How low can you go?

I believe the saying goes something like 'It never rains but it pours'...


As explained in my last post, we eventually closed the shop but there were a couple of rays of sunshine in the guise of someone wanting to look around the shop with a view to renting it and my wife being offered some part time work. Well fate loves giving with one hand and taking away with the other.

We did indeed show someone around the shop and it the gentleman appeared fairly positive. He left saying he would be in touch after the weekend. That of course was last weekend and eight days later we've heard nothing. I did say I wouldn't get over excited and I didn't.

However what made the viewing even less palatable was the fact that when the gentleman had left and we locked up the shop, the electric security shutter closed to about a foot from the floor before the motor created a large bang, sparks, flames and lots of smoke. Now I'm no electrician, but I was pretty sure there was a problem and a terminal problem at that. After several phone calls, the best I could do was arrange for someone to look at it after the weekend. Monday duly arrived and basically for £450 I could gain access to the shop in the shape of a new motor. Yeah right... Like I've got £450 spare.

So we're presently locked out of the shop with the rest of our stock and personal belongings trapped inside. I've yet to come up with a plan to solve this latest crisis.

Things can't get any worse surely?

Of course they can... On Friday 12th May my wife and I had to go to the benefits office to complete our claim for Jobseekers Allowance. Our 2pm appointment eventually took place at 3pm and we then had to endure forty five minutes of being treat like imbeciles, whilst at the same time being patronised and lectured to by a 16 year old work experience idiot. I can only assume they use these degrading tactics to make you try harder to get work so you don't have to visit these moronic uncivil servants any more than is absolutely necessary. After being dismissed with a cheery 'You should know within two weeks if your claim has been successful,' we headed back to my van and upon climbing into my seat, I felt what can only be described as something snapping in the back of my knee.

The pain was excruciating and I knew instantly something wasn't right. Somehow I managed to drive home without incident main duly to my ability to brake with my left foot, a skill learned from my days racing karts when I was younger. Back home I packed my knee with ice and kept it raised for several hours before it became clear I was in need of some medical attention. A quick call to NHS direct and Accident & Emergency here I come. I won't bore you with the gory details, but after a week of hospital and doctor visits, the diagnosis is a ruptured Anterior Cruciate Ligament. For those of a non medical background, it's a fairly bad injury. Please feel free to look it up if you need to know more. I'm back at the doctors on Monday to find out if they intend to refer me for an exploratory operation. My doctors optimistic view is that I could be up and about with crutches in a couple of weeks and crutch free in about six weeks depending on how I react to treatment.

This latest set back caused me to miss a couple of important meetings with a solicitor and CAB and has severely affected my ability to get out there and try and find work.

My wife has been absolutely fantastic throughout and is not only supporting my emotional needs, but my physical needs too. I don't know how long she can keep going though, she must be reaching breaking point.

So is there any good news to bring you? Well the part time job for my wife looks like it's going ahead and I have learned what a complete and utter twat Jeremy Kyle is, but apart from that, we still seem to be on a downward spiral at the moment which leads me to repeat my question "How low can you go"


I'm conscious that this whole Blog is supposed to be about our journey to financial freedom and that the debt issues don't seem to be getting much coverage, but trust me they will when they raise their ugly heads. I'm including all the other stuff as it's part of the journey and inextricably linked. I'm sorry if it's not much help to anyone else in debt at the moment, but it is very cathartic for me and I do feel sense of calm when I've written down everything that's happened to me.

I hope the next installment contains some cheery news to balance the crap that's become my daily existence.