The Mental Debt Struggle...

Cherryfudge

Norfolk sounds lovely. I'm glad you had a nice break!

Can you use some sort of voice recognition to ease the strain of typing?

AntoMac

Glad that you’re having a good spell with your savings Keedie. From London to a place with no street lights must be quite a contrast indeed!

Keedie

It is really soothing being away from the hustle and bustle of a city @daisy_1571, but the quietness is a bit unnerving as it's so alien to me. And yes, it was such a good weekend @Cherryfudge, left me rather tired when I came back, but really enjoyed it. And I'd not thought of voice recognition software, I'll look into that as I have a lot of reports to write, as this is my last working week until the new year. There's Microsoft Copilot which is some AI thing that's on the computers at work, to assist you and make you more efficient, so I'll see if there is anything like that on there.

Keedie

THE SUNDAY SUMMARY
(Week 50 ~ 14 December 2025)

All savings goals are the targets for entering 2026, so with a deadline of 31 December 2025, the 1/5 increments are:

Bronze = 20% of goal
Silver = 40% of goal
Gold = 60% of goal
Platinum = 80% of goal
Diamond = 100% of goal

The Main Attraction (snowballed major savings)

Attracting Abundance (£1,000 Goal)
Diamond Target = £1,000 (100%)
🎉 Progress Checker = £1,000/£1,000 (100% saved) 🎉
This is my income buffer should I have a dip in income or be unable to earn/accrue the amount required for my monthly budget in any given month. Having this in place has been a weight off my mind and once I get on top of a few more things, I may increase the target in £500 increments.

Bookkeeping Business (£3,000 Goal) ⛔️ ON HOLD ⛔️
Bronze Target = £600 (20%)
Progress Checker = £0/£600 (0% saved) || £0/£600 (0% repaid)
This has reduced from £125 to zero as I moved the money into my Attracting Abundance fund. It made sense to have one thing to focus on, and I'll revisit this towards the end of Quarter 1 of 2026. I'll then be able to accumulate the money quicker to repay my mum for the bookkeeping course that I'm still struggling to motivate myself to study for.

Financial Freedom ~ Month 2 (£5,000 Goal)
Gold Target = £3,000 (60%)
🎉 Progress Checker = £3,000/£3,000 (100% saved) 
This is my One Month Emergency Fund to cover all monthly expenses, based upon a projected future monthly budget (to take into account increase in bills, food etc), based on a generous £2,500 a month. This amount is split across my Natwest Digital Saver (£1,250) and my Help to Save account (£1,750). 

Standing on Business (essential sinking funds)

KeeMari (£250 Goal) 
Diamond Target = £250 (100%)
🎉 Progress Checker = £250/£250 (100% saved) 🎉
This fund is for anything me, my son or our home needs. This ranges from prescriptions, home furnishings, self care, hair care etc. I reduced this from £500 to £250 as I realised that £500 was excessive. I'm really glad that I'm going into 2026 with this fully funded - yay 🤗.

The Gift (£100 Goal) 
Diamond Target = £100 (100%)
🎉 Progress Checker = £100/£100 (100% saved) 🎉
This covers Birthdays, Eid, Mothers Day and any other event requiring a gift/contribution like weddings, funerals, Christenings or one off charity events. I have 5 family birthdays before the end of February 2026, so this will see me through all of them with change to go towards other birthdays.

Cruise Control (£750 Goal) 
Silver Target = £300 (40%)
🎉 Progress Checker = £300/£300 (100% saved) 🎉
This covers MOT & service, car maintenance and car tax. I have reduced it from £1,000 to £750 as it was too overwhelming to save £1,000 when hopefully the biggest expense would be car insurance and if that cannot be paid in full on an annual policy, then I am fine paying this monthly even though it's more expensive, as it's less pressure.

Globetrotter (£750 Goal) 
Silver Target = £300 (40%)
🎉 Progress Checker = £300/£300 (100% saved) 🎉
I now have £300/£415 balance to pay for my sister's birthday girls weekend in the Algarve in April 2026. I have to pay the balance by 1 April 2026, so this will be my focus for the Quarter 1 of 2026 when it comes to the Standing on Business categories.

