Gabbie S

Seasons greetings to one & all. It's Thursday 29th of December and I've spent some quiet time reflecting on my finances over the Christmas period. Two words; Skinto Maxima! (Apologies to Harry Potter fans!) I managed to stick to budget with my boys, more of less. BUT in order to do so, I had to take out a Budgeting Loan with the DWP. I borrowed £812 - the maximum allowable & I've already started paying it back at a rate of £21 per week from my ESA. At least it's interest free. And to help my youngest son realise his dream to update his 10 year old near obsolete PC so it could keep pace with current gaming technology, I had to take out a loan over four years at 14.9% APR - which he will pay me back via his PIP allowance. Those were expected costs. They came as no surprise. Where the costs became less certain was due to spending our Christmas in Scotland. We had the most wonderful time with my eldest son and his partner. We had snow, we had presents & we spotted seals. But my son's girlfriend's family had spent a fortune on me & my son with their beautiful gifts & we couldn't reciprocate in kind - I felt ashamed of being poor & very much a cheapskate. I'm not used to being spoiled like that so I actually cried. In addition, when your family live so far away, the cost of getting there is very expensive - it's a round trip of 800 miles. I was glad that the diesel prices had dropped. The cost to go via train is unimaginable. But then on the way home because of snow, we had to detour 80 miles via Aberdeen - extra fuel we did not budget for. But we made it home safe & sound & overall, I needed the change of scenery so very much. It was worth it for the boost to mine & my youngest son's mental health. I'll get to grips with the finances in January.