The Mental Debt Struggle...

Sun_Addict

Those binders are gorgeous and if they help you save all the better. It’s great that you’ve found a method that works for you. The trip to the Philippines sounds like an amazing experience to aim for. You know we want pictures when you go 😆

Keedie

All of our brains work differently @Makingabobor2, which is a great thing, otherwise the world would be exceptionally bland. I always write things down and use a spreadsheet to calculate everything, but even that is colour coded as my brain can't process black and white properly. That's why I give things specific names, like The Burden for all the bills and stuff, so that I can categorise things in my head and have a visual image to see where I am at a glance. My Monzo pots all have cartoon type images, so that they amuse me as they're keeping me organised. I do make myself chuckle at times 😂.

The binders and challenges definitely help with the savings @Sun_Addict, as it becomes something fun. I get very stressed about money, and I'm always redoing my budget. But doing things this way has helped me to relax a bit, and there's something quite mindful about colouring in savings trackers, and I get a sense of achievement when I complete one.

Me and my son had a chat about our Asian Adventure today (see another name for things so that I know what I'm doing 😊), and we're going to see if we can do a triple trip; China, Japan and the Philippines. I honestly don't know how long I can keep travelling long haul flights and so this may be the only opportunity. He's looking for a second job, and will use that money to go towards our trip. I've got some freelance money coming my way, so I'll put half into Globetrotter to start things off, and then split the rest across other categories.

And yes, there will definitely be pictures of our Asian Adventure! I'm probably going to bore everyone talking about it, so apologies in advance. The main thing is to get the money together for flights to the Philippines. My brother said it's a lot cheaper to get flights within Asia once we're there and everything will be a few hours from Manila, so the plan is to make the Philippines our base and travel if we can. I need to look at the weather, as when it is too hot I get really bad fibromyalgia flare ups. And I need to be careful of the time and route that we fly, as a long haul flight and jet lag is almost certain to push me into a hypomanic bipolar episode. So health trumps the budget, and I need to think about flight times and save/spend a little more if it means I reduce the mental and physical impact of the travel, as the average travel time is around 20 hours 😬😬😬.

Makingabobor2

Ooh Japan & China would be amazing. Both places on our bucket list, if we ever actually get to go abroad again.

You can never bore people talking about travelling. I used to be aTA & travel is still my favourite topic.

daisy_1571

My brother and sister in law are off to China today for a couple of weeks but for me personally I'm happy to stay home 😆

peb

All sounding exciting.

JJust to be sure to research your travel insurance - a lot of insurers don't cover trips when flights are booked outside of the UK.

Makingabobor2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82135829#Comment_82135829

Yes, indeed. A friend of mine had that problem after she moved to Spain. Insurance won't be cheap either, with Worldwide destinations. Make sure to declare all your medical conditions.