Silver Kitty (£150 Goal) 
Diamond Target = £150 (100%)
🎉 Progress Checker = £150/£150 (100% saved) 🎉
This is to pay for the kitten expenses, and is my initial pet fund. I think it would eventually probably have to be bigger, but as a starter fund I'm happy with where it is at the moment, as this will pay for things like food, cat litter etc and when I build it up more, I'll be able to cover vet bills etc. Though I need to research more about what that might be for a kitten and the costs.

Side Quests (ad hoc funds)

These are non-essential but realistically take the sting out of life by being prepared for lifestyle requirements, whilst acknowledging that once they are fully funded they will sit in the background until needed.

Bufferoo (£500 Goal) 
Gold Target = £300 (60%)
🎉 Progress Checker = £300/£300 (100% saved) 🎉
I'm very proud that I've got 60% of the overall buffer in place, as I realised that once I achieve this, all of the other categories will be easier to keep on top of. This will be my main Side Quest for Quarter 1 of 2026. This is a mixture of cash savings and digital savings.

Carpe Diem/The Keedie Fund (£100 Goal) 
Diamond Target = £100 (100%)
Progress Checker = £60/£100 (60% saved) 
This is my Bipolar Buffer to account for any frivolous spending or expenditure that doesn't fit into another category and is purely for me, whether or not it is budgeted. The aim is to try and keep this fully funded as much as possible. I took some money out to get a few things, which I don't really remember, and so it has dwindled a bit. But I will rebuild this slowly.

The Big Shop (£100 Goal)
Diamond Target = £100 (100%)
🎉 Progress Checker = £100/£100 (100% saved) 🎉
This is funded will cover bulk shops for things like toiletries, cleaning supplies and household staples like rice, tinned food, a large freezer restock etc. I have reduced the amount needed from £150 to £100, as I figured having a larger amount would lead to overspending and be too much to save for on a semi regular basis.

Munch Munch (£75 Goal) 
Diamond Target = £75 (100%)
🎉 Progress Checker = £75/£75 (100% saved) 🎉
I sat and thought about this category and I don't actually need £100 for eating out, even if there are family meals in close succession to one another. I've no intention of spending at the upper end over a couple of events £75 and my son is getting old enough to sort out his own food. But if I pay for us both, then the reduced amount should be more than enough.

Bills Parachute (£100 Goal) ⛔️ ON HOLD ⛔️
Bronze Target = £20 (20%)
Progress Checker = £0/£20 (0% saved)
I've given up trying to be ahead of my bills, and decided to pay my Parent Care contribution on a monthly basis, which covers financial affairs relating to my parents and is split amongst me and my siblings. So the next thing that I need to pay for is my Amazon Prime subscription and that is not due until August 2026.

The AWE List (£200 Goal) 
Diamond Target = £200 (10%)
🎉 Progress Checker = £200/£200 (100% saved) 🎉
This is for Adaptations, Wellbeing & Equipment that makes managing my chronic conditions more manageable and gives me a better quality of life. I don't think I really need to have £250 in this fund, I don't need anything big and so it rarely gets used. So holding money here when it can be used elsewhere didn't make sense, so I reduced the overall goal to £200.

Christmas Cheer 2026 (£500 Goal) 
Silver Target = £200 (40%)
Progress Checker = £150/£200 (75% saved)
I had a rethink about Christmas, and moved everything to do with Christmas into its own category. This allowed me to reduce The Gift fund, and this will cover food, presents etc for my family and close friend's children. Having its own category and fund makes more sense, and sorting out Christmas 2025 made me see that. I had a sum of money from the 50 Envelope Challenge, and that has funded everything for this year. And I used some towards next year to get a head start on it. I will then trickle some money into this once the the Bufferoo is sorted.

Birthday Bonanza 2026 (£200 Goal) ⛔️ ON HOLD ⛔️
Bronze Target = £40 (20%)
Progress Checker = £0/£40 (0% saved)
This is for me and my son's birthdays for presents, cakes and social activities. I reduced it from £300, as any eating out will be covered by the Munch Munch fund, if we happen to go anywhere.

