The Mental Debt Struggle...

Keedie

I don't have Perks at Work anymore @AntoMac. It was linked to my old employer and although I set up the account as an ex-employee, I don't think I did it right as I can't get into the account 🤦🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️. 

I think I've been rather delusional about Japan and the Philippines @Makingabobor2. I got a serious financial reality check when I looked at flights the other night 😬😬😬. I won't be doing both. Japan will remain as a fantasy for another time. I just need to work out the Philippines and getting there instead for 2 weeks. I think in all honesty, it's asking a lot for myself to try and do both anyways. I'll go to see my brother and then do Japan another year. 

I didn't bother going to my mental health course today @Cherryfudge. I was so weak last night after working. It's quite the shock to my system to be honest. I can now see the benefit of having a day off in between working. I am working from home tomorrow, so that makes it easier. I think working Monday, Wednesday and Thursday may be the way to go. Being able to do nothing today after being in the office was great. I'm back in the office on Thursday. But if I can work in the office on a Monday, be home idle on a Tuesday and work from home Wednesday and Thursday from next week then that will work for me.I like to keep Fridays free as I sometimes meet up with my friends or just chill before the weekend. I'll speak to my manager/friend and see if that works for him. Working 3 days in a row is incredibly draining.

Anyways, a couple lifestyle changes with a financial impact and then a savings update:

Car - my sister said that my love/hate affair with having a car is similar to Jamaicans and their love to hate relationship with eating pork. It tastes good, but they don't want to want it. I hate driving but I love the convenience. I felt so incredibly weak the other day that I couldn't walk to the bus stop and that was a slap in the face of reality that my fantasy about having no vehicle - as it kinda doesn't really make sense. I can get around without one, but it's incredibly draining. As my sister pointed out, there's a reason that motability cars exist to help disabled people get more mobile. I need to change from a manual to an automatic though as currently driving is very painful. So that needs to be a savings goal. A cheap little run around. But automatic cars don't seem to be very cheap to purchase and so I'll plod along using the car as little as is needed until I'm in a position to replace it. My son will start saving for his driving lessons and so we'll need an insurance group 1-3 car to make it cheaper. I'm giving myself until January 2026, using it as little as possible to see if I can really survive without a car, but having the security of knowing it's there. My lack of mobility in the winter months is directly linked to how cold and damp it is. As that seizes up my joints and leads to back to back flare ups. I need to redo the budget as I'd cut driving and running a car out of my expenses, as I assumed I'd sell the car when my insurance policy ends at the end of this month. I'm on a medically restricted licence due to the bipolar, so that ends in January 2027 I think. So considering I don't know if it will get renewed, I won't be splashing out on anything fancy car wise and he'll be a first time driver and I might not be legally allowed to drive.

College - as my son has left college, the child benefit has stopped and the child element of the universal credit will cease as well. I also need to do a change of circumstances for the council tax as I believe the 25% single person's discount ceases now too. My sister said that the boys (her son is 4 months older than mine and has also just finished college) can now claim universal credit as individual's and so I need to look into that. He's got a retake of his PAT test qualification exam next week Tuesday and so hopefully after that he can start to get some work. I've given him his last accumulation of universal credit and child benefit that was paid in August 2025, so hopefully he passes his exam next week and starts to get some contracting work. And we can get his universal credit claim sorted as I can't keep him afloat and he needs to be earning and saving for his moped insurance renewal in May 2026 and his driving lessons. 

Bookkeeping course - my mum is still available to loan me the money for this course, and I will see if there is a good Black Friday deal in terms of discounts and I can start it before the new year, or I'll wait until the January sales and start in 2026. It'll cost just over £3,100. I really want to start this course and change career, and I will try to borrow no more than £2,500 and pay it off in 10 £250 lump sum payments. It's not ideal dipping back into debt, but it's cheaper than getting an advanced learner loan as they charge interest. 

Travelling - I've contemplated foregoing the visit to see my brother, but nothing in life is a given and I want to be able to spend time with him and meet his wife. I really miss him as I'm so used to him being around the corner and with the vast time difference I rarely speak to him on the phone as by the time I'm starting my day properly, he's going to bed. So I have to find the cheapest way to do this. I looked at business class flights and they just seem extortionate and so that is out of the window. So it'll be a shorter flight and a layover. I can travel up to 8-9 hours at a push at a time as that's what it takes to get to the Caribbean, America or to see my friend in Kenya and I've done long haul since I got sick in 2014. Didn't particularly like it, but it was a means to an end.

