Financial Freedom + Self Care

Hi everyone,

Friday is payday so here's my update.

Started my debt Snowball: I have £200 for my debt snowball! I made my first payment today! :j

Worked overtime, there was an event at work so I helped out, it was for 2.5 hours but it's something extra for Baby Step 1. The event went very well. Also when I have more energy I'll look at part time jobs. I need to sleep more and recharge before I do that. And start exercising again too - swimming will help to life my mood.

Listened to two positive songs:
The Heart Of A Champion by Troy Horne
Drive by Incubus

- Did some laundry, have some ironing to do this week though.
- Cooked food that lasted from Monday - Thursday.
- Wrote down some of my negative thoughts and emotions and did a colourful drawing to relieve stress.
- I didn't call a counsellor, that's something I'd like to do again soon. I need to talk about this more often with someone impartial.

I had some unexpected expenses this week.

1) Credit Card 2 - I found out that I was being charged for a subscription that I cancelled months ago. As a result I went over the limit (without knowing) and was charged a fee from the bank. I usually check all balances daily but I lapsed this week. Refunds for the subscriptions and bank charge have been issued and both the bank and company have been contacted. I will go back to checking all balances daily. -
£67.83 - overcharged by this amount
£50 - paid into account to get back within the limit and leave room for the monthly interest charge

2) I had to buy a phone card to call my Grandfather because he fell today. My grandparents live abroad. I want to get out of debt partly because I want to see them and provide them with whatever they need. I discussed the guilt I feel about this with the Uni counsellor. Another relative updated me and he's OK and looking forward to my call. I got home too late to call but I'll call tomorrow and just stay focused on paying the debt off and saving to visit when I can - hopefully next year. -
Phonecard £5

3) I ran out of home-cooked food yesterday and I didn't cook. Too be honest I've been feeling so tired due to the stress and resultant lack of sleep. I was meant to get a free lunch from a local charity who deliver free food for students and staff but they didn't come today, it was freezing and I didn't have a backup plan so I bought lunch. This is something that I didn't intend to do, if this happens again, then next time I'll just make sure that I have a spare bread roll and I'll make a peanut butter roll instead. - Lunch - £5.40

4) I bought sleep pills as I have had about 4 hours of sleep for the past 3 weeks. It's made it harder to go to work, simply because I've felt so tired. I've been thinking about the debt and just how much I regret not saving. My sister will be moving out next March/April to get a mortgage and I've just felt so bad because I have worked so hard and I wanted to save and here I am dealing with this debt. I think about how much I could have saved and could have. Then I try to remind myself that I am dealing with it now and I'm in the process making better decisions and in time I'll learn about other areas of personal finance including pensions and home ownership.

I'm saving in ways that I never have before and also reflecting on my past actions. And just looking at how I can be a better person. My LBM has been life changing and it's had a massive impact, it doesn't feel/taste good but I will use this situation to turn everything around. The sleeping pills are temporary and I know I need to de-stress so that I can have uninterrupted sleep naturally. -

Sleeping pills £3.89

This Weekend:

• I'll volunteer at the homeless shelter tomorrow.
• Do more studying, I haven't been very studious this week, time to refocus and pay attention to something other than debt.

Thanks! Yes it feels good to know that I can help out at a homeless shelter, especially at this time. It also feels good to know that I have some money to spare for my Snowball. And I know that I only have it because I have been monitoring my spending and I'm moving towards being debt free.

Regarding lunch, I see what you mean. My intention has been to not buy lunch at all and to just bring home cooked food but I think that if it's unavoidable a loyalty card could be an alternative.

The charity that provide the meals are usually timely so I was surprised that they didn't show up on that day and I was running out of time. Lesson learned. I'll have back up plans in future.

Yes, first snowball payment was made. It feels good.

Just spoke to my Grandparents, both of them are well. My Grandfather is walking again. Thanks for asking.

Thanks Tea & Kittens, glad that you've drawn something positive from my posts. Really trying to focus on my next steps rather than mistakes I've made. It's a challenging time. So thankful for this message board and for lovely comments like yours.

I need to break the cycle of: negative thinking, worrying, thinking about how much I regret this situation and how guilty I feel. The truth is that I know that I can and am turning this around.

Practical Steps

• Gratitude
• Swim
• Do Something Creative
• Make more money: Apply for waitressing/event work

I'm really going to make the effort to refocus on 'gratitude' and feeling grateful for what I have. I usually have that frame of mind, over the past few weeks I haven't, I've been worrying. And that is draining.

Gratitude lists are helpful, I'd like to do them more often. Not sure if anyone else on DFW does them, if so, do mention it. Do tell me . Writing down or simply thinking of 3 or 5 things that you're grateful for in the morning or at any point in the day - that's been very useful for me.

Gratitude List
I am grateful for:

Having a safe, warm home to sleep in.
Family members who love me.
My ability to write and express myself.
My ability to cheer other people up and show them positive solutions to challenges that they face.
Access to a forum like DFW where people can be open about money - which is such a private and even taboo issue.

I think that a lot more people are dealing with this issue than any of us realise.

Also I want to swim, once a week would be great.

Goal this week: Do something creative. Go to an exhibition or take photos on my phone during lunchtime. Sing songs at home. However small, I want to do something creative.

Make more money: Apply for waitressing/event work.

NB: I really wish I could just get a Project Management contract through my business, I could pay the debt off it a MUCH shorter space of time, improve my CV and move on. I'm applying for these roles alongside perm roles. I think that patience is something that I have to employ during this time as I press forward. I want this thread to be about actions and progress not complaining. I can do this, WE DFW can do this. :T