Overwhelmed Bumbling

Oceans7

I have decided to commit to making a PAD and have just made my first payment. I'm not sure how people decide where to pay the PAD to so I have chosen my lowest debt This will give me a boost when its cleared and feels the most achievable right now. So I have paid £2.45 leaving a balance of £245 to pay.

August PAD : £2.45

in_need_of_direction

you decide based on your priorities. Maybe reducing the number of debts will give you the biggest payback. I would stick with that and while paying off, decide the order for subsequent pads

Oceans7

PAD made of £1 - funds not plentiful a few days before pay day so played it carefully by just paying £1. Today I need to get some fuel and top up the electric key. I have some salad in the fridge that I will have for my dinner this evening and will make extra to take to work for lunch tomorrow.

No news from job I applied for but am hoping that it is perhaps because its the weekend and that hopefully I might hear something in the next couple of days - fingers crossed!

Off to visit my mum today for lunch - I am looking forward to spending some time with her, we've not always had the easiest of relationships but have grown closer the last few years.

Home wise I have been trying hard and have done some clutter clearing and am keeping on top of things that I have done instead of letting them slip backwards again. I appreciate this is normal every day behaviours for most people but I do really have to work hard at this. I feel my mindset has changed and I think the main drive behind it is the desperate want for DP to move in. I know he wouldn't even consider it with my house the way it is right now, he just wouldn't cope - we are very different in that respect. That said I want a nice home for myself and DD too.

August PAD - £3.45

Steerpike88

You're doingdoing fab! Well done

Oceans7

Ooooooh how time flies without you realising it ……… I don't have any improvements to the financial situation to report - in fact things are probably more dire than ever. I have approximately £40 left to last to pay day which is 14 days away, so £20 per week. Really don't know how I am going to stretch that! I am going to need electric and food. I am going to take my car off the road for a couple of weeks as the brakes have gone yesterday and I just don't have money to fix them. It does however mean I am going to have to ask for lifts to work as I live quite rurally so I am unable to access public transport. But equally I will not need to buy fuel!

As the title of my diary says I have felt very overwhelmed and I think most of my posts have been quite negative and I want to add some positives. Firstly, whilst I have barely any money and will need somethings, I have paid all of my bills and I cannot remember the last time that happened - I think maybe 15+ years ago. I am proud of this as its not been easy. Secondly, I have actually cut down all of the garden and have completed 3 tips runs ( no more will be done until the cars fixed) Thirdly - and maybe should have mentioned this earlier! I am starting second job next week!! And lastly I have done my SOA - it might need tweaking and I'm not quite ready to post it yet but I have a copy of it for myself. It is in the region of £25,000.

With regards to second job my plan is to use the first and second months wages (think should be around £600) to pay £100 into an EF and then use the rest to pay towards arrears on my priority bills such as water, council tax and to top up the gas and electric. The third months wage I will put £100 into the EF and then use the rest to pay for Christmas. £500 may sound a lot but I have a very large immediate family and it is very important to me. My thought process is I will have caught up on arrears on priority debts, started a EF and not accrued any more debt. Then from the new year I intend to pay £100 per month to the EF and then use the rest towards debts. I would like an EF of £1000. The old me would have been planning what extra I could buy so this plan in itself is a huge change of mindset for me.

in_need_of_direction

is there any money down the back of the electronic sofa you could use? Cash back, surveys,etc. or have you anything that you could declutter, even for pennies or a change jar to be used in self service tills. Maybe work out what meals will be needed and allocate whatever is in the house to these then shop based purely on need. How great would it be to finish the month on budget and with all bills paid?

MillQueen

Is there a community pantry in your town? The Too Good To Go app or Olio is also good to get food.

Perhaps your family might understand if you have to scale back on Christmas a bit. Or a secret santa for the adults, so everyone only has to buy one gift each might give everyone some relief at this time.

ArtyJ931

£500 on Christmas is not too bad if you have a large family! A while ago the adults in our family decided that once you get to 18 you join the grown ups in a secret Santa exchange. That’s saved a lot of time and money as it was getting ridiculous. You can even make it a generous limit so people feel they are getting something really special rather than lots of things they don’t really want/need

Oceans7

Phew another week has gone by so quickly! Thank you for all of your suggestions. Older DD has contributed and helped out with a food shop - I am sure by this stage of my life it is supposed to be the other way around!

In finances another historic bill has caught up with me and I have received a letter through the post today. An outstanding amount of £3036.88 from an old loan. Usually I would have opened the end of the envelope and peeked inside before discharging it to my huge basket of letters to ignore. This time however, I opened it and this evening have created an online account, completed and income and expenditure form and sent in a repayment offer. Fingers crossed they will accept this even though it was a low offer of £20 per month.

First day at second job on Monday. Am feeling nervous that either it will be too much on top of first job or that they won't keep me on at the end of the 12 week probation period. Second job will have overtime possibilities sometimes so this would be something I would be keen to take advantage of when I can. Its a 16 hour contract which could feel like a lot on top of my full time job so I need to find a balance of the two plus homelife. I also have a chronic illness that is currently in a flare up so I will really need to be aware of how much I am taking on.

6 days until payday!

My positives for today are 1) I have completed 2 days of calorie counting and staying within my allocation (I am aiming to lose 2 stone by Christmas) 2) I tried to deal with the above debt as soon as it came through the door instead of procrastinating for months and 3) Very proud that smallest DD took it upon herself to create a savings pot on monzo - it really might not be much (10p out of the 45p she had in there!) but hopefully the start of her learning and not getting into the mess that I have, proud mum moment

Oceans7

Quick morning update …….. so far have done 2 loads of washing - third in machine now (will hang all 3 on the line when the third ones finished so can do it all in one go), cleaned kitchen, mopped dining room. Am just waiting for washing machine to finish and then hang washing out before having a quick walk with dogs before heading off to work.

So much needs to doing in my house to get on top of things but for the first time in a very long time I actually want to be here doing things instead of doing as much as I can to avoid being here.

Going to go and test the soup maker still works as haven't used it in years and then I can make some soups for work lunches.

Hoping for a NSD as can't think of anything I need to buy. Smallest DD will be home today while I'm working so she might possibly request some funds to go to the shop however I have forward thought - which is unheard of for me, and I have made her a packed lunch to avoid spends. Will be a real test of myself to say no if she does as my girls are my downfall and I find I cannot say no to them and always end up giving in.