Keedie

Onto savings goals... I realised that I have lots of savings goals, some big and some smaller or ongoing. I've had a long hard look at my budget. So I will focus on one big thing at a time and keep topping up the smaller ongoing sinking funds.

The Main Attraction (whichever big savings goal I am snowballing savings for)

• Globetrotter 2026 = £3,000 - to get to the Philippines and to contribute to my son's lad's holiday with his cousins in May 2026. £2,500 is for my trip, but I've no intention of spending that much and £500 is for my son's trip and I've no intention of spending that much either. 
• Car = £4,500 - I will be selling my car once I find a replacement. But I need the money to initially buy the car etc and then put the money from the car sale back into savings for the next big thing. My budget is actually £2,500 for the vehicle, but the rest is towards insurance as my son will drive the price up. I'm still on the fence about the car, but I acknowledge that something is definitely needed.
• Career Change = £3,250 - this is to cover the amount that I will be initially fronting and the debt to my mum to fund the bookkeeping course. 
• Financial Freedom = £2,250 - this is my one month ahead fund, and is based on my monthly budget. I currently live off the previous month's income and so this will be a slow burn.

Standing on Business (the ongoing essential sinking funds that I continuously pay into until the target is reached)

• KeeMari = £750 - this is for anything me and my son need like prescriptions, opticians, family fun time, home decor or appliance replacements etc. There shouldn't be more than one major thing happening at once hopefully.
• The Gift = £500 - this pays for Christmas, birthdays, Eid, special occasions and treats for other people or ad hoc charity donations. Events are spread across a year, so this cap is more than generous, and is only this high as Eid is a month earlier each year and so eventually it will coincide with Christmas.
• Cruise Control = £750 - this is for car maintenance, MOT & service, car tax etc. Eventually, the target will be bigger to include car insurance annual payments.
• Bills Parachute = £1,500 - this is to pay for annual subscriptions, the TV licence, add credit to the Octopus account, water rates and council tax to reduce ongoing bills. I've got £654 credit in Octopus by overpaying a lump sum and my water rates is £26.33 a month and I don't need to pay council tax until October 2025 due to lump sum overpayments.
• Globetrotter = £750 - this is spending money, travel insurance, getting to and from the airport etc. Once next year's travel is out of the way, I don't aim to book anything again I reach this goal, as it means I can get one or two all inclusive package holidays for that money depending on when and where I travel.

Side Quests (nice to have funds that have an ad hoc purpose - funded by any left over money from each week's cash budget)

• Bufferoo = £250 - this is my homemade overdraft, and as I'll be predominantly budgeting in cash, if I need to spend digital money it will come from here and then be put back. 
• Carpe Diem = £250 - this is my personal bipolar buffer for when I have an episode and my handle on my finances goes off the rails. Like a mental emergency fund.
• The Big Shop = £150 - the bulk shopping for things like cleaning products, toilet paper, staples like rice, pasta and other items I can buy in bulk to save money and stock the cupboards I do a savings challenge from my food shop for this, and so £5 or £10 goes in here each week.
• Munch Munch = £150 - my family likes to eat out (a lot) for family celebrations and sometimes big things like Christmas dinner. So I will start to alternate between this and The Big Shop when I do my weekly savings challenge with the food shop money.
• The AWE List = £300 - this is for Adaptations, Wellbeing and Equipment - all of which help me to manage my chronic health conditions. Adaptations might be things like a new walking stick, wellbeing could be a massage or some me-time activity and equipment might be something larger like a new perching stool.

I was repaid £500 by a friend for some money that I lent them earlier in the year, so I need to sit down and work out how to split that money across my various savings goals. Then on Sunday, I can do a Sunday Summary and confirm where I am with everything. I'm going to build a savings tracker like the one I had with my debt busting, as I think tracking everything and doing check-ins will keep me motivated and on track. 

Makingabobor2

Well you certainly put lot of thought into all your new goals. Hope it all works out for you. 

AntoMac

Good news getting the £500 repaid Keedie. Maybe you could put it all to one of your saving funds  rather than spreading it around. Maybe aim to get one fully funded as the money might seem a bit of a bonus? Just an idea and not my business anyway, but it might improve clarity of thought, if for example you have the money towards your son’s trip fully set aside.
Impressed, as always, by your organisation and ability to get back on track.

Debsnewbudget

Are you able to get an automatic car via the motability scheme? 

Not done any research myself and not even sure if it still exists but thought I would throw it in the mix !