickly. 

Although you gave me a nice compliment Newstartforme, I clearly can't add up properly as I put the wrong budget thresholds on my Sunday Summary! That's what happens when you tinker with your budget a lot and write the wrong thing 😬. I've corrected it now in my other post and explained it below:

Bronze Budget = £1,725 (bills including the cost of carer, priority savings, food and travel) 
Silver Budget = £1,875 (Bronze Budget plus personal spending that I will also use to save up for big purchases - I need a new phone etc)
Gold Budget = £2,025 (Silver Budget plus sinking funds for car, gifts, home, medical, family fun)
Platinum Budget = £2,125 (Gold Budget plus holiday sinking fund)
Diamond Budget = £2,250 (Platinum Budget plus savings challenges)

I'm finding it easier to budget doing it this way. I know where I stand based on what I can accumulate for the following month. 

I'm doing the monzo challenge also , I'd love to do it in cash but I don't think I would accumulate to change that would be required for this unfortunately 

Keedie

The Monzo penny challenge is brilliant as I don't have to think about it. If I didn't have so many coins left over from failed attempts at doing sealed pot challenges I wouldn't do a cash penny challenge @Newstartforme. As it stands, I don't know if I will complete the cash version, but I will definitely give it a good go!

I finished setting up my binders this evening so that I can properly cash stuff from tomorrow. I'm going to spend the week making all the envelope inserts and dashboards that I need. And then I'm going to try my hand at taking pictures and filming my budget and cash stuffing. I'm going to be brave and try YouTube as an additional way to keep me motivated and accountable.

I don't like my hands as they tend to be swollen and that's not very cute... so I'm debating the pros and cons of having a channel that shows my face. I'm not 100% sold on the idea as I'm not a big fan of how I look either, especially since I've let myself go 😂🤦🏾‍♀️.

I've been outlining the topics and structure of the website for my blog and it seems to be coming together. I just need to do it all in a way that allows me to do things in bulk in case there are times when I'm not feeling mentally or physically well. I need to have a schedule that I can easily maintain.

Going to that careers fair on Friday was really informative and I got quite a lot out of the workshops. But the main thing that I realised is that I'm definitely not ready to be back in the workplace or even think about job hunting anytime soon. So I definitely need to get on top of decluttering my flat so that I have the mental capacity and organised set up to start my bookkeeping course. I think working for myself is definitely the way to go, plus a part time job that covers my bills, so that I know that I can always meet my Bronze Budget. 

Makingabobor2

Wow, you certainly have a lot going on. 

Cherryfudge

The challenges sound fun - and brilliant that you can start with so much already done! That's a huge stash of cash you had!

I was going to ask how the workshops went, then you answered in your most recent post. Any interesting nuggets of wisdom from them? It's important to recognise, as you have done, that you aren't ready to work yet, but I think it can be hard to know when you are ready. I suspect there comes a time (as in my experience) where I didn't feel quite ready, but having the doctor say I could was enough to make it necessary to try, and restarting work was actually the last step that made me ready, if you see what I mean. It was a small stretch, but pushing through wasn't as hard as I thought and I was soon back in the swing of things.

Getting a p/t job to cover bills is a great idea. As well as money, it's structure and social contact, and you never know what opportunities these things open up. It might also help you focus on the book keeping course when the time comes, as you will have to schedule that in around work.

In the meantime, now's your healing time, so look after yourself!

Keedie

It's definitely healing time @Cherryfudge. I was proud of myself for going to the careers fair and the workshops. And I realised from talking to the people at the various stands, that there is a lot of support and resources available to disabled people and those with mental health conditions, that I had not even known was there. So when the time is right, I know what avenues to take.

Also, by speaking to the different organisations, I realised that my part time job would ideally be linked to something community based within the remit of mental health services. There's some voluntary opportunities coming up that I can do some training for, to do some peer support type work. So I'll look into that as it less high stakes than paid work and allows me to build a routine for something that I am passionate about and to meet and support new people. My bookkeeping will then be something that I do at home, in and around my 'normal life'.

At awkward as it is to get in and out of the flat and to be mobile. I think I would like to work 2 to 3 days, but not work from home. Just go to work and leave work at work. Then any work I do at home, is on my own terms. I didn't really enjoy working from home and I didn't like the job itself either. But if I can work somewhere doing a role that I'm actually interested in, I'll be okay to travel to work (but I'd still find something with a very easy commute). I'll need to earn £1,250 a month to cover my bills, carer and Help to Save standing order. 

And yes, things are rather busy @Makingabobor2. I really do need to learn to slow down...

Keedie

I forgot to say that I've been able to pay some money into my sinking funds yesterday. I didn't cash stuff last week as I was just recuperating in my bed. I'm aiming for £50 for each category a month, and when it is a 4 week month, I put £20 in week 1 and £10 a week for the rest of the month and when it's a 5 week month, it's £10 a week. So that's why the figures are higher this week than they normally would be.

• £30 for Globetrotter (this is my travel sinking fund for holidays and weekend getaways. That's literally the total value of this pot, but I'm glad it's been started

• £30 for The Gift (I've decided to have one sinking fund for all types of gifts, birthdays, Christmas, Eid, Mother's Day, weddings etc. I'm building this back up as Eid recently took a chunk, so I've got £75 in there now. I have such a large family that even though that's a good amount of money, it wouldn't cover much)

• £30 for Homely Home (this is the catch all pot for anything me and my son needs, like medical, technology, family fun, household stuff and so forth and this pot has just started)

• £30 Cruise Control (this is for all car related expenses. I took money out of the business account to do the car service and MOT last week, so I still had the £400 in there, and so now it's £430. I'm saving towards car insurance at the moment, as that is the next big thing due in September)

• £30 towards the 50 Envelope Challenge - I'm accumulating money towards the next £50 needed to complete two more envelopes as I do two at a time that add up to £50, like 6 and 44).

I feel better that I'm starting to save for things again. And to have less categories as well really helps. Before I was putting very small amounts across so many categories, but now, it's just 5 sinking funds and the 50 envelope challenge. Much more manageable.

Makingabobor2

I think having less pots is a good idea. I am thinking of combining some of mine, I think I have far too many separate ones, so it never looks like there's much in any of them, and its unlikely I would want to take money from all categories at once, so think I may combine some of these.

KajiKita

In terms of how your hands look for video blogging, don't forget that you are looking at your hands from a completely different angle to how they are seen by everyone else. I think I have really gnarly hands but when I posted a picture of one (because I wanted to share the gouge that Chloe-Cat had left in the heel of my hand when strenuously objecting to being put in a cat carrier) I had a lot of people comment on how long and elegant my hands were, which was not what I expected at all! 

KK