debt free in 1200 months!?

bountiful

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/cr_needle_arts/article/0,2025,DIY_13768_3059465,00.html

Ooh - I did it! the photo is not the one I am making - but the example from the website. Mine is mainly orange (Sainsbury's) with some other stripes (bread bags and miscellaneous independent bags)

[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/HP_ADM%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-4.jpg[/IMG]

beanielou

Flip~There is never a dull moment in your house!!
Happy times with your house guest!!
Over to old style for you for menu ideas me thinks.

bountiful

beanielou wrote: »

Flip~There is never a dull moment in your house!!
Happy times with your house guest!!
Over to old style for you for menu ideas me thinks.

Too right! In the rush of it all I forgot to mention that I had a lovely day today - walking the beach with my friend, and having lunch sitting outside in the sunshine! Wonderful!

beanielou

Glad you had a good day today.
BTW~Is thewre still a beanie shop in Kernow?

chevalier

Ok I have read your diary from start to finish and I have some suggestions/thoughts for you to think about.

You will NEVER earn enough money doing what you are doing. Your current job makes it impossible to get a second job to increase your income, so as to be able to make ends meet. I am REALLY sorry to say this but you need a 9-5 mon -fri job, just so that you can do another job around it. I don't know whether there are day centres still in Cornwall, for people with learning disabilities, but could you work in one of them instead or your current job? If there isn't this sort of job, then seriously you need to get another job that pays better, or has set hours. I feel it is you low paying job as much as your spending that is putting you into debt crisis.

The pluses of this are
a) you know what your pay will be so no toing and froing between you and HB regarding benefits
b) you would have time in the evenings to do your course work. If you get the qualification you want, then you will get better paying work so again a win.
c) You would be less tired, less stressed and this would lessen the low moods you get sometimes. The debt would be going down quicker too.


Your house - now is the time to go round charity shops looking for thick curtains that you can put up behind your current ones to save on some fuel over the winter. Please joing your local freecycle groups to see if anyone has any heaters they can GIVE your for FREE to save on you buying some. If you had a set hours job, you would be more fuel efficient too, as you would not be getting up and freezing at odd hours. Batch cooking in the evenings (or having a second job to go to) would save money on heating.

Your son - As I have been reading your diary I have been increasingly angry and upset on your behalf by the behaviour of your son. I am REALLY sorry to have to say this but HE IS NOT PULLING HIS WEIGHT. He is not a child anymore. He should be signing on to get JSA if he is only doing 8 hours in Sainsbury's. He should be applying for housing benefit for HIS HALF OF THE RENT. He should be paying you HALF THE BILLS AND FOOD TOO. If he can't be arsed to do this for his mum how the HELL does he think he is going to support himself in a marriage? YOUR SITUATION IS DIRE. Tell him that if he doesn't get a job and work his fingers to the bone, NOT ONLY to pay his priority debtor off YOU, and pay his fair share then you will have NO CHOICE but to ask him to leave so that you can get a lodger in who WILL pay his way AS AN ADULT SHOULD.

Like I said I am REALLY sorry to say this to you. But please please really think about this. You are not doing yourself any favours at the moment, with your job and your son. Really think about whether you can afford either of them to carrry on as they are.

feel free to ignore
chev

beanielou

Bountiful~chev has made some good points in her post.
Food for thought me thinks.

bountiful

Gosh Chev - yes - you're right........... completely....................

I am (1) just off to meet my son's girlfriend off the coach for her week's stay (and yes, I have stocked up on food by drawing on my overdraft - stupid, stupid, stupid - especially because I know that they have -between them- about £100 to spend on jaunts. (2) then I'm off to work from 5pm to 12.30 tomorrow.

Everything you point out is so right. I will come back to this when I am next able to sit down and think about it...... and I AM thinking about it.

chevalier

I am really grateful that you took my thoughts the right way. And I hope that you are able to really think about them soon. Good luck with whatever you decide
hugs
chev

bountiful

chevalier wrote: »

You will NEVER earn enough money doing what you are doing. Your current job makes it impossible to get a second job to increase your income, so as to be able to make ends meet.I am REALLY sorry to say this but you need a 9-5 mon -fri job, just so that you can do another job around it. I don't know whether there are day centres still in Cornwall, for people with learning disabilities, but could you work in one of them instead or your current job?
If there isn't this sort of job, then seriously you need to get another job that pays better, or has set hours. I feel it is you low paying job as much as your spending that is putting you into debt crisis.

The pluses of this are
a) you know what your pay will be so no toing and froing between you and HB regarding benefits
b) you would have time in the evenings to do your course work. If you get the qualification you want, then you will get better paying work so again a win.
c) You would be less tired, less stressed and this would lessen the low moods you get sometimes. The debt would be going down quicker too.

Hi! I have had some time to think about what you said and have come up with some pros and cons about the job situation.

Pros
Regular 9-5 job would mean I could do a second job in evenings and/or weekends.
I might feel more in control and less stressed with the regularity of hours and earnings.
My body may appreciate the regular hours.
Cons
Fitting a second job round a 9-5 job would mean life was mainly work - and I'd still be too knackered to do my course work.
I'd be travelling in rush hour.
I'd only have Sunday off - because Saturday would be the only day I could do laundry, banking and shopping.
Boredom!

Musings!
*The reason I got into shift work in the first place was that I was a JobSeeker and I needed to find a job that allowed me to go to college one day a week. It was only by arguing that a 24-hour service was a reasonable job to accept for the work that I do that JobCentre would accept that I continue to study whilst being a JobSeeker etc.
*I like the variety of shift work and having time off during the day and the week.
*I cannot think of one friend who works 9-5 (all the people I know seem to be self-employed or in flexible/shift working situations!).
*I worked 2 jobs for 6 months a couple of years' ago and ended up totally burned out.
*It's not forever - and I am grateful to have a secure job. If I can keep going until next Summer, then I'm planning on being a full-time student and doing relieft work to top up my income. That will break me out of my support-work role and help me identify with higher level of employment opportunities.
*I have had to deal with a lot of changes in the last 3 years - I really don't feel I can make any more major changes just at the moment.
*My wages are on a par with wages for support work in Cornwall (£7.58 an hour)
* Tendency towards low moods is just me - always has been (better than it used to be though!)
*I earn just too much to get housing benefit
So, leaving aside SON and HOUSE - anyone got any comments on this? All comments very welcome.

bountiful

Just had second meeting with CAP - just a first draft of a budget, so identify errors etc - one big one = they had put down £60 a month for food (instead of £60 a week) - hmm back to the drawing board. I have sent off an application to the Nationwide for a Basic Bank Account. I have just got paid - so need to now pay all the bills (except debts) for November - glad I have a day off today - need the time to drink tea and wallow!