Keedie

Sorry @AntoMac, I think our posts were ships in the night, as I only saw your comment about the stillness of Norfolk when I was posting my Sunday Summary. It was quite a shock, peaceful but unnerving 😂.

Cherryfudge

Keedie said:

And I'd not thought of voice recognition software, I'll look into that as I have a lot of reports to write, as this is my last working week until the new year. There's Microsoft Copilot which is some AI thing that's on the computers at work, to assist you and make you more efficient, so I'll see if there is anything like that on there.

I have Copliot on my laptop so I asked it and this is what it came up with:

Yes — I can handle voice input 🎙️. On devices where my voice features are enabled, you can speak to me instead of typing, and I’ll transcribe your words into text (that’s the dictation part).

Here’s how it works depending on platform:

• Windows app: You can enable the “Hey Copilot” feature in Settings. Once it’s on, you can start a voice conversation by saying “Hey Copilot” followed by your request.

• iPhone (iOS): You can set me up as an Action Button shortcut, so pressing the button lets you talk to me directly.

• Android: I can be set as your default assistant. A long press on the power button or a swipe gesture launches me, and you can dictate messages, set reminders, or ask questions.

• Mobile apps (iOS & Android): You can tap the microphone icon in the Copilot app to dictate text.

So yes, I can recognize your speech and turn it into text, making dictation possible. Do you want me to walk you through setting it up on your current device (Windows 11)?

HTH

Keedie

Merry Belated Christmas Everyone (if you celebrate it). I took some mental space from socialising, peopling and social media as much as I could as I felt really overwhelmed (my issue, and not the fault of anyone else). So apologies for not really responding to messages and suggestions.

Thanks @Cherryfudge for the info about Copilot. I wish I had bothered to look on here, as this was really useful. My last week at work was so painful and draining and I am still recovering. But my shoulder is a lot better than it was. It hurts still, but my range of movement is better. So maybe the steroid has helped for motion even if it has not necessarily helped for pain.

I've been in bed a lot this week trying to rest and recover and I've been having a long think about how I want 2026 and beyond to be. That's in relation to finances, family, health, career/jobs etc. I'm still trying to figure out a way to balance them all. I am aiming to go to the dump site on a fortnightly basis as me and my son slowly and consistently declutter what we can each week. Some items will be go to the dump to be recycled and anything in good condition will go to charity. I think if every Sunday we take things out of the house it well help. We have too much stuff and my mind is not clear as I keep seeing things that needs to be done, or insufficient storage solutions.

I'm still traumatised by everything that happened with my carer, and so we need to get things in a position where I would feel comfortable for a cleaner to come and help us. My nephews are coming on Tuesday to help my son move the living room around. They're going to put my desk near the window and move the sofa into that corner. I'm hoping that the new layout will help me to visualise what everything can look like once the flat is repainted, the carpet is put down and the sofa bed is ordered and arrives. There's several months of constantly scaling back before we get to the painting stage (as in hiring a painter, as although I am very good at painting as my dad taught me, I can't physically paint anything). 

The immediate focus is trying to mentally unwind in a space that has no clutter and the kitten when it arrives in a few weeks can roam freely without me worrying about it hiding in a bag of stuff that I'm still sorting through. I've ordered some clear plastic tubs from Argos to put the papers in, that I'll sort through another time... 😬.

Anyways, here's the kitten that we picked from my niece's kittens. We think it's a boy, but either way, it's simply adorable... 🥰.

Baileys_Babe

Lovely to hear from you @Keedie

Sorry you have been feeling overwhelmed, well done with coming up with a plan to declutter the flat.

Your kitten looks very cute

Sun_Addict

You’ll soon know if it’s a boy if he has a couple of extra bits 🤣 Whatever the kitten is super cute and I hope it will give you something to focus on. 

Looking to 2026, just treat yourself gently, don’t beat yourself up if you don’t achieve your goals. 

Cherryfudge

Aw, your kitten is so sweet! Lovely distinctive markings.

Good plan about a weekly tip trip, that way you will really see a difference and not be overwhelmed. Perhaps you could set a target such as 35 trips in the year? That would allow holidays, illness and whatever else comes up but still give that bit of pressure to tick the boxes (or colour the squares or however you want to record it).

Meanwhile, rest sounds just what will help.