Fresh Start At Fox Towers.

millymolly22

Agree with other posters...pay it on to your friends who you owe money to.  Accept the money.  Your mum's friend wants you to have it if she has contacted you.  She could easily have kept the funds and you wouldn't have known any different 

foxandflowers

Right. I haven't heard from her yet, but I think I've laid out my plans. It feels a bit like counting my chickens before they are hatched, but here is what I'm thinking. 

1) Buy myself a new pair of glasses. I can't really afford the monthly subs to get contact lenses, and they don't work very well for me due to my double vision issues. My last pair were £100, and I would just get the same pair again.

2) Use £2000 of it to kickstart my emergency fund. I've had absolutely no luck at all over the last few years, things keep going wrong, and I desperately need to have some money behind me for if things go wrong again, as I do NOT want to borrow any more money from anyone else ever again. I do know that one of my biggest issues is impulse control, so it would go in a next day access account at the very least. 

3) Use £3500 to pay off / put towards debts to family & friends, redeeming items from pawn shop/cash gen, and paying off the credit card. This will lower my monthly bills, give us access to a further £300 in case of an emergency that had to be dealt with there and then, and remove six creditors from my total. It would also nudge my debt under 40k.

4) Put £750 aside into a van contingency fund. We still haven't got it back as there is an ongoing issue with an injector. Anything that isn't spent on fixing that can be a good kickstart towards me paying next year's insurance in one lump sum, therefore making that cheaper. 

Anything left from all of that (approx £150 I think) I will split between a bills buffer and paying more off my friends. 

What do you think? 

Sarahwithlove

Sounds like a good use of the money. Just have to make sure that the money is used for what it's intended and you remain living within your means. Hopefully paying off the debts will give you a bit more wiggle room in the budget for unexpected expenses. 

foxandflowers

One of my friends very kindly treated me to lunch today- which was a mercy as our fridge currently contains one red onion and some milk. I need to get teabags and coffee on the way home, as well as something for dinner for next few days with £12. 

Had a wretched night of sleep, forgot to take out my contact lenses and have now worn this pair for 36 hours or so, so my eyeballs feel like they're dying. I'm down to 4 pairs left, so haven't been wearing lenses when I'm at home, and have instead been pottering around inside in prescription sunglasses. 

Shark week is due, and I am miserable and bloated and my concentration is utterly wrecked. I just want to crawl into bed with my kindle, watch YT mindlessly, and pretend the real world doesn't exist.

Had a long discussion with Mr Fox about finances when we move, have decided on a pocket money system - £50 a month each. He is also looking at volunteering as a driver for a local community project, delivering food, or taking people to appointments etc. 

Our puppy's parents have just got pregnant again. I don't really know the correct terminology for that. It's making it very hard to be so strict about the no dog thing. I know its not the right time for us but the idea of having a genetic sibling to our boy is incredibly tempting. 

We are still waiting for a moving date. Still. I feel like my entire life is on hold. 

The lady is going to phone me on Thursday morning re: the repayment of the loan.  

in_need_of_direction

Can you be sure you could stay out of debt post house move if you got a new puppy? If I were one of the friends to whom you owe money, I’d be fed up seeing you spending money you can’t afford while not repaying.

foxandflowers

@in_need_of_direction I am fed up of myself and my decision making too. There's currently £125 unbudgeted in the "when we move" spreadsheet, and another £135 to be added as soon as the storage unit is gone. That's with 25% of my income going into savings. So hypothetically, yes we could afford a puppy. But I don't want to get one until everyone is paid back, and our finances have been stable for a few months. It's a huge commitment, and I'm tired of making bad choices. 

in_need_of_direction

I’m sorry if I sound harsh. Believe me, I get the joy of a dog but I really also think you have more responsibilities than enough and a pup is a big responsibility 

slm6002

I don't remember why the previous puppy went to sleep, so not sure if it needs mentioning.  As it is the same parents would the same thing happen to the new puppy - maybe if it was something genetic?

I think you are wise to pay everything off first and make sure you can live off the new amounts for a good 6-12 months before thinking about adding an extra cost.

slm6002

I'd also say get OH signed up now while he is keen.  I expect it will take a few weeks for the paperwork to go through and maybe for him to get a DBS if it is needed.  That way he can be ready once you have moved

Bluegreen143

I agree with the above - it’s not the right time for a puppy either financially or with everything you have on your plate. And I personally wouldn’t get a genetic sibling when you’ve already had one dog from that family where they died an early death. 

It’s no good thinking “oh we’ll be able to afford it when we’ve moved”. You can’t afford it now, so you can’t make the commitment now. And til you’ve been in place a few months you don’t really, for sure, know what you can afford.